New IM Fusion Pro 2 50 Gallon AIO Lagoon

[Maximus93101]

Current Build (as of Sept 27, 2022)

Tank

Innovative Marine Fussion Pro 2 50 Gallon Lagoon​

Innovative Marine White APS Stand​

ADJ Products PC-100A AC Power Strip​

Home Depot Butcher Block​

Heavy Duty Casters​

Biologigcal Filtration

~30 lbs of Reef Saver Marco Dry Rock​

40lbs Arag-Alive Fiji Pink​

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Lighting

1 x Ecothech Marine - Radion XR15 Pro G6 LED Light​

1 x Ecotech Marine - XR30 G5 Radion Single Arm Tank Mount RMS Kit​

Heating & Filtration

Stock AIO (For now)​

CADLights PLS-50 Elite II Protein Skimmer from Mode Aquaiums​

Ink Bird (306T-WIFI) WiFi Aquarium Heater Controller​

2 x 100 Watt (200 Total) Titanium Heater Elements​

Additional Flow

Syncra SDC 6.0 WiFi Controllable Pump (530-1450 GPH) - Sicce​

2 x Nero 5 powerheads - Aqua Illumination​

Red Sea - ReefWave 25​

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Controllers

Neptune APEX-EL​

Neptune EB832 Energy Bar 832​

Neptune DOS​

Neptune Trident​

Jebao Doeser 3.4 Wi-Fi​

Tunze Osmolator 3155​

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Current Livestock (in Tank)

2x Ocelaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) - Added 3/20/2022​

Yasha Goby (Stonogobiops yasha) - Added 4/20/2022​

Purple Firefish (Nemateleotris decora) - Added 3/22/2022​

Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto) - Added 4/20/2022​

Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma velifer) - Added 4/14/2022​

Tailspot Blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura) - Added 3/20/2022​

Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus) - Added 5/19/2022​

One Spot Foxface Rabbitfish (Siganus unimaculatus) - Added 9-27-2022​

Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) - Added 9-27-2022​

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Invertabrates and Clean-up Crew

Tiger Sand Conch (Strombus conch) - Added 4/5/2022​

4 x Mexican Turbo Snails (Turbo fluctuosa) - Added 4/14/2022​

10 x Nassarius Snails - Added 4/22/2022​

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Fire Shrimp (Lysmata debelius) - Added 4/20/2022​

Red Banded Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus randalli) - Added 3/22/2022​

Scarlett Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) - Added 4/26/2022​

Tiger Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus bellulus) - Added 5/19/2022​

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Bristle Star (Ophiuroidea) - Added 4/22/2022​

12 x Blue Legged Hermit Crabs - Added 4/26/2022​

4 x Scarlet Hermit Crabs (Paguristes cadenati) - Added 4/26/2022​

Critters Missing In Action (MIA)

Emerald Crab (Mithraculus sculptus) - Added 4/26/2022​

Retired Equiopment

2 x Neptune Sky LED Lights​

MightyJet Midsize AIO DC Return Pump (538 GPH) - Innovative Marine​

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[Maximus93101]

Greeting’s folks

After 15 year absence from the reefing hobby due to living in a location that would not allow fish tanks (3rd story apartment with uncoperative roomate and landlords) I have recently moved to a new location and was looking to get back into the reefing hobby.

I am getting back into the swing of things with a new Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2 50 Gallon AIO Lagoon on a White Stand which should arrive this week.

My previous tank was an acrylic 100 gallon tank with sump and protein skimmer with dual 400w Iwaki metal halides, kept a mixed tank of SPS, BTA's and LPS and loved it! Looking to repeat a bit as I get my proverbial feet wet once again (pun intended)

For the new tank, I decided to go with an AIO to keep things simple. Plans are to keep Euphylia, SPS and maybe a Bubble Tip anemone. I have successfully kept BTA's in the past, and although I love them, the reality is that the available real estate inside the tank might be a bit lacking, unless I decide to go with an anemone/clown harem tank instead.

I also need to settle on the lighting. I am either going to go with a Neptune Sky, or 2 x Radion XR15 Pro's. With either choice I will be set with enough par to cover keeping ANYTHING in the tank. Even one Radion would be enough, however, i am looking to avoid shadows , so two Radions at lower intensities would fill shadows quite nicely.

Also, with the Sky being a larger light source, would produce a better diffused light in the center of the tank, but toward the outside edges, that may not be the case. I'm still trying to decide, and I can't go wrong with either choice, but that is what I am looking at here in the short term.

Besides, I still need (wish) to buy a BRS R/O system and then get my sand and aquascape going before I get to the lights, so I have plenty of time to stew on that.

Also, shout out to Krypler and his build thread for coming up with the Home Depot Butcher Block and Heavy Duty Casters idea to put the tank on. I am going to copy this brilliant idea for myself.

 

[TheWB]

Welcome to the Lagoon 50 club. Looking forward to seeing what you do with yours, looks like you’ve got a good plan.

