Returning to the hobby with new IM 50 EXT build and documenting the process

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

Hello Reefers,

let me introduce myself, I’m Andrew a surgical tech in Indiana. I’ve been out of the hobby for a little over 10 years. I have to say even then I was still a bit of a novice. I did have some success tho, however most of my setups were pieces together DIY/USED and repurposed budget options. Anyways, I had a conversation about fish and aquariums the other day and boy was that an expensive mistake lol. I got the itch to get back into it and just placed the order for a fancy new tank and some of the equipment I’ll need. I attached some pics of my order confirmations if you wanna look over any of my selections. I’ll update this post with a list of my setup soon, but it’s after midnight now and im too tired to type it out properly. But I’m to excited after just placing my order to not start a thread immediately lol.

My goal for this thread is for me to document the progress for myself as much as it is for your enjoyment. So I hope to have regular updates with lots of pictures, as well as some equipment reviews. And I may also post some links to articles that are influencing my reefing strategies. Im super excited to get back into the hobby and to share my experiences good, bad and ugly with you all. I’m brand new to this forum and I’m looking forward to learning and sharing with you all.

Any and all comments, advice, suggestions or hellos are welcome. I wanna hear from everyone

And I definitely wanna hear from anybody else running an IM 50 EXT with the rfs23 sump setup





*******Edit 9/8/2024********

Aquarium Profile and Equipment​

Innovative Marine EXT 50 Gallon Lagoon Complete Reef System

• Approximately 50 Gallons
• DIMS: Length 30" Width: 23.6" Height: 16.1"
• Solid Glass External Overflow DIMS: 7.9" x 3.5" x 5.9"
• 2 - 1" Pre-drilled "Herbie" Overflow [Primary Drain and Emergency Drain]
• 3/4" - Pre-drilled Return Hole
• Laser Cut Black Acrylic Weir w/ Slot Cut Rear Glass Panel
• Ultra-Thick 10mm High Clarity Low Iron Glass
• Pre-Installed Rubber Leveling Mat
• Included Plumbing: 1 - 1" Slip x Slip BulkHead [Overflow], 1 - 1" Slip x Slip BulkHead w/ 1" Diameter E-Drain Pipe [Overflow], 1 - 3/4" BulkHead with NUVO Nozzle [Return]

APS Stand:

• Stand DIMS: Length 30.12” Width: 23.75” Height: 35.81”
• Interior DIMS: Length 26.87” Width: 19.31” Height: 33.75”
• Stand Package Weight: 96 lbs.
• Anodized Aluminum
• Top and Bottom Magnetic Door Latches
• Side Access Doors
• Color: Matte Black

RFS23 Sump:

• 32 Gallon Capacity
• Dimensions: L 21.8" x W 18.7" x H 18.2"
• Reinforced Double Walled Acrylic Frame Construction
• Silent Siphon Safety Drain Design
• Laser Etched Water Level Indicators (Front and Side Views)
• 3 - 1” High Quality PVC Bulkheads
• 1 - 3/4” High Quality PVC Bulkhead with Hose Barb Fitting
• Vertical Heater Compartment with Cord Management
• Drain Silencing Plates with Filter Sponge
• Acrylic Filter Media Cups - Includes High Performance Fiber Ball Media
• Adjustable Water Height Baffle in Protein Skimmer Chamber
• Polycarbonate Noise Reducing Lid Covers
• (With Protein Skimmer Cutout)
• Refugium Chaetomax LED Light Bracket
• 1/4“ And 1/2” ATO Return Hose Barb
• 4 - Black RO/DI Push Fit Fittings
• Cord Management Hooks with Cutout Slots
• Black Adhesive Cord Holders

MightyJet XL - 2656 GPH DC Submersible Return Pump:

• Run-Dry Protection
• One Touch Feed Mode
• Includes Controller
• Seven Speed Settings
• Min Flow Rate 1,062 GPH
• Max Flow Rate 2,656 GPH
• Dims 7" x 4.09" x 5.11"
• Max Watts 85W/24v DC

Protein Skimmer

• Simplicty 120DC In-Sump

Aquarium Reactors

• Dont have any plans for one yet

Water Flow and Circulation

• Im leaning towards Innovative Marine Wavelink AIO Powerhead 2300G.
• I would relly like the Vortech MP40 but I dont think I want to spend the money for them

Aquarium Lighting

• Maxspec Jump 65W LED (Regular) with Diffuser

I chose this mostly because of the price and to some extent the clean look. I dont think Im going to jump into SPS for awhile, so i think ill get by with cheaper lights for now, and they look much better then the old metal halides I used to use.

