Hello all,
Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and put an order in for an Innovative Marine Fusion 50. Some stores list as discontinued, so I called up IM to find out more. They told me that it is not being discontinued, and they helped my find a local distributor, so I could buy it for 600 + tax rather than 750 + tax from an online store. Thanks IM!
The tank is scheduled to be delivered on the 6th (not this Friday, but the next). Never mind that, let’s start the build thread now!
My current tank is a scratched up 40 fusion. It sits on a shelf with a cabinet beneath it. This is all built into the wall in my living room. Here is a picture of how that looks.
The width of the space is 32” and it is 24” deep.
The shelf doesn’t reach to the front of the cut-out. The current shelf is 22” deep (and one inch thick). This has been fine for the current tank which is 20” deep. It leaves just a little gap behind the tank to run some dosing lines and power cables.
So that is the first issue. I asked IM about this. They suggested the following
I’ll get some pictures of the vertical supports, but for now will say that they are 2x4 studs, screwed directly to the king studs that make the side walls. I am confident they are not moving. So, I need to hit the big box stores and get a butcher’s block cut to 32”x24”.
The second issue is there will be no space at the back of the tank to run dosing lines / top-off / power cables. I am thinking of putting three or four small holes in the dry wall and running the lines down through the drywall and then back out into the cabinet below. Something like this would be perfect if I can find a smaller diameter and it can be painted.
The third issue is the lack of space on the sides. Either side of the tank I’ll have less than an inch of space. So, I am going to have to sell the dual MP10s that are running on the current tank. I am very sad about this. They are great powerheads and will be missed. Options here would be an icecap gyre (or two) – or some powerheads mounted below each overflow. I’ll also be unable to clean the glass sides of the tank. That is not the end of the world. I could embrace this and build up the rockscape around the sides... or keep the rock central in the tank.
The fourth issue is stocking. I am not sure where to go with this one. The easiest would be to just build on my current mixed reef. Other options are…
SPS only, bare bottom – LOTS of flow, a wrasse and a lawnmower blenny.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Pros
Cons
Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and put an order in for an Innovative Marine Fusion 50. Some stores list as discontinued, so I called up IM to find out more. They told me that it is not being discontinued, and they helped my find a local distributor, so I could buy it for 600 + tax rather than 750 + tax from an online store. Thanks IM!
The tank is scheduled to be delivered on the 6th (not this Friday, but the next). Never mind that, let’s start the build thread now!
My current tank is a scratched up 40 fusion. It sits on a shelf with a cabinet beneath it. This is all built into the wall in my living room. Here is a picture of how that looks.
The width of the space is 32” and it is 24” deep.
The shelf doesn’t reach to the front of the cut-out. The current shelf is 22” deep (and one inch thick). This has been fine for the current tank which is 20” deep. It leaves just a little gap behind the tank to run some dosing lines and power cables.
So that is the first issue. I asked IM about this. They suggested the following
- A new 1” thick shelf that stretches the full 24”.
- Ensure the vertical supports are strong enough to support the weight of the tank
- Ensure the vertical supports do not rack forwards or sideways.
I’ll get some pictures of the vertical supports, but for now will say that they are 2x4 studs, screwed directly to the king studs that make the side walls. I am confident they are not moving. So, I need to hit the big box stores and get a butcher’s block cut to 32”x24”.
The second issue is there will be no space at the back of the tank to run dosing lines / top-off / power cables. I am thinking of putting three or four small holes in the dry wall and running the lines down through the drywall and then back out into the cabinet below. Something like this would be perfect if I can find a smaller diameter and it can be painted.
The third issue is the lack of space on the sides. Either side of the tank I’ll have less than an inch of space. So, I am going to have to sell the dual MP10s that are running on the current tank. I am very sad about this. They are great powerheads and will be missed. Options here would be an icecap gyre (or two) – or some powerheads mounted below each overflow. I’ll also be unable to clean the glass sides of the tank. That is not the end of the world. I could embrace this and build up the rockscape around the sides... or keep the rock central in the tank.
The fourth issue is stocking. I am not sure where to go with this one. The easiest would be to just build on my current mixed reef. Other options are…
SPS only, bare bottom – LOTS of flow, a wrasse and a lawnmower blenny.
Pros
- I have the BRS dosing pumps for this already
- SPS tanks can be stunning
- Lots of color variety available
Cons
- A 50 gallon all in one tank, has less than 50 gallons of water. SPS is tricky in smaller water volumes.
- My wife likes corals that wave.
Pros
- A local store to me has a great 60 cube with a clutch of 23 [Sustainable Aquatic] clowns in it. It is mesmerizing to watch them all play.
- Buying a single clutch of clowns and then adding more and more nems is an appealing prospect.
- Lots of coral waving back and forth – happy wife.
- I could sell the BRS dosers because there is no need to really watch alk and calcium before.
- Lots of big water changes. I have been doing 5 gallons a week on the 40. I’d probably have to double that for this type of tank.
- These tanks are skimmer limited. The Tune 9004 seems to be the best option and I am not sure that is up to the task here. I’d happily run an external skimmer, but it would have to be under the tank in the stand – and I don't even know if that can be done.
- I’ll need lots of nems to help disperse the aggression early on. Probably ten or more before the clutch is introduced.
Pros
- I can move over all of my current coral
- Variety of coral types is visually appealing
- Variety of fish
- The 9004 skimmer can just about hang in there if I don't overfeed
Cons
- It just doesn’t excite me as much as the other two options