6 months after setting up my first reef tank (build thread here), I'm upgrading from 10 gallons to 50 gallons! Planning to repurpose the "old" tank as a frag tank / coral and invert QT, so I'll still put all of the equipment to good use.
I was happy with the quality of my Innovative Marine Nuvo 10 and especially it's aluminum APS stand, so for my upgrade I decided to go with the Innovative Marine 50 gallon EXT.
Here's current list of equipment:
Tank/Stand: Innovative Marine Nuvo EXT 50 Gallon Lagoon with APS stand
I spent a while searching for different options in the ~50 gallon range. I considered other mainstream options, such as the Red Sea 200XL, as well as newer options, such as the Mode Infinity 50G. I also considered going the custom route, but was ultimately turned off by the relatively high price, long lead times, and the fact that it seemed hard to fine a custom clean looking stand that didn't just have a plain wood finish (which wouldn't work well with our living space). I was close to going with the Red Sea 200XL, but didn't love the center overflow protruding into the display. I had to write off Mode Aquariums since they seemed to have a history of mediocre service compounded with the fact that they were unresponsive to questions on this forum.
I appreciate that the EXT 50 has the external overflow which leads to a totally clean background and optimizes the dimensions of the tank. I think I'll also enjoy having the shallow dimensions and top-down view of the lagoon style. Once I pulled the trigger on the tank, I started researching how to plumb and was initially overwhelmed. Ultimately, my fiancee and I were able to plumb the tank with few issues. Ended up cutting the emergency drain sliiightly too short, so I had to extend the pipe with a slipXslip coupling which you can see in the pictures below.
Initial plumbing with the emergency drain slightly too short to sit flush in sump:
FIXED -- emergency drain extended half an inch with a slipXslip coupling
Sump shot
Pump: Sicce SDC 6.0
I was looking for a quality DC pump, so I became interested in this Sicce since it's not made in China and comes with a 5-year (!) warranty. The wi-fi functionality is a bonus, but not something that I thought I needed. Since I am not planning on getting a controller, it's nice it can send alerts if it loses power or the temperature swings too far in one direction (I think). It seems the pump provides a lot more flow than I need, so I've turned it down to ~30% and it's almost totally silent. I'm currently experiencing an issue where if I turn off the pump, water siphons from the tank to the sump (obviously), and then when I go to turn it back on, I can't get the water to flow again unless I take the pump apart. Sometimes it'll restart if I knock it slightly, but usually I need to at least unscrew the intake guard and push in the impeller. After some research, it sounds like this is not too uncommon of an issue with DC pumps, but not something I want to tolerate. Sicce has been very responsive so far and I'll update on this issue in the future and how they resolve it.
Sump: Trigger Systems Triton 26
As I'm sure many reefers do, I went back-and-forth on whether or not it is worth spending hundreds of dollars on a plastic box that sits out of view 95% of the time. I ended up reasoning that I'm better off just getting exactly what I want now, rather than spending more to upgrade in the future. Also, since this is in the center of our living space, I wanted to make sure every bit of it looked nice and tidy.
I liked that the Triton 26 has a big space for a refugium and am going to try to run a refugium only, with no skimmer. Also hoping to get a mandarin goby and need plenty of pods. Since I'm cutting it close with a 50 gallon display, I wanted to make sure I maximized the refugium space for copepods. It's nice that the Triton 26 also has two ports for drains rather than the Trigger Sapphire 26 which only has one drain input. Was particularly happy to support a made in USA product as well.
Powerhead: Tunze Turbelle Nanostream 6040
My initial plan was to just pay up to get an Ecotech MP40 since I wanted the clean look in the display with no wires, but I realized this pump didn't really work for my tank and aquascape. I wanted to only mount the powerhead on the back wall (leaving the side glass clean), and the fact that the MP40 is non-directional was a deal-breaker. I don't mind spending the money, but only if it delivers on all my needs.
