New to me, IM 50 Lagoon.

Theolox

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I recently picked up a 2015 IM 50 Lagoon. (verified with IM by the serial number) I have ordered and received lots of Marco rock (foundation, regular, and shelf, including some nano-shelf), epoxy, gel glue, Insta-set, am I am about to have a go at my first HNSA build. My goal is to have softies and LPS with a few fish. I currently have an old Oceanic Biocube 29 HQI with a Prime 16HD on it. I want to take what I have learned and move to this new and bigger tank. My tanks are also in my office so I need them to be a quiet as possible. I have several questions for the community at this point.

I haven't cleaned the tank out yet, but I have a bag of citric acid and that's coming soon.

So far, I have the following items:
Tank and Stand
Clearview Lid
Salt mix
Helio 200w heater
Scape Rock
Arag-alive special grade sand
VCA random flow nozzles with some bits of lock line I can add if I need to direct flow
New hoses and fittings for the return pump from IM
InTank media basket
InTank floss tray

I plan to add an XR-15 G6 Blue. (I think this is enough for a roughly 29"l,19"w,16"d display area)

My questions loom around return pump, wavemaker, and skimmer.

Return pump:
I was considering a Sicce SDC 3.0 for my return pump. However, the little Jebao DCS 1200 has been doing great on my 29g. I am really considering getting the Jebao DCP 3500 or 4000. They will both be more than powerful enough, and I could get 3 for the price of one Sicce. I would lose app controllability, but I don't have that now so I don't know that I'd miss it. I am interested in thoughts on this.

Flow pump(s):
I started with a Nero 3, but found I had dead areas in the back of the tank so I added a Sicce Voyager nano 1000 in my Biocube and they seem to be working fine. I was considering 2 Nero 3 in the IM 50, but am now wondering if a Gyre pump might be better. I will already have the random flow nozzles from VCA which I plan to run somewhere around 600gph so would a Red Sea Reefwave 25 or an Icecap 2k give me a better overall flow inside the tank? Should I be looking at a pair of MP10s instead?

Skimmer:
The tank came with an IM Ghost skimmer, but I have heard they can be loud and don't give the best performance. I was considering a Cadlights PLS 50 Elite II, and the MagTool Nano DC skimmer on Amazon for $80.

Thanks in advance for any help!

IM50.jpg Clearview Lid.jpg Scape stuff.jpg Salt mix.jpg Helio 200w.jpg
 

davidcalgary29

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The IM Ghost Skimmer isn't very loud. It also isn't very effective. I have one in my IM40 cube, and it's sort of worked some of the time in certain conditions. I'd go in a different direction if you find that you want a skimmer for your build. I'm not sure that you'd need one, though, as it seems that you're going for a light bioload with undemanding softies and LPS.

I think you'll certainly have enough lighting and flow for your tank's needs. You could actually get by with a couple of Nicrew LEDs for lighting, but that Radion will certainly provide you with more than enough power.

Can you order inserts for your Clearview lid? I have two tanks with canopies in my office -- one an Evo 13.5 and the other a RSM250, and I don't run heaters in either one of them -- both sit at a steady 24-25C due to heat pollution from equipment such as the return pumps and the lighting itself, and the canopies prevent a great deal of heat loss at night.
 

davidcalgary29

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I try to eliminate heaters in my builds not only due to high operating costs, but also the fact that they're prone to failure and are the suspected source of toxic metals leaching into tanks as components corrode. Your Helio looks great, though. :)
 

Chase361

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Hey man I can tell you as TWO IM50 owner Ive tried every freaking skimmer out there and the ONLY one that worked, didnt make a butt ton of noise AND skimmed really well is the mag tools on amazon and yes I tried the cadlights. idk why but that thing so so freaking loud (buzzing) cause it was jammed into the seconded compartment and the whole take was vibrating. Get the mag you will be so happy. I bought 2 lol
 
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Theolox

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Hey man I can tell you as TWO IM50 owner Ive tried every freaking skimmer out there and the ONLY one that worked, didnt make a butt ton of noise AND skimmed really well is the mag tools on amazon and yes I tried the cadlights. idk why but that thing so so freaking loud (buzzing) cause it was jammed into the seconded compartment and the whole take was vibrating. Get the mag you will be so happy. I bought 2 lol
I keep hearing good reviews. For the price, I don't think I can go wrong. Thanks for the feedback.
 
