Sugar's IM Lagoon 25g... again!

[sugar]

FTS May 13, 2023:

 

 

 

Hello! 👋

 

After 3+ years of desperately missing this hobby, I have decided to come back! I also wanted to return to Nano-Reef and document my journey to keep track of progress, and if anyone finds interest in this and wants to follow along, that's great!! It looks like there has been some changes in the reef keeping world since I left, as one would expect, so I am basically picking up right where I left off and will play catch-up as I go along. 

 

I took the Lagoon down in August of 2019. I had decided to go back to school, and the program I was about to start would be extremely busy and demanding; I feared I would not have the time (or, honestly, the money) to keep my little slice of the ocean happily running. I do remember at that time I had been battling some algae also, which kind of reinforced my decision to shut her down (just no time to give it the attention it needed). I rehomed all of my livestock but decided to keep my supplies and dry goods... just in case! Recently, I had do make a final decision on what to do with this pile of reef supplies, as I was moving. Instead of giving everything away or selling for pennies on the dollar, I decided to get her up and running again. I finished school last year, started my career and finally feel like I am in a good and stable spot in life where I could see myself having a reef long-term and, hopefully, upgrade down the road! I should start putting money away now, basically.

 

I completely fooled myself by thinking it would only be $200 or so to get it back up. Lol. I figured I had all the equipment, I just need a little sand and salt, right?!? No!!! How could I forget how pricey this hobby can be?? I actually needed:

- Bag of sand

- Box of salt

- All new RO/DI filters/membrane/cartridges

- 5g water jugs (oddly pricey)

- New buckets, turkey baster, new algae scraper, some food, GAC, media bags, some Matrix, Prime, just a glass thermometer for now (need to figure out temperature monitoring) 

- The most expensive: getting all new rock. I had absolutely planned to use my old rock, but when I soaked and tried to clean it off... oh my, the hair algae that looked almost alive again had me scared. I'll still keep that old rock, but it needs to be properly dealt with and I wasn't comfortable with doing bleach or acid baths just yet. Maybe for my next, bigger system 😛 

 

So, as it were:

 

Tank:

- Innovative Marine NUVO Aquarium - Fusion Lagoon 25 gallon

- DIY stand

 

Flow:

- Stock pump (I need something a little quieter! Sicce 1.5???)

- Jebao PP-4 Wavemaker x2

 

Heaters:

- Eheim Jager TruTemp Submersible 50W

- Fluval M50 Submersible 50W

 

Light:

- Aqua Illumination Prime + mounting arm

 

ATO:

- AUTOAQUA Smart ATO Micro

 

Water:

- SpectraPure CSPDI 2:1 Manual Flush 90-GPD RO/DI

 

Rock, Salt & Sand:

- CaribSea Moani Dry Live Rock (21 lbs)

- Instant Ocean 200g box

- CaribSea Arag-Alive Special Grade Reef Sand (20 lbs)

 

Filtration:

- Innovative Marine Custom Caddy Marine Basket (Nano) x2

• Filter floss
• May add GAC once things get going, if needed

- Stock filter socks (not in use)

- Reef Octopus Nano Protein Skimmer NS80 (not in use) 

 

Misc:

- DIY mesh screen lid

- API test kits (just left over from previous, surprisingly not expired)

- Refractometer: ATC Vertex

- ADJ power bar

 

Livestock Plans/Ideas: (suggestions welcome!)

Fish 

- Ocellaris clown x1 (I've had pairs before but wanted to try just one, see if I can keep a bit of the territorial aggression down)

- Royal gramma or firefish x1 

- Tailspot blenny or bicolor blenny or citron goby or clown goby x1

- Possum or pink-streaked wrasse x1 (dream fish)

 

Corals

- Mainly soft corals (toadstool leather, maybe kenya tree, clove polyps, some zoas, mushrooms, etc.)

- A few LPS (torch, hammer, frogspawn, duncan, etc.)

 

Other Inverts (added as needed/tank matures)

- Blue-legged hermit crabs

- Assorted snails

- Cleaner or fire shrimp

- Emerald crab

- Porcelain crab

 

For this system I aim for keeping it as simple and natural as possible. I think my biggest downfall last time, towards the end, was adding too much chemical filtration (Purigen, Chemi-Pure, etc.) thereby completely depleting nutrients which was causing the problems I was trying to fix. I have been reading lately that we want some nitrates and phosphates! What?! I'm game. I'll be leaning on my sand, rocks and other bio filtration to do most of the work and maybe just using filter floss and eventually a little bit of carbon. I want a peaceful tank with relatively low-need/maintenance livestock. I am happy doing ~5g water changes weekly and I hopefully won't have to dose but I'll monitor things as we go along. Hopefully regular maintenance will just be feeding, water changes, cleaning sand and rocks and changing filter floss/carbon. I have a little Reef Octopus skimmer but I don't plan on pulling it out any time soon if at all.

