HKAVR45's First Venture into 180g+ IM 200 EXT Build

HKAVR45

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Thanks for joining me on this tank build, where I will attempt to document and answer as many questions as possible along this journey. I am excited to join the Innovative Marine crew with a 200 EXT. Before I jump in with all the juicy specs such as equipment & stocking lists and of course pics pics pics, I’d like to start off with a few comments regarding current state, drivers behind the upgrade, and my progression through the hobby over the last 20 years.

Current State:
I live in upstate NY close to Saratoga, but I’m not originally from the area. My wife and I moved out this way 15 years ago from Boston so I could attend grad school. We lived in an apartment for several years and then moved to a house in 2010. With kids on the way I knew we would outgrow that house so any tank upgrades would have to wait. In 2017 we moved into what I refer to as the “forever” house. Plenty of room to grow, equidistant from both sets of parents, kids are all heavily involved in school, church, activities, & sports, and my wife and I have great work from home jobs. The roots have grown, no moves in sight, time for a large tank!

I purchased my current tank, the Red Sea Reefer 525XL, from my LFS in 2018 and it first saw salt water in January of 2019. Over the last 3+ years its been a great tank (mixed reef probably 40% softies, 40% LPS, and 20% SPS). I’ve had a lot of success stabilizing parameters, learning new techniques & using equipment I’ve never used before, and overall some very healthy coral & fish growth. However, there have also been many struggles. Like the bacterial infection (at least I thought it was) that systematically wiped out all of my acans from one side of the tank to the other. Or the time when my AWC new water line clogged with salt sediment to the point where only the waste line was operating causing my ATO to empty 20g of RODI into the tank before I figured out what the problem was. But hey, that’s reefing and life in general right? Run into a problem, analyze, correct, move on (spoken like a true engineer).

February 2019:
IMG_20190304_193755.jpg



November 2022:
525 Nov.jpg



Upgrade Drivers:
There are a few different factors motivating the tank upgrade and I’ll try to be as neutral as possible in my examples.

First, off like many people have said, you should always go as large as you can, because eventually you’ll want to upgrade. When the 525 first entered the house, holy cow I thought, this thing is huge. But now its not as intimidating as it once was, plus I have invested a lot of time and money into automation which has simplified its operation immensely.

Second, I was also concerned about the floor taking the weight of anything bigger and I didn’t want to get involved in shoring up floor joists from the basement. Fast forward to today and after a few hours of research, no big deal, but at the time I had enough on my plate doing plumbing for the first time, cooking Pukani rock, figuring out the Apex, etc.

And lastly, I’ve lost confidence in the structural integrity of the Reefer’s stand. I’ve been aware of the silicone seam issues a small percentage of the population has experienced and I by no means have the telltale signs of weakened seams. However, it did cause a few sleepless nights, so I decided to do the paper test. Not only did an 8.5”x11” piece of paper slip between the tank and the stand, but a thicker business card did as well. This prompted me to break out a large framing square and sure enough I have some good deflection going on there in the stand. I’ve read countless thread and Facebook posts on this topic, even found statements directly from Red Sea that the paper test doesn’t automatically result in seam failure, some deflection is acceptable, and no structural fix is needed for the 525 even though the 625 and 725 got one. There are so many things to worry about in this hobby, and I know it could happen to any tank manufacturer’s product, but I want leaks and stand integrity at the very bottom of my worry-list.

Hobby Progression:
Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been in the reefing hobby for 20 years now. I had to just look it up, but I first joined the other forum in March of 2002. Wow where has the time gone? OK, ready for a good laugh as I look back at the tanks and milestones that got me to where I am now?

March 2002: First Tank
15g hex. HOB aqua clear filter w/ carbon. I was drawn to the hobby by the “blue” look of the water, so for lighting I used a 9” actinic power compact mounted in some enclosure I cobbed together with limited power tools. Notable livestock was a scooter blenny which quickly died due to starvation and a Condylactis anemone because I liked the way it swayed with the water movement. Sorry, no pics of this one. I've searched high and low, but couldn't find a thing.

