Help me setup a 25g saltwater tank

KraM · Jun 17, 2026

I had a small 10 gallon tank a decade ago that I gave away when I moved to a new city, had a clown fish, Xenia, blue hermit, and pistol/goby (I think, never saw either of them LOL)
have the itch to get back into the hobby and do it right this time.

I've settled on the IM 25 lagoon, as I may buy a house in the next year and want something easy to move. If all goes well with this experiment I will probably want a huge tank in a few years.

For lights I bought k7 pro v4, seems like you cannot beat the value.

Wave maker is jerboa ow-25, also seems like great value. (that magnetic one looks sick but its too gucci for a 25 gallon, maybe next tank)

Now what I would like some advice on. Sand and Rocks.

What do you think about ordering this TBS PICO package ( 4 pounds live sand & 8 pound MIX of premium nano rock and base nano rock )
Mixing that with other dry or live sand & dry rock, to save some time and money. I can't justify the price of 20 lbs of each live rock and sand. Do you think this plan is viable and will work? I imagine it's better than all dry rock / sand.

Debating between eden / caribsea sand / af bio sand

Any advice on what type of rock for the remaining 10-20 lbs? thinking Marco rocks?

I will keep this tank simple and do water changes regularly and not worry so much about automation.

would like to have the same livestock, maybe without the Xenia lol they're pretty but I found out quickly they can be a problem. I would like to add an anemone though for the clowns. Is bubble tip my only option with a tank this size? I would love to have a LTA but internet search suggests minimum 30 gallon tank, any ideas?

any suggestions for a 100w heater / controller?

Appreciate any insight, suggestions or recommended videos to watch.

thanks

Fish Fan · Jun 17, 2026

I think it's a solid plan to add as much TBS rock and sand as you can, then after that use whatever dry rock and sand you'd like, just know that the dry rocks may still see some "ugly" algae growing on them when the tank is still maturing.