Luna Lagoona

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
70
Reaction score
60
Location
Canada, Nova Scotia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
You're thinking, "ANOTHER 25 LAGOON?!!! . . . Well, Yes! . . . but with a twist. This one is MINE! ;) ;Cat

I am limited in size due to my current apartment situation etc but I would love to have a larger (but still shallow) tank someday! Once I have my own house maybe.

Originally I was actually looking at a fluval evo 13.5 but I realized I was going to end up with a lot of overhead anyway so I wanted to push it as big as I could without lying too excessively to my landlord! ;) In terms of my pedigree, I had a 20gallon long and a Fluval osaka 360 ( ~70gal reef in the past if interested I can post a link to that tank journal too!)

Note about tankage/stocking: I purchased the tank used and all the original live rock and filter media came with it. The tank left running right up until the night I came to get it, and that had been over 1.5 years so that allowed me to DRASTICALLY speed up my cycle and it was almost instant. I cleaned out the tank etc and did add some dry rock later as things evolved which worked against me. At the time of this post it had only been running for 2 months but in some ways is more mature than that.

Tank Goals:
I wanted to keep a wide variety of corals but honestly, I am somewhat simple only in that I tend to just follow my eye! (I lost the genetic lottery and am partially color blind so what I am drawn to is a little different than most) So far my eye has led me to mostly LPS corals but frankly... I am jamming as much as I can into this little box of water! Like many, I was inspired by the many great 25 lagoons out there and really liked the idea of maximizing the footprint since my limit was more related to water volume. I was also trying to keep things simple originally and was ONLY doing water changes instead of dosing. However, after I lost a really cool torch it turned out that my levels were wayyy wack talking 5.9 alk, salinity 1.020, and unstable temp :eek: (likely because of just how many coral I have crammed in here) All this to say now I have to dose o_O

I also just REALLY enjoy coral. Like this might be a given but I wanted a small tank that I could really baby my coral and spot feed and take good pictures. Here's a taste of some of what you might find later on! (Ultimate Dragon soul favia)
BigmacroReef (5 of 11).jpg

In terms of fish stocking, it's really challenging to find critters that I can fit in this little volume but more on that later.

I will also add I'm writing this in retrospect because the tank has actually been setup now for 2 months.

Current front tank shot (March 3rd 2022):
1648013874564.png

1648012966444.png


Equipment :
(I will try and keep updated...unless edits lock later)
Tank - Innovative Marine 25 Gallon Lagoon
Stand - Not sure of the model as I got it 2nd hand but it is meant for aquariums and has nearly the same footprint as my tank.
Skimmer - IM Nuvo Skim DC skimmer
Lighting - Kessil A360x + 35 Degree reflector + wifi dongle (Originally lit with AI prime 16 HD)
Heater - H2Pro Titanium Heater + controller 200w (Originally cheaper aqueon glass heater)
Return Nozzles - Vivid Creative Aquatics Random Flow Nozzles
Return pumps - 2 undersized 80gph Eheim 300 pumps o_O (plan to upgrade soon)
Wavemaker(s) - IceCap Gyre 2k (previously Nero 3)
ATO - A smart water bottle filled with RODI jammed upsidedown... Seriously though plan to add mechanical ATO in the future.
Dosing Pumps -None (All by hand)
Stock mesh lid (modified by the previous owner)
Salt - Aquaforest Reef Salt (1.025 /35 ppm)
Sand - Aquaforest bio sand


Measurements:
Salifert Calcium test kit
Aquaforest Magnesium test kit
Red Sea Marine care multitest Kit
Hannah ALK checker
Seachem Ammonia alert monitor

Filtration:
(Mirrored on both sides)
Filter floss ---> Chemipure elite (not sure if long term use will continue) ---> Activated carbon (small amount) ---> Aquaforest Bio fil (ceramic media for surface area)

Below you will be able to see what my current parameters are as well as if I can get the graphs working see historical trends for how things are going!


Live Updated Parameters Log:


Dosing:
Red Sea Coraline Gro -
ALK (This is what I am using to maintain my ALK and there is also iron and some other fun things in there too!!)
Redsea Reef energy AB+ - Coral Nutrition /trace elements broadcast (occasionally / every other day and less than recommended, It's mostly just fun for me but I do see benefits! :p )
Polyp Labs Reef Roids - Target feeding only usually Once a week
Aquaforest Magnesium
Aquaforest Calcium

Fish List (March 24th 2022):
2 x Baby designer clowns (locally raised)
High fin dartfish
Jeweled/ Lawnmower Blenny


Below I will post some pictures from the setup process. (I promise there will be better pictures later! Right now I just want to get this started!)

