Fishy's first reef tank - IM 25 Lagoon

[kevgib67]

Thanks for the suggestion!

I really like Turbo snails (we use their shells for land hermits we have) but wasn't sure if 25g was large enough to have them.

How many of the dwarf hermits would/could I support?

Probably a silly question but when trimming down the fish list to 5 does the pistol shrimp count as 1?

No the pistol shrimp does not count ( I feel you smiling) and pods can be added once the cycle is complete. Make sure you get phyto for them to eat also. We have sponsors on here that provide great quality and customer service. @Dinkins Aquatic Gardens , Reef by Steel and Algae Barn. Just finished your thread and wow how nice it all came together. I don’t know why I wasn’t getting alerts along the way.

 

[Fishy Guy]

No the pistol shrimp does not count ( I feel you smiling) and pods can be added once the cycle is complete. Make sure you get phyto for them to eat also. We have sponsors on here that provide great quality and customer service. @Dinkins Aquatic Gardens , Reef by Steel and Algae Barn. Just finished your thread and wow how nice it all came together. I don’t know why I wasn’t getting alerts along the way.

Appreciate it! I ordered some Galaxy Pods and phyto from Algae Barn but they won't ship until early January.

I just finished reading through your build today; all I can say is please feel free to hop in and give advice whenever you'd like!

 

[sugar]

Really great start! I thought I was looking at own 25g Lagoon setup for a second - lots of similarities (and you are doing things and have equipment that I wished I did/had when I first started, so good job!!).

My fish:
Ocellaris clowns (2)
Bicolor blenny
Pink-streaked wrasse
Green clown goby
Yellow watchman goby + tiger pistol pair

I have lots of shrimp, crabs, and a few snails. Lots of (still pretty small) corals. You can really pack a lot in these 25g Lagoons I find!

I do well with the six smallish fish I have. I could probably SQUEEZE another small fish in there but honestly, I am content with that list and have no desire to add another (until I upgrade!).

The only thing is the green clown goby is pretty tiny and tucks himself in the corals and really only comes out to eat! I love him, but for perching goby I would have liked to have gotten a Citron goby, which I had before and honestly was one of my favorite fish. A bit bigger and out and about more.

Love, love, love my little fish combo. Everyone occupies their own space. The watchman goby just chases anyone near his cave and the blenny was not pleased with the addition of the watchman but only for a day or so. Everyone ignores each other and it's very harmonious. All reef and CUC safe for me so far. I must say, they are all very funny to watch also. Your family would really enjoy these characteristic little fish. Highly recommend!

 

[Fishy Guy]

Really great start! I thought I was looking at own 25g Lagoon setup for a second - lots of similarities (and you are doing things and have equipment that I wished I did/had when I first started, so good job!!).

My fish:
Ocellaris clowns (2)
Bicolor blenny
Pink-streaked wrasse
Green clown goby
Yellow watchman goby + tiger pistol pair

I have lots of shrimp, crabs, and a few snails. Lots of (still pretty small) corals. You can really pack a lot in these 25g Lagoons I find!

I do well with the six smallish fish I have. I could probably SQUEEZE another small fish in there but honestly, I am content with that list and have no desire to add another (until I upgrade!).

The only thing is the green clown goby is pretty tiny and tucks himself in the corals and really only comes out to eat! I love him, but for perching goby I would have liked to have gotten a Citron goby, which I had before and honestly was one of my favorite fish. A bit bigger and out and about more.

Love, love, love my little fish combo. Everyone occupies their own space. The watchman goby just chases anyone near his cave and the blenny was not pleased with the addition of the watchman but only for a day or so. Everyone ignores each other and it's very harmonious. All reef and CUC safe for me so far. I must say, they are all very funny to watch also. Your family would really enjoy these characteristic little fish. Highly recommend!

Thanks so much! Out of curiosity what would you have done differently in the beginning with yours?

As far as fish I think I'm fairly set on:
- pair of clowns
- tailspot blenny
- pink streaked wrasse
- goby/pistol pair

I haven't decided on which shrimp goby I want to do yet. YWG seems to be a popular choice but my LFS has a baby red banded hi-fin I like too.

Not going to decide on a 6th fish yet until I'm sure it'll be safe to add. Maybe a sand sifting goby or firefish if so. I probably need to get a lid though.

Also really looking forward to inverts. Cleaner shrimp, maybe a peppermint, maybe an emerald crab, red/blue legged hermits, trochus, cerith, etc...

