200G IM EXT (First tank ever)

[vittpsu21]

Well... after 10 years of back and forth and young kids... I was finally able to get the OK and order my tank! I went back and forth a lot from Glass Cages and IM but ultimately landed on the thing that made the most sense for me in my current state! The 200G EXT! It finally arrived the other day! We leave for vacation at the end of July and I am very much hoping to have this monster inside by then, however, I am thinking I am likely going to need to hire someone to move it in as it is wayyyyyy heavier then I thought it would be even empty!

The stand is up, the sump is underneath, the plumbing is waiting in the garage for the tank to be in place! All that to say that below is the list of things that have been ordered and have either arrived or are on their way:

220lbs Marco Dry Rock
2x MP40's (I might get another)
Instant Ocean salt
CaribSea Special Grade (8 bags 20lbs per bag, 2 more that should be on the way but might be lost)
RODI System from BRS that I have since debugged with help from other R2R members and just need to get a replacement canister for something broken in transit
All the testing equipment, Hanna where I could and the by hands elsewhere
Return pump that came with the build (Mighty Jet DC XL)
RFS Sump
2x JAGER 200W Heaters
2x Heater Controllers
Doctor Tims Cycle + Ghost feeding
Flipper EDGE Max

Still to order:

Live rock from my LFS, my plan is to aquascape with the dead rock and then add some of this either in the spot that will be my refug or in the display tank as I can fit/justify
Lights (I honestly have no clue still at this point, its just so much to take in as a 1st time reefer).
Keto (or some other material for the refug) and refug light, but neither in until I have a need for them but have them standing by and ready
Copepods (plan to use as soon as cycle ends)
Skimmer (again no idea, haven't done much research here!)

I have never had a saltwater tank before and honestly haven't had a tank in general since I was probably 10 years old! So this is going to be quite the learning experience as well as a very good time I hope! I am absolutely open to feedback or opinions if you see me going sideways somewhere or have some good suggestions for me! I plan to order the lights soon to have them out of the way, even though I may not need them for some time, but I would love to get this thing moved in and wet before we left for vacation on the 24th of July! Worth noting that at some point I would very much like to add a controller, dos, and autofeeder, but for now I need to put the money where it is better spent up front!

 

[vittpsu21]

I should also mention that behind the wall, is my laundry room, so I plan to at some point go through the wall to tie in both my RODI and my ATO/Water change stuff if its possible! That might be a bit further down the line, but is definitely in my head as a longterm plan!

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

Well... after 10 years of back and forth and young kids... I was finally able to get the OK and order my tank! I went back and forth a lot from Glass Cages and IM but ultimately landed on the thing that made the most sense for me in my current state! The 200G EXT! It finally arrived the other day! We leave for vacation at the end of July and I am very much hoping to have this monster inside by then, however, I am thinking I am likely going to need to hire someone to move it in as it is wayyyyyy heavier then I thought it would be even empty!

The stand is up, the sump is underneath, the plumbing is waiting in the garage for the tank to be in place! All that to say that below is the list of things that have been ordered and have either arrived or are on their way:

220lbs Marco Dry Rock
2x MP40's (I might get another)
Instant Ocean salt
CaribSea Special Grade (8 bags 20lbs per bag, 2 more that should be on the way but might be lost)
RODI System from BRS that I have since debugged with help from other R2R members and just need to get a replacement canister for something broken in transit
All the testing equipment, Hanna where I could and the by hands elsewhere
Return pump that came with the build (Mighty Jet DC XL)
RFS Sump
2x JAGER 200W Heaters
2x Heater Controllers
Doctor Tims Cycle + Ghost feeding
Flipper EDGE Max

Still to order:

Live rock from my LFS, my plan is to aquascape with the dead rock and then add some of this either in the spot that will be my refug or in the display tank as I can fit/justify
Lights (I honestly have no clue still at this point, its just so much to take in as a 1st time reefer).
Keto (or some other material for the refug) and refug light, but neither in until I have a need for them but have them standing by and ready
Copepods (plan to use as soon as cycle ends)
Skimmer (again no idea, haven't done much research here!)

