Tank Build - 100Gal EXT - Innovative Marine

LukasEragon · Jun 25, 2020

Hello R2R!

My Name is Lukas and I will documenting my new tank build using this thread! I have been moving for work a lot the last few years and have not be able to keep a tank. Luckily my job is now stationary again and I have purchased a new home where I will be able to one again have a reef! Previously, I have had a handful of Nano and AIO tanks along with one run of a large tank (150gal "tall"). The new build will be based around the Innovative Marine "EXT" series 100 gallon tank. I am excited to get back into the hobby and will share my process here. I'm happy for any and all feedback. Thank you!

Lukas

LukasEragon · Jun 25, 2020

Update 1: Tank Selection.

When I purchased the new house, one of the items that made my list of reasons for picking the specific home I did was that it has one wall which I felt was PERFECT for an aquarium to live on. The wall space is between the living room and kitchen (open concept) and has a total length of about 90inches or 7.5 ft. Initially I thought I could use the entire void for a larger tank and even joked about having a "7foot fish tank". But, after some more brainstorming and room planning I've decided to narrow down my tank size to a 48in (4ft) tank size for the following reasons.

a: The tank space is between kitchen cabinets and a faux brick fireplace chimney. The opposite side of the faux fireplace has a space which I aim to convert into built-in's to hold books and finish out the space. In doing so I'm also going to make an additional set of built-in's on the other side which cuts into the total spacing for the fish tank.

b: Although the new built-in will shorten the available wall for the total fish tank length, I can design the built-in's so that they have a lower cabinet area which I can utilize for housing the dry equipment such as the various pump/light/power-head controllers and the tank automation gear. This will allow the sump to remain focused on plumbing components and have less clutter overall.

With the above plan in mind, I did a lot of research into pre-made tanks in the general 48in length range. There is quite a lot of options which I will link below the final candidates.

https://www.innovative-marine.com/shop/EXT-100-Gallon-Aquarium-w-APS-Stand-p184982267 (external overflow)

https://www.innovative-marine.com/shop/INT-100-Gallon-Aquarium-w-APS-Stand-p184988256 (internal overflow)

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reefer-350-complete-system-73-gal-red-sea.html (internal overflow)

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reefer-xl-425-complete-system-88-gal-red-sea.html (internal overflow)

https://waterboxaquariums.com/products/reef?variant=31632436428909 Reef 130.4 (internal overflow)

https://www.cadeusa.com/aquariums/cade-pro-reef-1200-series-2 (internal overflow)

https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/48-x-20-crystaline-reef-black-105-gallons-planet-aquariums/ (internal overflow)

As you can see, there is no lack of options in this approx 48in length region! Which I'm glad for, lots of competition makes for more innovation and better consumer products. However, you'll notice one consistency, other than Innovative Marine, the remainder of the brands all use Internal overflow designs. If you guys know of any other External overflow models please let me know! Although I do appreciate the added cleanness of being able to push the back of the tank up nice and tight to the wall, I really prefer the look of an aquarium without any internal overflow boxes! My space has the available depth and I also figure I may end up with some MP40 powerheads on the back wall so some space off the wall is acceptable for me. Along with the pricing being competitive, the return nozzles being more separated (left and right side of back wall instead of out of the middle), and their stand design allowing the entire bottom area to be open for more flexibility I was sold and decided on the Innovative Marine EXT-100-Gallon-Aquarium!

Photo's:

First two are the "Realtor" photo's that give a reasonable idea of the space/wall which will house the Tank.

Next is a photo with a mock up of the fish tank in place. (excuse my poor Photoshop skills

)

Next is a photo showing how the current fireplace layout is which needs updating and will be re-worked to include the built-in's as mentioned above. Although this isn't exactly related to the tank itself I'll provide photo's of the remodel to this area as it will impact the tank space and again my aim is to store my dry equipment for the tank in the lower cabinet of the built-in.

fishface NJ · Jun 26, 2020

Looks like a great fit! Have you ordered the EXT yet?

LukasEragon · Jun 26, 2020

fishface NJ said:
Looks like a great fit! Have you ordered the EXT yet?

Sure have! That's going to be my next update!