I got all of the below for a great price used as a tank tear down
1648013962726.png

1648014005763.png
1648014036837.png


There was SOOO Much cleaning.
1648014059114.png


Featuring one of my dad's paintings in the background haha!
1648014159324.png


The stand was too low, so I later got 2x6's and built it up higher and you can see why I really wanted to go with one of the pennisula style tanks originally! I wanted it to be something you looked through the living room into the kitchen as a room divider... Local supply dictated the lagoon was what was available and overall I am glad I went with this. (even if it doesn't look the best when you are actually IN the kitchen.
1648014333098.png


Finally I got it loaded up with some water and an initial aquascape! This was (and even in my current probably is) WAYYY too much rock for such a little tank!
1648014396148.png


I was constantly stressing about the aquascape and later on when I eventually got livestock (beyond the hitchhikers and snails that showed up with my inital live rock :p) I developed a habit of pannicking and redoing my aquascape as I tried to accilmate new stuff and SOOOO much stress/anxiety.
1648014518070.png


As yes the infamous pink dog vomit rock phase.... believe me when I say that while I paid live rock prices to ADD these as extra live rock... They are solid filled so offer little extra surface area for bacteria, and they also just look horrible imo. This picture is being way too kind to it. But you can see rescape 1.0
1648014570847.png


I found a couple locally bred BABY (the size of my pinky fingernail) designer clown fish and decided to add them and a few coral after my levels were showing stable for a few weeks. A this point I was going by the assumption that I had instant cycled my tank. I of course rescaped again... and added the nero 3
1648014727977.png


So began the phase where my aquascape became a giant crab....
1648014903196.png

I don't know why I thought this was a good idea.
1648014949056.png


I added more coral over time but it always bothered me.
1648015017674.png


I started trying to build my own negative space aquascape elements out of fragments of my other (now dry) live rock I got with the tank tear down bundle. The big flat rock that made up the crab body especially HAD to go.
1648015069280.png


Bonus shout out to my ATO hack when I had to go away for a funeral. If anyone has an IM25 Lagoon smart waterbottles really do work! (My apartment has an air exchanger and things evaporate WAYYY too quickly from the little all in one chambers.
1648015172190.png


After picking up another big haul of coral I decided that I couldn't take the "Crab" any more and did another panicked late night aquascape.
1648015257696.png

1648015270734.png




There's so much more I can say but I will break the rest up over some other posts. It's already 3am haha. I will leave you with this picture again for completeness sake! (I also promise to upload some of the pictures I took with my DSLR later instead of these cellphone pics!)
1648015408529.png
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Luna Lagoona

Luna Lagoona

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
70
Reaction score
60
Location
Canada, Nova Scotia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Wow, did you leave anything out?… I feel like I just read a book!! Lol. Your planning and attention to detail will no doubt lead to your long-term success. Best wishes with your beautiful tank! :)
Haha would you believe me if I said that I actually left out a lot of things! haha I appreciate the vote of confidence! I am going to try and keep things a bit more "digestible" going forward but I had some catching up to do and it had been weighing on me that I hadn't gotten around to starting a build thread!

One of the many things I left out was that I even did the cardboard modeling of all the different tanks I was considering.

1648043937428.png


Also my struggles with trying to save this tiny gold mushroom (which I rebought later) after losing it in my shot glass incubator hoping to get the foot reattached.
1648044224894.png

I will detail the many fish "tales" as well soon!
 
OP
OP
Luna Lagoona

Luna Lagoona

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
70
Reaction score
60
Location
Canada, Nova Scotia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I had promised some higher quality coral photos. I really should have kicked off with some of these and might edit my first post to include one or two to give folks an idea of what is coming.

