The Mandarin Paradise IM Lagoon 25G Setup

[TheNative192]

Picked Up an Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion 25 Lagoon!

Hey everyone,

Over the weekend I was over on the east coast of Florida and ended up picking up a 25-gallon Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion Lagoon setup! The guy I bought it from said it’s about 2–3 years old, so I’m guessing it’s one of the first-gen Fusion models before the newer Pro 2 series came out. I actually sent the serial number to Innovative Marine just to confirm how old it is.

The deal came with a bunch of goodies — a heater, a solid amount of Marco rock (I’ll probably grab a few smaller pieces to fill in later), a 2000 L/h return pump, and all the back chambers still intact. The best part though is the AI Hydra 32 HD that came with it — he said it’s only about a year old. I grabbed everything together for $375, which I thought was a steal considering the light alone usually costs about that much!

I ran a quick leak test when I got home and didn’t find any issues (huge relief). I also gave the tank and equipment a good cleaning — soaked everything in a 1:1 mix of vinegar and water to get rid of any gunk or buildup. Honestly, the tank was already in pretty clean shape. The previous owner said he used it as a frag tank, but he’s been too busy with his massive 600-gallon setup.

Right now the tank’s sitting on my dining room table until the stand I ordered from Wayfair shows up next week. It’s the 40-Gallon Aquarium Stand with Charging Station — I actually built the same one a few months ago for my grandfather’s 40-gallon freshwater tank, so I know it’s solid and can easily handle the weight. I also went ahead and ordered a SafeScreen™ preassembled mesh lid made for the Fusion 25 Lagoon, and a Gourmet Defroster Pro magnetic feeder to make feeding frozen food easier.

Really excited to get this thing set up once the stand arrives! I’ll post an update and some pics once everything’s in place and I start aquascaping.

October 2025:

November 2025:

December 2025:

January 2026:

Equipment List:
Light: AI Hydra 32 HD LED (Second Hand)
Tank: Older IM 25 Lagoon Style Tank
Wave Maker: 2x Nero 3s
ATO: Osmolator 3 Nano ATO Auto Top Off - Tunze MostAqua Aquarium ATO Pump & K-Mains 12V 1A AC Adapter Charger for Hydros ATO. Tunze ATO was fantastic but I needed to use the sensor from my Hydros.
Skimmer: MiniQ Nano Internal Protein Skimmer - Bubble Magus (This is a Powerhouse btw)
Return Pump: Jebao DCS-2000 528 GPH Marine Controllable DC Water Pump with Controller (Using 3/8 on settings)
Lid: SafeScreen™ preassembled mesh lid Innovative Marine (Ordered Top Lids Luxury Lid)
Feeder: IM Gourmet Defroster Pro magnetic feeder (Not currently in use, may add it back into the tank)
Heater: Fluval M100 Submersible Aquarium Heater, 100-Watt Replaced with Hygger 100W heater that fit in the center compartment
Heater Controller: Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi Temperature Controller (I also use Hydros Controller as backup)
Random Flow Generator: Etsy RFG for IM Tank The IM Spin streams (much better flow)
Stand: Wayfair 40 Gallon Aquarium Stand With Charging Station (Added 2x4 Wood Support below the tank)
Fuge Light: hygger 24/7 Mode Submersible Aquarium LED Light Not strong enough so I got: ACKE Grow Light which is very strong.
Pod Paradise: The Pod Hotel of their dreams
UV: Aquashield 9 Watt UV from IM
Controllers: Hydros Control X4 & Hydros XP8
Probes: PH Probe & Temp Probe
Sensors: Triple Level Sensor, Hydros Sensor (Triple Sensor for ATO & Top AWC, Sensor for bottom AWC)
Skimmer Sensor: Hydros Skimmer Sensor to Alert me with AWC Saltwater is low
AWC Dosers for drain: 1x Hydros Simple Dosing Pumps
AWC Pump: MostAqua Aquarium ATO Pump & K-Mains 12V 1A AC Adapter Charger for Hydros AWC
Doser: 1x Hydros Simple Dosing Pumps (not in use yet but will be for All for Reef when required)
Dosing Container: 1x Simplicity Dosing Container 5L (not in use yet)

Desired Fish:
Mandarin from Biota Group (Captive Bred)

The Tank stand: Wayfair 40 Gallon Aquarium Stand With Charging Station

The Tank: IM 25 Lagoon Style

The "Rock"

Tank Update:

Current Back Chambers!

 

[mmorrison55]

Congrats.

 

[TheNative192]

So my Initial plan with this tank is to take my time, let the tank cycle for a while & I am going to primarily focus on growing a very healthy copepod population to hopefully be able to sustain a mandarin. I will also be using live sand but I will use dry rock with white Marco rock

I really like the ruby red version but I definitely would want a captive bred Mandarin or Dragonette that can survive on mostly frozen food just in case my pod population crashes.

I guess my question is how long should I wait after adding copepods for them to get a reasonably sustained population? I did buy a 3d printed pod hotel and I will add some macroalgae to the display as well.