LukasEragon · Jun 26, 2020

Update 2: Tank Ordered

I tried to give this business to my local fish stores but unfortunately none of them were able to order this specific tank from their vendors. The guidance I was given from the LFS's was to go ahead and order it on the Innovative Marine website and have it shipped directly to my house as this saves needing to pick it up and the risk of transport from store to home. In speaking with I.M. directly, they build these more specialty tanks in lower volumes so they take pre-orders for a specific number of builds and then they go into production once the pre-orders are filled. I was able to order on their website and it looks like I got the last slot for this production lot! According to the order, the tanks should be build and begin shipping by the last week of July. Hopefully this will mean I will have it delivered to my house at some point in early August.

Additionally I have sourced some of my initial gear from the LFS. I was able to acquire the following hardware even though supplies are limited due to the current pandemic conditions and supply chain issues.

2x: EcoTech Radion XR30 Gen5 Blue
2x: Radion RMS Tank Mount Kit
1x: EcoTech Vectra S2 Pump
2x: EcoTech MP40QD Powerhead

I still want another Vextra M3 pump to run as the actual return pump as it more closely matches the max Gallons Per Hour that the EXT 100 is rated for. I will be using the S2 pump for items like UV, Reactors, and maybe an external Skimmer. I'm also tempted to run 3 lights across the top of the tank with the use of the RMS crossbar rather than only 2 with the default from the back mounts. Would allow for some more advanced corals options as I'll have plenty of PAR to work with, but I worry it might not look as clean of an overall build using a cross bar mount compared to just mounts on the back wall. Still debating this and up for discussion with the R2R folks!

Next on the agenda is to start thinking about which sump to get and start planning out the plumbing loops. I want to make sure the individual plumbing sections are able to be disconnected without using an overload of fittings. Looks like an order of plumbing parts to BulkReefSupply might be next!

alpburakozbay · Jun 26, 2020

Hello, your the project is very detailed. Congratulations.
Your choice of equipment is good.

Poseidon's snail · Jun 26, 2020

oooohhhh loking nice - I'm gonna follow along

Poseidon's snail · Jun 26, 2020

sorry "looking"

JumboShrimp · Jun 26, 2020

I think that is a great tank-choice... a real blank canvas. Will love to see what you do with it!

garyfri · Jun 28, 2020

awesome. I am going to follow. I am looking at the 200 EXT. Not quit sure if I am going with the int or ext but will follow.

kaceyo · Jul 11, 2020

This is a great build thread. And I'm not saying that just because I also have a pre-ordered I.M. EXT 100 coming. Well...maybe a little. I had the same list of 48" tanks from the same companies to choose from. It was the sale price that pushed me onto the EXT 100. It was cheeper than many of the competitors models with lower tank volume. I used the savings to buy an Aquatic Life 48" hybred to go with my 2 Kessil A360's.
Will follow closely looking for ideas on my build.

KStatefan · Jul 11, 2020

I am leaning towards this tank also.

fishface NJ · Jul 25, 2020

I am soooo excited for you!!!

Mike Kearns · Jul 25, 2020

Following. Did you get your tank yet? Mine arrives on Monday.

LukasEragon · Jul 25, 2020

Update 3: Stand

As I wait for the tank to be delivered, I have had the time to do a lot more planning and I kept coming back to one issue; The look of the included I.M. stand is pretty nice, but doesn't allow me to make it match my house aesthetics more closely. I made the mistake (or pro?) of running across some YouTube builds where people used Extruded Aluminum as a tank stand. This is more commonly called "t-Slot" aluminum and the most popular brand is "80/20", which a lot of people also use synonymously. I saw a few hobbyists using the Framing Tech company in their builds, but I figured it was all the same so I wrote up a generic letter about what I wanted in a stand design and sent it out to about 20 different Extruded Aluminum companies. Out of all the design requests I sent....ONLY two shops replied back to me, one of which was Framing Tech!

I want to give a huge shout out to Anthony over at Framing Tech. He was super helpful and full of suggestions and design information as we evolved the stand throughout the course of a bunch of back and forth emails. My goodness this guy is awesome! He was patient with me as I requested additional modifications to the design and always willing to give me feedback on how the proposed changes might impact other aspects of the frame. We were able to design a super strong frame that will give me the added ability to add cabinet doors and sides which I can make match the house design a lot more closely.