Ultimate Dragon Soul favia

BigmacroReef (5 of 11).jpg


Classic Cali tort (acropora)
BigmacroReef (3 of 11).jpg


Early shots of my clowns
DiscordReef (2 of 9).jpg

DiscordReef (9 of 9).jpg


Bonasi Acropora Nub that I really can't wait to grow out a little but got for a great price....
BigmacroReef (11 of 11).jpg



Not color accurate photo of my Jack-o-Lantern Lepto
BigmacroReef (1 of 11).jpg




Meteor Shower Cyphestria
BigmacroReef (4 of 11).jpg


A fancy monti who's name I forget showing the crab "foot prints"
BigmacroReef (2 of 11).jpg

BigmacroReef (6 of 11).jpg


Super man Discosoma Mushroom
DiscordReef (1 of 9).jpg


Hermit doing hermit stuffs
DiscordReef (3 of 9).jpg


Bieg snail
DiscordReef (8 of 9).jpg



Anyway, I hope you all enjoy some of these! I really need to get a new camera body because mine is SUPER old and my tripod situation leaves a lot left to be desired just due to tank placement so I often can't get close enough to see things well.
 
OP
OP
Luna Lagoona

Luna Lagoona

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
70
Reaction score
60
Location
Canada, Nova Scotia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What a cool build. I’m gearing up to put together my first tank, and I am grateful for your pictures! Very inspirational!
Let me know if there is anything specific you might have questions about!


Also in general for folks I am still trying to figure out what other fish I want to add to the system.

So far my fish list is:


  • High fin dart fish: Aka the expensive eyeball...
  • 2 x (Baby) Designer Clowns - Locally bred
  • Jeweled/Lawnmower Blenny (small juvi)


    I really want to add one more center-piece fish or a couple of other smaller fish that would be active and swimming in the water column.

    My clownfish just host the top left corner of my tank so are pretty boring most of the time. My dart fish jammed it self under a rock when I added it to the tank and I see it moving around in it's cave and feed it but.... for being such a pretty fish it's a shame it never actually comes out or swims.

    I have considered getting a baby tomini tang, but obviously, tang police and it would be competing with the lawnmower blenny for resources (not a bad thing though, and I supplement feed with marine hervbaor grazer rings/nori. )

    I had originally wanted a blue midas blenny but again double blenny is bad times.

    I might actually make post about this asking for input on the stocking. There's some cool smaller wrasses that might work, and I am not interested in any of the fire fish...



    The biggest thing is I want something that looks good, and is an active swimmer and fun to feed.
 

Connorw

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 16, 2019
Messages
39
Reaction score
41
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi there, what an awesome build thread. The tank looks great! I’m curious as I have a Nero 3 in my Nuvo 20, what made you decide to switch from that to a gyre?
 
OP
OP
Luna Lagoona

Luna Lagoona

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
70
Reaction score
60
Location
Canada, Nova Scotia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi there, what an awesome build thread. The tank looks great! I’m curious as I have a Nero 3 in my Nuvo 20, what made you decide to switch from that to a gyre?
Thanks for stopping in!

In a small tank with complicated rockwork I found that with my Nero 3 there wasn't nearly enough flexibility in the lower range of the % power tuning.


This is a great thread detailing some of the details related to how the % values actually scale with the nero 5, and while it's not likely 1:1 for the 3 I can vouch from personal experience that it's similar. (I hope they update the firmware in the future but I also think it might be a mechanical limitation)
1648162709234.png


In smaller tanks it means that you can't actually customize the flow nearly as much as you might think and end up with values much closer to the maximum GPH ratings of the wave makers.

There's also this great BRS investigates video talking about Gyres vs more directional flow.


For me and I think most nano tanks you are better served by gyre pumps that allow you to send out a wide narrow sheet of flow and have it hit the other side of the glass and return. Unlike larger tanks, the gyre ends up filling MOST of the width of my tank when mounted on the side. This means you have much more even flow coverage across the tank without creating feast or famine for other corals.

I literally blew the flesh off of a VERY nice torch meanwhile other areas had next to no flow with my nero 3. I would try and move it out of the flow area and then it would be sick because it didn't have enough movement.... Couldn't win.
1648163247492.png


You can read about that whole tragic episode here. (Spolier flow wasn't the only problem!)


With the gyre my flow looks muchmore like this. My Random Flow Generators/return flow disrupts the gyre slightly as it comes out across the blade of gyre flow. (This will be even better once I upgrade my return pump)

But I have tested my Gyre with Reef energy AB+ and the green liquid really does create a full circuit as it hits the other wall.
1648163154440.png



Compared to my nero my flow was more like this without a 2nd wave maker on the other side to interupt/meet the flow in the middle to create chaos it just shot out a solid cone mainly along the top of the tank. (and where I am doing a mixed reef I want really intense direct flow along the top and then lower flow for my soft stuff and LPS on the bottom.