I have never had a saltwater tank before and honestly haven't had a tank in general since I was probably 10 years old! So this is going to be quite the learning experience as well as a very good time I hope! I am absolutely open to feedback or opinions if you see me going sideways somewhere or have some good suggestions for me! I plan to order the lights soon to have them out of the way, even though I may not need them for some time, but I would love to get this thing moved in and wet before we left for vacation on the 24th of July! Worth noting that at some point I would very much like to add a controller, dos, and autofeeder, but for now I need to put the money where it is better spent up front!

Awesome start! I'm sure you have already thought of this but just in case, you may want to remove the rug from under the stand. :D

 

[vittpsu21]

Awesome start! I'm sure you have already thought of this but just in case, you may want to remove the rug from under the stand. :D

Yeah I was thinking about that the other day, because if I don't do it now, I think it will never come out lol

 

[vittpsu21]

The house does indeed look like a warzone for now, which, I am sure will not last long until my wife is unhappy lol. But the sump is also in at this point!

 

[UncommonSense]

Live rock from my LFS, my plan is to aquascape with the dead rock and then add some of this either in the spot that will be my refug or in the display tank as I can fit/justify

I’d consider getting this after the dry rock cures! — I mentioned the bleaching trick prior, but you can also start your cycle before installing the tank even; just using a large trash can or plastic bin, packed full of rock/saltwater, with a heater and a circulation pump on it!

Keto (or some other material for the refug) and refug light, but neither in until I have a need for them but have them standing by and ready
Copepods (plan to use as soon as cycle ends)

I’d recommend looking into Algae Turf Scrubbers (ATS) too! Santa Montica makes some great ones, or you can even build your own for cheap! — micro algae scrubbers tend to be far more efficient (at least space-wise) at removing nutrients from saltwater than macro algae in a traditional refugium!

Skimmer (again no idea, haven't done much research here!)

This one definitely deserves some research, possibly a dedicated thread for your specific application! — I do know reef octopus has treated myself, and many others well!

I’m glad we worked out that ridiculous RO issue!

this build is looking very promising! — I’ll be following along!

 

[vittpsu21]

I’d consider getting this after the dry rock cures! — I mentioned the bleaching trick prior, but you can also start your cycle before installing the tank even; just using a large trash can or plastic bin, packed full of rock/saltwater, with a heater and a circulation pump on it!


I’d recommend looking into Algae Turf Scrubbers (ATS) too! Santa Montica makes some great ones, or you can even build your own for cheap! — micro algae scrubbers tend to be far more efficient (at least space-wise) at removing nutrients from saltwater than macro algae in a traditional refugium!


This one definitely deserves some research, possibly a dedicated thread for your specific application! — I do know reef octopus has treated myself, and many others well!

I’m glad we worked out that ridiculous RO issue!

this build is looking very promising! — I’ll be following along!

I will have to look into these, the sump also has some filter locations built in at the front, that I will at some point need to figure out what I want to place in them. They are three pretty deep pre made containers for materials though

 

[UncommonSense]

the sump also has some filter locations built in at the front, that I will at some point need to figure out what I want to place in them. They are three pretty deep pre made containers for materials though

These are likely filter floss cups, or bio media baskets!

Do you have any plans for mechanical filtration yet? Something simple like filter floss/filter socks? Or more sophisticated like a fleece roller?

 

[vittpsu21]

These are likely filter floss cups, or bio media baskets!

Do you have any plans for mechanical filtration yet? Something simple like filter floss/filter socks? Or more sophisticated like a fleece roller?

I think my approach is going to come down to room in the sump for me. It’s a decent size sump I think, 75g but the refug and skimmer will take up a lot of space I think. My thought was I would start with some simple filters in the bio media baskets and then add to it as needed maybe?

The truth is the lfs around me, 2 are pretty good but don’t really have a lot of feedback on things! I am trying to not be overwhelmed by everything going on and take it one step at a time! I have found a good coral dealer nearby also but I’m really just not sure how much or how fast I’ll get to add things to the tank! From what I’ve heard at 200gal I should be able to get away with a fair bit early on without too much impact to the reef.

