IM 25 Gallon Lagoon Tank (SPS Dominated)

jbmagic

jbmagic

New member
Hey guys, so I am new to the forums but I just thought I'd share with you my small piece of the ocean...

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My current set up is a 250w Metal Halide with XM 10k bulb (in the next few days I will probably add some LED blue strip lights for supplementation but meanwhile I love the 10K look, very natural). I run filter floss, carbon in mesh bags, purigen, and I use the ghost skimmer. As for dosing I have the JEBAO 4 Head Doser, which I use to dose ESV Calcium, Alkalinity (about 7ml a day), Magnesium (about 5ml daily), and Red Sea NOPOX (1 ml daily). I also dose 4-5 ml daily of half acropower and half reef fuel, couple times a week I'll dose azox coral food. My maintenance is changing the filter floss every 2-3 days, 10% water change weekly, and replace the perigean/carbon once a month and the bulb about once every 10 months or so. As for fish, I have 1 green chromis, 1 ocellaris clownfish, 1 flame hawkfish, and 1 red firefish (who doesn't come out very often). I have all SPS of various types, and a RBTA. I also have a maxima clam, red starfish, 1 emerald crab, 1 peppermint shrimp, 3 turbo snails, and various hermit crabs for cleanup. Any questions or suggestions feel free to ask! I always love getting suggestions for new things to try!
 
Looks good not many go for 10k look but gives awsome growth and dif colors thanks for sharing
 
great looking tank! I love the IM's, I used to have one before I dropped it on the ground and it smashed everywhere :frusty: I was just wondering, do you ever have any problems with the flame hawk and your shrimp/CUC?
 
Not so far, granted I noticed the shrimp hides a lot more now, but he is still alive, and the clean up crew is good as well. I also added the flame hawk later, which may have something to do with it. I think as long as you keep him well fed he shouldn't bother the other creatures
 
great little tank! How long have you had it up and running? It kind of looks and sounds like you've been doing this a while, thanks for sharing :D
 
I've had it running since beginning of summer, and thanks! I started in the hobby a couple years ago, made a lot of mistakes and wasted a lot of money haha, but I read A LOT of tank of the months/articles that helped me gain knowledge and insight into reef keeping.
 
thanks everyone, I recently had an overflow incident, my ATO didn't shut off while I was gone and thankfully everything survived including the electrical equipment. Everything still looks good, I'm just working on getting my salinity down now. Here is a photo I took right before the incident...

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So I want to ask is there anything you guys would recommend in terms of getting better coloration on corals? Or perhaps maybe corals I should by to have more coral variety. My blue LED strip lights should be here tomorrow so I'll see how those impact the tank. I have blue T5's lying around. Problem is, my luminarc reflector isn't built to accommodate t5 and I also am big on aestetichs of the whole tank itself too and feel it would ruin the simplistic look i'm going for, hence why I ordered the strip lights (easy to install/hardly noticeable, i'll mount them along the bottom of the reflector). Meanwhile, any suggestions??
 
jbmagic said:
So I want to ask is there anything you guys would recommend in terms of getting better coloration on corals? Or perhaps maybe corals I should by to have more coral variety. My blue LED strip lights should be here tomorrow so I'll see how those impact the tank. I have blue T5's lying around. Problem is, my luminarc reflector isn't built to accommodate t5 and I also am big on aestetichs of the whole tank itself too and feel it would ruin the simplistic look i'm going for, hence why I ordered the strip lights (easy to install/hardly noticeable, i'll mount them along the bottom of the reflector). Meanwhile, any suggestions??
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Wait and see how the blue led looks. I think that alone will make your corals pop. Your tank looks pretty daylight. Nice rank by the way. I hear you on the "whole tank aesthetic" thing. This is a very big concern of mine.
 
I guess do you think a radium bulb would make the corals look better? I used to have one for a bit but I guess I just prefer the natural look. However I have debating going back...
 
So I added a kz superblue t5 in back for extra supplementation. I think eventually I will go with radiums once the XM goes out. What do you guys think...stick with 10k or will radium be much better color wise? I think 10k gives more depth in color especially when supplemented but radiums also look great!! Here's a recent photo (shot on iPhone)

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I think this tank looks amazing in 10k but i think it would look better under a 20k radium. Its really all personally preference. I have DE fixtures so i prefer to run 14k phoenix but i tried out 20k xm bulbs and i wont be using them again. Id say experiment with different bulbs and find out what you like the best. Or look at pictures of tanks with that lighting and see how their colors pop with the bluer look and compare to what you have. Like i said its all personal preference. Your bulbs now are clearly getting the job done for growth and color

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I wouldn't change a thing, 10k is as natural looking as it gets. The fact your tank looks that nice under a bulb that isn't known for fake looking corals is a testament to the husbandry of your tank. I did like the look of the Phoenix 14k, but it would be the only other bulb I would consider. Is the tank very low nutrient? If it is your may get improved colors with a little more nutrients floating around.

I think it's perfect, but I also have my Radions set at 12k, so I may just be a freak that likes the tank to look natural.
 
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