 

We haven't gotten very far at this point!! I pulled stuff out of storage, dusted it all off, did a wash and soak in water/vinegar and on May 4th the tank was wet again!

 

And here we goooo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fair bit of clouding after the sand was added! It was clear less than 12 hours later, thankfully 🙂 I still need to create a scape but surely will need to break down rocks so I can create lots of caves and hidey holes. The Moani rock actually appears quite hole-y, which I like, but I imagine will have to watch for settling organics and stuff.

 

 

[debbeach13]

Welcome back. I actually like the scape right now.

[sugar]

17 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

Welcome back. I actually like the scape right now.

Thank you! Yes, I took another look and I have to agree! They moved after I added the sand, but I may have to move them back..

 

This morning, after the clouding settled (still not scaped!):

 

[banasophia]

9 hours ago, sugar said:

on May 4th the tank was wet again!

Very nice… Star Wars tank?!

 

 

And welcome back! I love that scape… actually I love both versions… looks kinda interesting with the peak on the left like that!! Looking forward to following along. 
 

 

[sugar]

1 hour ago, banasophia said:

Very nice… Star Wars tank?!

 

 

And welcome back! I love that scape… actually I love both versions… looks kinda interesting with the peak on the left like that!! Looking forward to following along. 
 

 

Hahaha yes!!! I totally missed a good pun opportunity with my first post! And thank you 😊

 

Things will be at a little bit of a crawl right now as she cycles, but I will try and keep posting any updates in the meantime.

 

I do need to grab a few more smaller things... batteries for my TDS meters (just got the RO/DI hooked up today!), some salinity calibration standard, some tubing and a reservoir for my ATO, and another glass thermometer as the one I have is a little sus.

 

I'm also looking at changing out the stock return pump for the most quiet pump I can find! The stock pump is fiiiiiine but I can hear a good hum coming from it. I also need to find a better temperature monitoring solution. I actually don't mind glass thermometers but surely there are better options! 🤔

[banasophia]

39 minutes ago, sugar said:

I also need to find a better temperature monitoring solution. I actually don't mind glass thermometers but surely there are better options! 🤔

 

Well you could just go ahead and do an Inkbird from the get-go, they are about $40 on Amazon… I was just debating about that for my new freshwater tank. They aren’t too hard to set up and they alert you if your tank is out of range.

[Jaren45]

1 hour ago, banasophia said:

 

Well you could just go ahead and do an Inkbird from the get-go, they are about $40 on Amazon… I was just debating about that for my new freshwater tank. They aren’t too hard to set up and they alert you if your tank is out of range.

Seconded on the inkbirds, I have one on every tank fresh or salt! They prevent your fish from being cooked and will alert you if the tank is not heating (ie heater failure)

 

You can plug any heater with a standard plug into it, up to 2 heaters at 1200w. Can also set how long the heater will be powered before it alarms you, usually this will happen in the colder months or if your heater is a bit too small for the tank.

[sugar]

Not much happening yet!

 

I did end up grabbing a bottle of Stability as I want to try boosting that biofilter as much as I can. The sand I used was a live sand, and the Moani rock is apparently "seeded" dry "live rock." 

 

 

I added a pinch of food a couple of times but I'm not seeing much happening in the way of my tests. Is adding food a super outdated method?? Anyways! The API tests aren't my favorite but it's what I had and just in terms of cycling the tank, they should work fine (although it's always impossible to read the ammonia lol!). It looks like ammonia could be 0.25 ppm but in some light it sure looks like 0 ppm. Same with nitrate... the camera shows 5 ppm but in person it is a resounding 0 ppm. 😔

 

 

 

Here is some of food I've grabbed so far to try. I ordered some Vitalis flakes also to add to my collection. I've found that the fish I've had always prefer flakes, but we will try em all!

 

 

Still not scaped but here is how we are looking today. No sign of any algae/diatoms/anything but it's still very early I suppose!!

 

I've been playing with presets on the Prime and I think I like the one I have running right now, which is Bradford from the Signature Series 😊

 

[Fish out of Water]

Welcome back. I have the same tank, love the footprint. Following along.

[banasophia]

The tank looks great! Looks like not much happening with the cycling process yet. There are some better trusted beneficial bacteria products out there including BioSpira and Fritz… you may want to check them out. 