I'll definitely be following along with your EXT 100 build; that's quite the upgrade!

 

[sugar]

Thanks so much! Out of curiosity what would you have done differently in the beginning with yours?

As far as fish I think I'm fairly set on:
- pair of clowns
- tailspot blenny
- pink streaked wrasse
- goby/pistol pair

I haven't decided on which shrimp goby I want to do yet. YWG seems to be a popular choice but my LFS has a baby red banded hi-fin I like too.

Not going to decide on a 6th fish yet until I'm sure it'll be safe to add. Maybe a sand sifting goby or firefish if so. I probably need to get a lid though.

Also really looking forward to inverts. Cleaner shrimp, maybe a peppermint, maybe an emerald crab, red/blue legged hermits, trochus, cerith, etc...

I'll definitely be following along with your EXT 100 build; that's quite the upgrade!

Definitely get a lid!! I did lose a tiny little yellow watchman goby years ago (even with a lid!) But he was so tiny and jumped through the 1/4" screen. Devastated. I personally would never have a tank without a lid.

I have a cleaner shrimp and will likely always have one. They add so much color and movement and character to a tank, but I have never had issues with them either (some people do). Never had a fire red shrimp. I hear they can be a little more cryptic but are so stunning. I have an emerald crab (and plan to get more) for bubble algae, a peppermint shrimp for aiptasia (hides all the time - I wouldn't even know he's there if I didn't see his shedded skeleton here and there lol), a conch for sandsifting (look into these!), four blue-legged hermits for scavenging, a bumblebee snail for vermetids, three astrea snails, a trochus snail, a cerith snail for algaes, a nassarius snail also for scavenging.

All my inverts have "jobs." I have only ever seen one small aiptasia, the very odd vermetid, and the bubble algae stays just within deep cracks/crevices. I like to think the CUC is doing a good job! GHA appears in tiny little tufts that I'll pull out and I just have some film algae that the blenny and snails love. So, don't get too upset (like I used to) at the first sight of pests or algae. Everything will be ok. I used to try to STARVE the tank at the first sight of GHA which I would not do now!

Trying to cheap out in the beginning. I believe in this hobby that getting decent equipment right up front (within means/reason) is smart. If I ever tried to cheap out, I always ended up getting what I wanted in the first place.....

Other regrets.. and I did this again this year when starting up the Lagoon again, just keep it simple and don't rush!!! I am so mad at myself for losing a small BTA because I added one too soon, and I knew better.

Don't add chemicals or additives without cause (which sounds so obvious but it's so easy to get caught up in all the different products), and even so, just be careful. My tank, honestly, and everyone is so different and you'll find your groove, does best when I'm hands-off and keeping it super simple. For my media caddies, I use filter floss pads and I have some Seachem Matrix. Maybe a little carbon. I had a little skimmer running but took it off.

I was dosing Microbacter7 "just because" and I think that's what caused my dino outbreak in the summer. I was dosing some phyto, Reef Roids, aminos, and things like that for really no rhyme or reason. Since then, I've slowly re-introduced those food supplements but with more meaning and control. Things are much happier, and the dinos are dust!

Even with a few years of experience, I recently had to be reminded to stop chasing numbers. I was worried about my nitrate and phosphate reading 0 constantly while my corals looked fine and algae was under control. By chasing ghosts you sometimes do more harm than good!

If you live somewhere that power outages can occur, I would definitely suggest to just consider your options and have a plan!

When my tank's health gets away from me, it's probably because I have been slacking on the most basic care. Find a good amount and routine for feeding, blast rocks, stir sand, change filter pads, and weekly 5 gallon water changes and she runs really smooth. I only test weekly and am just starting to dose a TINY bit of 2-part for alk/calcium.

You can then get as complex as you like!!

 

[Fishy Guy]

So a thing finally happened...

I still have a very slight amount of nitrites but dosed ammonia up to 1ppm again yesterday and tank processed it overnight. Reading confirmed with both API test kit and Seachem alert badge.

I did a 25% water change and picked up our first inhabitants - a pair of perculas. Names are still being debated ha.

It's so exciting to finally have some life in the tank!

For the cycle I've kept the light off. Should I go ahead and run them at a low level now? I was thinking run them at like 25% of BRS recommended settings to start. Doesn't really matter to me just want to avoid an algae explosion. I know some uglies are inevitable and really won't mind as I'll be able to start adding some CUC.

 

[saltcats]

Cute! Love your scape - these wide and shallow tanks can be a bit challenging to figure out how to lay the rocks out

 

[kevgib67]

So a thing finally happened...