 

[Maximus93101]

Well, looks like the lighting situation worked itself out, as I was browsing SaltwaterAquarium.com and there was a Neptune Sky on sale for $700 because it had a "Damaged Box". That price was too good to pass on, so I pulled the trigger.

Bought the butcher board from Home Depot this afternoon, and had them cut it to 32" in length. If my calculations are correct, this should leave a 1" lip one each side of the stand. Odered the heavy duty casters on Amazon the other day and they should arrive tomorrow. Again, shout out to Krypler for this excellent idea in his build <Clcik Here> Having this tank on rollers is going to make things so much easier.

Still waiting on the tank to arrive. I got a call from Innovative Marine here in Southern California just under a week ago telling me that the shipping company picked up the aquarium and that they will call me to arrange delivery. No call from the shipping company yet and tomorrow it will have been a full week since IM called. I think I will call IM tomorrow and see if they know anything. Since I too am in SoCal, I was kind of expecting this to have happened already... We shall see.

With any luck, I should have the tank stand assembled and the tank up and ready for a leak test this weekend!

 

[Maximus93101]

Great news! Finally got a call from the local shipping company and my tank should arrive on Monday between 11:00 and 3:00pm. WooHoo!

In the meantime, I was able to purchase the HomeDepot butcher block and them cut it to a 32" length at the store. That should give me a 1" boarder on front and sides, once the tank and stand go on top of it.

I then brought brought the butcher block home and treated it with Howard Butcher Block Conditioner and got the heavy duty casters attached. Now I am patiently waiting until Monday to receive the tank, get the stand assembled and placed on top of this bad boy.

While I am waiting, I decided to "Do things the right way" and bought this beautiful rimless AquaJapan 15 gallon tank at a local fish store here in SoCal. I was chatting up the owner and mentioned that I was setting it up as a quarentine tank, so he threw in this Dymax Slim Flo-M HOB for FREE! It's not super big, but it should be enough for a quarentine tank, so I'm kind of stoked on that.

The tank is sitting on top of the excess butcher block from the heavy duty dolly that I made. Turns out, it makes an excellent base for the quarentine/nano.

The light is an AQUANEAT LED Aquarium Light that I got off of Amazon for $17.99. It's a no-frills light that has two intensity levels to choose from

(On/Off.) ;0)

I am still awaiting my EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater 75W as well as my 8"x8"x4" CerMedia MarinePure Block Bio-Filter Media.

Both items should arrive Monday, at which point I'll get some water in the tank and start the cycle in preparation for the main taink, which will take a couple more weeks to get started.

 

[Maximus93101]

Well, the last 24 houra have seen tremendous progress on the tank.

The tank arrived, along with stand and lighting and I was able to get it assembled. I am happy wioth the APS stand in white and the alluminum frame seems to be very well built and was easy to assemble, HOWEVER, the instructions were not immediately clear. I had a couple of questions regarding the assembly, but was able to figure it out eventually. Assembly time ~90 minutes, but if I were to do it again, I could probably do it in half that time.

The actual aquarium itself went on top of the stand without issue, but I had to enlist the help of my neighbor Pat in the apartment accross from mine (He too is a reefer!)

The Neptune Sky went onto the Radion XR30 mounting arm without issue, EXCEPT. The bolts included with the XR30 arm were too short to use on the Sky. Luckily, the Neptune Sky provided bolts that allowed the proper mounting to the XR30 arm.

Hey look! I have a tank! Now, I just need to wait until Friday, where I will receive my R/O unit, sand (Fiji Pink) and Marco Rocks. I will then take my time to do an NSA layout with the BRS nod towards providing habitat for the fish. I am kind of looking forward to this part, but also a bit terrified. We shall see how it turns out.

One thing that slightly bugs me is that the left door is slightly lower that the right. Nothing that cnat be fixed with a washer, but not sure why this is the case.

 

[Maximus93101]

In other news, I got water into the 15 gallon quarantine tank!

Salinity is at 35ppt, temp - 77 degrees, check!

I dumped one ounce of Fritz-Zyme Turbostart 900, (good for 25 gallons) then it was off to the LFS to purchase my first guests.

Purchased a pair of Ocelaris clowns and a tailspot blenny, all three of whom will make the quarantine tank their home for at least 4 weeks until I get the main tank up and running and fully cycled.

Let the daily water tests begin!

 

[Maximus93101]

Almost done with the aquascaping. I will be going with a 3/4" - 1" sandbed and have 40 lbs of Fiji Pink sand. I figure I will use 1 20 lb bag and see how it goes and then add parts of the second bag as needed. The sandbed will handle the majority of the biological filtration, so I may not need the little island in the front. Trying to decide if that stays or goes. I could always add it in the future, if needed...

Here's my "first draft" of the aquascape, and I am relatively happy with it (7 out of 10) as i feel. it will serve my purposes and coral placement well.

 

[Maximus93101]

Finally got water in the tank and thankfully, NO LEAKS! <Happy dance>

The MightyJet and Inkjet controllers are temporarily mounted until I purchase or DIY my own controller board.

