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

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

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!

They finally called today. Delivery Tomorrow

 

[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*****

Tank was delivered today. Got it set up !!! Gonna spend my day off tomorrow leak testing and filling her up

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

Heres a picture of the tank up and running!

The cycle has been finished, I used Caribsea LIVE special grade sand as well as Brightwell Aquatics MicroBacter Start. And a clown fish named Paul sourced locally.

Im using the Maxspect Jump 65 LED. It was a pain to get set up on my wifi network, but once established it has been reliable and easy to customise and use.

I have the Wavelink AIO midsize powerhead from Innovative marine. It seems very powerful and Im running it on the lowest setting right now.

I haven't started the Simplicity Skimmer yet because before today I didnt really have any bioload in the system.

This Morning I recieved my order of livestock from Saltwaterfish.com. Sadly two were DOA. A pajama cardinal and a flame angel. However I recieved healthy a few others. So... My tank is now home to the following

Clownfish
Royal Gramma
Tail spot blennie
Pajama Spotted Cardinal
Purple Firefish Goby
Carpenters flasher wrase

Assortied snails and crabs. (Red tipped hermits, Emerald, Cerith, Margarite and 1 turbo.

Fish are brand new and hiding so I'll post some photos later.

 

[dedragon]

Nice start wish you luck. That is a lot of fish at once though so i wouldnt add anymore for at least a month.
I have the same tank and the maxspect jump led might be a drop small to cover the whole tank if you wanted corals on the sandbed closer to the walls. A cheap add on is the aliexpress led bars, but you will need to find a way to mount them to the unit. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256...FTOqHw4R&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from:
I would suggest not sticking with innovative marine for much of their stuff other than the tanks, they just arent great for the price. I havent tried the powerhead from IM but it seems very similar to the jebao ones, which work well just make sure to not clean with vinegar as it will mess with the magnets.

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

Nice start wish you luck. That is a lot of fish at once though so i wouldnt add anymore for at least a month.
I have the same tank and the maxspect jump led might be a drop small to cover the whole tank if you wanted corals on the sandbed closer to the walls. A cheap add on is the aliexpress led bars, but you will need to find a way to mount them to the unit. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805412958912.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.35.17a31f1aatJNqG&algo_pvid=2d11cfdc-0595-40de-b87e-bd6b3491697a&algo_exp_id=2d11cfdc-0595-40de-b87e-bd6b3491697a-17&pdp_npi=4@dis!USD!131.58!101.32!!!131.58!101.32!@2103094c17273716236583267e863c!12000033702897021!sea!US!4330578567!X&curPageLogUid=ND6FFTOqHw4R&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from:
I would suggest not sticking with innovative marine for much of their stuff other than the tanks, they just arent great for the price. I havent tried the powerhead from IM but it seems very similar to the jebao ones, which work well just make sure to not clean with vinegar as it will mess with the magnets.

Yeah I went with the Jump LEDS cause they were a very cheap option and also came with mount. At the moment I don't have plans for any coral that should be very demanding with lights. Softies, LPS mushrooms ect. I also got the diffuser so its got a bit more of an even spread. As my tank matures I may get a second one or something else to suppliment, depending on how stuff grows when I get it.


As for the fish, I know its alot at once but they are all very small specimens so I dont think the bioload will be that big. And I got that bulk order discount. And I think Ill probably be about stocked up for awhile. Only maybe 3 more fish I would add anyways. Im moving on to coral next. In a month or two.

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

Interesting Video on Maxspect Jump

This video gives me hope that these are pretty decent. I bought them strictly because they were cheap but seems like the designers were kinda thoughtful and trying to pack in quality for the buget minded hobbiest. Fingers crossed they arent trash.

 

[dedragon]

they are actually pretty nice lights having seen them in person a few times now. I havent seen it with the diffuser so that might help light the edges better. Just wanted to give you a cheap expansion option for the future.
The concern i would have adding that many at once is that there was just nothing in the system beforehand so the bacteria will need a second to adjust and have their populations expand. Given a month i would think the tank would be more than adjusted. Always best to go slow.
I have heard a good amount of people saying that flame angelfish that they received recently have been in bad shape or died shortly after arrival. If you wanted one I would wait for a lfs to have one for at least a week before purchasing just in case

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

So I had to figure out something for Lid. I had been looking at KrackenReef. But I really didnt want to pay that much so soon after the big investment that getting this tank and all the equipment I've already had to purchase. So its been a day of DIY......

Found this little screen window kit at menards and along with the actual mesh screen, all in for about 14 bucks.

 

[Arkayology]

I'm looking at Kraken Reef as well but I went the same route with a DIY lid. It will work for now.

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

I'm looking at Kraken Reef as well but I went the same route with a DIY lid. It will work for now.

Yeah I also came across DD jumpguard. Much cheaper than Krackenreef. Worth a look. But seems to be halfway between what I accomplished DIY, and something custom. Fairly clean look though.

