Owners Thread: Innovative Marine Fusion 40

[Reduck]

Originally Posted by vlapinta

Good to know Reduck. Like you, as soon as I get a handle on this algae. My son just gave me most of his corals because he is relocating to another state. I would have waited putting anything new in my tank, but I had no choice. I just ordered http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Grav.../dp/B003C5U2SU and should get it tomorrow. Then I am going to do a "lights out" for 3 days.

you'll love that vac. after a week of daily sandbed cleaning, I think I finally have a handle on my issue. I'll know tonight. In any event, its immensely better than it was!

If you are vacuuming real fine particles, you might consider shoving some floss in the collection bin to catch it so it doesn't disperse back out..I have not needed to do that yet, but I am watching closely at what comes out of the filter mesh...

[vlapinta]

Originally Posted by Reduck

you'll love that vac. after a week of daily sandbed cleaning, I think I finally have a handle on my issue. I'll know tonight. In any event, its immensely better than it was!

If you are vacuuming real fine particles, you might consider shoving some floss in the collection bin to catch it so it doesn't disperse back out..I have not needed to do that yet, but I am watching closely at what comes out of the filter mesh...

I should be filter floss on the bottom, inside the mesh of the vacuum?
Do you hold it on the sand in a spot for a few seconds and vacuum so the sand goes inside, or just lightly over the top?

[Reduck]

Originally Posted by vlapinta

I should be filter floss on the bottom, inside the mesh of the vacuum?
Do you hold it on the sand in a spot for a few seconds and vacuum so the sand goes inside, or just lightly over the top?

I would stick the floss on the bottom. Going to try it tomorrow. I have been sinking the teeth in half an inch, letting it suck a load up, the slowly lifting up letting the sand pile back where it came from till it settles.
Don't lift it too fast or too high or you'll get a wet surprise!

It's doing well. Very light cover on the bed today. I may have this licked. Finally.
I'll do it one last time tomorrow then leave it for a few days to see what appears.

I'm up to 3 hrs at 14k 30% too.

[bizacon]

I rearranged my aquascape today... I did not like all the rock and wanted more flow around the corners....

I think I am going to pick up the maxspect gyre 130 when it comes out. Like the idea of how it sends the water around. I can also tuck it in the corner too

I also am ordering up the IM LED light, going to throw some algae in the back and get more of a natural filtration

[Reduck]

Cool. Curious to see how that gyre works out. It def looks interesting.
Did a final vacuum today. Very little growth on the bed. My corals are loving the additional light too. I'll bump it up another notch tomorrow. Perfect water test too...aside from thr freezing cold outside, it's a good day...😊

[bizacon]

That is great... glad to hear, I have a couple bubble algae that I have my eye on, nothing too crazy. I will let you know how I like it once it gets released...

Just set it at 65% and forget it.....the coral will love it. I lowered mine back down to 65%, felt 75% was not needed.. So fair the new light schedule is doing well and getting some decent growth throughout

[Reduck]

After a two day hiatus from vacuuming, the sand coating is very minimal. I stuck a bit of floss in the vacuum collection cup and picked up the remainder last night. It's quite persistent stuff. Never seems to just go away completely. By end of 14k light cycle it's still showing up just not nearly as bad.
14k Lighting is at 50% now for a couple hrs. I'll make 65% this week. Then I'll extend the time till I hit 4 hrs for a few weeks to see what happens. It has no effect on the sandbed growth that I see, just happy corals. My Duncan has popped open a couple new heads just this week. Candy cane is also loving it. Scolys and Trachys don't seem to care. Hammer is ambivalent as well. Zoas and polyps seem ok, no bleaching.

[vlapinta]

I was wondering what additives you are using. (2 part dosing)

[bizacon]

I am using kalk in my ato, i do not have a lot of coral that need additional additives, so I can get by with that. I also do 25% water changes every other week with red sea max pro, so that also helps

[Reduck]

I've also been using Red Sea Coral Pro salt. But, if i see my alk drop, I will sometimes dose TLF 2 part. Not as a rule though. Water changes are every 2 weeks, 25%. I did use kalk for a bit but once I changed to this salt, everything is happy. My Ph holds steady at 8.2 most of the day.

[vlapinta]

Can you put cheato on the middle shelf of the media basket and use this light, but still have other media on the other shelves?

[Reduck]

Originally Posted by vlapinta

Can you put cheato on the middle shelf of the media basket and use this light, but still have other media on the other shelves?

