Upgrade time! IM EXT 100 or Red Sea Reefer G2+ 350.

[mtraylor]

You made the right decision. Will check out the build thread.

Reef on!

 

[Cwentz758]

I'll look at my options! When I quickly priced a custom lid with a few different companies, they all came out to around $500 CAD, which I honestly kind of expected.

I'll go through a little more carefully but may try my hand at the IM SafeScreen DIY mesh lid. I've done it before and it was only a mild disaster because I didn't have the right tools at the time...

Depending if I set my tank back up I’ll keep you in mind id sell you mine if by then you haven’t already got one

 

[X-37B]

Well I ordered my ext 170 3 weeks ago. With a 4-6 month delivery. It arrived yesterday, lol.
I will start a build thread next year some time. All I need are the 2 Sea Sweeps and they are in the mail.
Here is the sump with my geo 818 and the Tunze 9430dc. The 818 will be raised 6".
Overall qaulity is fantastic so far.
Pic of front too.

 

[Kasrift]

Nothing wrong with being cautious but I disagree about using a hand truck. I have a 6ft 180g in our living room that is plumbed to 6ft 125g sump in the basement. The 125 was moved all the way down the basement steps and the 180 up 3 steps into the house. Both were moved with a hand truck and nothing but towels as padding and a strap to secure the tank to the dolly. This was done by myself with no help so it is definately possible to move a tank with a hand truck without causing damage.

This you?

 

[dadnjesse]

Innovative Marine EXT 100:
PROS
- More volume for almost the same footprint (just +5 inches width, which is nice)
- Thicker glass, more ruggedly built
- Nicer stand
- Much larger sump
- Better reputation
- Return pump included
- Leveling mat included

CONS
- Built better.. but it's HEAVY (ok, not really a con)
- No room in the cabinet, like really no room besides the sump itself!
- No leveling feet on stand
- Only 1 year warranty
- No room in sump for filter roller (IM tells me they are working on a filter roller design - but in the meantime some folks have made Klir models work)
- Not really a con but kind of: the thick glass means my current wavemakers MIGHT not work. If not, I'll be upgrading sooner planned! $$

Reefer G2+ 350
PROS
- Room in cabinet
- ATO included (I already have one, so not really a pro)
- Leveling feet on stand
- Better warranty (3 years - but still nothing in the long run)
- Room for filter roller
- I love the full Red Sea systems, gadgets, etc. It would look pretty sharp IMO.

CONS
- Less volume, compared to IM
- Less sump capacity
- Plywood stand. Probably more than fine, but APS appears better
- No leveling mat?!
- Less robust
- Issues with previous models
- Less than ideal reputation

I could go with either. The one thing that hangs on for me is the infamous Red Sea issues that so many have reported. My fear is that this tank just won't stand the test of time, but I also don't want that to be the deciding factor if it's just not true, especially with the G2.

Thanks so much in advance!! Looking forward to posting with my new tank build in the near future

I was looking at the EXT 200 why does that one have a 3 year Warranty VS 1 year for the EXT 100

 

[exnisstech]

This you?

Nope just an old fat guy with no friends. If you have the basic skill set you might be surprised what you can accomplished alone with little creativity. Most people find it easier to just ask for help while I'm just the opposite. I spent over 30 years as an auto tech figuring out how to do jobs alone and laughing at the younger guys when it would take 2 or 3 to do the same job.
Moving 180g tanks is easy easy compared to hanging 28ft trusses on 12 foot walls with no help and no lifting equipment

 

[sugar]

I was looking at the EXT 200 why does that one have a 3 year Warranty VS 1 year for the EXT 100

Not sure, but if I were to guess.. maybe because 200 has eurobracing??

 

[Kasrift]

Not sure, but if I were to guess.. maybe because 200 has eurobracing??

That's a good guess. I didn't notice that when I grabbed the 200, but generally speaking it makes it a ton more stable.

 

[flashsmith]

Clear view lids will make you a custom lid I think it was like 130ish dollars

Clear view lids will make you a custom lid I think it was like 130ish dollars

Mine for my reefer 625 was a little over $400 bucks with nothing special added to it. That was over 2 years ago. Just ordered a kraken lid for a RS max nano peninsula and that one was $189. Again nothing special added.

 

[edd59]

im diy kit makes a nice clean lid for a fraction of the money

 

[GK3]

The age-old question! And I am in need of some help.

This is my first post to R2R, so please excuse me if I've posted in the wrong place or if there is any etiquette I am missing!!!

I would love to hear from everyone about this choice - especially if you own or have experience with either models. If this was your decision, what would you choose?

The Black Friday sales have reeled me in, and I have been wanting to upgrade my IM Lagoon 25g for a long time. This upgrade will be my first "big-girl" tank. Since I'm in my (ahem, early) 30s, I honestly hope to have something to last me decades. I'm assured by both manufacturers that with proper care, that shouldn't be a problem.

I have a spreadsheet. And I have been researching this and agonizing for months. Basically the only piece of information that is missing is shipping costs for the Red Sea.

As it stands, I have priced out both systems and equipment and I have both basically the same price with the help of BF deals. So, price doesn't really matter here.

I'll list some of my personal pros and cons:

Innovative Marine EXT 100:
PROS
- More volume for almost the same footprint (just +5 inches width, which is nice)
- Thicker glass, more ruggedly built
- Nicer stand
- Much larger sump
- Better reputation
- Return pump included
- Leveling mat included

CONS
- Built better.. but it's HEAVY (ok, not really a con)
- No room in the cabinet, like really no room besides the sump itself!
- No leveling feet on stand
- Only 1 year warranty
- No room in sump for filter roller (IM tells me they are working on a filter roller design - but in the meantime some folks have made Klir models work)
- Not really a con but kind of: the thick glass means my current wavemakers MIGHT not work. If not, I'll be upgrading sooner planned! $$

Reefer G2+ 350
PROS
- Room in cabinet
- ATO included (I already have one, so not really a pro)
- Leveling feet on stand
- Better warranty (3 years - but still nothing in the long run)
- Room for filter roller
- I love the full Red Sea systems, gadgets, etc. It would look pretty sharp IMO.

CONS
- Less volume, compared to IM
- Less sump capacity
- Plywood stand. Probably more than fine, but APS appears better
- No leveling mat?!
- Less robust
- Issues with previous models
- Less than ideal reputation

I could go with either. The one thing that hangs on for me is the infamous Red Sea issues that so many have reported. My fear is that this tank just won't stand the test of time, but I also don't want that to be the deciding factor if it's just not true, especially with the G2.

Thanks so much in advance!! Looking forward to posting with my new tank build in the near future

I read none of this, only the title - IM>Red Sea always IMO.

 

[crabgrass]

Mine for my reefer 625 was a little over $400 bucks with nothing special added to it. That was over 2 years ago. Just ordered a kraken lid for a RS max nano peninsula and that one was $189. Again nothing special added.

Kraken lid with some customizations will be 500 or so - at least for my IM 100

 

[tsharpe291]

Kraken lid with some customizations will be 500 or so - at least for my IM 100

top lids for my 75 EXT was 300ish with some customization. great lid IMO

 

[sugar]

That's basically where I'm at - do I spend ~$90 CAD for the DIY mesh screen (which will work fine for my needs), or put that towards a REALLY nice custom built screen?? It's a tough decision, and I'm not sure I can get my head around the $500 lid right now where I still need to upgrade the light setup and probably RODI as well. Maybe I will go with the DIY for now and just start saving now for a custom lid