Since I'm sticking with softies and LPS I didn't need too much more flow besides my return pump (I think) and I realized the Tunze 6040 I had from my existing 10 gallon would work well. This Tunze is controllable and able to aim in any direction. It's now mounted on the right of the back wall behind my main rock structure and blows from right to left which complements the return pump which blows back to front. It's nearly silent and totally hidden from view from most angles.
Lighting: Kessil A360X
I wanted to stick with LED and liked the clean look a single pendant would provide over the tank. Also had an interest in the Kessil "shimmer" for this lagoon style tank. I think this will be just enough lighting for my needs, but we'll see how that goes.
Pricing on the light is high, which makes the expensive accessories particularly aggravating. $100 for a basic controller, $80 for a mounting arm, $55 for an extension mount!! The only thing more ridiculous than these prices is the guy that forks over for them... Hopefully that shimmer is worth it!
For refugium lighting, I'm considering the Tunze EcoChic, but still researching.
Lid: DD Jump Guard
I looked at custom options for lids, but they're pretty darn expensive, have long lead times, and seem way too visually obtrusive. Although the custom lids are "clear", the acrylic seems to reflect a lot of light and appear very distracting. The DD Jump Guard is quite affordable and I liked the black mesh which is much less noticeable than the white/clear mesh on my 10 gallon.
I got a hacksaw with fine teeth (32 TPI) and a miter box to make sure my cuts were clean. The lid sits flush with the top of the tank and has a very thin lip so that the tank is totally sealed. I think this was a great purchase and looks much better than a custom acrylic lid would. My only concern is figuring out how to mount the light bracket on the rim with this lid in place. One option is to notch out the lid, but I think that'll detract from the clean look and might compromise the structural integrity of the frame. Going to try to mount the light behind the tank to an extended mount that connects to the stand.
More pictures of the tank to come once I add existing livestock from the 10 gallon later this week.
I was happy with the quality of my Innovative Marine Nuvo 10 and especially it's aluminum APS stand, so for my upgrade I decided to go with the Innovative Marine 50 gallon EXT.
Here's current list of equipment:
- Tank/Stand: Innovative Marine Nuvo EXT 50 Gallon Lagoon with APS stand
- Pump: Sicce SDC 6.0
- Sump: Trigger Systems Triton 26
- Powerhead: Tunze Turbelle Nanostream 6040
- Lighting: Kessil A360X
- Lid: DD Jump Guard
Tank/Stand: Innovative Marine Nuvo EXT 50 Gallon Lagoon with APS stand
I spent a while searching for different options in the ~50 gallon range. I considered other mainstream options, such as the Red Sea 200XL, as well as newer options, such as the Mode Infinity 50G. I also considered going the custom route, but was ultimately turned off by the relatively high price, long lead times, and the fact that it seemed hard to fine a custom clean looking stand that didn't just have a plain wood finish (which wouldn't work well with our living space). I was close to going with the Red Sea 200XL, but didn't love the center overflow protruding into the display. I had to write off Mode Aquariums since they seemed to have a history of mediocre service compounded with the fact that they were unresponsive to questions on this forum.
I appreciate that the EXT 50 has the external overflow which leads to a totally clean background and optimizes the dimensions of the tank. I think I'll also enjoy having the shallow dimensions and top-down view of the lagoon style. Once I pulled the trigger on the tank, I started researching how to plumb and was initially overwhelmed. Ultimately, my fiancee and I were able to plumb the tank with few issues. Ended up cutting the emergency drain sliiightly too short, so I had to extend the pipe with a slipXslip coupling which you can see in the pictures below.
