WheresTheReef

Praziquantel only works on flukes, worms etc (https://humble.fish/community/threads/praziquantel.25). I’m more scared of other diseases/parasites such as velvet, brook and uronema. Btw, you can go fallow with many parasites, but something nasty like uronema can survive in your tank without fish. To answer your question, I wouldn’t treat my DT. Many “reef safe” options can prove to be far from that. At the end, it’s about risk management. However, it’s our fish that suffer the consequences. Not trying to be preaching. Believe me, I’ve made my share of mistakes. That includes losing the dump and pray approach on two occasions early on. On the flip side, I’ve lost fish in QT too but in those cases the fish were in bad shape to begin with. Just from experience, my fish keeping became much more successful and the fish that made it into the DT were healthier after they went through my QT. I’m just getting back into the hobby and have a few fish being treated in my QT. https://photos.app.goo.gl/FtbsjkmD37diFKXw9

The biggest issue with your strategy is that you can have something in the tank from a previous fish. Introducing an expensive fish, regardless of source, would make it susceptible to whatever is in the tank. The new fish can bring in something too. Ideally we would quarantine everything that goes into the tank. However, it is very tedious and not feasible for everyone. It’s about minimizing your chances of introducing something. A QT can help significantly. Dump and pray works for a while, but the odds eventually catch up and it can be game over.

It's worthwhile trying to determine what you're dealing with. Velvet is way more deadly than ich. The number of spots can be used as a indicator. See link below. https://humble.fish/community/threads/marine-velvet-disease.12/ You can approach this in two ways, eradicate or manage. Eradication requires removing the fish, treating them in a QT and running the tank fallow. Managing means trying to keep high quality water, good nutrition and trying to minimize stress. UV at proper rates can help with both ich and velvet. Setting up a QT, if done correctly, can make a significant impact in success in the hobby. A simple setup such as a 20g long is good enough. It's best to have separate equipment to reduce the chances of cross contamination. https://humble.fish/community/threads/quarantine.2/ You can go about quarantine in two ways. Observation only vs treating prophylactically. A QT for only observation will help you get to know your new fish, look for diseases (treat if needed) and also work to get a new fish eating without competition and stress from other territorial fish. I choose to treat fish to minimize the chances of introducing parasites into the DT where it can destroy your fish population. The QT also helps to minimize acclimation. I adjust the QT to closely match the vendor salinity. Many online vendors run low salinity e.g. 1.018-1.020. I always ask before the fish ship, but also verify when the fish arrive. I can then float them for temp acclimation, and do a very quick water acclimation before putting them into the QT. More recently, I have started performing Safety Stop baths pre-QT. Just know that part A does have formalin so it requires safe handling. Of course, it all begins with sourcing fish that are somewhat healthy. Unfortunately, loss is likely inevitable, but it looks like you've lost a lot of fish. What time span? How did you lose them? Did they die immediately and do you know what they died of? Having something like velvet in the DT and introducing a stressed fish can create an outbreak and lead to significant loss. If you're buying from a vendor with very unhealthy fish likely means you need to find another source of livestock imo. Trying to minimize fish loss should be a high priority since we are dealing with living animals that depend on us to survive. It's good for you to take a step back to analyze how you're doing things and see what you can do differently moving forward.

Looking good

Did you try to delete the module after the upgrade and then allow the Apex to redetect it? I had an issue where the display was stuck showing the stats and that fixed the issue. I have the 2016 Apex EL model though.

Testing is best way to figure out your next step. Test for ammonia/nitrites to check the cycle. There may be some die off from the old tank sand that will add ammonia, but I prefer to add 2 ppm of ammonia and track the cycle. Once ammonia and nitrites drop to 0 in ~24hrs I consider the tank cycled to add some livestock slowly. Adding ammonia can be toxic to anything alive in the tank. My 2c, I'd be getting the tank ready for fish and coral. I would get rid of anything obviously alive (snail/coral) and cycle the tank with ammonia. I would wait on the skimmer until the cycle is complete. I wouldn't add any carbon until the cycle is complete. I wouldn't add chemipure until the nutrients in the tank measured elevated. If you go the route with corals, they will need some nutrients so no need to strip them all out of the water. There are many ways to do this, I prefer to let the testing guide my decisions. I'm starting up a tank too. I got out of the hobby after 13 years, but didn't even last a year out lol. I'm currently cycling the DT and fish QT.

It depends on how you have stuff plugged in. I installed 2 GFCI outlets side by side. In one setup I used all 4 sockets. On the system I'm setting up now I'm just using 1 outlet since I have a 15amp power strip that everything is powered off of. If you're using a controller, you'll likely plug most of the equipment into its power strip(s). Think about how many of those you will use. Another option is to have one GFCI and 1 regular outlet in case you wanted to plug something into a regular outlet. Would you be able to access the back wall through your stand? I would prefer that route so you can hide the cabling instead of higher up where it's all visible. Just make sure you use drip loops etc as you would with any outlet. I'm always off the thought that it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Will you be able to replace the outlet if the GFCI is/becomes faulty? Just things to consider when placing the tank and leaving access for maintenance down the road.

Looks like things are rolling. Keep it up!

I wouldn't connect the RO line directly to the float valve. I feel like it's a recipe for disaster should the float valve fail. TDS burst will also exhaust your resin fast. If I were considering plumbing in the RO line, I would plumb it into the resovior and have some safety mechanisms in place with the Apex. For example, use a level sensor or high/low float switches/optical sensors in the reservoir to control when a solenoid opens/closes the RO line. Maybe a pan under the reservoir and sump area with a leak detector as a back up to shut off the solenoid and alert you. You can even program a max time the solenoid can be open while filling the reservoir with an alert/shutoff.

Congrats! Better get that new tank up before you hit zombie mode with less sleep.

Maybe something like these would work. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/jumpguard-multico-cut-out-accessory-set-d-d-the-aquarium-solution.html?queryID=e710d08ed38b82b3420340870c855dd1&objectID=15286&indexName=brs_prod_m2_default_products https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/jumpguard-flexico-cut-out-accessory-set-d-d-the-aquarium-solution.html?queryID=e710d08ed38b82b3420340870c855dd1&objectID=15285&indexName=brs_prod_m2_default_products or combine these with standard big box store frame corners https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/rimless-screen-top-frame-corners-niche3d.html?queryID=18ab0ee67e8eb309ff2f6c906ec185bf&objectID=10461&indexName=brs_prod_m2_default_products

Yea I remember. My wife nicknamed it Tina (Turner) when I had it. Looking at your tank it definitely still fits. I tried to quit the hobby. Lasted 10mo lol. I bought a used SCA 120 from another member. I am just waiting for good weather to build a stand. My “workshop” is my backyard. Collecting equipment atm. It will be a slow process.

Looking good!

It’s nice to see things coming along. I appreciate all the details you provide in your updates.