IM lagoon 25 mixed reef build

[kyleinpdx]

I've had this system up and running for about a year now, it was an upgrade form a previous 10gal AIO that I had been running for about 2 years. I just never got around to creating a build thread until now.
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Equipment list:

· IM Lagoon 25
· 2x Kessil A80’s w/ controller and goosenecks
· DA Reefkeeper lite w/ PB4, system lab X (pH) and the moon light controller
· Stock pump (211gph) + spinstream nozzle on side 1
· Aquatop SWP820 (237gph) + Vivid RFG nozzle on side 2
· Jebao DP4 dosing pump
· IM custom caddy with sponge, carbon, purigen and seachem matrix on side 1
· IM custom caddy with sponge, phosguard and seachem matrix on side 2
· Dual heaters, both are set for a degree or two above my RKL
· Eshoppes Nano skimmer
· AutoAqua Smart ATO
· DIY 1/4th plastic mesh lid
· 1500VA UPS

Livestock list:

· 2x Ocellaris clowns
· 1x Yellow clown goby
· 1(?) possum wrasse (havent seen him since I added him to the display a week or two ago)
· Skunk cleaner shrimp
· Rainbow bubble tip and a single (for now) rock flower
· Feather duster
· Various CUC - 1x turbo, 3-4 nerites, 10ish dwarf ceriths, 5-10 nassarius, a few banded trochus, a few different hermits and some more I'm probably forgetting

Corals include a mix of zoas/palys, LPS and SPS - a few different hammers, duncans, goniopora, porites, stylos, birdsnest, lepto, a bunch of different mushrooms and other fun stuff.


One of the biggest frustrations I had with setting up this tank was the stand. I didnt want to spend $300 on a particle board IM stand. I thought about the JBJ (in hindsight I should have gone that route), considered picking up a kitchen base cabinet but in the end I decide on building one. I went with a modified rocket engineer design, 1x3 poplar for the top and bottom "boxes" braced twice in the center up top and once down below. The legs are 3 pieces of 1x2 poplar glued and screwed, top is 1" plywood, sanded and leveled, sides are 1/2" plywood also glued and screwed to the frame. I added a removable shelf and a removable subfloor. I was originally going to hinge the door but decided on simply using a mirror hanger from home depot. Painted in DTM acrylic. Not the best looking thing I've ever built, but it will do for now.

Here is an image from a year ago right when the system was setup -

Unfortunately I've lost a few pieces in the last year, notably the bright pink goni and the long tentacled hammer on the sand bed. That pink goni was my pride and joy, I absolutely loved it. It was thriving for about 2 years when I introduced a purple and a metallic green goni, the metallic brown jelly'ed on me and eventually both other goni's died. The long tentacle hammer was a similar story, otherwise I believe I have most everything else in that picture.

Here is how the tank looks as of today -

straight on

top down

I'll try and post more photos and updates as things progress. Feel free to ask any questions. Thanks!

 

[glb]

Nice tank!

 

[Rottinggore]

Nice tank. I also have the 25 lagoon and love it.

 

[kyleinpdx]

Nice tank!

Thanks!

Nice tank. I also have the 25 lagoon and love it.

Thank you, I love the form factor. Wish I would have knocked out the back walled and drilled it but maybe next time.

 

[Colin Levy]

Great build!

I just started my IM25 a few months ago. I went with the JBJ stand (fit like it's made for the IM25) and repainted it all white and added some additional shelving inside.

What was the reasoning on running the RFG on one side and the spinstream on the other? I upgraded the pump to the Sicce 1.5 and just went ahead and put RFGs on both sides.

 

[sromero287]

Fantastic build keep up with the good work!!! [emoji106][emoji225][emoji886] I’ve been thinking and thinking to pull the trigger and start my 25 gallons crustaceans paradise!!! [emoji6]

 

[Rottinggore]

Thanks!



Thank you, I love the form factor. Wish I would have knocked out the back walled and drilled it but maybe next time.

Ya I wanted to buy the nuvo black that has no back wall but I wasn't sure if it could be drilled or not

 

[kyleinpdx]

Great build!

I just started my IM25 a few months ago. I went with the JBJ stand (fit like it's made for the IM25) and repainted it all white and added some additional shelving inside.

What was the reasoning on running the RFG on one side and the spinstream on the other? I upgraded the pump to the Sicce 1.5 and just went ahead and put RFGs on both sides.

Thanks! I strongly considered the JBJ but in the end I wanted something that wasn’t MDF. The rocket engineer stand design is great, without the ply sides it’s super light as well, I just didn’t love building it. It was cold and I didn’t have everything I need so I cut corners with the cosmetics. Anyone considering an IM 25 should note that many people have success with the JBJ stand so if you’re on the fence consider it.

As for the spin stream and the RFG, I originally ran the spin stream and the flat nozzle the tank comes with as I was worried two spin streams would reduce the flow too much. My goal to this day is no power heads in the display. I put the RFG nozzle on after harassing @Vivid Creative Aquatics about a Black Friday deal. So far I love it. Really seems to make a difference with the birdsnest and the pocillipora I’ve got on that side. I’m planning on keeping this setup for the time being. The spin stream serves its purpose and does it pretty well for $20 but it should be coupled with something like the RFG.

Fantastic build keep up with the good work!!!

I’ve been thinking and thinking to pull the trigger and start my 25 gallons crustaceans paradise!!!

Thank you. You should! It feels spacious for its capacity and the construction is great.