The red areas are flow dead zones. Again very all or nothing, but this would have been mitigated by a 2nd wave maker or a larger tank where the cone would have had more space to ballon out and be less of a jet stream.
1648163700186.png



So in effect the gyre just happened to be perfect for my mixed reef philosophy however it's still a 2k gyre and overkill for my tank. I do plan on getting a larger one down the road and a 2nd 2k Gyre pump when that day comes.

But as is I can only run this one at 25-35% max.

1648164111962.png


So overall thank you for asking the question because I probably should have covered this as part of the initial post.

I should add I am a user experience designer by day so designing a habitat for my little living ocean critters has been something I have been pretty obsessive about. I really wish I could do a bigger tank but it's not in the cards until I move.

Now that I have this roughly where I want I can chill on things a little... I have been sinking SOOOO much time into the tank. Like 2 - 4+ hours a day lol.

So I am looking forward to bigger tank times...but also scared to put things in flux again...It will be at least a year out though, so other than "planning" there's not too much I need to do for now! (Thankfully!)

Also sorry for writing a book for your innocent question >_<
 

OldRed1

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
960
Reaction score
1,419
Location
New York
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks for stopping in!

In a small tank with complicated rockwork I found that with my Nero 3 there wasn't nearly enough flexibility in the lower range of the % power tuning.


This is a great thread detailing some of the details related to how the % values actually scale with the nero 5, and while it's not likely 1:1 for the 3 I can vouch from personal experience that it's similar. (I hope they update the firmware in the future but I also think it might be a mechanical limitation)
1648162709234.png


In smaller tanks it means that you can't actually customize the flow nearly as much as you might think and end up with values much closer to the maximum GPH ratings of the wave makers.

There's also this great BRS investigates video talking about Gyres vs more directional flow.


For me and I think most nano tanks you are better served by gyre pumps that allow you to send out a wide narrow sheet of flow and have it hit the other side of the glass and return. Unlike larger tanks, the gyre ends up filling MOST of the width of my tank when mounted on the side. This means you have much more even flow coverage across the tank without creating feast or famine for other corals.

I literally blew the flesh off of a VERY nice torch meanwhile other areas had next to no flow with my nero 3. I would try and move it out of the flow area and then it would be sick because it didn't have enough movement.... Couldn't win.
1648163247492.png


You can read about that whole tragic episode here. (Spolier flow wasn't the only problem!)


With the gyre my flow looks muchmore like this. My Random Flow Generators/return flow disrupts the gyre slightly as it comes out across the blade of gyre flow. (This will be even better once I upgrade my return pump)

But I have tested my Gyre with Reef energy AB+ and the green liquid really does create a full circuit as it hits the other wall.
1648163154440.png



Compared to my nero my flow was more like this without a 2nd wave maker on the other side to interupt/meet the flow in the middle to create chaos it just shot out a solid cone mainly along the top of the tank. (and where I am doing a mixed reef I want really intense direct flow along the top and then lower flow for my soft stuff and LPS on the bottom.


The red areas are flow dead zones. Again very all or nothing, but this would have been mitigated by a 2nd wave maker or a larger tank where the cone would have had more space to ballon out and be less of a jet stream.
1648163700186.png



So in effect the gyre just happened to be perfect for my mixed reef philosophy however it's still a 2k gyre and overkill for my tank. I do plan on getting a larger one down the road and a 2nd 2k Gyre pump when that day comes.

But as is I can only run this one at 25-35% max.

1648164111962.png


So overall thank you for asking the question because I probably should have covered this as part of the initial post.

I should add I am a user experience designer by day so designing a habitat for my little living ocean critters has been something I have been pretty obsessive about. I really wish I could do a bigger tank but it's not in the cards until I move.

Now that I have this roughly where I want I can chill on things a little... I have been sinking SOOOO much time into the tank. Like 2 - 4+ hours a day lol.

So I am looking forward to bigger tank times...but also scared to put things in flux again...It will be at least a year out though, so other than "planning" there's not too much I need to do for now! (Thankfully!)

