Ado's Reef (IM 200 EXT)

[Dannyboy402]

Nice! This is my backup plan if I can't figure out a way to attach the fixture. Tank is in place so not much room for construction...

How do you like the xr15s?

I like them a lot. Coming from using Hydra 32HD's. The growth in this new tank is a lot better. I run them on a lower PAR level than my Hydras and I'm getting great coloration and growth. I do think further down the line I may have to add a couple more or run some blades to help once corals get bigger.

 

[X-37B]

I was going to use a hybrid t5 with 5 xr15's on my 170.
I decided to use the 15's on a frag system.
My system will be acro dominant.
I am running 2 RB 50's. One with a couple bars would have worked but 2 50's will give me more par than I need with no shadowing.
It wont see water until june though.

 

[Abyzter]

The day is finally here, my new tank has arrived.

Background:

Been in the fishkeeping hobby on and off for about twenty years. I have had most types of freshwater tanks; Large Planted, Discus-Species Only, Predator Tanks, Cichlids, PICOs etc. About 2 years ago, I took the plunge into saltwater with your typical biocube starter tank. The tank was simple, a pair of clowns and some softies. Very simple, easy to maintain tank. I had the opportunity to obtain a 40 IM AIO tank and created a macroalgae/sponge tank dedicated to frogfish. This tank was much more challenging with the live feedings and excessive nutrients this created. Last year, I created a 40 breeder tank intended for more difficult corals. I have learned so much from this tank when it came to dosing and proper upkeep.

The 40 breeder had its ups and downs like most new tanks. Back in September, I purchased a decent hammer coral from my LFS. I dipped and acclimated as usual, but this was not enough. Within a few weeks, I had a massive outbreak of flatworms. I lost most of the tank from these pests and the follow-up treatment into a tank crash. Green-Hair Algae took over with the nutrient explosion and took months to reign it in. The tank began to recover, new torch heads, SPS had decent bases growing etc.

I decided that my current mixed reef DIY tank needed an upgrade. I spent a lot (maybe too much) time researching size, type, manufacturer etc... The great folks on R2R helped me a long the way and brought up a great concept, what is the goal of the tank? Immediately I knew, I have always been drawn towards tanks with various acro colonies that branched out into the water. This is where the decision was made to build a tank designated for SPS growth.

The Build:

Tank: Innovative Marine 200 EXT

Sump: RFS 50

Return Pump: MightyJet XL - 2656 GPH DC Submersible Return Pump

Heater: 2x 300 Watt Titanium Heaters attached to Inkbird Controller

Flow: 4x Ecotech MP40

Lighting: Undecided (Currently have a Reefbreeders Photon v2 Pro 32 Inch available)*

Protein Skimmer: Aquamaxx DFC-280

Controller: Undecided (Leaning towards Hydros Control X4/XP8 Pro Pack)*


These are the immediate items I believe needed to get this build going. I do plan on adding a UV system, Calcium Reactor, dosing pump system and much more as the tank progresses.

I plan to keep this thread as a notebook of sorts for planning and tracking updates. Thank you to anyone who reads this. Looking forward to any feedback and assistance. Would love to hear others stories on similar builds.

​

I'm excited to see how your tank turns out!

 

[Ado]

I was going to use a hybrid t5 with 5 xr15's on my 170.
I decided to use the 15's on a frag system.
My system will be acro dominant.
I am running 2 RB 50's. One with a couple bars would have worked but 2 50's will give me more par than I need with no shadowing.
It wont see water until june though.

Looks great! I love my RB on my 40.

Is the mount attached to the wall or stand? Not sure if I feel comfortable drilling into the stand

 

[X-37B]

Looks great! I love my RB on my 40.

Is the mount attached to the wall or stand? Not sure if I feel comfortable drilling into the stand

The 8020 is 12" from the wall.
The 8020 does not touch the stand.
This is the left side of the system.
You can attatch the 8020 to the stand with the same sliding nut and bolt that you use to put the pieces together.
Here is a pic of it on the stand. You can get a longer piece to clear the plumbing. The 8020 attatches to the piece. You can do 4 or five to secure it.

 

[Ado]

The 8020 is 12" from the wall.
The 8020 does not touch the stand.
This is the left side of the system.
You can attatch the 8020 to the stand with the same sliding nut and bolt that you use to put the pieces together.
Here is a pic of it on the stand. You can get a longer piece to clear the plumbing. The 8020 attatches to the piece. You can do 4 or five to secure it.

You have given me some new ideas now

 

[Ado]

The "Pre-Assembled" plumbing was rough as well. There are no instructions and the videos online are just wrong. Different parts, skipping steps etc. I have it all setup now for the most part but man was that frustrating. The one thing I need to fix is the secondary drain and emergency drain pieces are the same height.

 

[Ado]

I'm just relieved that the glass portion of the tank was already put together because they probably would have sent me no silicon and circular glass at this point. Product is great but the setup has been worse that IKEA style instructions.

I now have extra sch 40 fixtures though... so bonus?

 

[Ado]

Update: Finished the plumbing. I went with a custom "bean-animal" design and I am impressed again. Once I got the gate valve and siphon locked in, it's near silent.

 

[Ado]

I also added led lights to the sump compartment that auto-turn on when the door is opened. Have to do some wire management but happy with lights underneath.

 

[Ado]

Water test was successful overnight no leaks and glass looks clear. Will drain today and start the rockwork this weekend.

 

[tritonpower]

It's a great tank. Looking forward to seeing your tank progression.

 

[Ado]

It's a great tank. Looking forward to seeing your tank progression.

Thanks! Been following along on yours. You have a great looking setup

 

[tritonpower]

Thanks! Been following along on yours. You have a great looking setup

thx

 

[alpenreef]

Ready for sand and rocks? What did you end up getting?

 

[Ado]

Ready for sand and rocks? What did you end up getting?

Will post an update this afternoon, big photodump. Aquascape is complete and will go into tank today.

 

[Ado]

Update:

Aquascape complete! Took about 10 hours from start to finish, with lots of breaks and help from the wife.

Started with 200lbs of Marco Rock and a vision...

There is more rock not in the picture, lots of rock!

Setting up and planning:

Learning how much more work this is going to be in real time.

Safety First! Rock smashing time.

All structures complete, ready for epoxy and detailing.

Hard to get good photos from here. Rock is finished and will be moved into tank later this afternoon. Will post more pictures in tank.

 

[Ado]

 

[fishybizzness]

Nice aquascape! I ordered the same setup today. Delivery the end of May! I'll be following along to see if I can pick up any tips or ideas!

 

[Ado]

Nice aquascape! I ordered the same setup today. Delivery the end of May! I'll be following along to see if I can pick up any tips or ideas!

It's an amazing tank! A little hiccup with setup, but the tank itself is solid.

Mine was suppose to be May... came in a few weeks