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Theolox

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I try to eliminate heaters in my builds not only due to high operating costs, but also the fact that they're prone to failure and are the suspected source of toxic metals leaching into tanks as components corrode. Your Helio looks great, though. :)
Agreed. I could probably take the heater out of my 29g. It's always around 79 even when the heater is off due to the heat of the pumps, and UV filter. I will see what this tank does for several days before adding the Helio system. Lucky for me, I bought it from an individual for only $125 so I am pretty sure I can recover that if needed.
 

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I recently picked up a 2015 IM 50 Lagoon. (verified with IM by the serial number) I have ordered and received lots of Marco rock (foundation, regular, and shelf, including some nano-shelf), epoxy, gel glue, Insta-set, am I am about to have a go at my first HNSA build. My goal is to have softies and LPS with a few fish. I currently have an old Oceanic Biocube 29 HQI with a Prime 16HD on it. I want to take what I have learned and move to this new and bigger tank. My tanks are also in my office so I need them to be a quiet as possible. I have several questions for the community at this point.

I haven't cleaned the tank out yet, but I have a bag of citric acid and that's coming soon.

So far, I have the following items:
Tank and Stand
Clearview Lid
Salt mix
Helio 200w heater
Scape Rock
Arag-alive special grade sand
VCA random flow nozzles with some bits of lock line I can add if I need to direct flow
New hoses and fittings for the return pump from IM
InTank media basket
InTank floss tray

I plan to add an XR-15 G6 Blue. (I think this is enough for a roughly 29"l,19"w,16"d display area)

My questions loom around return pump, wavemaker, and skimmer.

Return pump:
I was considering a Sicce SDC 3.0 for my return pump. However, the little Jebao DCS 1200 has been doing great on my 29g. I am really considering getting the Jebao DCP 3500 or 4000. They will both be more than powerful enough, and I could get 3 for the price of one Sicce. I would lose app controllability, but I don't have that now so I don't know that I'd miss it. I am interested in thoughts on this.

Flow pump(s):
I started with a Nero 3, but found I had dead areas in the back of the tank so I added a Sicce Voyager nano 1000 in my Biocube and they seem to be working fine. I was considering 2 Nero 3 in the IM 50, but am now wondering if a Gyre pump might be better. I will already have the random flow nozzles from VCA which I plan to run somewhere around 600gph so would a Red Sea Reefwave 25 or an Icecap 2k give me a better overall flow inside the tank? Should I be looking at a pair of MP10s instead?

Skimmer:
The tank came with an IM Ghost skimmer, but I have heard they can be loud and don't give the best performance. I was considering a Cadlights PLS 50 Elite II, and the MagTool Nano DC skimmer on Amazon for $80.

Thanks in advance for any help!

IM50.jpg Clearview Lid.jpg Scape stuff.jpg Salt mix.jpg Helio 200w.jpg
Looks like you are off to a great start. I have an IM Lagoon 50 and have enjoyed it immensely. I think you will find that two Nero 3's along with the RFG's will provide plenty of flow for softies and LPS, maybe even too much. Thats what I'm running along with a Reef Octopus VarioS2 retuen pump. I had a special plumbing adaptor 3d printed to make it work with the two return lines. It works great and gives you some control since it's a dc pump. I have some entry level SPS so I'm probably running the pumps higher than you would be. I also have a PLS50ii and its really the only skimmer I've ever seen that works well with this tank. Someone mentioned the MagTool on Amazon and that looks exactly like the new version of the PLS50. You can find the older version on AliExpress under a different brand name for about the same price.
The Radion light will work well. I just switched my light to a Neptune Sky and it covers the tank perfectly. It really has that flat, evenly distributed T5 look to my eye if you like that sort of thing.
Good luck with your build, I'm looking forward to seeing your scape.
 
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Theolox

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Update:
I got the tank all cleaned up and am going to start my scape here soon. (I am an insurance adjuster and Ian just threw us for a loop so I am working long hours.) I just picked up a second Nero 3 today so I have those set for the tank. I got a Jebao DCP-4000 which should be more than enough for the tank.