Also sorry for writing a book for your innocent question >_<

This is some of the most helpful and informative material on R2R for Nano tanks. You are a legend!
 

OldRed1

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
960
Reaction score
1,419
Location
New York
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Do you have any experience with the MP10s? I have a 25g Waterbox peninsula tank that we’ll be putting up in August. I’m considering an MP10 for our tank, but I’m not sure if it will be too much flow.

I’m not qualified to offer fish recommendations. Would you consider an orchid dottyback? Feedback seems mixed with regard to aggression, so could be a risky add.

We’re also considering a scissortail dartfish and/or a zebra barred dartfish.
 

cconnolly

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 6, 2021
Messages
184
Reaction score
175
Location
Richmond, VA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
For fish check out assessors. They are beautiful fish while being very mellow. They have very interesting swim patterns which can be very fun to watch.

I have a blue assessor and it’s the star of the tank.
 

Acros

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 6, 2020
Messages
2,061
Reaction score
1,882
Location
Greenville, SC
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
With four fish In there, you are pushing the available space by adding another fish. In reality, the tank is only about 18gallons display volume. Check out pink-streaked wrasse. That is the only wrasse that will work out in the long term. They are, however, hard to come by.

On top of tang police, Tangs do poorly in small tanks. They constantly pace around and make everyone nervous.

Having two powerheads on opposing sides is the ideal solution. I have Jebao SLW20M powerheads on opposing sides. I crank up the flow as my tank is acro dominant. It will move around the sand but settles down eventually.

You would be surprised how little light some of these fixtures put out. I had to add two supplemental LED bars to my XR15 to hit acro pleasing numbers. Thankfully, my LFS rents par meters for $10 a day.
 

Connorw

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 16, 2019
Messages
39
Reaction score
41
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks for stopping in!

In a small tank with complicated rockwork I found that with my Nero 3 there wasn't nearly enough flexibility in the lower range of the % power tuning.


This is a great thread detailing some of the details related to how the % values actually scale with the nero 5, and while it's not likely 1:1 for the 3 I can vouch from personal experience that it's similar. (I hope they update the firmware in the future but I also think it might be a mechanical limitation)
1648162709234.png


In smaller tanks it means that you can't actually customize the flow nearly as much as you might think and end up with values much closer to the maximum GPH ratings of the wave makers.

There's also this great BRS investigates video talking about Gyres vs more directional flow.


For me and I think most nano tanks you are better served by gyre pumps that allow you to send out a wide narrow sheet of flow and have it hit the other side of the glass and return. Unlike larger tanks, the gyre ends up filling MOST of the width of my tank when mounted on the side. This means you have much more even flow coverage across the tank without creating feast or famine for other corals.

I literally blew the flesh off of a VERY nice torch meanwhile other areas had next to no flow with my nero 3. I would try and move it out of the flow area and then it would be sick because it didn't have enough movement.... Couldn't win.
1648163247492.png


You can read about that whole tragic episode here. (Spolier flow wasn't the only problem!)


With the gyre my flow looks muchmore like this. My Random Flow Generators/return flow disrupts the gyre slightly as it comes out across the blade of gyre flow. (This will be even better once I upgrade my return pump)

But I have tested my Gyre with Reef energy AB+ and the green liquid really does create a full circuit as it hits the other wall.
1648163154440.png



Compared to my nero my flow was more like this without a 2nd wave maker on the other side to interupt/meet the flow in the middle to create chaos it just shot out a solid cone mainly along the top of the tank. (and where I am doing a mixed reef I want really intense direct flow along the top and then lower flow for my soft stuff and LPS on the bottom.


The red areas are flow dead zones. Again very all or nothing, but this would have been mitigated by a 2nd wave maker or a larger tank where the cone would have had more space to ballon out and be less of a jet stream.
1648163700186.png



So in effect the gyre just happened to be perfect for my mixed reef philosophy however it's still a 2k gyre and overkill for my tank. I do plan on getting a larger one down the road and a 2nd 2k Gyre pump when that day comes.

But as is I can only run this one at 25-35% max.

1648164111962.png


So overall thank you for asking the question because I probably should have covered this as part of the initial post.

I should add I am a user experience designer by day so designing a habitat for my little living ocean critters has been something I have been pretty obsessive about. I really wish I could do a bigger tank but it's not in the cards until I move.