Auto Top Off

• Dont have plans for one yet. I never used one in the past but this will probably be something I look into soon. If I decide too, I'd probably get one from IM that matches my tank and stand since im guessing there wont be room for it under the cabinet. Unless there is something drasticly better on the market

Aquarium Heating and Cooling

• IM Helio 350 Watt PTC Smart Aquarium Heater [50-100 gallons]

Aquarium Natural and Mechanical Filtration​

• Substrate : Caribsea Special Grade Arag-Alive! Reef Sand
  
  Shallow aiming for 1 inch depth​
• AquaScape : Aquaforest AF Rock Mix (40 LBS)
  
  I will also be looking to source about 20 LBS of natural Live Rock locally​
• Mechanical : The sump comes with Acrylic Filter Media cups and fiber media balls from IM, I'll probably use until they fowl and then may swap them for filter socks unless they impress me.
• Chemical : Activated Carbon in a media bag

Aquarium Tank Inhabitants​

Fish Wish List :​

• 1 Purple dottyback
• 1-3 Chromis: Green (would there be problems with Dottyback?)
• 1 Blenny: Forktail
• 1-3 Cardinalfish: Banggai
• 2 Clownfish: Ocellaris
• 1 Dartfish: Exquisite Firefish
• 1 Filefish: Aiptasia-eating (reef safe?)
• 1 Sleeper/Sand Sifting Goby: Diamond
• 1 Hogfish: Yellow candy
• 1 Marine Betta
• 1 Fairy or Flasher Wrasses: Carpenter’s, McCosker’s, or Royal
• 1 Green Mandarin (Could I get a sustainable amount of Copepods?)

Coral Wish List :​

Invert Wish List :​

*****Edited 9/17/2024*****

 

[1112-425XL]

Good luck! Following...

 

[strich]

Looking forward to seeing more updates!

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

I updated the orginal thread to have a more complete list of the setup, what ive already ordered and somethings I plan to do soon.

I spent most of the day looking into RODI systems while watching CJ Aquariums entire IM 75 Build playlist on youtube. #BEEASY And I got confirmation emails saying I should start getting some of my first shipments by the 13th.

 

[slythy]

Where abouts in Indiana? The best fish store / prices is on the south side of Indy

 

[PharmrJohn]

Following! I love it when a plan comes together!

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

Where abouts in Indiana? The best fish store / prices is on the south side of Indy

I’m in Angola. So northeast. But I’m willing to travel some. I’ll have to be as my LFS is focused 80/20 on freshwater.

 

[SaltyWalty]

Following along will definitely be a very cool build

 

[kevgib67]

Well thought out, following!

 

[slythy]

I’m in Angola. So northeast. But I’m willing to travel some. I’ll have to be as my LFS is focused 80/20 on freshwater.

So Modern Aquatics is hands down the best saltwater store ive seen in Indiana, Jeremy is an awesome guy to deal with. Check them out on facebook.

And then across the street is one of the cooler freshwater stores in Indiana, Fish Happens. They are new but really trying to make the best store possible again check out on facebook. I am super fortunate to live right by both.

 

[NickCage007]

Aye! Best of luck with the build. Looks like a great plan to me. Im the guy with the same tank that was on the wwc channel a few months back. Mangrove in the giant refugium. I kno what potential u have, trust me its a great footprint to build on. Following along!

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

So Modern Aquatics is hands down the best saltwater store ive seen in Indiana, Jeremy is an awesome guy to deal with. Check them out on facebook.

