TheSun126
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- Joined
- May 14, 2025
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- Michigan
- What state or country do you live in
- Michigan
Hey everybody! I'm trying something a little different this time and actually documenting the entire process of setting up this tank starting before it arrives.
If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be in a new house and in the process of setting up a 100-gallon reef tank, I would've called you crazy, but here I am.
A couple months back, I was kind of lost on where to go next with my nano. Everything was going fantastic, my corals were thriving, but I had pretty much run out of space and really felt the need to expand. So, on July 16th, I made the decision to place an order for an Innovative Marine 100 EXT—which will either be the worst decision I've ever made or the best. Time will tell.
The first challenge was figuring out where to put it. At first I was thinking about the basement, which would've made maintenance incredibly easy since my RODI setup and mixing station are already down there. The problem is that my basement stays at a cool 65 degrees year-round, and I really don't want to have 600 watts of heaters running constantly just to keep the tank at temperature.
Also, why would I want the coolest thing I own locked away in the basement where none of my guests can see it?
The solution was to slide the nano a little farther down the wall in my living room and clear out a space next to it about 8 feet wide. That also gives me enough room to eventually add a cabinet between the two tanks for an RODI reservoir, equipment, and some extra storage. This makes it the first thing my guests see when they come in the house and keeps maintenance relatively simple since the two systems will be so close. Sometime down the line I may plumb the two together but that's a ways off.
See the picture below for reference.
(Ignore the concentrated vinegar. I was cleaning powerheads and pumps last week and apparently forgot to put it away.)
My next challenge was figuring out how to spread out the purchases so they wouldn't all hit at the same time, especially since I'm also having quite a bit of work done to the house. this year That meant figuring out what I actually needed to get the tank set up and cycling and staggering every other purchase.
Thankfully, the tank came with the sump, plumbing, and return pump, so those were immediately off the list. That left heating, flow, rock, and sand as the major necessities. So far I've bought two BRS 300-watt Titanium heaters and a controller and an AI orbit 2. As for sand, I've decided to wait until I know exactly what I want to stock, but it'll most likely be a 2-3 inch depth. Rock I will discuss later.
Somewhere along the way, I also came to the realization that lighting a 100-gallon reef tank is too expensive for me to justify this year. So the current plan is to start the tank as a FOWLR and keep it that way for at least the first year. That gives the tank plenty of time to mature while letting me slowly acquire the lighting and other equipment I'll want when I eventually transition it into a full reef.
Of course, what's the fun in setting up a fish tank if you don't spend an unreasonable amount of time planning what fish you want?
As of right now, the plan is to eventually move the fish currently living in my nano over once the new tank is cycled and established. That means I'll be starting with my bonded pair of percula clowns and my tailspot blenny.
From there, I'd like to add either a Kole tang or Tomini tang, some type of wrasse, and possibly a small group of Springeri damsels. Farther down the road, I'd also really like to add a mandarin once the tank has a sustainable pod population.
For inverts, I'll be moving my pincushion urchin and strawberry conch over from the nano, adding a few trochus snails, and then seeing what else is actually needed rather than loading the tank up with a massive cleanup crew from day one.
Once I had the placement and rough stocking plan figured out, I started picking up some additional rock. One piece came from Detroit Reef Club, my favorite place in Metro Detroit, because it was just too perfect to pass up. The rest is roughly 40 pounds of Marco Rock.
I'm still playing around with the final aquascape, fortunately I have a table that's exactly the size of the tank. Also, one of the contractors working on my house mentioned that he has a large arch-shaped piece of reef rock sitting around that he isn't using and wants to get rid of so I may take him up on that.
If that piece works out, the current plan is a three-structure aquascape with enough caves and hiding spots for the smaller fish while leaving open lanes for the tang to move unimpeded.
Beyond that, we'll see where this goes.
I'll make another post in a couple weeks going over the final aquascape, equipment choices, and whatever other preparation I get done while I wait for the tank to arrive.
