Aaron's Cove Build - 25g IM Lagoon Tank

Aaron Shapiro · Jun 22, 2020

So I did it... The IM 25g Lagoon is now officially a frag tank. We'll call 6/22/20 as the, "Great Destabilizing"

So what I did was... I pulled a few pieces of the rock out that didn't have coral attached, and plopped that into the larger tank. I actually REALLY like how they fit into the scape. I moved the rocks I left in there to the rear and squeezed the rack in. Going to leave the racks on the glass too for now.

She's cluttered, but it's all good stuff...

Kinda like how the Zoa rock here turned a bit so you can see those Sunny D's better.

And my fungia plate... Love this thing, it's a bit angry in this picture, but this has to be 3"+ across when open and fluffy.

I think that's all for now. I have some Zoas coming in tomorrow - and some trades happening over the next few days. Once I can borrow a PAR meter and measure the bigger tank some corals are going in there as well...

Nick Steele · Jun 22, 2020

That’s one way to do it!

Is that fungia a fragged piece? It doesn’t look round like most others I’ve seen.

Aaron Shapiro · Jun 22, 2020

Nick Steele said:
That’s one way to do it!

Is that fungia a fragged piece? It doesn’t look round like most others I’ve seen.

no it’s round. Just angry cause I was moving it.

Nick Steele · Jun 22, 2020

Aaron Shapiro said:
no it’s round. Just angry cause I was moving it.

Ah! It’s a nice one! I’m going to be getting one soon hopefully I just waiting for the right one.

Aaron Shapiro · Jun 22, 2020

Nick Steele said:
Ah! It’s a nice one! I’m going to be getting one soon hopefully I just waiting for the right one.

yeah it’s one of my favorites

Aaron Shapiro · Jul 6, 2020

Hey all!

Figured it was worth posting an update here. Now that the 25g Lagoon has been fully converted to a frag tank I've been seeing some good growth and coloration in the coral.

One of the things I want to point out is: I've been learning a lot about light. Prior to now what I had done is randomly picked an AI Preset from the Facebook group that I thought sounded good, and let her ride. To my credit, I did borrow a Par Meter from a local group and at least checked that I was in the ballpark.

Here's what I was using:

Now, if you've looked into what you need to make the spectrum of an AI Prime 16 close to the AB+ Target, you'll realize how far off I was. I started watching the BRSTV videos on mastering your light, and really paid attention to their spectrum suggestions for the light. Here's where I landed:

You'll see some differences. Now, this was giving me roughly 60-100 par in the sand, depending on where I measured under the fixture, but more importantly, I was seeing vastly improved colors out of my corals. This hammer coral I picked up from WWC a couple of months ago. It was sold to me as a gold/yellow hammer and when it arrived it looked great but after a couple of weeks, it had settled into being a peachy/flesh tone euphylia that really wasn't what I wanted. I chalked this up to "morphing" and just thought it was par for the course. BUT once I adjusted my spectrum I started to see the yellow/gold colors coming back out this was a couple days ago:

I also think it's dividing into two heads, thus the pinching in the middle.

SO! All that to say I started rethinking my lighting on this tank. The Prime 16HD really wasn't delivering what I wanted, and the disco-ballishness was driving me bonkers. I've decided to upgrade. And I REALLY geeked out on the spectrum tests from BRS and have gone over the deep end making this decision. Follow along:

The following are the three spectrums of light that corals use to make energy:

To take advantage of the photosynthetic properties of the zooxanthellae in the corals, you want to cover as much of these spectrums as possible. Most high-end LED fixtures focus on the blues, right? So what fixtures should I consider?

Well Radions are super in vogue right now, here's the spectrum BRS could pull out of the XR15 G5 Pro compared against the standard of the ATI Blue Plus T5 Bulb:

Not bad right? Well, that's what I thought till I looked that the new Kessil A360X's spectrum here:

Look at that! PLUS Kessil is one of the few brands out there that encompass the 380nm near UV range - this will likely add a lot to the coloration of corals.

So Aaron, which did you choose? Well.......both, I have both coming right now. My plan is to continue my research and make the decision once I have both in hand (I obviously can't open or install either till I make that decision since I need to return the one I don't want.)

Currently, I am leaning towards the Kessil for several reasons. One, Kessil Logic, the ABILITY to adjust each channel doesn't mean you should. Choosing someone else's template was harming (or at least inhibiting) my coral's growth due to my inexperience. Kessil takes the risk away from me.

Two, mounting height. I can mount the Kessil lower and get the coverage I need. For a 25g Lagoon, this is ideal, especially since this light is in my office that I am currently working from home in.

Does that mean the Radion is OUT?! -sigh- No... I'm still torn, Radions are new and sexy... and admittedly I am a MASSIVE gear nerd so the lizard brain part of me still wants the new-new.

The good thing here is: Either are proven to grow coral well, so we'll see where I end up. I still think spectrum-wise the A360X is the best in the 90W range, the wi fi dongle is wonky, and it's a bummer that functionality isn't included but... I digress.

If you all made it all the way through this nerdfest, good on ya. You may call me crazy, but from my perspective, this IS the stuff that matters. I'll keep ya posted as I make a decision.

TheWB · Jul 6, 2020

Nice looking rack of Zoas there. I’ve been thinking a lot about lighting recently and what my needs are. I really need two for my tank. Theres lots of different ways to go. It will be interesting to see which light you choose and why.

Aaron Shapiro · Jul 6, 2020

TheWB said:
Nice looking rack of Zoas there. I’ve been thinking a lot about lighting recently and what my needs are. I really need two for my tank. Theres lots of different ways to go. It will be interesting to see which light you choose and why.

Man you're telling me. I still have two Hydra 32HDs over my larger tank, and I'm pretty happy with those... I just also want to try something new.

TheWB · Jul 6, 2020

Aaron Shapiro said:
Man you're telling me. I still have two Hydra 32HDs over my larger tank, and I'm pretty happy with those... I just also want to try something new.

Two Hydra 32HDs would be perfect for my tank. Even two Primes would probably be fine. I like my Radion but I should have went with two lights from the beginning instead of one XR15.

Aaron Shapiro · Jul 12, 2020

Update time:

So I decided on the Radion XR15 G5 Pro for my 25 Lagoon. To be clear, I actually bought and installed the Kessil first but the shimmer from that light in such a small/shallow tank was so dazzling that I almost couldn't bear to look at the tank... So I returned it (thank you Amazon) and installed the XR15. I love this light.

There's a clear difference in coverage I can get using this vs. what I was seeing with one or two AI Primes. They're expensive, but at least for now they appear to be worth it.

So as far as tank updates go... I've finished removing rock and have added in both IM ReefRack 50's. All of this is for coral grow out so that I can sell/trade in the future for the stuff that I want. My 50g Lagoon is going to be my display.

I also think my fish stocking is basically done -- Currently in this tank is:

One Firefish
One MochaVinci Clown
One Yellow Coris Wrasse
One Scooter Blenny
CuC comprised mostly of Astrea snails, one Mexican Turbo, and one Tiger Conch.

I moved my Tyree Leather and Skunk cleaner shrimp over to the larger tank. The shrimp was just too large for this small tank and would steal food from the corals.

The other thing I've done is create a spreadsheet that shows me what all I have on my racks:

This is super nerdy, but it helps me remember what all I am growing out...

Anyway, that's likely the last major change for now. Currently on the mind is thinking about how I want to start adding corals to the 50g Lagoon and where I want them to go in there, but that's a post for another thread.