Have you posted pics of the lid you made?

 

[Arkayology]

Have you posted pics of the lid you made?

I posted pics in my thread. It's a basic window frame kit with BRS screen I kept from a previous build. It works for now but I will be looking for a better looking alternative soon.

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

I haven't postd any updates in awhile, cause the tank has just mostly been on autopilot. I was letting the fish adjust to thier new homes, while letting the bacteria adjust to the bioload.

Ive had a bit of the "ugly stage" with a diatom outbreak (you can see it on the sandbed if you look at the picture close) but its already starting to clear on its own. The only thing that is giving me any real concern is I have one snail, whos shell has turned bone white, but hes active and seems otherwise fine.

I may post this photo in the inverts fourm and see if anyone knows whats going on.


Other then that, I super excited that Im headed to Reef-o-rama in Ann Arbor this sunday. Should be a really cool expo, and I might even pick up some starter corals.

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

So I went to REEFORAMA in Ann Arbor yesterday. It was my first ever frag swap, and it was really awesome. I had a good time I met some cool people and I got some great starter corals for the new tank. I wish I would have taken some photos at the event. I had planned to but honestly I was to busy looking around at the event to remember to pull my phone out. I also snagged some of the door prizes, which was awesome cause i'll tell you I normally have no luck and I never win anything.
Anyways I'll post a few pics of pieces I got, but be warned my phone camera sucks and some are a bit closed up still, because I just moved them around.



GSP- its on its own island upfront so I can keep it under control

A nice assortment of zoas. I picked out a few from Bootleggers Coral. I won one from a door prize, and I got one inside a myster box I picked up from Alien Reefer. The colors look so much better in person, and they looked even better at the swap where the lights were way deeper blue.

I also bought these from @Reefer Matt

Blurriest picture of the xenia lol but my phone sucks lol

Also I won this Doser I was pretty excited about, it came with the the Primary and the slave.

I checked out prices for these dosers online and I think I may have come out ahead for the day.

And spending the day in Ann Arbor was worth the drive anyways. Also took the GF out to Ikea and a few shops and then a nice dinner before heading home.

 

[Reefer Matt]

So I went to REEFORAMA in Ann Arbor yesterday. It was my first ever frag swap, and it was really awesome. I had a good time I met some cool people and I got some great starter corals for the new tank. I wish I would have taken some photos at the event. I had planned to but honestly I was to busy looking around at the event to remember to pull my phone out. I also snagged some of the door prizes, which was awesome cause i'll tell you I normally have no luck and I never win anything.
Anyways I'll post a few pics of pieces I got, but be warned my phone camera sucks and some are a bit closed up still, because I just moved them around.



GSP- its on its own island upfront so I can keep it under control

A nice assortment of zoas. I picked out a few from Bootleggers Coral. I won one from a door prize, and I got one inside a myster box I picked up from Alien Reefer. The colors look so much better in person, and they looked even better at the swap where the lights were way deeper blue.

I also bought these from @Reefer Matt

Blurriest picture of the xenia lol but my phone sucks lol

Also I won this Doser I was pretty excited about, it came with the the Primary and the slave.

I checked out prices for these dosers online and I think I may have come out ahead for the day.

And spending the day in Ann Arbor was worth the drive anyways. Also took the GF out to Ikea and a few shops and then a nice dinner before heading home.

That’s awesome! I hope you had fun! I tried to make a video, but my helper didn’t go with me and I was busy the whole time! Lol! Thanks for stopping by, Happy Reefing!

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

That’s awesome! I hope you had fun! I tried to make a video, but my helper didn’t go with me and I was busy the whole time! Lol! Thanks for stopping by, Happy Reefing!

Yeah I had great time, but even better than that my GF had a great time too. She said she’s on board to go to any swaps in the area. Today I mentioned Reefapalooza in Orlando next April and she immediately started checking into hotels lol. So I think she’s won over

 

[Arkayology]

Nice haul from the coral show!

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

Nice haul from the coral show!

Thanks! Yeah I got some nice pieces. I'm working on getting some better photos soon.

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

So I've gotten tired of mixing salt in 5 gallon buckets. So I built a simple gravity feed mixing station. Very DIY but it should work out. We'll see how I did soon, its starting to fill. I did a leak test before final assembly, so hopefully nothing has shifted.

Building the stand

Moved to the basement and all Plumbed

RODI Mounted on the back

Theres a float valve in the top Brute to shut off the RODI.
There's a valve to drop the RODI water straight down to the mixing Brute.
And there is a valve off the front with a 90 if I need to get RODI for anything else straight into a bucket.

I'm gonna order another pump to send the mixed salt up through the ceiling to the DT above. And another powerhead to move water and mix the salt.

All in so far $164.....not bad

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

I read the photography thread on here, and learned how to change some of the settings on my old piece of s#%t iPhone to be able to manually adjust exposure ect…
So here are some much better pictures of just a few of the corals I picked up. Amazingly taken on the same old phone.