I still have a very slight amount of nitrites but dosed ammonia up to 1ppm again yesterday and tank processed it overnight. Reading confirmed with both API test kit and Seachem alert badge.

I did a 25% water change and picked up our first inhabitants - a pair of perculas. Names are still being debated ha.

It's so exciting to finally have some life in the tank!

For the cycle I've kept the light off. Should I go ahead and run them at a low level now? I was thinking run them at like 25% of BRS recommended settings to start. Doesn't really matter to me just want to avoid an algae explosion. I know some uglies are inevitable and really won't mind as I'll be able to start adding some CUC.

This is just my personal opinion so take it with a grain of salt and I know there will be some disagreement. I feel keeping the lights off only postponed the ugly stage. I would rather take it on as early as possible with the least amount of corals to aggravate than later while you are trying to keep your corals from being irritated or smothered. Just easier now than later! Either way it will come and you’ll get through it like everyone else.

 

[Fishy Guy]

Definitely get a lid!! I did lose a tiny little yellow watchman goby years ago (even with a lid!) But he was so tiny and jumped through the 1/4" screen. Devastated. I personally would never have a tank without a lid.

I have a cleaner shrimp and will likely always have one. They add so much color and movement and character to a tank, but I have never had issues with them either (some people do). Never had a fire red shrimp. I hear they can be a little more cryptic but are so stunning. I have an emerald crab (and plan to get more) for bubble algae, a peppermint shrimp for aiptasia (hides all the time - I wouldn't even know he's there if I didn't see his shedded skeleton here and there lol), a conch for sandsifting (look into these!), four blue-legged hermits for scavenging, a bumblebee snail for vermetids, three astrea snails, a trochus snail, a cerith snail for algaes, a nassarius snail also for scavenging.

All my inverts have "jobs." I have only ever seen one small aiptasia, the very odd vermetid, and the bubble algae stays just within deep cracks/crevices. I like to think the CUC is doing a good job! GHA appears in tiny little tufts that I'll pull out and I just have some film algae that the blenny and snails love. So, don't get too upset (like I used to) at the first sight of pests or algae. Everything will be ok. I used to try to STARVE the tank at the first sight of GHA which I would not do now!

Trying to cheap out in the beginning. I believe in this hobby that getting decent equipment right up front (within means/reason) is smart. If I ever tried to cheap out, I always ended up getting what I wanted in the first place.....

Other regrets.. and I did this again this year when starting up the Lagoon again, just keep it simple and don't rush!!! I am so mad at myself for losing a small BTA because I added one too soon, and I knew better.

Don't add chemicals or additives without cause (which sounds so obvious but it's so easy to get caught up in all the different products), and even so, just be careful. My tank, honestly, and everyone is so different and you'll find your groove, does best when I'm hands-off and keeping it super simple. For my media caddies, I use filter floss pads and I have some Seachem Matrix. Maybe a little carbon. I had a little skimmer running but took it off.

I was dosing Microbacter7 "just because" and I think that's what caused my dino outbreak in the summer. I was dosing some phyto, Reef Roids, aminos, and things like that for really no rhyme or reason. Since then, I've slowly re-introduced those food supplements but with more meaning and control. Things are much happier, and the dinos are dust!

Even with a few years of experience, I recently had to be reminded to stop chasing numbers. I was worried about my nitrate and phosphate reading 0 constantly while my corals looked fine and algae was under control. By chasing ghosts you sometimes do more harm than good!

If you live somewhere that power outages can occur, I would definitely suggest to just consider your options and have a plan!

When my tank's health gets away from me, it's probably because I have been slacking on the most basic care. Find a good amount and routine for feeding, blast rocks, stir sand, change filter pads, and weekly 5 gallon water changes and she runs really smooth. I only test weekly and am just starting to dose a TINY bit of 2-part for alk/calcium.

You can then get as complex as you like!!

Thanks for the additional info! I ordered one of the IM lid kits; I like the looks of the Kraken lids but didn't want to spend on a custom model until I'm sure about equipment/positions.

The rest was very timely advice ha. I had been reading about, and close to ordering Microbacter 7. Sounds like we have similar personalities. I have ordered pods and phyto from AlgaeBarn I'm going to add but will otherwise let things ride for now. Will start to slowly add CUC as algae shows up.

