Built like a tank: my Innovative Marine Nuvo EXT 100 build

[kevgib67]

I think they come as one piece now on the side.
Well IM sent me the two sides with doors attached.
The only thing i had to do was make sure i put them on the right side so the APS was front, and the doors opened from front to back like you stated.

Sure, blame me!

If it helps, I went back and forth a lot before I pulled the trigger. It's an investment a money pit, and you and I both know that the actual tank is just a small part of it. I tell myself (and my very understanding wife) that it's cheaper than a gambling or any other addiction. And, if I manage to do it right and not crash and burn, it's something very pretty to look at once it's up and running.

Good luck, and keep thinking those thoughts.

Ya, I agree it’s just that the cost of divorce is just so expensive and my wife will probably get the tank in the settlement. Just to spite me she’ll cultivate aptasia, gha, bryopsis, cyano and dinos.

 

[Snoopy 67]

The wood goes inside the metal support.
The closer to the id the better but a screw on each end will pull it towards the front.

 

[GunnarH]

The 1st screw I used to hold the mat that goes on the stand under the tank was not straight & bothered me that it would compromise the tank bottom.

I hadn't thought of that, but that's a very good point. Thank you!

 

[GunnarH]

I saw a lot of people use 6mil plastic sheet to make the entire floor waterproof.

That's what I'm doing, except I used 14 mil plastic and Gorilla All Weather Outdoor Waterproof tape to hold it in place.

not even needed

I'm doing it anyway, just in case I spill something. I'm also placing a rope leak detector underneath the bottom floor board and a "hockey puck" leak detector on top of the plastic, next to the sump. Just in case.

 

[Naekuh]

The wood goes inside the metal support.
The closer to the id the better but a screw on each end will pull it towards the front.

Are you talking about the floor piece?
You mean this black thing under the plastic sheet?

I would rather just put a plastic PVC sheet on top of it, or do what X-37B did with the liner then screw something though it.

The board doesn't move at all once you put that ***** big RFS-39 sump on top.
Trust me, that sump alone is heavy as hell, and once all the hard piping is installed, unless you use a crow bar, you wont be able to move it.

 

[GunnarH]

I went with the 112EXT

A tank with an awesome format. Love your build thread!

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

That's what I'm doing, except I used 14 mil plastic and Gorilla All Weather Outdoor Waterproof tape to hold it in place.

I'm doing it anyway, just in case I spill something. I'm also placing a rope leak detector underneath the bottom floor board and a "hockey puck" leak detector on top of the plastic, next to the sump. Just in case.

leak detector in back behind stand. thats where the piping connection all are.

 

[Snoopy 67]

The wood I'm speaking of goes into the top rail on the rear of the tank, front too if you wish.
The rails are made of rectangular hollow aluminum & there is not much material to work with if you need to use a screw to hold something like a clamp for the plumbing.

 

[GunnarH]

behind stand. thats where the piping connection all are

Good point. It's a rope sensor, so I'll make sure to loop a portion of the rope there. Thanks!

Hydros Rope Leak Sensor Kit - HYDROS

The HYDROS Rope Leak Sensor is a flexible rope-like material that detects the presence of moisture anywhere along the rope.

www.coralvuehydros.com

 

[GunnarH]

hollow aluminum

Ah, so you mean inside the aluminum profile? That makes sense, give the screws something to bite into besides those thin aluminum walls. Got it, thanks!

 

[Snoopy 67]

 

[Naekuh]

You need about 7-8 inches from the rear of the tank to for the pipes to clear and enough room for you to turn the valves on the return should it ever happen.

I didn't think it would take up that much space until i installed all the piping.

7 inches will give you about this much space:

This is why i said if a leak should ever happen it will probably happen at the rear of the tank, unless your sump overflows.

 

[GunnarH]

You need about 7-8 inches from the rear of the tank

Exactly the data I was looking for! Thank you so much, you saved me some googling. And thanks for including a picture, that makes it very clear.

it will probably happen at the rear of the tank

Absolutely. I'll place the sensor accordingly.

 

[Naekuh]

The only thing im wondering is if i should cut up the return plumbing, as its very bulky, and put a union at the sump so it comes out in 3 pieces.

Right now you have the T hard piped to the sump, which you will find out will be a PITFA to put in unless you do it in advance, but then its very bulky.

Also im wondering if i need a couple of manifolds for things like UV steralizer, and my chiller.
Or if i should just pipe straight to the sump without cutting the factory piping.

Have you decided on what route your going?
A lot of people say manifolds are godsends when needed, and manifolds makes your life easier.
A lot of people also say larger tanks are easier but, at the same time if it ever derails, its a hobby ending event for a majority of people, so you want to put as much safety nets as possible from it ever derailing.

 

[GunnarH]

Have you decided on what route your going?

No, not yet. This is where I need help from more experienced reefers. This is the first ever sump system for me, so I have no experience with plumbing a tank, what I might need later, and so on. I do know that I'll want to add a UV lamp at some point, though.

Where would you install the manifold? Where the red arrow is pointing? Once the water has passed through the UV lamp, where would it go? Back to the pump chamber?

Apologies if these are stupid questions.

(Image of the return/output side of the plumbing borrowed from Innovative Marine.)

 

[Naekuh]

Thats where i was thinking of installing a union, incase i ever needed to pull the sump out for maintance, or if i needed to reset the sump from excessive growth of nasties. As it is setup at the factory, you would need to remove the entire T assembly to pull the sump out, and well, you will find out how much of a hassle it is unless you got help. Also im afraid i would snap the screw in fitting from excessive weight if i left it hanging.

So definitely thinking of putting a union there.

Oh i don't advise a check valve there too.
It will cause water to build up in that return and not escape.
That means when you pull that union check valve, you will have water flowing out because it was prevented from flowing though the check valve back into the sump.

If you want a check valve i would recommend something like this at the pump side.

Watkins Replacement Water Check Valve for Hot Springs Spa, 3/4" - 35233​

and connect it via silicon tubing.
This way you can have the water collected in the return flow back into the sump and have a much cleaner disassembly.

I was thinking of installing the manifold on the long horizontal piece with a gate valve, so i could control the flow though the manifold.

Im still doing a lot of planning out, not in a rush.
I rushed my last tank which was a 24G, and i totally regretted it, because there was a whole bunch of things i wanted to do, but couldn't after it was setup.

This time i decided to brew up some coffee, sit back, watch how other people are doing it, and take a more relaxed and coordinated approach to it.

 

[GunnarH]

I rushed my last tank

Same, but luckily for me in my case that was just an AIO. This is a completely different situation, so I definitely want to take my time and plan things out.

Have you considered using a second return pump, just for adding stuff like a chiller, a UV, or a reactor? @coronarex did that in their EXT 100 build thread. I kinda like that idea.

 

[Mikeltee]

Sweet tank. At least your dump can be repurposed in a few years when you upgrade to the 200 gallon. Why bioballs? No one runs them anymore. They make sense if you are not running live rock.

 

[Snoopy 67]

A check valve WILL fail @ the worst time, better off without it.

 

[GunnarH]

Why bioballs?

I'll be adding both sand and reef rock, but I'm going HNSA, so minimalist.

No one runs them anymore.

That's news to me, and very interesting. What's the downside to adding more surface area for bacteria to colonize?