Ya I wanted to buy the nuvo black that has no back wall but I wasn't sure if it could be drilled or not

I looked into it at one point and I believe here on r2r there is atleast one example of a drilled nuvo black 25. Not sure about the bottom panel but I'm pretty confident the back isnt tempered. Maybe next time I move I grab one and those hot APS stands.

 

[kyleinpdx]

I've been battling a pretty bad infestation of red planaria flatworms recently. I've had them since probably septemberish, I'm pretty sure they came in with my RBTA as I do a high dose of bayer on almost everything; except the anemone I just temp acclimated and dumped em in. I did a round of flatworm exit back in november or december sometime and I wasn't thrilled with the results so I've just kind of lived with them. I picked up a possum wrasse before christmas hoping that would do the trick, had a hard time getting him to eat in QT so I dumped him in the display after a week and a single round of prazi. Well... I never saw him again. I know they're cryptic so I made sure to check look after lights out and in the early AM. This week I noticed the flat worms were really getting bad so I decided to head back to the LFS and get another wrasse. I had originally intended on a yellow canary wrasse but the ones they had were commingled with all sorts of other fish, and after my last attempt to get a wrasse to eat in QT I decided against it. Instead I picked up this beautiful leopard wrasse (macropharyngodon meleagris) ;Woot. I know it'll out grow my current tank, but so will I. I'm hoping to go bigger in another year, I'd love me a red sea peninsula. Worst case I'll take him back to the LFS.

Now we'll see if this ends up biting me, but... I didnt QT the leopard. I know, I know. This LFS keeps their leopards in a specific tank without other fish, and I've seen them EAT the two times I've been there recently, all looking very healthy and lively. Anyway, brought it home, acclimated and dropped it in. Didnt head for the sand or attempt to hid in anyway, instead has been cruising the tank ever since and I have verifiably witnessed it eating multiple times already!

Here are a few pictures of the leopard, I'll try and get some full tank shots later this evening.

 

[kyleinpdx]

Just did my nightly hikari mega marine (a frozen mix) and watched the leopard wrasse eat a few of the smaller pieces from the water column. Lets hope the good holds!

 

[kyleinpdx]

Just did my nightly hikari mega marine (a frozen mix) and watched the leopard wrasse eat a few of the smaller pieces from the water column. Lets hope the good holds!

Well that didnt last long, came home today to find the wrasse dead. No obvious signs of illness, and everyone else seems to be fine so I'll chalk it up to failed acclimation. Thats unfortunate, I had high hopes for this one.

 

[JeepinReefer]

That was a beautiful wrasse, Kyle. Sorry for your loss. Good luck with your battle against the planaria! I had a bad infestation once and was eventually able to beat them with FW Exit, but it took many rounds of treatment. After I got them down to a safe population level using the standard instruction treatment process, I then did multiple rounds of prolonged treatments and that finally finished them off.

 

[kdc]

I’m going to start a 25 lagoon build here soon, so I’m following along with yours. Your tank looks really nice. Sorry about your wrasse, he was a nice one. I’m going to borrow some of your equipment ideas if you don’t mind.

 

[kyleinpdx]

That was a beautiful wrasse, Kyle. Sorry for your loss. Good luck with your battle against the planaria! I had a bad infestation once and was eventually able to beat them with FW Exit, but it took many rounds of treatment. After I got them down to a safe population level using the standard instruction treatment process, I then did multiple rounds of prolonged treatments and that finally finished them off.

Thanks, I've got some flatworm exit and will probably give it another go in the next few weeks. I've been siphoning em out as I can. ;Bored

I’m going to start a 25 lagoon build here soon, so I’m following along with yours. Your tank looks really nice. Sorry about your wrasse, he was a nice one. I’m going to borrow some of your equipment ideas if you don’t mind.

Thank you. Feel free to ask any questions you might have. There are plenty of IM25 owners here and I'm sure whatever you run into we've come across before. Good luck!

 

[Dual40IM]

Ya I wanted to buy the nuvo black that has no back wall but I wasn't sure if it could be drilled or not

Yes the Nuvo Black tanks can be drilled. I have drilled two 40 gallons and a 30. I actually called IM and they told yes you can so that i did.

 

[JeepinReefer]

Nice lagoon! I'm strongly considering your eshopps skimmer recommendation for my lagoon, and I'm curious what chamber you have yours in. Do you know if it will fit in one of the upflow chambers between the return and overflows?

 

[kyleinpdx]

Nice lagoon! I'm strongly considering your eshopps skimmer recommendation for my lagoon, and I'm curious what chamber you have yours in. Do you know if it will fit in one of the upflow chambers between the return and overflows?

Thanks!

I see you found the answer in the other thread, but for anyone else who is curious, yes thats exactly where I have it, second chamber. You should give it a shot, mine has been very good to me.

 

[JBKReef]

I'm strongly looking into starting up a IM25 lagoon, how're the two A80's doing for you? I think with the shallow nature of the lagoon those would really work well

 

[LogCorn]

Great build!

 

[kyleinpdx]

I'm strongly looking into starting up a IM25 lagoon, how're the two A80's doing for you? I think with the shallow nature of the lagoon those would really work well

They work great, honestly. Around Christmas time I was having some issues and thought it may be light related and had planned to swap them out for AI prime HD's but revisited all of my maint, levels, husbandry and all that and slightly extended my photoperiod and everything has been doing really well. I currently run a 10-12hr photoperiod (around 10hrs of actual light, and some ramp up/ramp down.) At the depth of the IM25, these are really all the lights you need. All of my SPS are doing great and I even have an acro that would be doing great if my anemone didn't constantly have it in its cross hairs.

Great build!

Thank you, I appreciate it!