The two fish I would really like to add to my tank are a Mandarin or Dragonette and a Possum wrasse. I am curious though if by adding the Possum wrasse it will crash the pod population as in my current tank main tank I have not been able to get a population sustained which I believe is because my six line decimates them. LOL

 

[mmorrison55]

Maybe pick up two and put one in your sump area that would be safe from any fish having free access to it. Idk. I have added pods to my tank, but I don’t have a pod hotel94 any manadarin.

I’ve always wanted one. I think they are cool, but I don’t th8nk they are easy to keep as I thought. I think it’s just finding one that will eat other food other than pods only

 

[TheNative192]

Maybe pick up two and put one in your sump area that would be safe from any fish having free access to it. Idk. I have added pods to my tank, but I don’t have a pod hotel94 any manadarin.

I’ve always wanted one. I think they are cool, but I don’t th8nk they are easy to keep as I thought. I think it’s just finding one that will eat other food other than pods only

See I know the Biota group has ones that eat normal food as they are one of the few groups that captive breed them so I would definitely go that route but I usually like to feed only once a day so I am hoping I can get a sustained pod population going. I do like the ruby red dragonette mandarins too but I am not sure if there are captive bread versions of those.

 

[bvickery1974]

Best of luck on your build! If you are looking to do pods, you can add in intank refugium to help keep the population up.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[TheNative192]

Best of luck on your build! If you are looking to do pods, you can add in intank refugium to help keep the population up.

Refugium Setup & Cycling Questions for My IM 25 Lagoon

So I think I lucked out — the tank came with what looks like an InTank refugium basket already installed. I know most people like to run chaeto in there, so I picked up a Hygger 24/7 Submersible LED Light that I’m hoping will work as a refugium light (we’ll see how it does). Link to it

I’ve read a lot of mixed advice about dosing phyto when feeding pods. Do I always need to turn off the pumps and skimmer when adding it? I won’t be running the skimmer right away, but I did grab a Bubble Magus MiniQ Internal Skimmer since it seems to be a popular choice for IM tanks.

For now, I’m planning to keep the display lights off while the tank cycles. I’ll be adding beneficial bacteria and letting things run slowly. Once ammonia starts to drop, I’d like to introduce pods early — even before turning the lights on — to help establish a healthy population.

Would it be okay to add pods and dose phyto while the tank lights are still off?
And should I wait until after the cycle (and fish) to add chaeto and run the fuge light, or start that earlier?

I’ll be using Dr. Tim’s Ammonia to kick off the cycle. Any tips on the best order or timing for all this would be much appreciated!

 

[TheNative192]

So today I built the tank stand & added the sand & rock to the display. I also dosed up to around 2PPM of Ammonia from Dr. Tim's Ammonia chloride & added some beneficial bacteria with MicroBacter 7. If this is not the best product let me know. I was going to add Dr Tim's one & done but I could not get any in a reasonably time so I went with this Brightwell Aquatics product. Let me know if I should use a different one.

Even though the light is on in this photo I am turning it off until I can get the cycle started. The light is a AI Prime 32HD light.

Here is the rock I have in the tank. I did add live sand as well. On top of that I added a pod hotel as well for later but since the rock is so massive do I really need to add anymore. I did buy some extra smaller pieces but if I get new frags can I add dry rock to the tank at a later date with the frags or will that mess up the tank if I do not add the small rock work now?

 

[TheNative192]

Maybe pick up two and put one in your sump area that would be safe from any fish having free access to it. Idk. I have added pods to my tank, but I don’t have a pod hotel94 any manadarin.

I’ve always wanted one. I think they are cool, but I don’t th8nk they are easy to keep as I thought. I think it’s just finding one that will eat other food other than pods only

The Biota group sells captive bred Mandarins that eat frozen. You still want a healthy pod population as they do eat throughout the day (likely best to feed them twice a day still) but they are the ones I know that sell them that way.

 

[mpatterson42]

Looks great! You won't have any issues adding more rubble rock later. I did the same thing when I realized I needed more spots for frags.

You may want to consider turning on your lights about a week after you start cycling. Half intensity / half the time. You're going to get algae and the ugly phase, so the earlier these things start growing the earlier that the organisms that eat that stuff will appear.

 

[backbayreef]

Pretty cool - awesome deal!!! Following along.

I got the same tank but with an ext overflow. I used an old dresser so it’s a look down tank — point the return pump nozzle down so it won’t ripple. Recent shot of my IM25 Lagoon below.

 

[TheNative192]

Pretty cool - awesome deal!!! Following along.

I got the same tank but with an ext overflow. I used an old dresser so it’s a look down tank — point the return pump nozzle down so it won’t ripple. Recent shot of my IM25 Lagoon below.

Your tank looks gorgeous! I definitely want a mandarin for this tank so my plan is to take it a bit slow, build up a large pod population & go from there. I will also 100% be buying the Mandarin from the Biota group so it is captive bred & eats pellets/frozen. Since I am getting a fish from them already I will also probably pick up a captive bred Molly miller blenny just so I am not only getting one fish. It may be a while though. I did order the IM lid but I heard the openings can be large and fish can jump out of it. Anyone have experience with that or have any tips?

