metareefer
Supporting Member
Hey everyone — I recently finished setting up my Innovative Marine 25 Lagoon! The idea behind this build is to draw my kids’ eyes away from the TV and toward the reef tank — hopefully sparking their imagination and curiosity in new ways.
Space was a big limitation since the tank sits on a countertop with low headroom, so the shorter lagoon height worked perfectly and made me pivot from the IM 20 Long. I picked up a nice dry rock arch from the meetup that I’m hoping will eventually become home to a few anemones. I added a mix of live and dry rock to finish the aquascape — not totally sure how I feel about it yet, but it’ll evolve over time.
The tank is now wet and cycling. I started with a fishless cycle using a 4 oz bottle of FritzZyme TurboStart 900 and ammonium chloride. Once the ammonia source ran out, I added two clownfish to continue providing ammonia naturally. I decided to go bare-bottom for this build and lined the bottom with starboard sheets to protect the glass under the rockwork. Hopefully the amount of rock and biomedia in the sump will balance things out biologically.
The plan is to eventually grow a green star polyp (GSP) carpet across the bottom, with the rockwork hosting anemones, zoanthid colonies, and various soft corals.
For lighting, I had to work within my height constraints and chose the AI Hydra Edge 44 HD. It’s probably overpowered for a 25-gallon, but I like the spread at this height and can always dial back the intensity. I’ll borrow the club’s PAR meter at some point to fine-tune things.
Special thanks to @dangalang for the IM caddy donation and @Woeday for the fish and dry rock.
Let me know your thoughts, feedback, or critiques — nice to meet everyone!
Space was a big limitation since the tank sits on a countertop with low headroom, so the shorter lagoon height worked perfectly and made me pivot from the IM 20 Long. I picked up a nice dry rock arch from the meetup that I’m hoping will eventually become home to a few anemones. I added a mix of live and dry rock to finish the aquascape — not totally sure how I feel about it yet, but it’ll evolve over time.
The tank is now wet and cycling. I started with a fishless cycle using a 4 oz bottle of FritzZyme TurboStart 900 and ammonium chloride. Once the ammonia source ran out, I added two clownfish to continue providing ammonia naturally. I decided to go bare-bottom for this build and lined the bottom with starboard sheets to protect the glass under the rockwork. Hopefully the amount of rock and biomedia in the sump will balance things out biologically.
The plan is to eventually grow a green star polyp (GSP) carpet across the bottom, with the rockwork hosting anemones, zoanthid colonies, and various soft corals.
For lighting, I had to work within my height constraints and chose the AI Hydra Edge 44 HD. It’s probably overpowered for a 25-gallon, but I like the spread at this height and can always dial back the intensity. I’ll borrow the club’s PAR meter at some point to fine-tune things.
Special thanks to @dangalang for the IM caddy donation and @Woeday for the fish and dry rock.
Let me know your thoughts, feedback, or critiques — nice to meet everyone!