High Tide Aquatics

ThePhoReefer’s IM25 Lagoon 2.0

thephoreefer

thephoreefer

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ThePhoReefer’s IM25 Lagoon 2.0

Created: 08/07/2025
Tank: IM25 (From Aqua Plus in Santa Clara), with black APS
Light: xr30 G4 Pro (ThePhoReefer Template) with RMS.
Return: Mightyjet
Bacteria: turbostart 900
Salt: Red Sea Blue Bucket
17 lbs cured live rock from Reef Lab Aquatics in Gilroy.
Dose ammonium chloride to feed the bacteria.

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Just add another dosage of ammonium chloride drops. Hopefully get some nitrates in couple days. What do you think?
 
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if ammonia 2ppm drops to 0ppm in 24 hrs. it is time to stop with the ammonium chloride and it is time to add copepods and start dosing phytoplankton daily. keep the lights off until you need them (once you put coral in). start testing ALK, Nitrate and Phosphate daily for a while, like a few months. you won't regret it - keep a log. this way you understand what exactly is happening to the water as you start dosing phyto, adding inverts, fish, coral, etc.
 
anizato said:
if ammonia 2ppm drops to 0ppm in 24 hrs. it is time to stop with the ammonium chloride and it is time to add copepods and start dosing phytoplankton daily. keep the lights off until you need them (once you put coral in). start testing ALK, Nitrate and Phosphate daily for a while, like a few months. you won't regret it - keep a log. this way you understand what exactly is happening to the water as you start dosing phyto, adding inverts, fish, coral, etc.
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Thanks for input, this my 6th-8th time starting saltwater tank. Check out my tank journals. I like putting down the ups and downs of cycling tank. It’s fun to figure out what’s going on.
Way too early to add copepods/ phytoplankton.I only add when I’m planning on keep a mandarin or dragonett.
 
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FYI, SORRY guys but this will not be a torch tank like last tank(hopefully :) ). Thinking mix reef, maybe 1-2 torch, a few tenius(WD, Homewrecker, SC orange Passion, maybe at 6month mark hopefully) Will be experimenting with all for reef dosing! If downhill from all for reef, will be back on doing BRS liquid dosing: alk, calcium, and magnesium with trace elements from Red Sea ABCD.
 
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Oh I see, I'll definitely be checking out your journals!
That's badass! How do you keep euphyllia happy? Anything you target or look out for - kinda like phosphates for sps etc? my torches are hurting but my SPS is pretty happy, so trying to find a balance LOL
 
anizato said:
Oh I see, I'll definitely be checking out your journals!
That's badass! How do you keep euphyllia happy? Anything you target or look out for - kinda like phosphates for sps etc? my torches are hurting but my SPS is pretty happy, so trying to find a balance LOL
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I love sps, especially the Tenius. Used to keep too. In rsr250
 
Yesterday I dosed ammonium chloride to increase ammonium level to about 1 ppm, was 1 ppm ammonium now safe. All this within 24hrs so good signs so far!

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3 weeks 3 days.
Ugly stage in! Time to get some cleanup crew.

Percula clownfish pair in a few days ago, seem happy. In supernova anemone one clownfish seem to host (I assume is the female dominated one of the pair) both look similar so I can’t tell which is which.

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