 

[backbayreef]

Thanks - mine is an anemone tank with just 2 mated clowns. I can’t keep any fish since my Haddoni’s ate thousands $$ worth of fish already.

Mandarins are super cool! I had no idea that they can be trained to eat pellets so will take a peek as well. Please share your experience once you get ‘em?

I don’t have lids on all my tanks — living on the edge for me…ha

 

[Jason Scalise]

Refugium Setup & Cycling Questions for My IM 25 Lagoon

So I think I lucked out — the tank came with what looks like an InTank refugium basket already installed. I know most people like to run chaeto in there, so I picked up a Hygger 24/7 Submersible LED Light that I’m hoping will work as a refugium light (we’ll see how it does). Link to it

I’ve read a lot of mixed advice about dosing phyto when feeding pods. Do I always need to turn off the pumps and skimmer when adding it? I won’t be running the skimmer right away, but I did grab a Bubble Magus MiniQ Internal Skimmer since it seems to be a popular choice for IM tanks.

For now, I’m planning to keep the display lights off while the tank cycles. I’ll be adding beneficial bacteria and letting things run slowly. Once ammonia starts to drop, I’d like to introduce pods early — even before turning the lights on — to help establish a healthy population.

Would it be okay to add pods and dose phyto while the tank lights are still off?
And should I wait until after the cycle (and fish) to add chaeto and run the fuge light, or start that earlier?

I’ll be using Dr. Tim’s Ammonia to kick off the cycle. Any tips on the best order or timing for all this would be much appreciated!

I have a IM 20 with a build thread with some of the same equipment you mentioned (skimmer, etc) in case you care to take a look for any ideas.

I also ran chaeto in a basket but made my on light.

Nice tank!

 

[backbayreef]

My IM20 is a minimalist design: no wavemakers, no skimmer, no reactors, no water changes, no dosing, and no controllers.

I just got light, return pump, and heater+Inkbird. It’s been super stable since May. My mushrooms are growing & splitting so I’m happy.

 

[TheNative192]

I have a IM 20 with a build thread with some of the same equipment you mentioned (skimmer, etc) in case you care to take a look for any ideas.

I also ran chaeto in a basket but made my on light.

Nice tank!

I actually already checked out your build haha. You definitely did a lot more than I plan but I got a lot of great ideas from your build! :D I got a small light from Hygger to act as a fuge light. It may not even fit but I will likely check to see tomorrow.

The one thing I love about this stand it has a plug built into it with a switch so I plan to put my pump & skimmer plugged in there so if I am doing any water changes I can easily turn it off or on.

Do you know what water level you keep the back chamber at roughly? Does it matter if I keep this high? I know people mentioned to lower it but I was not sure what the benefit might be. My heater kind of sticks out a tiny bit & can not fit in the bottom section (I think I have an older variation of the tank where that area is not actually there.

My IM20 is a minimalist design: no wavemakers, no skimmer, no reactors, no water changes, no dosing, and no controllers.

I just got light, return pump, and heater+Inkbird. It’s been super stable since May. My mushrooms are growing & splitting so I’m happy.

That's awesome! I do have an Inkbird that I will definitely set it up this weekend. At the moment I just put the heater in since after building the tank stand, rushing around to get all the supplies I am dead tired lol. I am surprised you have not run into issues with the soft corals absorbing all the trace elements.

 

[Jason Scalise]

Water level….
The main return chamber (the central one for me) is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the chamber prior to it…if that makes sense.

Any lower and I get too much water splashy noise. As an aside, that noise is a good “alarm” reminder for me when I forget to open the fresh water top off valve after a maintenance job.

 

[TheNative192]

Makes sense. Mine is a bit higher but I started with a lower Salinity but I just ordered a Osmolator 3 Nano ATO Auto Top Off - Tunze. I will just occasionally top it off and monitor the salinity until then. I also dosed more Dr. Tim's Ammonia chloride since I did a test this morning and the Ammonia levels were already low. I did use a salifert test kit as well. I do have some pre-cycled media from another tank I added and I did go with Live sand. I will likely do another Ammonia test until it hits at least 1 PPM from the start and make sure it drops properly. I do want to get Pods in ASAP so we will see.

 

[TheNative192]

So I ended up picking up a Nero 3 wavemaker second hand. The two problems is it did not have the fish shield which I did end up ordering from AI (gosh $3 for the item and $11 dollars in shipping LOL).

But he had the wavemaker in a fresh water tank that he believed had Ick recently.

Now it has been dry for a couple of days and I do not need to add it to the tank yet as I am still cycling but is it safe if I leave it out of water for 48 hours and will that kill all the Ick. I know you are the fish disease expert but is there anything specific I should do. I hear soaking it in vinegar can damage the wave maker. Any tips or tricks @Jay Hemdal (thanks in advance sorry to @ you)