At this point, I am really debating what light. I plan on doing LPS and softies with maybe 1 or 2 SPS, if any. The display portion of the tank is 30l 19w 16h (water level about 14.5") I was thinking a single Gen 6 XR15 Blue would be sufficient and I wouldn't have to run it at full power. I have a single Prime 16 with my current tank, and thought about just getting a second one for the IM50. I have also seen the Red Sea 90 and really like the simplicity of it. So I guess what I would ask, is what do you guys think would get me the best results. A single xr15 blue, dual prime 16s, dual red sea 90s? Is there something else I should be considering? TIA for any help.
 

TheWB

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Update:
I got the tank all cleaned up and am going to start my scape here soon. (I am an insurance adjuster and Ian just threw us for a loop so I am working long hours.) I just picked up a second Nero 3 today so I have those set for the tank. I got a Jebao DCP-4000 which should be more than enough for the tank.

At this point, I am really debating what light. I plan on doing LPS and softies with maybe 1 or 2 SPS, if any. The display portion of the tank is 30l 19w 16h (water level about 14.5") I was thinking a single Gen 6 XR15 Blue would be sufficient and I wouldn't have to run it at full power. I have a single Prime 16 with my current tank, and thought about just getting a second one for the IM50. I have also seen the Red Sea 90 and really like the simplicity of it. So I guess what I would ask, is what do you guys think would get me the best results. A single xr15 blue, dual prime 16s, dual red sea 90s? Is there something else I should be considering? TIA for any help.
There are lots of ways you can go with the lights as you have mentioned. I went from one Radion XR15 gen 4 to two Reefi Uno’s to one Neptune Sky. All of those are good lights that can grow anything. What I found was that a single source of light (the xr15) made for a lot of shadowing. I switched to two sources of light (the Uno’s) which solved the problem. The Uno is a great light and I had no complaints about the coverage two of them provided over this tank, I moved on from them for other reasons. The Sky is physically so much larger that it basically does the work of two smaller sized light fixtures in one package. My point is that regardless of what intensity you plan to run your lights at blanketing the tank with light is going to be much better for eliminating shadows and encouraging growth. The latest version of the XR15 may give you similar coverage to a Sky where you’d only need one. I think you’d be better off with two of any of the others you mentioned such as the Prime 16’s. If cost is a consideration then just adding a second prime makes a lot of sense for a softy/lps tank. If budget isn’t as much of an issue then the XR15 or a Sky would be great choices.
 

Calm Blue Ocean

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Update:
I got the tank all cleaned up and am going to start my scape here soon. (I am an insurance adjuster and Ian just threw us for a loop so I am working long hours.) I just picked up a second Nero 3 today so I have those set for the tank. I got a Jebao DCP-4000 which should be more than enough for the tank.

At this point, I am really debating what light. I plan on doing LPS and softies with maybe 1 or 2 SPS, if any. The display portion of the tank is 30l 19w 16h (water level about 14.5") I was thinking a single Gen 6 XR15 Blue would be sufficient and I wouldn't have to run it at full power. I have a single Prime 16 with my current tank, and thought about just getting a second one for the IM50. I have also seen the Red Sea 90 and really like the simplicity of it. So I guess what I would ask, is what do you guys think would get me the best results. A single xr15 blue, dual prime 16s, dual red sea 90s? Is there something else I should be considering? TIA for any help.

Just to add to what's already been said, I recently spoke to Ecotech about the new xr15g6 and it was their opinion that a single xr15 would be sufficient for the 50 lagoon and I figure they have the most to gain from selling you additional lights lol.
 
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Theolox

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Just to add to what's already been said, I recently spoke to Ecotech about the new xr15g6 and it was their opinion that a single xr15 would be sufficient for the 50 lagoon and I figure they have the most to gain from selling you additional lights lol.
Thanks. I was under the impression that the spread on a gen 6 at a normal mounting height would be sufficient for an 50 lagoon. I also get the great point made by TheWB about having more than one source of light for less shadowing. I want to really do the lights right and avoid the disco ball effect. Maybe 2 XR15s set at lower intensity is what I need. I haven't heard of Uno lights so I'll do some research on them as well.
 
