First Build: IM EXT 112 "Noob Lagoon"

[StickyThwomp]

I knew I'd be going slow, but I never imagined this slow.

One might imagine by this point in time i'd have the tank set up, some inhabitants to care for, and I'd be overthinking whether or not I was feeding to much, providing enough light, etc...

Well I'm not quite there yet. I did tear up some carpet and make some probably ill-advised home modifications though! Behold, the tank pad!


I didn't want to place the tank on the carpet, nor did I want to replace the carpet yet (even though it's in pretty bad shape), so I decided to make this little tiled pad to put the tank on, allowing me to further postpone the decision to replace the carpet.

Also, not pictured here, I've hung my lighting, and have got a PVC pipe sticking up through the floor (and routed 25' across the basement inside a support beam) as a conduit for my water change and ato supply tubing! Just trying to figure out and test if I can get the apex to dos comms running over a cat5 cable w/ USB on the ends before that piece of the system is more or less complete.

So, it's getting there, slowly and painfully, it's getting there. I think I'll be ready in oh, 3-4 years at this rate .

Thanks for reading!!

 

[RocketEngineer]

Don’t feel bad. I purchased my tank in 2019. Current status: Rocks, sand, water. Yeah, need fix that but…life.

 

[ScottD]

Ya don’t feel bad. We started about the same time frame and my tank is still sitting in its box on the pallet and stand skeleton is built but the rest isn’t started yet. I probably won’t have a chance to get anything else done on it until next winter.

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

I knew I'd be going slow, but I never imagined this slow.

One might imagine by this point in time i'd have the tank set up, some inhabitants to care for, and I'd be overthinking whether or not I was feeding to much, providing enough light, etc...

Well I'm not quite there yet. I did tear up some carpet and make some probably ill-advised home modifications though! Behold, the tank pad!


I didn't want to place the tank on the carpet, nor did I want to replace the carpet yet (even though it's in pretty bad shape), so I decided to make this little tiled pad to put the tank on, allowing me to further postpone the decision to replace the carpet.

Also, not pictured here, I've hung my lighting, and have got a PVC pipe sticking up through the floor (and routed 25' across the basement inside a support beam) as a conduit for my water change and ato supply tubing! Just trying to figure out and test if I can get the apex to dos comms running over a cat5 cable w/ USB on the ends before that piece of the system is more or less complete.

So, it's getting there, slowly and painfully, it's getting there. I think I'll be ready in oh, 3-4 years at this rate .

Thanks for reading!!

Any updates? I just ordered this tank. went with the complete (tank, stand, sump). Went with the 112 instead of the 150 mostly due to weight. estimating the 150 to be around an extra 700lbs. So when you're already at +2000lbs with the 112 I thought that was enough ;-) I still will brace the floor in a modern home. Thinking to use a 4x4 across the 3 main joists then a jack post under that which I rated for over 10k lbs. And place one on both sides. This is probably not needed but I'm placing this with stairs wrapping around it.

Things I'd like to know are why did you choose this specific skimmer from all this research on everything else?

How did your light work out? Do you have any pics with it mounted?

Screen guard for suicicidal fish? I see "something" that appears to be acrylic laying on the top of your tank?

How do you feel about the size now that you have it? I keep wondering if I should have just said screw it and went with the extra weight of the 150 but I really like the square look. though if the 150 had the end of a peninsula for 3x4 footprint that would be appealing.

I am digging in for my long wait so I have plenty of time to acquire stuff. Wondering if an Arctica chiller will fit in there too or if it's even needed. my house never goes over 74 degrees unless we lose power but my Biocube 32 is at 78 degrees because of the lights and has been to 80 a few times.

I may start a build thread when I finally get this. Before then I may order some Marco rock and follow along with BRS NSA as my guide.

I should ask, how far away from the wall did you ultimately place it for access? I'm placing this in a 3'x6' space that will have stairs wrap around it.

 

[StickyThwomp]

Any updates?

Not as many as I'd like . Made and sanity checked an aquabus cable that can run the length from the tank to the basement, but I'm falling down a rabbit hole determining how much automation I want in the water changing station. Definitely using that as an excuse to spin up some embedded programming infrastructure that I otherwise can't find the time/motivation to dive into.

Thinking to use a 4x4 across the 3 main joists then a jack post under that which I rated for over 10k lbs.

If my flooring was exposed from the basement, I think I'd probably also have attempted something as a feel-good measure at the very least. If you're on the fence, and don't want to hire a professional, you probably can't make the situation worse, right? People aren't always rational creatures, and peace of mind, however you achieve it, has value worth considering.

Things I'd like to know are why did you choose this specific skimmer from all this research on everything else?

I think this one generally had good reviews, I remember people complaining about the adjustment being finicky but figured I could handle that. Selling points I recall at the moment were that I could hook up a drain to it, the pump is quiet (or at least no complaints that it was too loud), and, it went on sale at brs . Remains to be seen is that was a good call or not. I tend to over-focus on any odd sound when I'm trying to fall sleep, and wanted to keep maintenance lower, so quiet gear and more effective volume on the skimmate before needing to interact with it I'm hoping will be worthwhile.

How did your light work out? Do you have any pics with it mounted?

Remains to be seen. This is a spot that I feel like I may have went with the shiny toy over function, as it seems at the edge of being enough spread to cover the reef, but I'm not up and running yet, so I don't know. The simplicity of a single light and a simple ceiling mount pushed me in this direction also. I don't really want a custom canopy, bulky lights, or arms getting in the way, do I'm hoping that trade-off is worthwhile.

Screen guard for suicicidal fish? I see "something" that appears to be acrylic laying on the top of your tank?

The tank came with a screen! I don't recall if that was advertised or not, but it was in the crate! Probably looks like acrylic cause it's still in the plastic bag.

How do you feel about the size now that you have it?

With how much room I'll have inside the tank? I feel great! I've got zero experience, so take it with a grain of salt, but it feels like it's not too big to be overwhelming on how to fill it, and not too small that id be feeling the need to go bigger. I'm happy with the size so far from that perspective.
With how it fits in the room? Slightly nervous. Adding that tile pad might have it claiming a bit more space than reasonable, so maybe a rectangular footprint may have been better. But I'm optimistic. I don't gaf about the old hand-me-down furniture I have in there at the moment, so rearranging around the tank isn't something I'm concerned with. If I gotta toss the bulky couch in exchange for some armchairs, oh well!

I may start a build thread when I finally get this.

Please do! There's nothing better than being able to copy and tweak the ideas of others, so it's always great to see how other people manage the same equipment. From a selfish perspective... watching others progress is also a good way to light a fire and spur some action on my part .


Thanks for reading! I welcome your thoughts, and look forward to seeing your progress! Once I get further along, I'll try to revisit the questions I wasn't yet able to answer!