 

[Fishy Guy]

This is just my personal opinion so take it with a grain of salt and I know there will be some disagreement. I feel keeping the lights off only postponed the ugly stage. I would rather take it on as early as possible with the least amount of corals to aggravate than later while you are trying to keep your corals from being irritated or smothered. Just easier now than later! Either way it will come and you’ll get through it like everyone else.

That was pretty much my exact thoughts so lights on! Diatoms here we come.

Clowns seem to be favoring that front corner. We fed frozen mysis last night mostly in that corner so not sure if they're just looking for food.

Tested all of my parameters again this morning.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0.25-0.5
Nitrate - 8.7
SG - 1.026
Phosphate - 0.7
Alk - 8.3
Ca - 350
pH - 8.0

I don't think it's a problem at this point but any thoughts on lower Ca levels? I'm using the normal IO salt.

 

[kevgib67]

That was pretty much my exact thoughts so lights on! Diatoms here we come.

Clowns seem to be favoring that front corner. We fed frozen mysis last night mostly in that corner so not sure if they're just looking for food.

Tested all of my parameters again this morning.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0.25-0.5
Nitrate - 8.7
SG - 1.026
Phosphate - 0.7
Alk - 8.3
Ca - 350
pH - 8.0

I don't think it's a problem at this point but any thoughts on lower Ca levels? I'm using the normal IO salt.

Your clowns are acting perfectly normal. Mine, for over a year, picked my left back corner and chose the return nozzle to host them until they switched to my duncan coral. You can quit testing nitrite, it is a nonfactor in saltwater tanks. Currently your calcium is not important until you start adding lps and/or sps. It will be important for coralline algae but that is months away. IO is a popular salt, just guessing here, probably the most popular one used. The container should say what the calcium should mix to. Remember, those containers can sit in a warehouse on a shelf for a long time and things can settle to the bottom. When I get a new box of salt I mix it real well. Welcome your diatoms, it means you are moving forward! I wouldn’t do anything, they are self limiting and when they have consumed all the silicates they will disappear. Your pods will speed up the process as well. Enjoy your beautiful white rocks because after this process begins they won’t be white again. Hopefully in a year or two they will be a beautiful pink and purple.

 

[Fishy Guy]

I picked up an inexpensive Orphek lens kit recommended by @kevgib67 from the Zon.

The orange filter makes a huge difference with the blue light.

Stock iPhone camera:

With 15000K filter:

 

[kevgib67]

I picked up an inexpensive Orphek lens kit recommended by @kevgib67 from the Zon.

The orange filter makes a huge difference with the blue light.

Stock iPhone camera:

With 15000K filter:

Makes photography a breeze! I like the yellow at times as well.

 

[Fishy Guy]

After much debate the clowns officially have names. It took many options including:
- Wasabi and Ginger (mine)
- Fish and Chips (wife’s)
- I Don’t Care and Pee Pee (daughter 1)
- Cake and Cupcake (daughter 1 in a better mood)
- Nemo and Memo (daughter 2)

But we finally came to one we could all agree to, drumroll please…

Chips and Queso lol. Chips is the orange and Queso is white.

They’re still doing good but will only eat frozen, maybe my pellets are too big. They’re still hanging out in the front corner and have made themselves a little crater/burrow in the sand ha.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

You better hope that Queso turns out to be the female, because we all know that's the star of the show.

 

[Fishy Guy]

You better hope that Queso turns out to be the female, because we all know that's the star of the show.

Agreed and I think that will be the case. Doesn't really show in pictures but "she's" at least 50% larger than Chips.

 

[kevgib67]

After much debate the clowns officially have names. It took many options including:
- Wasabi and Ginger (mine)
- Fish and Chips (wife’s)
- I Don’t Care and Pee Pee (daughter 1)
- Cake and Cupcake (daughter 1 in a better mood)
- Nemo and Memo (daughter 2)

But we finally came to one we could all agree to, drumroll please…

Chips and Queso lol. Chips is the orange and Queso is white.

They’re still doing good but will only eat frozen, maybe my pellets are too big. They’re still hanging out in the front corner and have made themselves a little crater/burrow in the sand ha.

Now you have done it, Im craving Mexican food!

 

[Fishy Guy]

Now you have done it, Im craving Mexican food!

You mean there are times when you're not craving Mexican?!

 

[kevgib67]

Come to think about it I could eat a chimichanga and re-fried beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just had that for lunch last week! Christmas gift card for a new Mexican restaurant in my town.

 

[Macbalacano]

Tank looks awesome! Following along. Love the dimensions and excited to see it fill up over time!