New System Build

Sm2 · Jan 17, 2024

this is actually my first post ever on these forums. so please, be gentle. lol. So, I currently have a 93 gallon marineland rimless cube. Have had terrible luck with this particular tank. At first I loved the dimensions, then it became a nightmare to deal with. anyways, recently my son (8 years old) was walking in the living room and smack the corner seam with a guitar headstock and the glass on the corner has what looks like a chip. however its internal, can see it, but cant feel it. So, now theres my reason to tear it down and start over. So heres my plan....

I ordered an IM 25 AIO and have acquired some gear for it. waiting on it to arrive now. I will set this tank up in my wife's office and temporarily use it to hold a couple pieces of rock out of the cube, plus ordered a small amount of sand and premium rock from TBS. Once this this nano is up and running, I will then set my sights to getting the larger tank going. so far heres the equipment list on the IM nano. please chime in if you have a better idea or some advice...

Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2 25gal Lagoon AIO
Sicce Scuba 100 watt heater
Ecotech Radion XR15 Pro w RMS mounting arm
Ecotech MP10

I am debating on getting a skimmer for it. Not sure which ones would be good.

Long term, I am looking at the Innovative marine EXT 100 and moving over existing gear from the cube, plus adding a UV and Ozone.

TX_REEF · Jan 17, 2024

I'm glad you found an "opportunity" to acquire a system which you'll enjoy more from a dimensional perspective. Massive cubes get tricky for sure. Share pics when you get movin and groovin! This skimmer is well reviewed for AIO applications, and is rated up to 66 gallons, perhaps worth a look: https://amzn.to/3O5v8gq

Gumbies R Us · Jan 17, 2024

Following along!

Sm2 · Jan 22, 2024

So today the IM 25g tank came in. I got it wet. Used 50% water from the damaged cube and 50% new water. A few pounds of rock got moved over. Waiting on the sand and some premium rock from TBS.

Now I need to catch the fish in the cube and take them to the LFS, lower the water level in and rig up some sort of method for something similar to filtration. I want to drop the water level below the trouble areas of the tank, so about 8-9 inches below normal operation. Thinking I will just drop a utility pump in there to run a carbon reactor, maybe drop a damsel in there and leave the MP-40 going to keep the live rock good till we figure out the replacement.

Sm2 · Feb 4, 2024

well, getting closer to the big tank. planning everything out now. here's the equipment list I have now. Any suggestions or input is greatly appreciated.

Innovative Marine EXT 100 with the APS stand and sump
Radion XR30 G6 blue X2
Vectra S2 return pump
MP40 x1
AI Orbit 4 x2
Apex system (already have the system A2 pro)
Apex Trident
Apex DOS
Apex MXM module
ATK kit
of course one of the fancy adaptive reef controller boards

Im looking at doing Ozone as well. Having a little trouble deciding on the skimmer . Im pretty interested in the Maxspect skimmers. The jump 400 specifically

kevgib67 · Feb 4, 2024

Looks like you’re off to a great start, following!

Sm2 · Feb 21, 2024

Well, tank arrived yesterday. Driver was nice enough to help me bust down the pallet and inspect for damage. everything was perfect. Assembled the stand and now getting things ready to start the build for real. definitely going to take my time and do it right.

so what do you guys think? would an Aquaticlife DX18 T5 hybrid system with a pair of XR30 blues be overkill?
I am leaning that way, but would love some input on the matter.

alpenreef · Feb 24, 2024

Following. Have you decided if you’ll go with the Aquaticlife hybrid? This is a 4 ft tank right?

Sm2 · Feb 25, 2024

alpenreef said:
Following. Have you decided if you’ll go with the Aquaticlife hybrid? This is a 4 ft tank right?

I went ahead and ordered one the other day. I started thinking about it, and came to the conclusion that I think it would work out pretty good. that the T5 fill lights would drastically reduce the shadowing effect of the Radions and also potentially eliminate the disco ball effect as well. I also got the floating arm mounts for the fixture as well, which in my opinion will be a more attractive option than just using the Radion RMS mounts. So kind of a win win.

Yes this is a 4 foot tank. 47.3" x 23.6" x 19.7"

Sm2 · Feb 26, 2024

Slow progress, but gettin stuff done. The wife has decided that since we are swapping tanks, she wants an entire living room makeover. Which is fair enough. So had to discard some furniture, pick out new furniture, paint the room etc. got the stand assembled, sump placed. Then started doing things like installing motion activated under cabinet lights so when the stand doors open they come on. Tired of not having proper lighting while working in the sump lol. I then started installing tabs and such to run wires in a neat and organized fashion.

Now waiting on the controller board so I can start that task.

alpenreef · Feb 26, 2024

That’s funny. The moment I ordered my tank, my wife sent me this. Fair enough I guess. M wallet is on fire on multiple fronts.

Sm2 · Feb 27, 2024

Well, Bulk Reef Supply is like a drug dealer lol. I like most of you got that email about their leap year sale. The first thing that caught my eye was that they have the maxspect aeraqua duo marked to 50% off. I was going to get the jump 400 skimmer, but hey, at 50% off it made the big baddie $400. So I jumped on it.

Sm2 · Feb 29, 2024

luckily I was able to make some decent progress. Tank is on the stand and plumbed in. Hopefully will begin to get it wet in the next day or two.

Sm2 · Mar 3, 2024

Gettin’ it wet today. Unfortunately, I am not lucky enough to have large storage vessels of salt and ro/di water. So, slow going. 75gpd system.

noobreefer2 · Mar 3, 2024

Sm2 said:
Gettin’ it wet today. Unfortunately, I am not lucky enough to have large storage vessels of salt and ro/di water. So, slow going. 75gpd system.

When I first added water to my tank, I mixed the salt right in the tank.

Sm2 · Mar 3, 2024

noobreefer2 said:
When I first added water to my tank, I mixed the salt right in the tank.

I that’s what I’m doing. Nothing else in the tank so why not.

Sm2 · Mar 6, 2024

Well system, is up and running. Everything is transferred from the old tank and doing well thus far. I still have to add some gear. Have to build the bank account back up some first though lol.
Now on to the making the controller board and the all the wires pretty. I know normally you would do that prior to getting the tank wet, but had to kinda get it going quickly as I didn’t trust the old tank.