I absolutely plan to add 3 tangs all once at some point, pair of clown fish, and a shrimp +goby pair but outside of that I’ve been really open to anything that makes sense. Heather really likes corals, flowy ones especially so I’m sure her feedback will come down to stuff like that

 

[UncommonSense]

75g but the refug and skimmer will take up a lot of space I think.

That depends, they can be fairly compact! For example; just having live rock in the refuge, and running an algae scrubber! Then, there are external skimmer options (skimmer outside sump, fed by pump, draining back into sump) if you have extra space in the stand (likely if you don’t think you’ll ever need a water chiller [relying on home climate control for hot days])

My thought was I would start with some simple filters in the bio media baskets and then add to it as needed maybe?

This seems like a good option… I’ve seen all too many people blow $400+ on fleece roller units that also have high consumable costs, only to remove them completely (due to having nutrients bottom-out) in favor of filter socks/floss only, or no mechanical filtration!

I am trying to not be overwhelmed by everything going on and take it one step at a time!

This is the only way to get into this hobby without loosing your mind!! It’s a bottomless pit of technical/ info and nuance!

— “How do you eat an elephant? — one bite at a time!”

I’m really just not sure how much or how fast I’ll get to add things to the tank! From what I’ve heard at 200gal I should be able to get away with a fair bit early on without too much impact to the reef.

Best bet here is going to be just making changes slowly, and researching best practices for quarantining all livestock that you plan to introduce to the tank! (I believe “current quarantine protocol” is the go-to thread!)

I absolutely plan to add 3 tangs all once at some point

These guys should absolutely go in together, and ideally last! They can be jerks once they get territory established!

Heather really likes corals, flowy ones especially so I’m sure her feedback will come down to stuff like that

Look up “green star polyps” — they’re a bit of a weed coral; very hardy, good for beginners, rapid encrusting growth (to the point where they can become a pest coral if not isolated to a rock island, or the back tank wall!), brilliant neon green glowing polyps… a large colony on the back wall of the tank looks like a field of glowing green flowers blowing in the breeze!

— just don’t let them get established in your main rock formation(s) where they will become a nuisance later as they outcompete other corals for real estate!

 

[vittpsu21]

That depends, they can be fairly compact! For example; just having live rock in the refuge, and running an algae scrubber! Then, there are external skimmer options (skimmer outside sump, fed by pump, draining back into sump) if you have extra space in the stand (likely if you don’t think you’ll ever need a water chiller [relying on home climate control for hot days])


This seems like a good option… I’ve seen all too many people blow $400+ on fleece roller units that also have high consumable costs, only to remove them completely (due to having nutrients bottom-out) in favor of filter socks/floss only, or no mechanical filtration!


This is the only way to get into this hobby without loosing your mind!! It’s a bottomless pit of technical/ info and nuance!

— “How do you eat an elephant? — one bite at a time!”


Best bet here is going to be just making changes slowly, and researching best practices for quarantining all livestock that you plan to introduce to the tank! (I believe “current quarantine protocol” is the go-to thread!)


These guys should absolutely go in together, and ideally last! They can be jerks once they get territory established!


Look up “green star polyps” — they’re a bit of a weed coral; very hardy, good for beginners, rapid encrusting growth (to the point where they can become a pest coral if not isolated to a rock island, or the back tank wall!), brilliant neon green glowing polyps… a large colony on the back wall of the tank looks like a field of glowing green flowers blowing in the breeze!

— just don’t let them get established in your main rock formation(s) where they will become a nuisance later as they outcompete other corals for real estate!

Oh these are pretty but yeah placement probably very key!

Yeah I’m happy to be down to just figuring out lights and a skimmer for now! Obviously way more will come with time but the amount of upfront research and brain tax is wild. I am not even certain I’ll come up with a solid solution for lights before I order them, my one takeaway from everything I read is trying to plan long term so I don’t triple and quadruple buy things. That’s been my approach with almost everything! My biggest short fall to this point though was not truly understanding how heavy the tank would be, mine doesn’t really even have to travel far from my garage to my basement. But good lord lol

 

[vittpsu21]

My one big limiting factor on lights though, is going to be this framed ceiling over the vent! Whatever I decide on absolutely has to be able to be mounted and work within range of the bottom of the drywall and the top of the tank. I wrote it down somewhere but I’m pretty sure it’s like 17 inches in total or something

 

[UncommonSense]

Yeah I’m happy to be down to just figuring out lights and a skimmer for now!