[sugar]

On 5/12/2023 at 5:11 AM, banasophia said:

The tank looks great! Looks like not much happening with the cycling process yet. There are some better trusted beneficial bacteria products out there including BioSpira and Fritz… you may want to check them out. 

I way eyeing the Fritz product my LFS has. I will grab a bottle today - and maybe casually do a quick sweep by the fish and see what he has been getting in 😊

[sugar]

On 5/12/2023 at 12:06 AM, Fish out of Water said:

Welcome back. I have the same tank, love the footprint. Following along.

Same here!

 

I had gone through a few stages where I wish it was taller but then... it would be a different tank. I remember following a youtuber reef keeper and his JBJ 45g was my dream tank!

 

That said, I do love this little tank and I'm excited to see how it progresses!!!

[sugar]

Finally - something! 😂

 

I'll take some closer photos but I am finally seeing some first signs of what I think (hope) are diatoms. Little spots of brown appearing at the tops of the rocks.

 

Tests still showing the same... the classic 0.25 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite and 0 ppm nitrate. I'll be grabbing some Fritz bio supplement today and see if I can boost things along also. Maybe my LFS can sell me a piece of rock or something as well. It's hard to know if the "seeded dry live rock" and my live sand have the tank already cycled (but I should see SOME nitrates??) Or if things are just slow.

 

I'm also looking to add pods at some point too. All about finding the right timing and trying to not rush!!! I'd love to have as much healthy and stable biodiversity as I can achieve. 

 

Still waiting for the Sicce 1.5 to come in the mail, as well as a salinity calibration standard and the flake food. The stock return pump hums a little but it seems to have settled and maybe broken in since the tank was first started. Would still be interesting to see if the Sicce is truly silent and of course I'll keep the stock for an emergency backup.

 

I'm hoping to add something alive in the next week or two but of course that all depends 😊

 

Oh man I need to get around to my rock scape. I think that might be on today's schedule!

 

[sugar]

📣 We have a scape! 📣

 

I tried breaking the rocks apart and they didn't magically and easily break apart easily... so I left them whole. Lol.

 

I like it so far! I still have to play with the peak on the left side but just a little. Otherwise, I don't think it's too far off!

 

 

 

 

I had some goals for the scape:

 

- Cave(s)

- Canyon-type feature

- Decent coral real estate

- Doesn't cut off flow too badly!

 

I'd still like to try and get another little cave or arch in there but for now I'm keeping my hands off of it! ✋ 

 

I picked up some FritzZyme 9 to throw in. I almost left the store with a fish but I demonstrated restraint!!! 

 

 

I also grabbed some Seachem alerts but I failed to notice that the pH alert is only for freshwater...

 

Moving on!

 

Next steps are hopefully getting my hands on some pods and maybe a fish!

[sugar]

The impulses to add a fish were just wicked the last few days. Am I ever glad I waited, because...

 

 

 

We have ammonia and nitrites! I have to admit that I thought maybe I "skipped" the cycle or reduced it to only a few days by using the live sand, seeded rock, Stability and FritzZyme 9.

 

I in fact did not. 😂

 

This is very exciting as I am seeing diatoms and the tests show some progress!

 

I might cut back or keep lights off to slow down the diatoms for the time being.

 

I'll keep testing, dosing, ghost feeding and most importantly... practicing patience.

[sapling]

yeah it can be tough to deal with the anticipation of get the tank going already, but good thing you tested and saw its not quite there yet, 

 

any specific fish you are keen on or is it just wanting to see visible life in the tank? 

[sugar]

13 hours ago, sapling said:

yeah it can be tough to deal with the anticipation of get the tank going already, but good thing you tested and saw its not quite there yet, 

 

any specific fish you are keen on or is it just wanting to see visible life in the tank? 

 

I can't wait to get a clown! I love them SO much. Ultimately, I'd like to do:

1x clown

1x bicolor or tailspot blenny

1x clown or citron goby

1x royal gramma or firefish

 

If I come across a possum wrasse then I will be all over that!!! I'll have to forego one of the above or add a fifth fish. I won't attempt more than four fish any time soon though! I've had five small fish in this system previously and that's the most I'd do.

 

I'm just struggling with what order I should add fish, though. I always heard it's better to go from least to most aggressive but I don't think any of the above are particularly aggressive... maybe the clown? Gramma? Maybe more territorial than aggressive. 

 

Anyways! Any input on order of additions (or any fish recommendations) is welcomed!!!

[ml86743]

Don’t give up on a pink streaked 🙂 I have one in my 14 they’re the best!! I saw LA has them in stock right now.  They’re kinda hit and miss with shipping though, I was able to get one at my LFS luckily. 

