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JimmehLee's IM 10 Build; Final FTS


Jimmeh Lee

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FTS 7-15-15
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FTS 5-7-15 :)
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Hey guys! Here's another IM 10 build thread for y'all. Here's my current equipment list:

-Im 10
-Nano-Box Tide with moonlight/storm controller
-Intank basket
-Just filter floss for the cycle.
- Purigen
-Cobalt 50 watt heater
-Tunze 5152 ATO
-Cobalt MJ600 return
-IM Spinstream
-Coralife nano powerhead (250gph? Doesn't seem like it's that high) - Had this unused in box for a while..Seems to work well enough. Planning on switching in a jebao rw-4 eventually for the size/customization factors.
-12lbs Caribbean live rock
-Going to go without a skimmer for now, with 2 gallon or so water changes weekly, see how it goes.

Right now the tank is in the middle of a pretty rough cycle, since I, through a stroke of absentmindedness caused a pretty massive die-off. When I decided that the MJ1200 was too much flow from the back, I decided to swap pumps temporarily with my old Biocube pump(137gph) until I bought the MJ600. I'd previously used it to mix my water, so I figured it would be fine. What I didn't think about was how stiff the power cord was where it attaches to the pump. Got it in and running with the powerhead, and went to work. And when I got home, the pump was dead. No big deal right? Well.. When I went to pull it out, the cable was separated from the pump... So at one point while I was gone it popped, and I assume electrocuted the tank. There was a pile up of brittle stars and bristle worms on the sand. I was really bummed out and felt like an idiot, but now I'm just thankful that it didn't start a fire or something while I was gone. And I'll never fool around with old, used equipment again.

TL;DR: I gave my brand new tank inhabitants the electric chair.

Once the cycle's sorted out I'm hoping I'll see some more life emerge. Ammonia's still very high, but unless my eyes lied to me, today's test showed a little bit of Nitrites.There's still a brachiopod/bivalve that's a cool bright red seemingly unaffected and filtering on the underside of my bottom center rock, so there's that. And if there WAS bobbit worm, I nuked it..Gotta be positive, right?

Anyways, here's a current FTS, 2-19-15
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Let me know what you guys think of the scape!

 

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Thanks fellas!

Ammonia's dropping fast now, gonna wait for that to hit 0, and nitrites to drop so I can w/c out some nitrates.

Chemi-Pure Blue's on the way, and I think I'll be able to start the cuc this week. :)

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Welcome to the IM 10 club! Following along to see how it progresses. For the third chamber, maybe some Phosguard or something? Heck, so many cool media things to toss in there you might just want to grab a catalog, cut out all the pictures, tape them to the wall then throw a dart at them all to see what you hit then add that. :)

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Thank you! I think I'm just going to take out the center rack and let it run with the blue to start off.

 

That's a pretty good idea I'll try it down the road lol.

 

That 2nd chamber looks so empty with just the heater

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Thank you! I think I'm just going to take out the center rack and let it run with the blue to start off.

 

That's a pretty good idea I'll try it down the road lol.

 

That 2nd chamber looks so empty with just the heater

A lot of people throw some chaeto in there, or a skimmer, or even a media reactor. It wont be so empty then. ;)

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I like the chaeto idea. Feel like I'd have to add some sort of screen to keep it out of chamber 3, but that wouldn't be too hard. And light it.

 

Small update, I've got diatoms! And started the clean up crew today. 2 Astrea snails, 2 ceriths, and 1 nerite.

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Looking great! I really like the scape...

 

A bit of unsolicited advice, but I would let the tank fully cycle before you do any water changes, or add chemical filtration (chemipure, etc.). If you're seeing the brown/red diatoms, it means you're in the Nitrite stage. Let that clear up on it's own, and you'll get a bloom of green algae (indicating the nitrate stage). It'll be nasty, but if you're patient enough, that'll disappear on it's own (with the help of your CUC). Once that clears up, you'll have all the various assortment of lovely bacterial colonies you want, and your first livestock will be that much happier. Hey... if you're lucky, you might even have a plankton bloom that will turn your water milky for a week or so, but after that you'll have clear water, and millions of pods crawling around everywhere! It's hard to be patient when you've got an empty tank, but it's always better to have a strong foundation before you start buying expensive stuff...