Few specific details of the design worth noting.

a: Frame height is a bit taller than normal stands at 40 Inches Tall. (I wanted the glass to sit up a bit higher than typically seen)
b: Extra corner bracing to help support the twisting/racking due to extra height.
c: Top framework made from the larger size double extrusion in order to again help with the extra height.
d: Vertical bars up the back for Light Mounts. (These are not technically required for the weight rating, but instead can be adjusted both vertically and horizontally to support different lighting options, while also adding a bit more frame strength)
e: Button Fastners for side panels to allow for easy removal/access.
f: BLUM blu motion T'Slot Hinges for mounting doors.

Other than these changes, the Framing Tech stand is essentially matching to the I.M. stand in dimensions. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the I.M. stand, but I did decide I would go ahead and replace it due to the extra details I desired. On that note however, I did ask I.M. if I could order the Tank only, and their reply was yes, but with a catch. As It was explained to me, it is possible to order a tank only, but shipping costs are included with their Tank/Stand combos. By the time you pay for the shipping on a Tank Only order, it's essentially the same cost as the combo. With this in mind, I figure my tank cost is the same either way so I'm not too worried about investing in a better Stand, but that's just what I personally decided. If anyone in the area needs an unopened Stand please let me know!

So about the cost. Extruded Aluminum is not cheap, but this T-Slot stand should last forever. That said, I did all the math and from my estimation, Framing Tech's cost to cut and machine the connection fittings is roughly only about 100$-110$ on top of the raw materials cost. This is a GREAT deal! I used their pricing on the website and compared that to the liner foot of each extrusion being used, then added in all the various hardware. The hardware and fittings add up quickly as there is quite a lot of connection points. Even if I went with generic brand extrusions in standard 48in Lengths from Amazon, by the time you add up all the individual parts, I could not save more than 140 bucks when compared to the fully ready to build kit from Framing Tech. The Framing Tech frame will use a much better connector (subjectively) than the universal fasteners and if you factor in their included frame design service I think this is a great value. That said, if someone does have a good Miter saw and wanted to invest in a quality blade to cut the Extrusions really well, you could likely build a frame out of this material yourself. (check out granger or other industrial supply stores as they sell the extrusions in super long 12 lengths that help keep costs lower).

Also...for refrence, the only other T-Slot company that responded to my initial email, their frame cost was pretty much the same cost as Framing Tech, but when I asked for some changes to the design they told me that would involve their "custom design team" which had extra costs associated with it......WHAT? I literally just wanted to add in the vertical bars, um....yeah, No thanks, I'll go back to Anthony who is totally helpful and willing to adjust plans without issue. (a snippit of the frame design evolution is provided in the pictures)

Anyways, The Framing Tech stand is ordered! It should show up in a few weeks. I hope to have a local shop PowerCoat is black for me once it arrives before assembling it. Thanks for reading!

fishface NJ · Jul 25, 2020

Nice stand. Those extra few inches in stand height can make a big difference.

LukasEragon · Jul 25, 2020

Mike Kearns said:
Following. Did you get your tank yet? Mine arrives on Monday.

Hopefully Tank should show up this next week!

LukasEragon · Jul 25, 2020

kaceyo said:
This is a great build thread. And I'm not saying that just because I also have a pre-ordered I.M. EXT 100 coming. Well...maybe a little. I had the same list of 48" tanks from the same companies to choose from. It was the sale price that pushed me onto the EXT 100. It was cheeper than many of the competitors models with lower tank volume. I used the savings to buy an Aquatic Life 48" hybred to go with my 2 Kessil A360's.
Will follow closely looking for ideas on my build.

Awesome! I am also leaning towards using a T5 Hybrid Fixture. I figure I won't have much PAR needs for quite a few months, so no real reason to source the fixture quite yet, but the Stand design has this in mind! The vertical bars could easily be used to mount the Aquatic Lift Wall Mount. I think down the road I will seriously consider this!

JumboShrimp · Jul 25, 2020

I took a very long look at Framing Tech myself and if I ever go with an extruded aluminum stand (other than the ones Innovative Marine sells for their own tanks), I would go with them. Looks like your positive experience confirms that.

btmedic04 · Sep 13, 2020

Following! Any updates? I'm considering this very tank. Also I'm digging your eve online avatar even though I retired from the game a couple years ago