June 2002: Friends tank breakdown forced an upgrade from the 15 Hex
Standard 29g. This time I did slightly better with filtration, using a maxi-jet for flow and an Aqua-C Remora Pro skimmer. I also upgraded the lighting to 220W of power compact. That’s a ton of light over such a small tank, but it did surprisingly well. Livestock included a pair of mated clowns and a tiny Hippo tang. I can see everyone cringing now, but I will say there were no casualties during my ownership. A move forced the tank breakdown in November of 2003.
29g.JPG


June 2004: After a short hiatus due to travel I decided it was time to reef again.
15g tall (what is it with me and 15g tanks?). For flow I used an Aquaclear 500 which was fitted to grow chaeto using a clip on 9w desk light. This is where I started to really get into corals and began using a 150W Current USA metal halide fixture with the dusk to dawn LED’s (Take that watts/gallon). I also began using the Kangaroo 324 peristaltic pump to dose kalkwasser. The first inhabitant I had was a yellow watchman goby that was with me from 2004 until 2013 and a clown fish I got in Feb of 2005 which I still have today.
15g tall 2.JPG



August 2007: My wife and I moved from Boston to upstate NY, so I setup a new tank prior to the move.
30g Oceanic cube w/matching stand. This was my dream tank at the time. I loved the dimensions and I think a lot of people still do based on the number of nano’s produced today of a similar size. The MH was transferred over to this tank and I used an Aqua-C Remora. This was my first tank using Tunze products. For flow I started off with a 6025 and quickly added a controllable 6055 with the 7095 controller. Around 2016 I scrapped the MH light in favor of my first LED the Hydra 26. Very cool tank it served me well and was moved into our first house in 2010.
30 cube.JPG



February 2017: Moving tanks is stressful, so when we moved a mile down the road to our “forever” house I had a tank waiting.
40g breeder. I’ve always wanted this size tank. Again, very cool dimensions with its front to back depth. On this tank I used 2 Hydra 26’s, a Tunze skimmer, and I had a Gyre 150 for flow. This tank was finally taken down after I moved all its inhabitants to the current 525XL.
40b.jpg



What a walk down memory lane. Enough with the past, let’s move on to the present and future with the build out of the IM 200 EXT...........
 

BlingityBling

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Beautiful tanks and Awesome stuff... looking foreward to seeing where this goes! I guess you'll sell the Red Sea? Reading the stand issues makes me happy while I considered them, they really weren't at the top of my list. Best of luck!
 
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HKAVR45

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Before I go into the equipment spec’s and plans, I have a few background thoughts/comments which lead me to the IM 200EXT purchase. Earlier this year the upgrade bug bit me so I contacted several pretty well-known custom tank builders for quotes. These tanks are expensive, and I half knew what I was getting into, but I couldn’t find a tank dimension & price that I was comfortable with. My dimensions went between 72, 84, 96 long and 24, 30, 36 wide. It was almost like I was trying to will the tank specs and price to that magic number when in the end that combination just didn’t exist. Cost was a deciding factor because I have no room on the first floor for something that large so it would have to go in our finished basement. This isn’t a problem, I have direct access to my basement from the garage, but the basement doesn’t get used a lot. When I had the temporary 40g breeder in the basement it would go through stretches of testing & maintenance neglect. I also have three kids ranging from 6 to 11 so my evenings and weekends are usually spent on a soccer field or at a horse stable. As a result, there were times when I loved the tank and there were times when I thought about getting out of the hobby. I couldn’t justify dropping 10K+ on a basement tank without that “all-in, it’s your life now” mentality. In the end, if I do want/need to get out of the hobby, there’s probably more people willing to entertain a 200g compared to a 400g 96”L x 36”W tank. Wow, what a way to start off a build by justifying a tank because its easier to sell than something larger.

Tank:
IM 200EXT (White stand)
Capacity: 200 gallon
Dimensions: 70.9”L x 30”W x 21.7”H
19mm low iron glass, 15mm full euro-brace, and 22mm bottom glass.
External overflow glass box w/ three 1” drains – full siphon primary, secondary, emergency.
Returns two ¾” pre-drilled holes w/ bulkheads & loc-line
Stand 35.4” tall and made of an extruded aluminum style frame and is “skinned” with 2 side & 3 front doors.