You won’t even be needing either of these for at least a month! Take your time figuring out what you want based off the experiences of others, that will help you be happy with your purchases!

Obviously way more will come with time but the amount of upfront research and brain tax is wild.

Start with research on how to cure dry rock, also probably consider looking into bleaching dry rock to melt off any dehydrated organic goo left in the rock’s pores!

The rock is the heart of any saltwater tank’s filtration system, and it is the bottleneck to you getting this thing up and running, time-wise!

— I would personally probably just start with a several-day soak in tap water and 10% bleach using a large trash can or plastic bin, then several days soaking in RO water… then toss all the cleaned rock in the cleaned bin, add salt water, pump, heater, and bacteria; you’re technically starting cycling the “tank” at that point!

My biggest short fall to this point though was not truly understanding how heavy the tank would be, mine doesn’t really even have to travel far from my garage to my basement. But good lord lol

Yeah… I think I recall this tank being around 600lbs last time I glanced at the IM website!

So, six burly helpers at dead minimum to carry it; ideally eight!

Consider researching professional heavy object movers, often referred to as “riggers”! — they can quickly and efficiently move extremely bulky/heavy objects from A to B!

My one big limiting factor on lights though, is going to be this framed ceiling over the vent! Whatever I decide on absolutely has to be able to be mounted and work within range of the bottom of the drywall and the top of the tank. I wrote it down somewhere but I’m pretty sure it’s like 17 inches in total or something

What about a lighting hood? 12” tall is plenty, and you likely only have a ~6-8” duct going to that vent; so 5” of clearance would be more than enough gap to allow for sufficient air flow!

 

[vittpsu21]

You won’t even be needing either of these for at least a month! Take your time figuring out what you want based off the experiences of others, that will help you be happy with your purchases!


Start with research on how to cure dry rock, also probably consider looking into bleaching dry rock to melt off any dehydrated organic goo left in the rock’s pores!

The rock is the heart of any saltwater tank’s filtration system, and it is the bottleneck to you getting this thing up and running, time-wise!

— I would personally probably just start with a several-day soak in tap water and 10% bleach using a large trash can or plastic bin, then several days soaking in RO water… then toss all the cleaned rock in the cleaned bin, add salt water, pump, heater, and bacteria; you’re technically starting cycling the “tank” at that point!


Yeah… I think I recall this tank being around 600lbs last time I glanced at the IM website!

So, six burly helpers at dead minimum to carry it; ideally eight!

Consider researching professional heavy object movers, often referred to as “riggers”! — they can quickly and efficiently move extremely bulky/heavy objects from A to B!




What about a lighting hood? 12” tall is plenty, and you likely only have a ~6-8” duct going to that vent; so 5” of clearance would be more than enough gap to allow for sufficient air flow!

I did consider this as woodworking is my other big hobby actually, have built many of cabinet etc so making a custom hood wood likely not be that difficult tbh!

I made a few calls to the movers already, quote was somewhere around 1,000. While I’d love to save there if I could, paying them considering the cost of everything else just really might be the lesser of two evils

 

[UncommonSense]

I made a few calls to the movers already, quote was somewhere around 1,000. While I’d love to save there if I could, paying them considering the cost of everything else just really might be the lesser of two evils

I’ve seen some ugly things happen when moving big tanks… more than one huge corner chip, or shattered pane…

You could invite a bunch of burly friends over for a bbq, and get 8-10 people shuffling along with it… but… down stairs to a basement? With people who likely enjoyed a few adult beverages with their bbq? That sounds like a Darwin Award waiting to happen!

I did consider this as woodworking is my other big hobby actually, have built many of cabinet etc so making a custom hood wood likely not be that difficult tbh!

Haha I’ve definitely done my fair share of carpentry as well!

Would you like to see how the lighting hood on my 180g freshwater tank is constructed for design ideas? It’s not my work, and I would have changed more than I already have if I was building it from scratch myself; but it is very functional!