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Theolox

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UPDATE:
I finally did some scaping. I haven't done any epoxy or clean up yet, but this is what I have so far. I tried to make tunnels and swim throughs and to keep it pretty open to avoid dead spots. I am gonna use the rock on the front left for Zoas.

Suggestions are welcome.

20221024_105257.jpg 20221024_102910.jpg 20221024_124613.jpg
 

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Theolox

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I went a different way on lighting. I took advantage of the current sale and the 10% additional off that the vendor offers and got a Neptune Sky for $587 out the door. I'm excited to get it. Now I am wondering about mounting it. I know I can use the XR-30 mount, but I am wondering if it will be able to move the light far enough forward on the 50AIO to be centered over the display area. Does anyone know how far forward these mounts go? I will need it to be 13.5"-14" off the back glass to be centered over the display area.

As an alternative, should I be looking at the hanging mount instead so that I have more ability to control the spread?
 

TheWB

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I went a different way on lighting. I took advantage of the current sale and the 10% additional off that the vendor offers and got a Neptune Sky for $587 out the door. I'm excited to get it. Now I am wondering about mounting it. I know I can use the XR-30 mount, but I am wondering if it will be able to move the light far enough forward on the 50AIO to be centered over the display area. Does anyone know how far forward these mounts go? I will need it to be 13.5"-14" off the back glass to be centered over the display area.

As an alternative, should I be looking at the hanging mount instead so that I have more ability to control the spread?
That’s a great price for a Sky. I’m enjoying mine so far. I rigged up a temporary solution to hang mine using the aluminum profile mounting system that was made for my Reefi Unos. I’m not sure how far out the Radion mount will go.
 
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Thanks. I was under the impression that the spread on a gen 6 at a normal mounting height would be sufficient for an 50 lagoon. I also get the great point made by TheWB about having more than one source of light for less shadowing. I want to really do the lights right and avoid the disco ball effect. Maybe 2 XR15s set at lower intensity is what I need. I haven't heard of Uno lights so I'll do some research on them as well.
I have a IM 50 and went through similar debates. I settled on a single XR-15 knowing I could always add another if needed. My tank is mostly lps with maybe a stick here or there. I personally think two XR-15’s would be a little overkill. I also like the look of a single radion hovering over the tank as well.

with all that being said in my opinion. You can’t go wrong either way. I believe one to be sufficient. Two to be a little gravy on the biscuit.
Take this with a grain of salt and also consider your own goals for your tank. Hope this helps
 

Calm Blue Ocean

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I went a different way on lighting. I took advantage of the current sale and the 10% additional off that the vendor offers and got a Neptune Sky for $587 out the door. I'm excited to get it. Now I am wondering about mounting it. I know I can use the XR-30 mount, but I am wondering if it will be able to move the light far enough forward on the 50AIO to be centered over the display area. Does anyone know how far forward these mounts go? I will need it to be 13.5"-14" off the back glass to be centered over the display area.

As an alternative, should I be looking at the hanging mount instead so that I have more ability to control the spread?

Not sure how the xr30 mount differs but the xr15 mount, when extended to the very max, just puts a Radion in the center when mounted on the back of the 50 Lagoon. Like there isn't any adjustment to spare but it gets there. I think the xr30 mount has a longer arm but definitely double check on that.
 
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Theolox

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Not sure how the xr30 mount differs but the xr15 mount, when extended to the very max, just puts a Radion in the center when mounted on the back of the 50 Lagoon. Like there isn't any adjustment to spare but it gets there. I think the xr30 mount has a longer arm but definitely double check on that.
The vendor I bought it from contacted the manufacturer and the short arm on the xr-30 mount is meant to center on a 24" max while the long arm will center on a 30" tank. I figure the light will need to be 13.5"-14" off the back glass so I should be okay.
 
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Theolox

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I have a IM 50 and went through similar debates. I settled on a single XR-15 knowing I could always add another if needed. My tank is mostly lps with maybe a stick here or there. I personally think two XR-15’s would be a little overkill. I also like the look of a single radion hovering over the tank as well.

with all that being said in my opinion. You can’t go wrong either way. I believe one to be sufficient. Two to be a little gravy on the biscuit.
Take this with a grain of salt and also consider your own goals for your tank. Hope this helps
I ended up with a Sky. I think it will be a great light for my tank.
 

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