This is the firt time I have used a MightyJet, and to me, it seems a bit underpowered for size tank. Granted, the interface is a bit wonky, so it is possible that I may not have it up at full power. Although I am 90% sure I have it pegged at full, I realize there is a possibility that might not be the case due to the screwy interface.

Having said that, I may get a second MJ for greater flow and redundancy, however, I am very seriously looking at a Sicce Syncra SDC 6.0, or a Neptune COR-15 depending on whether or not they will fit in the back of the tank. I will eventually get an APEX-EL, so a DC controllable pump that I can control with the APEX is highly desirable.

We'll have to wait and see on that...

 

[TheWB]

Finally got water in the tank and thankfully, NO LEAKS! <Happy dance>

The MightyJet and Inkjet controllers are temporarily mounted until I purchase or DIY my own controller board.

This is the firt time I have used a MightyJet, and to me, it seems a bit underpowered for size tank. Granted, the interface is a bit wonky, so it is possible that I may not have it up at full power. Although I am 90% sure I have it pegged at full, I realize there is a possibility that might not be the case due to the screwy interface.

Having said that, I may get a second MJ for greater flow and redundancy, however, I am very seriously looking at a Sicce Syncra SDC 6.0, or a Neptune COR-15 depending on whether or not they will fit in the back of the tank. I will eventually get an APEX-EL, so a DC controllable pump that I can control with the APEX is highly desirable.

We'll have to wait and see on that...

I like the scape with the rock up front. I’m using the Reef Octopus Varios 2 dc return pump and it is Apex controllable. I had a special part 3d printed that allows it to match up perfectly with the IM return plumbing that comes with the tank. The Varios 2 has plenty of power.

 

[jcolliii]

I really dig that scape! Looks great, lots of interesting places for corals!.

 

[Maximus93101]

Ta-Da!

I now have an official reef tank! Actually, at this stage it's more of a FOWDR (FIsh-Only with Dry Rock) but, who's counting?

I got the sand bed in, the live rock set up, dosed the Fritz Turb Start and moved the Ocelaris pair in, along with the Two Spot Blenny.

Now I just need to monitor the Amonia and Nitrogen cycle to make sure nothing gets out of whack, however, Fritz worked tremendously well in my 15 gallon quarantine tanks, so i am expecting more of the same.

Picture is wiht the Neptune Sky ON, however, I am going to do as BRS suggests and keep the ligths OFF for two months in order to let the bio films populate the rock. (That's going to be VERY hard fo rme to do ;0)

This is my first attempt at using dry rock instead of live rock, so I'll see if my patience pays off.

 

[TheWB]

How‘s the tank doing?

 

[Maximus93101]

How‘s the tank doing?

So glad you asked! So far, so good, in fact I just started the beginning of the "ugly phase" with a dusting of diatoms on all of the rocks and glass. Also added a RedSea ReefWave 25 for additional flow, which I really like so far (Note: I do not yet have any corals in my tank as of this time, so I am reserving final judgement for later)

Next purchase will be a PLS-50 Elite II Nano Protein Skimmer, and auto top-off and clean-up crew.

 

[TheWB]

So glad you asked! So far, so good, in fact I just started the beginning of the "ugly phase" with a dusting of diatoms on all of the rocks and glass. Also added a RedSea ReefWave 25 for additional flow, which I really like so far (Note: I do not yet have any corals in my tank as of this time, so I am reserving final judgement for later)

Next purchasw will be a PLS-50 Elite II Nano Protein Skimmer, and auto top-off and clean-up crew.

That skimmer is great if you can get Mode to send it to you.

 

[Maximus93101]

That skimmer is great if you can get Mode to send it to you.

Yeah... 90% sure I am going to take a chance... I tried pinging some of the people who ordered and did not receive one yet, in order to get an update, but have not heard back yet.

 

[evo187]

interested to see how you like the reefwave 25. I am thinking about one to replace either my Tunze 6055 or my Jebao SWL-10 in my lagoon 50

 

[Bsnow0053]

So have you had any problems on the reefwave? My constantly disconnects, won't change modes have to like reboot it, all from the app though the manual controls work fine. Mine won't update the firmware either but says there's an update.

 

[Bsnow0053]

interested to see how you like the reefwave 25. I am thinking about one to replace either my Tunze 6055 or my Jebao SWL-10 in my lagoon 50

I like mine in my lagoon 50 if perfect, other then having the connection issues, I've read you have to call red sea it happens to alot of ppl and they will send and updated controller

 

[TheWB]

interested to see how you like the reefwave 25. I am thinking about one to replace either my Tunze 6055 or my Jebao SWL-10 in my lagoon 50

I like mine in my lagoon 50 if perfect, other then having the connection issues, I've read you have to call red sea it happens to alot of ppl and they will send and updated controller

Where are you guys build threads? We’re always interested in seeing new Lagoon 50 build threads. Post them up.