IM Fusion 15 Cube

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#25
Been a while since I updated this. I’ve been battling with what I think/thought are dinos. But as of the last few weeks I’m starting to get lots of hair algae and some other type growing on the opposite side of the tank.

My nutrients have bottomed out, I often text 0,0. Today results were, 0 Nitrate on Salifert test kit and 4 PPB phosphorus which translate to .012 ppm phosphate, Hanna ULR checker. So I have some sort of imbalance going on.

I feed via auto feeder 3 times a day, not a ton I measure it roughly 10-15 pellets each time.
Mysis 1/4-1/2 cube once per day / every other day
A mix of 3/4 ml Oyster feast, 10 ML ab+, 20 drops of phyto feast once per night if I remember.
I also have used 2 caps of MB7 weekly since starting the tank.

So I have been thinking about taking my refugium offline or putting my skimmer on a timer only running it 12 hrs per day.

Any suggestions?

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Besides that the corals and fish are all doing relatively well. What I have been most stoked on lately is the SPS, what little I have. I almost completely killed the red Digi and that sunset monti. The monti has completely recovered and is growing fast the red digi and another digi has been growing well.

I do want to make some changes, I’m pretty dead set on going BB. Thinking just siphon a bit of sand out at a time, is that the best strategy?

And I want to make some fish changes I think I will be selling everything I have now. And going with 8-10 Threadfin Cardinals and a male anthias of some sort to keep them in line ;).
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Smite

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#27
I think you’ve got a good plan of attack going. I’d start by reducing the refugium before I’d turn the skimmer off with dinos. I always run a little carbon with them too just to help with any potential toxins.

it almost looks like you’ve got some GHA either starting up or being choked out by the dinos. In my experience once I beat back dinos GHA seems to take over.
My go too for dinos getting out of control is a black out. I feel like live phytoplankton really helped my last go of it. Oyster feast as well to bring up the nutrients a bit. I’d feed at lights out and kill flow.
I removed sand from my 180 in a few water changes without any issue.
 

Smite

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#28
If you end up selling everything let me know. I’ll be on the hunt for some wrasse once my new tank is here.
 
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#29
I think you’ve got a good plan of attack going. I’d start by reducing the refugium before I’d turn the skimmer off with dinos. I always run a little carbon with them too just to help with any potential toxins.

it almost looks like you’ve got some GHA either starting up or being choked out by the dinos. In my experience once I beat back dinos GHA seems to take over.
My go too for dinos getting out of control is a black out. I feel like live phytoplankton really helped my last go of it. Oyster feast as well to bring up the nutrients a bit. I’d feed at lights out and kill flow.
I removed sand from my 180 in a few water changes without any issue.
Thanks for the advice. I will reduce the amount of time the fuge light is on and see if I can ultimately do without. I’ve got another AI prime laying around I think the fuge section would make a great frag section.

The Dinos don’t seem terrible or to be taking over so I will keep an eye on it before I go the black out route.

See ya sand.
 
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#31
Some top down shots. Still dealing with some residual GHA at least I think that’s what it is. Snails don’t touch it tried an urchin and sea hare as well they didn’t eat it either. Super annoying.

Other than that things are going fairly well. I accidentally doubled my ALK dosing, SPS seems to have made it through the spike and recovering now.
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#35
Still battling that algae with manual removals and lots less feeding. Coral colors seem to be suffering though due to the lack of nutrients. Keep on chipping away at it and hopefully get it back on track.

Happy with the fish stocking changes I made. Now have 3 x Threadfin Cardinals, Black Cap basslet, and a tiny Tomini. The basslet kind of huddles the cardinals around the tank like a pack of cows and if he gets a little testy the Tomini sweeps in to calm things down. Really enjoy watching the tank where as before it was like I had all the “cool” fish but they just felt out of place.

SPS has been exciting to watch as this is really the first success I’ve had with SPS.
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Cool oddball Stylo, not the one I have been on the hunt for but similar.
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#36
looks like you hit up steve garrett? great choice! lol

looks good man. the algae battle feels neverending, i'm on round 2 of reef flux to get rid of turf algae
 
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#37
looks like you hit up steve garrett? great choice! lol

looks good man. the algae battle feels neverending, i'm on round 2 of reef flux to get rid of turf algae
Kind of hard to mistake those glass frag plugs, isn’t it? LOL Ali at Amazing Aquariums and Reefs grabbed it from him for me. He had several variations. I would like to go check out his systems and shop is he open to the public?

No doubt. I’ve been trying to attack section by section seems to be helping a bit more.
 
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#38
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This is the one I’m really on the hunt for. It’s burned into my mind!

Possible a little more time under LEDs mine will get a little more pink but don’t think it will get this vibrant.
 
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#39
yeah i think he is, i just emailed him and we started texting, his system is a sight in itself

i really like pink stylos and pink birdsnest, but i wonder how great they look under leds that are so heavy in blues, gotta crank those warm whites up probably. i do love me some stylos so i'll probably have to pick up a pink in the future to round out the collection

there's a guy on r2r named therman that sells a stylophora subseriata that i want to get just for collector fun, i like the oddball non acro sps
 
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#40
I will have to hit him up.

Going T5 anyhow see what that does for it.

That looks like an awesome piece! Again wish I had more room I feel like I have to be uber selective of what I pick.
 

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