Nano Tank #2: IM Lagoon 25 Build

[cconnolly]

We have been running a Biocube 32 for almost a year now and my son has finally broken my will to resist more tanks. Originally we were going to go with a large scale 100+ gallon tank but I just don't feel comfortable/ready for that yet so we are doing a second nano tank. So we are adding an Innovative Marine 25 gallon lagoon to the house.

Ive got most of the equipment so far and the tank itself should be coming today. So I'll start dry fitting some rock to see if I can get a nice scape going. In my mind Im envisioning an arch with some caves and then maybe a small island or two to build off of. Biggest issue I have in my current BioCube is that all my rock is connected and the corals are starting to grow into each other and having some separation might help with that. I also really want to try some plate style corals so want to leave some open space to place a couple when we ready. My wife also demanded a clam as she thinks they are the coolest looking thing every time we goto the LFS so it needs to happen cause we all know happy wife is most important so wanted to leave some room to place one as well. Ill post some pictures when I start to dry fit the scape together.

Just starting to think about livestock but trying to let my son pick which is making it interesting. So far he is really into a red pistol shrimp as he loves the look of the blood shrimps but really loves the behavior especially the sound made by the pistol shrimp. The thought would be to pair it with a shrimp goby of some kind probably a Yasha, Randalls, Pink Bar or Hi-Fin. He also really likes decorator crabs because "they wear hats" and he finds this endlessly entertaining. He likes urchins for the same reason but I've heard they can be little bulldozers and can eat coralline algae so I'm thinking passing them over. He also loves arrow crabs which I have no experience with and have heard can be a handful if you get an aggressive one especially in a tank this small but they do look very interesting so this is high on the list. Looking for some other inhabitants that might have interesting personalities or are very colorful/active. I've heard purple firefish can be interesting and are generally agreeable. Was also considering a wrasse of some sort maybe a Pink Streaked, Possum, Lubbock or a Carpenters. Open to suggestions that are not clownfish or cardinal fish or damsels. We have those in our BioCube so want to do something different.

Equipment List:

IM Lagoon 25 Tank
IM APS Stand
MightyJet 326GPH Return Pump
AI Hydra 32 with mounting arm
MP10 (Got a used one from a local reefer)
Inkbird Temp Controller
2 x Cobalt NeoTherm 75w heaters (These are backordered so for now using a spare 100w heater)
InTank Fuge Basket
Eshopps Nano Protien Skimmer

Additional Items Still Thinking About:

IM ChaetoMax 9w 2in1 Fuge Light (I use a cheap Amazon special right now on our Biocube and its worked well but interested in trying something more purpose built)
ATO (Not sure which model to use since we have basically zero evaporation on our BioCube I never bothered to get an ATO or do much research)

 

[elorablue]

Following along.
Highly recommend possum wrasse by the way.

 

[blaxsun]

You can expect to add about 3-4L of RO water daily to your IM Fusion Lagoon 25-gallon (this is with or without the lid). I would wait for the new Tunze Osmolator 2 to come out unless you get an outright theft on one of the other Tunze ATO models.

The MP10 will provide a *lot* of flow, so you'll need to dial it down quite a bit (10-20%). The Inkbird is a great addition, but if you're running it with heaters that have controllers you need to program the alarm and low/high thresholds a bit differently.

At some point I would recommend an InTank media basket as an upgrade for the stock caddy and go with filter floss and ChemiPure Blue in that caddy. You also want to run at least one desktop size filter sock in the other chamber and change that out every 3-4 days. Good luck!

 

[Schraufabagel]

^^ +1 on the inTank basket and filter floss. That's what I use on my 25 gallon AIO

 

[cconnolly]

You can expect to add about 3-4L of RO water daily to your IM Fusion Lagoon 25-gallon (this is with or without the lid). I would wait for the new Tunze Osmolator 2 to come out unless you get an outright theft on one of the other Tunze ATO models.

The MP10 will provide a *lot* of flow, so you'll need to dial it down quite a bit (10-20%). The Inkbird is a great addition, but if you're running it with heaters that have controllers you need to program the alarm and low/high thresholds a bit differently.

At some point I would recommend an InTank media basket as an upgrade for the stock caddy and go with filter floss and ChemiPure Blue in that caddy. You also want to run at least one desktop size filter sock in the other chamber and change that out every 3-4 days. Good luck!

Oh I didn't realize there was a new ATO coming out. Ill keep an eye out for that. Good tip!

