Innovative Marine 100 Gallon Complete Reef System

[Mr. Met]

About two months ago I ordered my first tank in eight years. I have had fish tanks all my life, my last two being saltwater. In 2008 I bought a Red Sea 130, which I had for four years. The stand started to warp at that point. It never seemed like it affected the integrity of the stand, but it made me too nerves so I took it down. I replaced it with a Marineland 150xh; that lasted about a year. One morning I noticed a lot of bowing on the front panel; the top bracing was tearing. So I broke that down and gave away my fish and coral. Living in a second floor apartment and having two near accidents really put me off getting another tank for the longest time.

Every few months I would look into getting another tank, but I never pulled the trigger. Finally, two months ago I saw an offer i couldn't refuse. With all that time looking I had a good idea of what I wanted given the space I had, so I went with the IM reef system. Overall I am happy with the tank, though I am having a few issues and a couple of complaints.

6/25/23

 

[Mr. Met]

Review of the tank/system so far.
I will first say that the tank seems really well built. The glass at 15mm is thicker then the 150 I had, the tank even weighs more. The seams seem really clean and well done too.

But there are a few issues and complaints I have.
First, and maybe this is something I just never paid attention to in previous tanks, but the tank is not 100 gallons, not even close. Its about 80 gallons, with 10 of those being in the overflow. I get then actual dimensions are never going to be a nice round number, but this is too far off if you ask me. With the sump, the whole system is about 100 gallons.

Second, speaking of dimensions. I really like the shallow tank look. I was thinking of getting the SR80 but decided to go with the 100 with a sump instead of the AIO, which at the time was on sale. I sort of regret that now. The overflow takes up 3"-5", with the wraparound covering extending 5" around the sides. The result is, despite the tank being 4" wider then it is tall, it appears taller then it is wide. Obviously this doesn't effect the tank, but it was a bit of a disappointment given my expectations. That being said, I'm sure the SR80 would have the same issues, with its bigger back area and holding even less water.

Third, I am having an issue with the doors. The two on the left side have a support bar behind them. The doors have magnetic latches at the top and bottom, and you are supposed to press the middle of the door to pop them open. The thing is, when you press either door it hits the support bar before the latches are engaged. I have been in touch with cs but haven't found a solution yet.

Fourth, I am having an issue with the return pump. I was doing a water change last week, and when I turned the pump back on it made a low hum and then the controller started beeping E2. I couldn't find any issues, at least that i could see. I took the pump apart but there were no blockages. The pump has only been running for a month so it wasn't even dirty. But, when I put it back together and tried again, it started. The next day, same thing. Pump wont start, take it apart and put it back together and it starts. E2 apparently has something to do with the voltage so the are sending me a new controller and plug, but I'm not convinced that is going to fix the issue.

Like I said, despite these issues, overall I am happy with the tank so far. Mainly because it seems very sturdy, witch is especially important to my piece of mind living in an apartment.

 

[Mr. Met]

On to whats going on inside the tank. I started it in earnest about four weeks ago. I set it up with Fritz turbo start and their fishless fuel; I would not recommend. Now, I think there is overwhelming evidence that turbo start works great, 99% of the time. My issue is really with their lack of customer service. The bottle I received from saltwateraquarium.com had no expiration date on it, so I emailed them. They told me they had received a batch of bottles that were missing the date, but they were a new shipment and would be good for months. I had bought a 32oz bottle and added 8oz on the first day along with 2ppm of the fishless fuel. Tested 24 and 48 hours later with no change in ammonia. Added 8oz more, tested 24 and 48 hours later (four days total now) still no change. I had 16oz left at this point, so I added the rest of the bottle. I saw no change in ammonia till around day ten. At that point you would expect a change just from a natural cycle. I emailed Fritz about a week ago asking if its possible the bottle with no date was bad, but haven't received any response.

I will also note that the fist two times I added turbo start, the tank was cloudy for about a day, which I understand can happen. But, the tank has now been cloudy since I added the last 16oz about two weeks ago. It has certainly improved, but the tank is still cloudy. I believe it looks like a bacterial bloom?
(Dont know why the rock looks yellow in the pohto)

My nitrites are still high, but I guess that's to be expected 25 days in. My ph is at 7.7. There is not a lot of air exchange in the room the tank is in so I am thinking of getting a CO2 scrubber for the skimmer. If that is a bacterial bloom in the tank I am wondering if that can also affect ph? Lowering the level of O2 in the tank? This has also been my hesitation with adding fish. I am planing on ordering two clownfish and two banggai cardinals, along with some starter corals, from Dr. reefs. But am concerned about the O2 levels in the tank. Was thinking maybe of also getting a uv sterilizer.

 

[NickHolmes]

Review of the tank/system so far.
I will first say that the tank seems really well built. The glass at 15mm is thicker then the 150 I had, the tank even weighs more. The seams seem really clean and well done too.