So, what are the real reasons I decided to go with the IM 200EXT? Well for one, the dimensions work for me and where I want to place the tank. After seeing and touching a 170INT at my LFS, I don’t think I would be “settling” on the 30” width. To be honest, anything wider would be pretty cool, but it would make maintenance more difficult, and I’d probably have to do another row of lighting to get the proper spread. I also really like the look of the external overflow box. I realize its not for everyone since it forces the aquarium out from the wall, but inside the tank is so clean without the internal overflow. The Nuvo APS stand is another factor that influenced my decision. I know this isn’t 80/20, but I’ve seen other stand builds using extruded aluminum and I love the durability, stability, and the fact that its already skinned.

Sump:
Nuvo RFS 50
Capacity: 74g
Dimensions: 49.8”L x 18.8”W x 18.3”H
Configuration: 3 chambers w/lids (equipment, fuge, return)
Features: PVC drain & return bulkheads, adjustable water height baffle for the skimmer, dosing & topoff push fittings

My thought process here was rather simple. IM is running a 40% off sale when you buy the tank, tank/stand, or tank/stand/sump. Essentially the sump cost $600 by taking the price deltas from the above configurations. When I checked out sumps at BRS for $600 there was nothing that compared to the size and features of the RFS. The sump fits my skimmer & kalk stirrer and gives me the option for a refugium which is good enough for me.

Filtration & Flow:
Skimmer: Vertex Omega 180i will be reused from the current setup. Its been a great skimmer and now that I know the sicce needle wheel impeller works as a replacement part, hopefully I’ll get some good life out of this unit.

Internal Tank Flow: MP40QD, 2 will be reused and 2 will be purchased during the 25% off sale.
Return: VarioS-8 will be reused as the main return. In the current setup, the return line is also driving a 3-port manifold. I haven’t had too many issues balancing the drains due to the fluctuations from the manifold, but that’s because the 525XL only has 1 return line. Since the IM 200EXT has two returns which need to be balanced, the VarioS-8 will be used as a dedicated return and the manifold will be run off a separate pump.

Manifold: will be reused and installed at a later date. Originally I planned on being able to run carbon, GFO, and a UV all at once, but the reality is that I rarely use more than one port at a time and that’s typically for GFO.
Manifold.jpg



Lighting:
Tank Lights: 4 Radion XR15 G6 Pro’s. I’ve only every used Hydras and I really like them. Plenty of color and PAR for what I want to accomplish. I think I’m changing just to change. Talk me into or out of this one please. Open to advice.
Fuge Light: Kessil H160 Tuna Flora light will be reused.



Dosing & Other Systems:
Controller: I have a full Apex and I’m probably using 1/100 of its capabilities. It controls the two Finnex 300W heaters,
Kessil Fuge light, MP40’s, and the VarioS return.
Apex.jpg

I have three DOS systems also connected. One performing the AWC from the basement water change station, one dosing TM All for Reef & NOPOX, and the last is pushing RODI water through the kalk stirrer. I still have one open head which I was going to use in conjunction with the water level monitoring system to keep my top-off container filled. The AWC pictured below changes out 2.5g per day and I make water once every 3-4 weeks. This thing has been a HUGE timesaver, not to mention no more lugging buckets.
AWC.jpg


RODI:
My Air Water Ice 5 stage is probably 15 years old. I first got it when I set up my 15g tall. At the time I was using a faucet adapter filling up a 1 gallon bucket at a time for water changes. The setup has come a long way. I first added a second stage DI to help prolong DI life. There is a TDS meter before the unit, so I know what the street TDS is, one immediately after the membrane so I know the rejection rate, and then one between the DI stages. Once the DI reading is 2-3 TDS I know its time to change out my DI. I take the cartridge from the last stage and move it up one and replace the last stage with fresh DI. The membrane is a 50GPD, but I've added a second one which helps increase production and reduce waste. And lastly I added a booster pump, which has really increased the amount of water I can make in a day. If I start with no water in the two 50g containers, I can have them both filled in about 14 hours. Second membrane, booster pump, and second DI cartridge are all additions I highly recommend.
AWC2.jpg
 

BlingityBling

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I have 3 radion G4’s on a 180 gallon and love them enough I can’t see changing at this point. Just like the mp40’s… I’m struggling with the price of g5 vs g6’s… 4 5’s for about the same money as 3 of the 6’s… but also, I’m growing SPS just fine with three older radions so technically I shouldn’t be weighing it lol.
I’ve never had Hydras, but I imagine they are nice as I do like my Primes on my small tanks. A friend of mine swears by Kessil… and while they are nice, my tank is between the kitchen and living room and I really don’t want that shimmer reflecting around the room every evening while watching tv. I know it would be distracting as one Prime puts a shimmer on the ceiling in the same room lol.
 