 

[vittpsu21]

I’ve seen some ugly things happen when moving big tanks… more than one huge corner chip, or shattered pane…

You could invite a bunch of burly friends over for a bbq, and get 8-10 people shuffling along with it… but… down stairs to a basement? With people who likely enjoyed a few adult beverages with their bbq? That sounds like a Darwin Award waiting to happen!


Haha I’ve definitely done my fair share of carpentry as well!

Would you like to see how the lighting hood on my 180g freshwater tank is constructed for design ideas? It’s not my work, and I would have changed more than I already have if I was building it from scratch myself; but it is very functional!

Yeah absolutely, I thought a good might also be nice to help keep things from bleeding out on the lights too. It also probably just makes mounting whatever lighting solution I come up with that much easier too.

Yeah the thing about friends moving it is also I’d have to order 3 sets of glass suction cups anyway at 150 a pop or something so I’m already halfway to the movers. I really just might bite the bullet and pay the professionals imo

 

[UncommonSense]

Yeah absolutely,

The tank was a reef tank before I converted it to freshwater; the hood had a lighting array of around 850W… 3x 150W metal halides, and 4x 98W power compact fluorescents, plus four blue LED night lights… those were fun until I learned that I could be spending $350+ just to do bulb replacements!

So, I gutted the reflectors of all the old, salt damaged electrical, and slapped in 4x 50W 5ft long LED strip shop lights; which are working like a charm so far to grow plants!

From here, I installed it (just sets on top of the tank rim), and fired it up!

I then installed a cheap 15W blue LED vehicle flood light for night lighting….

And here it is as of a few days ago; ready to start stocking with actual delicate species of fish finally!

And here’s where I’m at now; I made the air gap in the rear ~1” tall, instead of 6” like it used to be… there’s a primitive blower fan in the back corner sucking air from outside the hood to blow across the lighting/mix air in the hood/create positive pressure to vent air out of the hood (I would be better off having sealed off the back, or putting computer fans sucking air in from the back, then passive vents out the hood top to release heat… some ugly wiring, so on, so forth! — It works, but needs substantial improvements in both form and function!


(Note the 1x2 trim around the bottom perimeter of the hood to rest on the tank rim, and prevent light spill, and the hinge point flipping open the front 40% of the hood, technically making it taller… you might want to do cabinet door style hood openings!)

I thought a good might also be nice to help keep things from bleeding out on the lights too.

Absolutely!!! The glass does a decent job of blocking UV light; but you basically have a commercial grow light hanging right in your field of view in your living space without a hood… that can’t be good for the eyes in the long term!

I’d have to order 3 sets of glass suction cups anyway at 150 a pop or something so I’m already halfway to the movers.

And normal suction cups aren’t intended to be used on a vertical surface; they can slide across the surface! — they like lifting material laid horizontally; think having to put them inside the tank, on the bottom pane… then having to reach way down into the tank to grab the suction cup handles…

I think movers is going to be the safest bet at this weight; it would be the equivalent of carrying a Harley Davidson down to your basement, just even bulkier and more fragile!

 

[vittpsu21]

Does the front just lift forward to do work on? Something that just sits on the rim does seem like it would be nice. I guess worst case I could frame it around the rim also, though I wonder what the tanks are capable of holding weight wise from the top, though judging by the build quality probably more than I think lol

 

[UncommonSense]

Does the front just lift forward to do work on?

Yup! Up and slightly forward!

Something that just sits on the rim does seem like it would be nice. I guess worst case I could frame it around the rim also, though I wonder what the tanks are capable of holding weight wise from the top, though judging by the build quality probably more than I think lol

Oh yeah… think about how you could stand on the typical cardboard box without crushing it if you were gentle getting on it! — now imagine that box is 600lbs of glass! It’s robust!

My hood weighs probably 50-60lbs, and that’s with solid 1X12 lumber for three of five faces! It’s still quite manageable, but I’m still tempted to install an electric actuator to open and close it, after being inspired by a pneumatically actuated hood with touch screen controls I saw around here! — can’t recall the username; I’m sure you’ll spot it at some point!

 

[vittpsu21]

That honestly makes mounting lighting to the plywood wayyyy easier then buying all kinds of extra stuff too I think. Something to think on for sure.

I do think you are right though I’d have to do cabinet doors rather than flipping up for my use case i think.