Initial plumbing with the emergency drain slightly too short to sit flush in sump:
FIXED -- emergency drain extended half an inch with a slipXslip coupling
Sump shot
Pump: Sicce SDC 6.0
I was looking for a quality DC pump, so I became interested in this Sicce since it's not made in China and comes with a 5-year (!) warranty. The wi-fi functionality is a bonus, but not something that I thought I needed. Since I am not planning on getting a controller, it's nice it can send alerts if it loses power or the temperature swings too far in one direction (I think). It seems the pump provides a lot more flow than I need, so I've turned it down to ~30% and it's almost totally silent. I'm currently experiencing an issue where if I turn off the pump, water siphons from the tank to the sump (obviously), and then when I go to turn it back on, I can't get the water to flow again unless I take the pump apart. Sometimes it'll restart if I knock it slightly, but usually I need to at least unscrew the intake guard and push in the impeller. After some research, it sounds like this is not too uncommon of an issue with DC pumps, but not something I want to tolerate. Sicce has been very responsive so far and I'll update on this issue in the future and how they resolve it.
Sump: Trigger Systems Triton 26
As I'm sure many reefers do, I went back-and-forth on whether or not it is worth spending hundreds of dollars on a plastic box that sits out of view 95% of the time. I ended up reasoning that I'm better off just getting exactly what I want now, rather than spending more to upgrade in the future. Also, since this is in the center of our living space, I wanted to make sure every bit of it looked nice and tidy.
I liked that the Triton 26 has a big space for a refugium and am going to try to run a refugium only, with no skimmer. Also hoping to get a mandarin goby and need plenty of pods. Since I'm cutting it close with a 50 gallon display, I wanted to make sure I maximized the refugium space for copepods. It's nice that the Triton 26 also has two ports for drains rather than the Trigger Sapphire 26 which only has one drain input. Was particularly happy to support a made in USA product as well.
Powerhead: Tunze Turbelle Nanostream 6040
My initial plan was to just pay up to get an Ecotech MP40 since I wanted the clean look in the display with no wires, but I realized this pump didn't really work for my tank and aquascape. I wanted to only mount the powerhead on the back wall (leaving the side glass clean), and the fact that the MP40 is non-directional was a deal-breaker. I don't mind spending the money, but only if it delivers on all my needs.
Since I'm sticking with softies and LPS I didn't need too much more flow besides my return pump (I think) and I realized the Tunze 6040 I had from my existing 10 gallon would work well. This Tunze is controllable and able to aim in any direction. It's now mounted on the right of the back wall behind my main rock structure and blows from right to left which complements the return pump which blows back to front. It's nearly silent and totally hidden from view from most angles.
Lighting: Kessil A360X
I wanted to stick with LED and liked the clean look a single pendant would provide over the tank. Also had an interest in the Kessil "shimmer" for this lagoon style tank. I think this will be just enough lighting for my needs, but we'll see how that goes.
Pricing on the light is high, which makes the expensive accessories particularly aggravating. $100 for a basic controller, $80 for a mounting arm, $55 for an extension mount!! The only thing more ridiculous than these prices is the guy that forks over for them... Hopefully that shimmer is worth it!
For refugium lighting, I'm considering the Tunze EcoChic, but still researching.
Lid: DD Jump Guard
I looked at custom options for lids, but they're pretty darn expensive, have long lead times, and seem way too visually obtrusive. Although the custom lids are "clear", the acrylic seems to reflect a lot of light and appear very distracting. The DD Jump Guard is quite affordable and I liked the black mesh which is much less noticeable than the white/clear mesh on my 10 gallon.
I got a hacksaw with fine teeth (32 TPI) and a miter box to make sure my cuts were clean. The lid sits flush with the top of the tank and has a very thin lip so that the tank is totally sealed. I think this was a great purchase and looks much better than a custom acrylic lid would. My only concern is figuring out how to mount the light bracket on the rim with this lid in place. One option is to notch out the lid, but I think that'll detract from the clean look and might compromise the structural integrity of the frame. Going to try to mount the light behind the tank to an extended mount that connects to the stand.
More pictures of the tank to come once I add existing livestock from the 10 gallon later this week.