Alex’s IM 150 EXT

[Alexander1312]

I switched to freeze dried whole foods (mysis and calanus) and small sized flakes (I smash them up a bit) instead of pellets and I've noticed less clumping on/in the plank. Large flakes had issues too. I think it has to do with how less dense foods distribute better in the drum given how the thin fins inside mix things. Others can chime in if they're seeing the same. The cannonball attachment does help with moisture and overall gunk (when I forget to use it there's an obvious difference).

That is interesting. I do like the TDO pellets as I think these are of higher quality than only one or two types of individual food items, but not sure if true or not. I have the cannonball attachment, did not know it had an impact.

What's your skimmate look like and how much are you pulling every day? I'm still shocked with how having a properly sized skimmer helps me out now.

I love the skimmer topic, it is such an underrated tool. It really depends, but often not a lot. With some of the changes, it removes 1 cup per week or slightly more. I think it has something with the ozone and the fact I am using dual mechanical filtration, which I want to get rid off (3d print solution).

This is what I recorded a week ago:

P.S.: I showed this video to Claude S, who is obsessed with skimmer performance (prefers external skimmers though), and he thought it was looking pretty good, but suggested I turn it up further.

But rock die off is probably a huge factor. Switching to live phyto (maybe a higher quality one like tisochrysis) might help slightly too, as it will continue to metabolize until it's eaten or skimmed out.

Yes, the dry phyto seems very concentrated. I actually only try to use it up since I had so much of it and it was rather expensive, and then switch back to live phyto afterwards. This is what I have been using:

• https://www.captiv8aquaculture.com/product-page/invigor8-reef-250-g
• https://www.captiv8aquaculture.com/product-page/integr8-reef-250-g