And then across the street is one of the cooler freshwater stores in Indiana, Fish Happens. They are new but really trying to make the best store possible again check out on facebook. I am super fortunate to live right by both.

thanks Ill check them out next time im down that way

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

Aye! Best of luck with the build. Looks like a great plan to me. Im the guy with the same tank that was on the wwc channel a few months back. Mangrove in the giant refugium. I kno what potential u have, trust me its a great footprint to build on. Following along!

Im not famillar with the wwc channel if you send the link ill check it out

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Im not famillar with the wwc channel if you send the link ill check it out

World Wide Corals

Welcome to World Wide Corals, we started up the company way back in 2006 out of a small one car garage and with an extreme passion for keeping live corals. Today we have grown to one of the largest saltwater aquarium retail stores & on-line reef tank companies in the world. Our YouTube channel...

www.youtube.com

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

First set of packages arrived today

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

First set of packages arrived today

So after unboxing and playing with the Maxspect Jump-L165 I’ll say that the LEDs seem very bright and the color looks very nice. They don’t seem to run very hot, but they have a fan that when it does turn on is whisper quiet. The build materials and quality seems very nice. The mounting bracket seems very sturdy and was easy to assemble, the diffuser which was ordered separately fit absolutely perfect. For the price I’m very impressed however won’t really be able to review or recommend them until I’ve seen how well they grow coral. The only negative thing on first impression is the app they run on. It’s very clunky and unintuitive, I’m having trouble getting the lights to connect to my router. It’s not a big deal at the moment because the lights come with several presets and are capable of use offline, and I obviously still don’t even have a box of water yet. So I’ve got plenty of time to get it figured out and tinker.

The Aquaforest AF rock also arrived today and honestly I have to say it’s very disappointing. Nearly every piece in the 40 lb box was broken, which isn’t the end of the world because they can be glued and epoxied. But the real trouble is the box was advertised as an even mix of base, arch and shelf rock, and the rocks I received are 80% shelves. Coming up with an interesting and beautiful aqua scape is going to be challenging proposition. If I wouldn’t be charged shipping to return these, I’d pay the restocking fee and try a different product. As it is I’ll just have to get creative and maybe supplement with something else. However I would never recommend these or order them again.

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

Recieved another shipment today from bulk reef supply including my skimmer and RODI. The RODI however arrived damaged. But BRS customer service is petty great, 2 minutes on thier help chat and i've got replacement parks being shipped already.

Also checking the tracking from Innovative Marine say my tank is estimated to arrive today, but thier website says they usually call and set up an appointment for delivery so you can be there and inspect for damage before you accept the delivery. I havent gotten the call so im not getting over eager, idk if thier currier survice delivers on weekends, but Im hoping to have the tank by monday if not sooner. SIGH......patience is a part of the hobby.

 

[Arkayology]

Nice to see your build! I set up my IM 50 EXT about a month ago. The shipping company called me the day before to set up delivery for the next day. The guy that delivered it said that he wasn't waiting for me to inspect - I only could sign off on the condition of the shipping container.

I look forward to your progress!

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

So i started attempting my aquascape this afternon. Using Aquaforest AF Mixed Rock and Aquaforest Stone Fix.

I mixed up very small batches of the stone fix in red solo cups. I have to say its not the easiest product to work with. Its very tough to get the right consistency and you have a very limited workable time. The small batches helped it was either to runny or it dried to fast. It has a very weak hold until it dries and so you have to support the pieces of rock as you work, its also not very forgiving if you try to reposition a rock after initally placing it, usually requiring a new application of stone fix. Its also very messy. However once implace and dried it seems to be holding securely, Ill know more after it dries over a night or two and i try to move it into the tank.
Here are some images of the first attempt at the Scape.

I posted these on the Aquascape discussion section of the forum and may make some changes accordingly. Join the disscusion over there, or let me know what you think here.

 

[Arkayology]

If you do any more work to the structure, try using a runny super glue directly on dry reef cement. It will cure within a few seconds and hold strong. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area as the fumes are pretty gnarly.