Yes Ive heard the MP10 might be a little overkill but my biggest annoyance with cleaning my BioCube is pulling the Koralia powerheads all the way out so I'm lazy and dont clean them as much as I should. So really wanted that nice clean look and ease of maintenance with the MP10. I had read about setting the heaters higher than the Inkbird temps to ensure they work properly but I need to spend a little time playing around with them once I start cycling either this week or next.

Yeah I was waiting to see how I liked the stock IM ones and if I wanted to upgrade to the InTank one. I still use the stock media tray in my BioCube and while its flimsy and annoying at times it has served its purpose so far. My plan was to use filterfloss and ChemiPure Elite like I have been doing in my Biocube as that combo has worked well for me so far. I've never run a sock before and it does come with one so Ill experiment with that. Ive heard it can be annoying to switch them out and if you dont stay on top of it they become a real problem so wasn't sure how necessary it will be

 

[blaxsun]

Simply changing your filter socks every few days will remove a lot of nitrates.

 

[cconnolly]

Here is my first attempt at the scape. Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[cconnolly]

Tried to create more caves and hoping the angle creates more of a sense of depth

 

[cconnolly]

And it begins! Here goes the cycle. Picked up one of the cycling starter kits from algae barn and put some bio blocks from my other tank

 

[cconnolly]

Initial cycling is complete. Visible growth on the dry rock is now showing up. Some diatoms on the sandbed as well. Added a very small CUC of a pair of hermit crabs and an astraea snail.

Going to setup the protein skimmer tonight.

Had some issues with the heat this morning which I initially blamed the InkBird for but I think was actually an issue with low water levels. Going to setup an ATO to try to solve for that and will then revisit the InkBird.

 

[cconnolly]

Shout out to @Bulk Reef Supply for being super easy to deal with. When I went to setup my protein skimmer it was cracked when I opened it. One quick message to them on their website and they had a replacement in the mail heading my way the next morning. Couldn’t have hoped for better customer service.

 

[cconnolly]

Added some additional CUC from @reefcleaners and a blood shrimp from our lfs. Things are progressing along well. Parameters have been stable and positive.

 

[cconnolly]

Today at our weekly LFS visit my son noticed there was a spider decorator crab in one of the tanks. He convinced me to let him take it home. So we have a new inhabitant. I’ll get a better picture soon and post. This thing is fascinating. Looking forward to how it settles in.

 

[cconnolly]

The decorator crab and the blood shrimp get along super well. When I fed tonight the shrimp rode around on the crab picking food out of the water while the crab picked at some things that landed. Then I gave the crab a sinking algae pellet directly to the crab. When the shrimp showed interest the crab just kicked the leg the shrimp was on and sent it on its way across the tank. I’ll try to be ready next time and take a video as it was quite entertaining.

 

[Mattyreefs]

Looking at skimmers for my IM25. Wondering how you like the Eshopps Nano Protien Skimmer so far?

 

[cconnolly]

Looking at skimmers for my IM25. Wondering how you like the Eshopps Nano Protien Skimmer so far?

It’s still technically in the break in period for me and I definitely don’t have it dialed in yet. So far not getting a whole lot good skimmate. Was going to mess around with it this week since it’s been running for about a week and change now. It does fit nicely though

 

[Mattyreefs]

It’s still technically in the break in period for me and I definitely don’t have it dialed in yet. So far not getting a whole lot good skimmate. Was going to mess around with it this week since it’s been running for about a week and change now. It does fit nicely though

Do you have it in one of the equipment chambers or the center?

 

[cconnolly]

Do you have it in one of the equipment chambers or the center

Second chamber. Here are some pictures if it helps. I couldn’t get it to fit correctly in the center section with the split return lines plus I figured the water level is higher and more stable outside the center chamber anyways

 

[cconnolly]

Just before the holiday I quickly slapped in an ATO setup using the 5 gallon IM reservoir and a JBJ ATO sensor with a pump and cabling from my LFS.

The tight quarters in the middle chamber made getting the float sensor a royal pain in the butt. I got it settled but i really disliked how it was in there. So I ordered a Duetto Dual Sensor ATO. Just installed it tonight and it’s so much smaller it’s awesome. Fit in so much easier. That said I feel like the magnet isn’t holding it very tightly and it’s going to be easy to bump accidentally and move. So Im going to keep an eye on it.

 

[cconnolly]

Also started to clean up the cabinet a bit by getting things into a power bar. Going to mount things and clean up the cables later this week when I have a little more time. Feeling good about how things are coming together