My Innovative Marine 150 EXT Lagoon

[AquaForge]

Well here we are. New tank made it into the house. Whole family worked together to get this accomplished. A friend came over with 3 buddies and we brought it in. One minor scratch but I think I can fix it. Now, time to rest.

Specs:
Innovative Marine Tanks 150 gallon Lagoon. 4 foot wide 3 foot deep just under 2 foot tall. 55 Gallon Sump in the basement. Now comes the fun part. Plumbing, electrical and tuning before even a drop goes in. 205 gallons total water volume. Total weight about 2500lbs. It’s why we bolstered the joists with 4x6 pressure treated.

 

[RedReefer]

Very nice! I'm leaning more towards IM when I upgrade larger.

 

[AquaForge]

Very nice! I'm leaning more towards IM when I upgrade larger.

Thanks! I have a custom tank my wife an I built and while it was good, and a major learning experience, there were issues with so many things. I kept seeing these beautiful tanks from Red Sea and IM. Went with I M because they had a massive sale so I pulled the trigger.

 

[RedReefer]

Yeah, the price on made to order large Aquariums is really hard to beat! When they offer their sale, I almost buy one every time!!!

 

[Aaron Stone]

Any updates on this build? I am purchasing the same aquarium and am curious how other tackle the more unique dimensions of this tank.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Curious about updates as well!

 

[AquaForge]

Bit of a photo dump. I went with a 4 bulb hybrid. 2 Maxspect xf330 Gyres.

If you have any questions or want pics of something just ask

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Bit of a photo dump. I went with a 4 bulb hybrid. 2 Maxspect xf330 Gyres.

If you have any questions or want pics of something just ask

Sweet-looking aquascape! How bad was plumbing the sump to your tank since it is on a different floor?

 

[AquaForge]

Sweet-looking aquascape! How bad was plumbing the sump to your tank since it is on a different floor?

Thanks!

About the plumbing: It was a tad tricky but I took my time planning it. I do 3D designing/printing so I made some brackets to support the pipe in various places. Going to be adding more. I was a bit disappointed that my $500 return pump is only marginally better than my spare $150 return pump (Jebao). I was hoping to get 1000 out of each They are rated at 2500 and with my calculations I figured 12 foot of head pressure. Which according to the Sicce chart would be in the 1200 range. I am barely getting 400. Cest La vie.

The 2 pumps manage around 700-750 total GPH which is good enough for now. I may upgrade in the future we will see.

 

[AquaForge]

Oh One thing, if you look at the series of return lines you'll see 4. One high off the water on the right is the emergency overflow. The one just to the left of that is coming over from my saltwater mixing station. I need to figure out a better way to get the water out but putting it in is so super easy. I just kick on the pump on the mixing station and pump the water over to it and down right into the sump. So many lessons learned with smaller tanks I cant believe how easy water changes are now. Matter of fact I am not going to be using my DOS anymore for AWC because this new way is so much easier and faster. I can change 45 gallons (the amount in my sump) in about 3 minutes. With AWC it took me over 12 hours to change that much.

 

[jdpierce21]

Looking amazing! I am pulling the trigger today to order the IM 150 EXT. They are on sale for $2498.50!

 

[AquaForge]

Looking amazing! I am pulling the trigger today to order the IM 150 EXT. They are on sale for $2498.50!

Grab it!!!

 

[jdpierce21]

What do you guys think about the stand color? I don't see a way to buy it without the stand. Should it be white or black? Does black show stains/salt creep more?

What do you think about buying their "complete" package, which includes the sump and plumbing? I am thinking not, so I can put in any kind of sump I want, like Triton or Reef Mat.

 

[braaap]

What do you guys think about the stand color? I don't see a way to buy it without the stand. Should it be white or black? Does black show stains/salt creep more?

What do you think about buying their "complete" package, which includes the sump and plumbing? I am thinking not, so I can put in any kind of sump I want, like Triton or Reef Mat.

I have the 50 lagoon. I feel the white shows less water marks. The black mat shows every drop even if you clean it.

Their sump is actually quite nice and can't be bought separately. That said their plumbing sucks from what I have heard and seen with mine. I can't even imagine how bad the gate valve likely is.

I would likely look into a different sump and SCH80 plumbing parts from BRS or similar. You will for sure spend more than their $600 increase. Sumps are NOT cheap.

 

[jdpierce21]

I have the 50 lagoon. I feel the white shows less water marks. The black mat shows every drop even if you clean it.

Their sump is actually quite nice and can't be bought separately. That said their plumbing sucks from what I have heard and seen with mine. I can't even imagine how bad the gate valve likely is.

I would likely look into a different sump and SCH80 plumbing parts from BRS or similar. You will for sure spend more than their $600 increase. Sumps are NOT cheap.

I agree that the plumbing and sump will cost more than $600. However, I thought that if I went that route, it would provide more options. For example, I will NOT do filter socks. LOL

 

[braaap]

I agree that the plumbing and sump will cost more than $600. However, I thought that if I went that route, it would provide more options. For example, I will NOT do filter socks. LOL

I mean. Filter socks are cheap and easy. They don’t break. And you aren’t buying roll after roll of material. I got 10 socks for like $18 on eBay. I change them every 3 days and wash them on the every other weekend in 15 mins.

 

[jdpierce21]

I mean. Filter socks are cheap and easy. They don’t break. And you aren’t buying roll after roll of material. I got 10 socks for like $18 on eBay. I change them every 3 days and wash them on the every other weekend in 15 mins.

I think it's more of a cleanliness thing for me. The roll I can throw away. But, I get your point.

 

[braaap]

I think it's more of a cleanliness thing for me. The roll I can throw away. But, I get your point.

Ya that’s fair for sure. I store all my dirty ones in one of those air tight food storage containers. And then all my clean in a shopping back hanging off a shelf in the garage. So very confined.

 

[AquaForge]

I love the white. I dont have a very modern home but the white looks clean and sharp. I have had black and mirror black stands and salt always shows on them.

 

[X-37B]

My ext 170 and ext 50. Both are full systems. Great systems for the money, imo.