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HKAVR45

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Floor support question:


For those who haven’t read from the top, the tank is an IM 200EXT 200g + 75g sump, replacing a Red Sea Reefer 525XL 112G + 30g sump. I currently do not have floor support in place for the reefer, but I am contemplating it for the new tank. I am evaluating 4 different options plus possibly doing nothing at all. Interested in everyone’s thoughts and opinions.

Basement support information:

Joists:
2.25”x12” engineered I-Joists. CJI230. They are 16” on center and span 11’ between cross support beams. Joists are resting on the beams as opposed to mounted to the beam side with hanging hardware.

Cross Beams:
3.5”x9.5” engineered wood. With floor jacks every 6’.

Tank Location:
Tank will be perpendicular to the floor joists and span a total of 5 joists. The front of the tank is 22” from the joist’s cross beam in the basement, and the rear of the tank is 52” from this beam.

Considerations:
I have a plywood shelf setup in the basement that is in the way of one proposed floor jack which would support a joist on one side of the tank. I would prefer not to modify the shelf to accommodate the floor jack, but if that’s the consensus I’ll have to do it because I want this done correctly the first time.

Four options:
In an ideal world I would place the floor jack under the joists at either end of the tank, but that would require modification to the shelf system. Option A, should I place the support under the centerline of the tank? Or Option B, should the support be closer to the back of the tank or even under the wall behind the tank on the first floor.

1668615295257.png


Option C or D have the floor jack supports a bit off centered under the tank so I don’t have to cut the shelf. I could also combine recommendations from A vs. B (centerline or rear of tank) with options C & D.

1668615333232.png


Any advice?
 

BlingityBling

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Certainly not telling you what to do, however, I’m in the same boat so to speak yet I intend to do nothing personally. My house also has engineered joists with common spacing and construction and I’m also doing the ext200. My basement is fully finished with a kitchen “my bar” directly under where the tank is going upstairs. So, I refuse to do any reinforcement and I’ll tell you why… first, it will be flat out unsightly in a finished space. The real reason though is I have a180 gallon setup in my office sitting parallel to the joists so there’s no possible way it’s got more than 2 under it. It has been up and running over 3 years now with no issues and not a single crack or wrinkle in the drywall below. It also does not have a structural wall underneath it. It is straight up as level as the day it was set. So I’m not feeling the need to consult anyone like a structural engineer or the like. My EXT will be perpendicular to the joists just like your scenario which to me is way better than my office. Will I regret it 5 years from now? Maybe… but worst case which nobody wants is the whole thing goes through the floor and homeowners insurance can cover it… realistically, that’s never going to happen because once the floor deflects 1/2-1” it’s going to be obvious to see and feel walking on it. Then something can be done which for me would be taking down the tank or finding a new spot for it vs jacks and beams right in front of my downstairs kitchen sink. To each their own. I don’t expect an issue. When in doubt, call a structural engineer to check it and recommend a solution.
 

Devaji

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fallowing along, I have been looking at the same tank and sump for a while now just took down my red sea reefer 650P as we thought we where gonna do some time abroad but that is looking like it not gonna happen....so I am tank shopping!

our thinking is the same on the IM sump. not a ton of info or real would experience on it. but looks good for the $600 extra kinda a no brainier eh? at 1st I was hoping 2X 40 br would fit side by side but that is a no go.

when did you place your order? I know they are made to order but did you get an ETA?
 

Nburg's Reef

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Weird question - is the black backing vinyl or something like acrylic and can it be removed? I ordered a 170 EXT and I hate black backings, so I would love to remove the black backing if possible.
 
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