Now that I have this roughly where I want I can chill on things a little... I have been sinking SOOOO much time into the tank. Like 2 - 4+ hours a day lol.

So I am looking forward to bigger tank times...but also scared to put things in flux again...It will be at least a year out though, so other than "planning" there's not too much I need to do for now! (Thankfully!)

Also sorry for writing a book for your innocent question >_<

Wow, thank you for the reply! That’s all extremely interesting information. I’ve been running mine around 15-25% output, and basically going off of how the hammers look to decide flow. I’ve been considering getting some AB+ for the corals but now I’m very tempted to get it to also see what the flow in my tank looks like.
 

cconnolly

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 6, 2021
Messages
184
Reaction score
175
Location
Richmond, VA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
With four fish In there, you are pushing the available space by adding another fish. In reality, the tank is only about 18gallons display volume. Check out pink-streaked wrasse. That is the only wrasse that will work out in the long term. They are, however, hard to come by.
I love my pink streaked wrasse. Great fish but they are beyond hard to acquire especially right now. So unless you really get lucky I wouldn't count on getting one.
 
OP
OP
Luna Lagoona

Luna Lagoona

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
70
Reaction score
60
Location
Canada, Nova Scotia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Do you have any experience with the MP10s? I have a 25g Waterbox peninsula tank that we’ll be putting up in August. I’m considering an MP10 for our tank, but I’m not sure if it will be too much flow.

I’m not qualified to offer fish recommendations. Would you consider an orchid dottyback? Feedback seems mixed with regard to aggression, so could be a risky add.

We’re also considering a scissortail dartfish and/or a zebra barred dartfish.
I haven't used the MP10's but to me, they are just a more premium-priced Nero 3. Honestly, if you don't mind the cord in the tank I would skip them and just get a Nero 3/5. (Unless all your other gear is eco-tech... there's something to be said for one app to rule them all ;) )

I wouldn't recommend a dart tail in my experience.


This is some of the most helpful and informative material on R2R for Nano tanks. You are a legend!
You are just tryna' make a girl blush. That's all rehashed info from other places, but ty!


With four fish In there, you are pushing the available space by adding another fish. In reality, the tank is only about 18gallons display volume. Check out pink-streaked wrasse. That is the only wrasse that will work out in the long term. They are, however, hard to come by.

On top of tang police, Tangs do poorly in small tanks. They constantly pace around and make everyone nervous.

Having two powerheads on opposing sides is the ideal solution. I have Jebao SLW20M powerheads on opposing sides. I crank up the flow as my tank is acro dominant. It will move around the sand but settles down eventually.

You would be surprised how little light some of these fixtures put out. I had to add two supplemental LED bars to my XR15 to hit acro pleasing numbers. Thankfully, my LFS rents par meters for $10 a day.
I think I can safely say that with my water column being almost entirely empty... I can put another center piece fish in there.

The clowns together BARELY account for one fish. The are the size of my pinky fingernail and are essentially glued to the top left corner of the tank.

The Blenny is borderline invisible and mainly just scoots around the rock work and is also still not fully grown. (in general, a few years out when things are grown it may be a different story but I plan to have a much larger tank by then but hopefully keep the lagoon around.)

The high fin dartfish again... has his cave under the rock and hasn't left it once.

This means the VAST majority of my tank real estate is just occupied by empty water.

Do I REALLY want a tang. Hecc yes I do. A baby tomini would be fantastic, and there's also a really cute little purple tang in a local store's zoanthid frag tank I have been eyeing VERY hard, and could have a shot at.

However, if I could find a cool fish that would be comfier in my tank long-term I am open to that too. These are pets and I care about their happiness. But it's gotta be an active swimmer.

The real challenge is I don't have a quarantine tank so I don't feel comfy buying a fish direct online, and instead will at least want to buy from a local shop that can handle that quarantine process for me.

Also in terms of ethics and small tangs etc I want to quickly share this story (CW: Gore)






I had been eyeing this little convict tang at a (Unnamed local shop) and had been considering adopting it and my final fish.

It was small and again while it would get bigger I would have a year or so with it at LEAST before then, and could easily find a home afterward for a cute tang like that given the availability struggle on the east coast of Canada for things.

At the time I talked myself out of it.