Thanks for reading! If you have any advice, recommendations, or experience with the IM 100 EXT, I'd love to hear it.
If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be in a new house and in the process of setting up a 100-gallon reef tank, I would've called you crazy, but here I am.
A couple months back, I was kind of lost on where to go next with my nano. Everything was going fantastic, my corals were thriving, but I had pretty much run out of space and really felt the need to expand. So, on July 16th, I made the decision to place an order for an Innovative Marine 100 EXT—which will either be the worst decision I've ever made or the best. Time will tell.
The first challenge was figuring out where to put it. At first I was thinking about the basement, which would've made maintenance incredibly easy since my RODI setup and mixing station are already down there. The problem is that my basement stays at a cool 65 degrees year-round, and I really don't want to have 600 watts of heaters running constantly just to keep the tank at temperature.
Also, why would I want the coolest thing I own locked away in the basement where none of my guests can see it?
The solution was to slide the nano a little farther down the wall in my living room and clear out a space next to it about 8 feet wide. That also gives me enough room to eventually add a cabinet between the two tanks for an RODI reservoir, equipment, and some extra storage. This makes it the first thing my guests see when they come in the house and keeps maintenance relatively simple since the two systems will be so close. Sometime down the line I may plumb the two together but that's a ways off.
See the picture below for reference.
(Ignore the concentrated vinegar. I was cleaning powerheads and pumps last week and apparently forgot to put it away.)
My next challenge was figuring out how to spread out the purchases so they wouldn't all hit at the same time, especially since I'm also having quite a bit of work done to the house. this year That meant figuring out what I actually needed to get the tank set up and cycling and staggering every other purchase.
Thankfully, the tank came with the sump, plumbing, and return pump, so those were immediately off the list. That left heating, flow, rock, and sand as the major necessities. So far I've bought two BRS 300-watt Titanium heaters and a controller and an AI orbit 2. As for sand, I've decided to wait until I know exactly what I want to stock, but it'll most likely be a 2-3 inch depth. Rock I will discuss later.
Somewhere along the way, I also came to the realization that lighting a 100-gallon reef tank is too expensive for me to justify this year. So the current plan is to start the tank as a FOWLR and keep it that way for at least the first year. That gives the tank plenty of time to mature while letting me slowly acquire the lighting and other equipment I'll want when I eventually transition it into a full reef.
Of course, what's the fun in setting up a fish tank if you don't spend an unreasonable amount of time planning what fish you want?
As of right now, the plan is to eventually move the fish currently living in my nano over once the new tank is cycled and established. That means I'll be starting with my bonded pair of percula clowns and my tailspot blenny.
From there, I'd like to add either a Kole tang or Tomini tang, some type of wrasse, and possibly a small group of Springeri damsels. Farther down the road, I'd also really like to add a mandarin once the tank has a sustainable pod population.
For inverts, I'll be moving my pincushion urchin and strawberry conch over from the nano, adding a few trochus snails, and then seeing what else is actually needed rather than loading the tank up with a massive cleanup crew from day one.
Once I had the placement and rough stocking plan figured out, I started picking up some additional rock. One piece came from Detroit Reef Club, my favorite place in Metro Detroit, because it was just too perfect to pass up. The rest is roughly 40 pounds of Marco Rock.
I'm still playing around with the final aquascape, fortunately I have a table that's exactly the size of the tank. Also, one of the contractors working on my house mentioned that he has a large arch-shaped piece of reef rock sitting around that he isn't using and wants to get rid of so I may take him up on that.
If that piece works out, the current plan is a three-structure aquascape with enough caves and hiding spots for the smaller fish while leaving open lanes for the tang to move unimpeded.
Beyond that, we'll see where this goes.
I'll make another post in a couple weeks going over the final aquascape, equipment choices, and whatever other preparation I get done while I wait for the tank to arrive.
Thanks for reading! If you have any advice, recommendations, or experience with the IM 100 EXT, I'd love to hear it.