But there are a few issues and complaints I have.
First, and maybe this is something I just never paid attention to in previous tanks, but the tank is not 100 gallons, not even close. Its about 80 gallons, with 10 of those being in the overflow. I get then actual dimensions are never going to be a nice round number, but this is too far off if you ask me. With the sump, the whole system is about 100 gallons.

Second, speaking of dimensions. I really like the shallow tank look. I was thinking of getting the SR80 but decided to go with the 100 with a sump instead of the AIO, which at the time was on sale. I sort of regret that now. The overflow takes up 3"-5", with the wraparound covering extending 5" around the sides. The result is, despite the tank being 4" wider then it is tall, it appears taller then it is wide. Obviously this doesn't effect the tank, but it was a bit of a disappointment given my expectations. That being said, I'm sure the SR80 would have the same issues, with its bigger back area and holding even less water.

Third, I am having an issue with the doors. The two on the left side have a support bar behind them. The doors have magnetic latches at the top and bottom, and you are supposed to press the middle of the door to pop them open. The thing is, when you press either door it hits the support bar before the latches are engaged. I have been in touch with cs but haven't found a solution yet.

Fourth, I am having an issue with the return pump. I was doing a water change last week, and when I turned the pump back on it made a low hum and then the controller started beeping E2. I couldn't find any issues, at least that i could see. I took the pump apart but there were no blockages. The pump has only been running for a month so it wasn't even dirty. But, when I put it back together and tried again, it started. The next day, same thing. Pump wont start, take it apart and put it back together and it starts. E2 apparently has something to do with the voltage so the are sending me a new controller and plug, but I'm not convinced that is going to fix the issue.

Like I said, despite these issues, overall I am happy with the tank so far. Mainly because it seems very sturdy, witch is especially important to my piece of mind living in an apartment.

Innovative Marine has one with an external overflow box. You should have researched their range before buying this.

 

[Mr. Met]

Innovative Marine has one with an external overflow box. You should have researched their range before buying this.

Hey, thanks for the input! As you can read in my first post, this was a spur of the moment purchase.

I had my reasons why I went with the internal overflow. Just in case anyone else ever reads this and is interested (as I have seen at least one post from someone who purchased the EXT and wasn't aware of this), IM uses the same wraparound backing for both tanks. So from the side it would look the same.

You should have researched their range before posting this.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Best of luck with the tank!

 

[dangles]

I’m thinking about upgrading from my IM 50 AIO to either the SR80 AIO or *maybe* the EXT 100. It’s good to know those things!

You mentioned the tank + sump is probably 100 gal but the sump is listed as 57 gal. Is it really that much less than advertised?

Anyway hopefully you get the cloudy water sorted. Good luck with your build!

 

[NickHolmes]

Hey, thanks for the input! As you can read in my first post, this was a spur of the moment purchase.

I had my reasons why I went with the internal overflow. Just in case anyone else ever reads this and is interested (as I have seen at least one post from someone who purchased the EXT and wasn't aware of this), IM uses the same wraparound backing for both tanks. So from the side it would look the same.

You should have researched their range before posting this.

I don’t think so. Would be easy to remove with a blade if it’s vinyl on yours

 

[Mr. Met]

Best of luck with the tank!

Hey, thanks, appreciate it!

 

[Mr. Met]

I’m thinking about upgrading from my IM 50 AIO to either the SR80 AIO or *maybe* the EXT 100. It’s good to know those things!

You mentioned the tank + sump is probably 100 gal but the sump is listed as 57 gal. Is it really that much less than advertised?

Anyway hopefully you get the cloudy water sorted. Good luck with your build!

Obviously its going to depend on the water level in the sump. Based on the dimensions, every inch of water is about 3 gallons (2.5 if you dont include the return pump chamber). I have the water level at 8" for my skimmer. I was thinking of raising it up, but not sure its really worth it for just an extra 3-5 gallons of water volume.

Thanks!

 

[Mr. Met]

I don’t think so. Would be easy to remove with a blade if it’s vinyl on yours

If you look at the photo I posted you can see the sticker with the serial number on it. You can see it says "EXT 100" (green box) and you can see the wraparound backing (red box).

Also, that photo is a still from a video posted by Innovative Marine.



I'm sure you could remove it with a blade. But, taking a blade to the glass of my brand new tank is not something I am willing to do.
Not sure why this small detail is such a hot button issue for you.

 

[Mr. Met]

Water is still very cloudy, maybe even a bit worse. Ordered an Aqua Ultraviolet Advantage 2000 15w. Its supposed to be delivered tomorrow but the pump wont be here till next week. Really hoping it helps.

 

[X-37B]

Nice system!
How many pounds of rock is in the tank?
Nice scape!
Got any more pics?