[sugar]

6 hours ago, ml86743 said:

Don’t give up on a pink streaked 🙂 I have one in my 14 they’re the best!! I saw LA has them in stock right now.  They’re kinda hit and miss with shipping though, I was able to get one at my LFS luckily. 

YES! I should have mentioned the pink-streaked also!!! That or possum 😊 I would love a six-line too but I hear they can be aggressive. 

[banasophia]

The scape came out great and I like your plans for the fish, though I always think it’s nice for clowns to have a mate so the have their friend to swim around with… you sure you only want one?
 

I have a yellow banded possum wrasse in one tank, a sixline in the other, and I’ve had a pink streak before. The pink streak was very timid and wouldn’t come out much. The other two are always out and really fun fish to keep… I also like having them for pest control purposes. 
 

Good thing you checked your parameters before adding your fish though… that was surprising to see. You didn’t add any ammonia drops did you? Just the food? 

[sapling]

45 minutes ago, banasophia said:

The scape came out great and I like your plans for the fish, though I always think it’s nice for clowns to have a mate so the have their friend to swim around with… you sure you only want one?
 

I have a yellow banded possum wrasse in one tank, a sixline in the other, and I’ve had a pink streak before. The pink streak was very timid and wouldn’t come out much. The other two are always out and really fun fish to keep… I also like having them for pest control purposes. 

Good point about the clowns, worth thinking about! 

slightly off topic, but you are saying the yellow banded is more outgoing? do you think it was just an individual thing or its cohabitants about the pink streak? As far as I understood both had similar personality, so surprised to hear the contrary, and wonder why

[banasophia]

Double post, sorry. 

[banasophia]

3 hours ago, sapling said:

Good point about the clowns, worth thinking about! 

slightly off topic, but you are saying the yellow banded is more outgoing? do you think it was just an individual thing or its cohabitants about the pink streak? As far as I understood both had similar personality, so surprised to hear the contrary, and wonder why

Yes, my yellow banded is much more outgoing and active than my pink streak was. He zips around the tank all day long and rides the current like a clownfish. Could be due to the flow or scape or tank mates, I’m not sure… definitely not what I had expected when I got him. But since I got him I’ve noticed a few posts where it seems like a 50/50 mix of some people saying theirs are shy and other saying theirs are really active. 
 

Here’s a video I just shot for you showing my possum wrasse and yellow clown goby swimming around. Sorry, it’s late so the lights are very blue… hopefully you can still get a good idea. I think my yellow clown goby was showing off… he doesn’t usually swim around quite that much, but his hashtag is #strikeaposehank and he probably didn’t like Marshall getting all the attention. 😆😆😆

 

 

[sugar]

6 hours ago, banasophia said:

The scape came out great and I like your plans for the fish, though I always think it’s nice for clowns to have a mate so the have their friend to swim around with… you sure you only want one?
 

I have a yellow banded possum wrasse in one tank, a sixline in the other, and I’ve had a pink streak before. The pink streak was very timid and wouldn’t come out much. The other two are always out and really fun fish to keep… I also like having them for pest control purposes. 
 

Good thing you checked your parameters before adding your fish though… that was surprising to see. You didn’t add any ammonia drops did you? Just the food? 

 

Thank you!

 

Oh, I'm pretty flexible on the fish. I've had single clowns and pairs! I was just hoping that if I didn't have a pair then they would be less territorial... but I agree, a pair of clowns is totally fun. We will see 😊 Maybe I could do the pair, a six-line (much easier to find) and a perching goby.

 

Yes! Only fish food! I was surprised, myself. Almost like the cycle was delayed or something, and then boom!... don't know.

 

I checked parameters last night and ammonia is back to zero and nitrites and down to 0.5 ppm instead of 1 ppm. 🤷‍♀️ I'll probably keep watching and do a water change this weekend for the first time if the nitrates spike on me.

 

 

[sugar]

2 hours ago, banasophia said:

Yes, my yellow banded is much more outgoing and active than my pink streak was. He zips around the tank all day long and rides the current like a clownfish. Could be due to the flow or scape or tank mates, I’m not sure… definitely not what I had expected when I got him. But since I got him I’ve noticed a few posts where it seems like a 50/50 mix of some people saying theirs are shy and other saying theirs are really active. 
 

Here’s a video I just shot for you showing my possum wrasse and yellow clown goby swimming around. Sorry, it’s late so the lights are very blue… hopefully you can still get a good idea. I think my yellow clown goby was showing off… he doesn’t usually swim around quite that much, but his hashtag is #strikeaposehank and he probably didn’t like Marshall getting all the attention. 😆😆😆

 

 

Absolutely love this.