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Markburns43

So that's why my when I looked through my tank from the side it was cloudy white then I noticed it cleared right up, great order of sequence on the cycling stage. And to the op, looks great! I'm following

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Looking great! I really like the scape...

 

A bit of unsolicited advice, but I would let the tank fully cycle before you do any water changes, or add chemical filtration (chemipure, etc.). If you're seeing the brown/red diatoms, it means you're in the Nitrite stage. Let that clear up on it's own, and you'll get a bloom of green algae (indicating the nitrate stage). It'll be nasty, but if you're patient enough, that'll disappear on it's own (with the help of your CUC). Once that clears up, you'll have all the various assortment of lovely bacterial colonies you want, and your first livestock will be that much happier. Hey... if you're lucky, you might even have a plankton bloom that will turn your water milky for a week or so, but after that you'll have clear water, and millions of pods crawling around everywhere! It's hard to be patient when you've got an empty tank, but it's always better to have a strong foundation before you start buying expensive stuff...

I'll hold off on throwing in the media. It's not even here yet. Odd time to be called the nitrite stage, that tested 0 this morning :huh: . I'll keep an eye on it and see what happens, thanks!

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I'll hold off on throwing in the media. It's not even here yet. Odd time to be called the nitrite stage, that tested 0 this morning :huh: . I'll keep an eye on it and see what happens, thanks!

 

Meh... don't quote me. Usually the diatoms appear to consume the excess nitrites. For that reason, it's not surprising that your tests aren't showing any nitrites... all the bacteria is eating it. Once it's gone, the diatoms will fade, and the green stuff will sprout with a vengeance.

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Markburns43

Diatoms like nitrates and silicates, so you won't see them for alittke longer, and I must have missed the green algae. Every tanks different though, after your diatom outbreak which is almost a gaurantee. You can avoid these other algaes by not overstocking right away buying clean corals and dipping scrubbing or even removing the plugs. And running a good media using filter pads and throwing them out as soon as there dirty, just staying on top of maintmence for that fact in the early stages will yield a low nutrient system avoiding cyano hair algea etc. I'm no veteran but from info I gather on here its helped.

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Meh... don't quote me. Usually the diatoms appear to consume the excess nitrites. For that reason, it's not surprising that your tests aren't showing any nitrites... all the bacteria is eating it. Once it's gone, the diatoms will fade, and the green stuff will sprout with a vengeance.

I gotcha, that makes sense.

 

Fa st cycle? Can't beat that, stock slow if you can resist., I see you have a planted tank, nice scaping btw.

Thanks! The tank in my profile is my old 20 high.. Just have a planted eheim aquastyle 6 now
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ProtectDa2nd

My tank Just got over some really nasty milky water, was like that for almost 9 days. Now my green algae is kickin in my cuc is going to town. Water is crystal clear though.

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Markburns43

I gotcha, that makes sense.

 

Thanks! The tank in my profile is my old 20 high.. Just have a planted eheim aquastyle 6 now

i have both as well ya gotta ! What do you have going on in the nano freshwater
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i have both as well ya gotta ! What do you have going on in the nano freshwater

Some sieryu stone, dwarf hairgrass, dwarf sag, rotala indica and one bronze crypt wendtii. couple nerites, couple amano shrimp, and a male betta! I'll snap a pic when the rotala grows back out.
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Great start! Looking forward to your adventure. :)

Thank you!

 

So, I ended up trading that giant nassarius in for another astrea and a nerite snail. Leaving it be for a bit. Diatoms are still going.

The nassarius could barely get under my sand, and it looked like I was watching temors. :wacko:

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Markburns43

My turbo did an amazing job taking care of the diatoms. Then i got a reef cleaners pack best little purchase i made. As well as a pictus blenny he demolished some diatoms. But thats about it in my tank right now for algae alittle coraline starting.

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Right on! I'm just letting it run its course with the 'toms. Didn't want to get a turbo because of their size either lol. They were all almost golf ball sized at the shop. I'm really just hoping a couple brittle stars and bristle worms made it and show up sooner or later.

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Markburns43

Ya they do get big i have alittle more room in my tank for one but i do plan on a bigger tank in a year or two so hell be prime! Hope the diatoms fade soon after a couple weeks it gets annoying . Clean the glass do water changes filter pad swaps and it re appears with vengeance lol but im over a month now with it and its getting sparse . Rider out

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