Probably not. I had it growing by itself in the one basket. I would suspect that you should not put any filtration media nearby it as it needs the contaminants in order to survive and grow.

If you run cpe, I'd remove it once the cheato is in place. It may drop your phosphates to the point of starving it...In my case the GFO starved the cheato. It virtually disappeared over time.

[bizacon]

Originally Posted by vlapinta

Can you put cheato on the middle shelf of the media basket and use this light, but still have other media on the other shelves?

Agreed with Reduck.. I am going to start running cheato strictly in one media basket and just have poly filter on top and just the cheato. Cheato is a natural filter, so dont over do it with more media

[vlapinta]

Originally Posted by bizacon

Agreed with Reduck.. I am going to start running cheato strictly in one media basket and just have poly filter on top and just the cheato. Cheato is a natural filter, so dont over do it with more media

If you run cheato do you still run other filter media like chemipure at all? Or just cheato and filter floss?

[bizacon]

Originally Posted by vlapinta

If you run cheato do you still run other filter media like chemipure at all? Or just cheato and filter floss?

On the other side, I will be running floss, chemipure blue, and purigen

I will either ditch my carbon, or place the carbon with the non cheato media basket.

My tank is running well right now, so i hope I dont screw myself over. I just like the idea of doing more natural filtration than chemical.

[vlapinta]

Originally Posted by bizacon

On the other side, I will be running floss, chemipure blue, and purigen

I will either ditch my carbon, or place the carbon with the non cheato media basket.

My tank is running well right now, so i hope I dont screw myself over. I just like the idea of doing more natural filtration than chemical.

Are you running carbon, chemipure and purigen?

[bizacon]

Originally Posted by vlapinta

Are you running carbon, chemipure and purigen?

Currently yes, along with floss and poly filters.

[Reduck]

I would ditch the cpe completely unless your phosphates are too high. I don't think the purigen would matter too much. Cheato needs nitrates and phosphates to flourish. And light.
Just my 2 cents...

[bizacon]

Originally Posted by Reduck

I would ditch the cpe completely unless your phosphates are too high. I don't think the purigen would matter too much. Cheato needs nitrates and phosphates to flourish. And light.
Just my 2 cents...

I ordered the IM light that I will be using and then want to slowly removing the other stuff. I may regret this. Need to stop listening to my wife about organic and natural products. Wearing off on me!!

[vlapinta]

I agree with trying a more natural way (less chemicals) I just thought carbon with chemipure elite was overkill. Maybe it's not ,and I should leave the carbon in. I just started using the carbon and phosban when I had this big algae problem. I still have my lights out and I am hoping that will help kill the dinos I had. I was going to ditch the carbon and go back to just the cpe and keep the phosban

[bizacon]

Originally Posted by vlapinta

I agree with trying a more natural way (less chemicals) I just thought carbon with chemipure elite was overkill. Maybe it's not ,and I should leave the carbon in. I just started using the carbon and phosban when I had this big algae problem. I still have my lights out and I am hoping that will help kill the dinos I had. I was going to ditch the carbon and go back to just the cpe and keep the phosban

It probably is a little overkill. Since there is some carbon in cpe. I have been very pleased with chemipure blue. Have been running it for about 6 months now. The key is to find why you are having the outbreaks and deal with it that way. I also just added a dragonet to family and can grow pods in the cheoto.

[Reduck]

Dragonets are very cool. We had a manderin for a while. Got to be a pita buying pods for him to eat so we rehomed him. I was never confident I had a large enough pod population to get another. I'll try again after the tank has been established for a year but first I'll grow the pods, then get the manderin. They have a lot of personality.

Just ordered another 25lbs of rock. Time to aqauascape upwards! And have more coral room too.

[vlapinta]

Help! I just went to feed my fish and my pump is off. At first I thought maybe it got disconnected, but no it is plugged in. Any idea what I can check, or do you think its just broken? Do you think dropping a power head in the main tank will help till I figure out whats going on....

[Reduck]

Originally Posted by vlapinta

Help! I just went to feed my fish and my pump is off. At first I thought maybe it got disconnected, but no it is plugged in. Any idea what I can check, or do you think its just broken? Do you think dropping a power head in the main tank will help till I figure out whats going on....

check and see if a small critter worked its way in and jammed it up. Maybe a quick rinse in the sink will free it up.
any circ is better than none!! I'd put what ever power head you have in there till you figure it out.

If you are completely stuck, let me know. I have a new eheim 2000+ pump collecting dust you can use till you figure it out.

[vlapinta]

OK thx will pull it out and rinse