Filtration Help for IM 25 Lagoon

[Chris_Noles]

Setting up a used IM 25 tank with 1 caddy but no filtration or media in it, what should I put in it? and should I buy another caddy for it?

 

[Mjl714]

Setting up a used IM 25 tank with 1 caddy but no filtration or media in it, what should I put in it? and should I buy another caddy for it?

In my IM 30L, I use white/pink floss for mechincal filtration, live rock and water changes, that’s all.

 

[Jib]

I run the IM cotton balls with a thin filter floss on top in the top section, carbon in the middle section, and some bio balls in the last section of the caddy. Mine is the 14 so I only have one spot for a caddy. You could leaders the other one open in case you ever want to run a uv steralizer or something.

 

[JD_Inshore]

I bought the extra caddy for mine. Polyfil in the tops, chemipure or carbon in the middle and marine pure gems in the bottom racks. The $10 bag of polyfil stuffing on Amazon will last forever.

 

[Chris_Noles]

I bought the extra caddy for mine. Polyfil in the tops, chemipure or carbon in the middle and marine pure gems in the bottom racks. The $10 bag of polyfil stuffing on Amazon will last forever.

How often do you change out everything?

 

[JD_Inshore]

How often do you change out everything?

I try to change my polyfil twice a week. Takes 2 seconds. Chemipure lasts for a few months and never change out the marine pure gems.

 

[Chris_Noles]

I try to change my polyfil twice a week. Takes 2 seconds. Chemipure lasts for a few months and never change out the marine pure gems.

I think I might go for what you are doing, I like the idea of refugium but another light seems excessive on such a small tank, also are you using chemipure blue or just the regular one?

 

[BanZI29]

I have the same tank and I have 3 racks from intankaquatics.com . I use floss and matrix media in the one side, then floss and carbon in the other. I also run chaeto in the mid size chamber using a rack from the same place. Checkout my build thread.

 

[JD_Inshore]

I think I might go for what you are doing, I like the idea of refugium but another light seems excessive on such a small tank, also are you using chemipure blue or just the regular one?

I agree. I wanted as little extra equipment on the back of the tank as possible to keep it looking nice. I have a light bioload (just nems and clowns) and it's small enough that water changes are easy.

I've just been using the regular. If you want to use it to manage phosphates though go with the elite or blue!

 

[Reef.]

I would get another basket they can do what a sock can and more, very useful.

I would just start with the floss and chemipure blue and see how you go, add other media if you need it, if you add everything at the start you will not know what is working and what is just taking up space.

 

[JD_Inshore]

I have the same tank and I have 3 racks from intankaquatics.com . I use floss and matrix media in the one side, then floss and carbon in the other. I also run chaeto in the mid size chamber using a rack from the same place. Checkout my build thread.

Nice! That's a cool solution for a refugium.

 

[Reef.]

And maybe consider using carbon and Purigen instead of the chemipure as that is all chemi is said to be, works out a lot cheaper and you can change the carbon and purigen separately as Purigen lasts much longer than carbon.

 

[PicassoClown04]

I’ve got the IM 25 lagoon. I use the caddy with filter floss on top and bioballs down low. I also have a teeny tiny skimmer

 

[Chris_Noles]

I would get another basket they can do what a sock can and more, very useful.

I would just start with the floss and chemipure blue and see how you go, add other media if you need it, if you add everything at the start you will not know what is working and what is just taking up space.

Alright looks like I'll go with floss and chemipure blue, what would I need to look for in the tank to know if I should add more media?

 

[Reef.]

Alright looks like I'll go with floss and chemipure blue, what would I need to look for in the tank to know if I should add more media?

po4 going up, nitrates increasing are the two major ones.
Remember if things do go wrong, with a small tank you can fix most things with water changes, so that gives you some breathing space to work out what media you may need to add to fix an issue.

 

[Nick Steele]

Yeah you might find you need next to no filtration. I’m running a IM 20g and literally only run filter floss and extra rock rubble and that is all my filtration. I’m actually fighting Dino’s because my water is too clean. I also have weird alk fluctuations but I believe it’s bound up in my rocks/sand from a bad mix of salt when I first started the tank.

 

[Reef.]

Yeah you might find you need next to no filtration. I’m running a IM 20g and literally only run filter floss and extra rock rubble and that is all my filtration. I’m actually fighting Dino’s because my water is too clean. I also have weird alk fluctuations but I believe it’s bound up in my rocks/sand from a bad mix of salt when I first started the tank.

I’ve been experiencing low alk, can’t really find an explanation for it, seems it could be something the tank does whilst it is maturing after the initial cycle is what I have come up with.

 

[Tamberav]

Floss and a tiny bag of carbon. You don't need to stuff your racks full of crap just because you have the room to do so. Water changes are generally the best thing for that size tank.

 

[Chris_Noles]

I’ve been experiencing low alk, can’t really find an explanation for it, seems it could be something the tank does whilst it is maturing after the initial cycle is what I have come up with.

I might just buy a new caddy and run the stock filtration in one chamber you think that would work?

 

[Reef.]

I might just buy a new caddy and run the stock filtration in one chamber you think that would work?

what do you mean by the stock filtration?