Despite the tank, it was in being big it shared it with a much larger triggerfish. I don't know how this happened but my guess (and that of the store worker I pointed it out to) guessed that the trigger intentionally or otherwise chomped it :(

(Scroll past if you don't like fish injuries!!!!)

1648512465623.png



We can never know exactly what will happen when we adopt things of course. Accidents can happen everywhere. That said I can say with certainty that there is no way that this fish would have gotten its new holy status in my care.

Our tanks trade freedom for safety in many cases, and with my tank of primary herbivores and all of whom are passive this fish could have ruled the roost and led a pampered life until I found a REALLY good long-term home for it, or upgraded my tank.

I don't know what ended up happening to this guy but I will be asking when I go in next. :(

The key is: Once they enter the hobby for sale all we can do is try and provide them with the path with the most known variables.


Fish that are factually small are ok in small systems
Fish that are big need bigger systems.

Adjust overtime to reflect reality/the size of the fish.



----------

Back to lights and fun things o_O

That same local shop is the only one with a par meter and it hasn't been available to rent yet, but I stand by thinking there is more to light than just PAR. I also stand by the BRS "right tool for the right application" approach. On the note of this fixture I actually just turned it DOWN today after I noticed some coral bleaching despite acclimation etc.

Kinda hard to see here but I just moved this meteor shower cyphastria down tonight after the side facing up was getting pale compared to the rest of the coral. I will find a better spot for it tomorrow.

1648513200041.png


Don't mind the gold mushroom looking real sad. I just tried that new method of cutting the foot to frag it and we still haven't made up since :<

I also didn't have my light above 75-80 for more than an hour or two. I stand by these fixtures putting out more light than most people realize but it is a question of spectrum/depth and more that really results in the final impact to coral.

You can read more about what light I went with and why here as well as more discussion and I do plan to finish editing the review/comparison video I filmed between the prime and kessil sometime soon! https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/a...-narrow-reflector-dongle-im-25-lagoon.896826/


In the meantime enjoy this pure video of some glorious Kessil ceiling shimmer. :star-struck::star-struck::star-struck::astonished-face: <3



I will leave you with a nice top-down of the lagoon in it's VERY blue evening mode, and keep dreaming about my final fish. (Note the absence of any fish swimming around other than two dots that are my clowns in the bottom right.)

1648513624392.png
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Luna Lagoona

Luna Lagoona

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
70
Reaction score
60
Location
Canada, Nova Scotia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Beautiful tank and pictures
Thanks!

Also just to comment on tank progress I continue to see growth in most things! My bonasi acro I am still watching like a hawk but I don't think I am seeing much growth yet.

My big focus has been trying to get my ALK to be stable in the 8+'s but it's been a struggle. Anyone else just find that some tanks/areas can never hit certain levels?
1648514517601.png


Or with comments haha
1648515062982.png



The other thing is that evaporation is INSANE for me which I think is part of why I can't keep it up. Like 2-3 L almost a day at times! So the buffers might not be able to counter how much new RODI is getting added? (The chemistry might not work this way tbh)

Getting an ATO is still very much a priority as I am using my gravity-fed smart water bottle RODI hack right now.

Open to suggestions! :D
 
Last edited:

cconnolly

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 6, 2021
Messages
184
Reaction score
175
Location
Richmond, VA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The real challenge is I don't have a quarantine tank so I don't feel comfy buying a fish direct online, and instead will at least want to buy from a local shop that can handle that quarantine process for me.
Check out https://drreefsquarantinedfish.com. Does fully quarantined so as long as your patient its a great option. Tons of extremely positive feedback on here and other places online. I'm still waiting on my order from him but appreciate some great advice he gave me and the thoroughness of his process.
 

Acros

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 6, 2020
Messages
2,061
Reaction score
1,882
Location
Greenville, SC
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Most forms of pet keeping are, in some ways, unethical. I was not referring to the ethics of keeping a tang in a nano reef. If it doesn’t go well, you can always rehome a tang in good health if you act fast. However, 18 gallons of display volume is too small for active swimmers.

I had a pair of pink smith damsels in the tank, active and pretty. They were fine for a while, but one day something happened, and they got mean towards each other. I had to rehome them within 2 hours of becoming mean (I am not sure if one survived even after that).
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 38 52.1%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 39 53.4%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 15 20.5%
  • None.

    Votes: 18 24.7%
  • Other.

    Votes: 6 8.2%
Back
Top