IM 150 Lagoon or IM 120 AIO.. help!??

[Ryan4485]

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I can't decide between these 2 tanks.. I want a mix reef with tangs. What are the differences? Advantages? Etc..

INT 150 Lagoon Aquarium w/ APS Stand - Black (Made to Order)​

SR Pro 2 | 120 AIO Aquarium w/ APS Stand - Black (Made to Order)​

#reefsquad #tankchallenge #tankspiration #tank #reefing #Reef2Reef

 

[JoJosReef]

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I can't decide between these 2 tanks.. I want a mix reef with tangs. What are the differences? Advantages? Etc..

INT 150 Lagoon Aquarium w/ APS Stand - Black (Made to Order)​

SR Pro 2 | 120 AIO Aquarium w/ APS Stand - Black (Made to Order)​

#reefsquad #tankchallenge #tankspiration #tank #reefing #Reef2Reef

I was looking at the same tanks. I think it comes down to several factors:
#1 Cost. The 120 AIO comes with a lot of the equipment you need for a complete system. It's profile, while super long, is not too deep or wide, so you have more budget lighting options. For example, you could get away with 4 Noopsyche K7 Minis to light the whole thing for $400. Can't do that with the 150 since it is way wider and needs lights with more spread.

#2 Sump vs. no-sump. Second biggest factor. All comes down to whether you want a sump or not. The 120g AIO looks like it will have space for quite a bit of equipment, but you'll be limited by footprint for things like protein skimmers and refugium space. Much more flexible with the 150 INT.

#3 Profile. Very long tank vs long and wide tank. I don't know enough about bigger tank fish to say anything here. Maybe the long tank is good for tangs. I would imagine both tanks would serve, but there are a number of tangs that would theoretically do better in a 150, which gets you closer to that 180/200g range for bigger tang species. Scape probably plays an equally important role.

Those are my thoughts! 120g if you got the space, 150g if you've got the $$$!

 

[saltyhog]

Pros for the 120 are the longer length, the cons are the very shallow height (16") that makes it limiting as corals mature. It's also an AIO so you don't have the extra volume from a sump that would help with tangs as they are "messy" Pros for the 150 are the larger volume and the sump. Cons are the shorter length which is problematic for tangs other than smaller zebrasoma and bristle tooth tangs.

 

[bushdoc]

I have 30 gal Innovative Marine AIO and 120 gal custom tank with sump.
In my personal opinion sweet spot for AIO is around 40-50gal and for everything larger system with sump has got more advantages.
For 120 gal you will need decent skimmer, you may need to run some media reactors. You will have issues finding those for AIO system .There is also an issue with cleaning AIO compartment, not so difficult on 30 gal tank, but probably an issue wit 120.

 

[Ryan4485]

Pros for the 120 are the longer length, the cons are the very shallow height (16") that makes it limiting as corals mature. It's also an AIO so you don't have the extra volume from a sump that would help with tangs as they are "messy" Pros for the 150 are the larger volume and the sump. Cons are the shorter length which is problematic for tangs other than smaller zebrasoma and bristle tooth tangs.

So you think the extra length is better than the water volume for the tangs?

 

[Ryan4485]

I was looking at the same tanks. I think it comes down to several factors:
#1 Cost. The 120 AIO comes with a lot of the equipment you need for a complete system. It's profile, while super long, is not too deep or wide, so you have more budget lighting options. For example, you could get away with 4 Noopsyche K7 Minis to light the whole thing for $400. Can't do that with the 150 since it is way wider and needs lights with more spread.

#2 Sump vs. no-sump. Second biggest factor. All comes down to whether you want a sump or not. The 120g AIO looks like it will have space for quite a bit of equipment, but you'll be limited by footprint for things like protein skimmers and refugium space. Much more flexible with the 150 INT.

#3 Profile. Very long tank vs long and wide tank. I don't know enough about bigger tank fish to say anything here. Maybe the long tank is good for tangs. I would imagine both tanks would serve, but there are a number of tangs that would theoretically do better in a 150, which gets you closer to that 180/200g range for bigger tang species. Scape probably plays an equally important role.

Those are my thoughts! 120g if you got the space, 150g if you've got the $$$!

I wish IM made a 5’ length tank..

 

[saltyhog]

So you think the extra length is better than the water volume for the tangs?

It's a trade off. I'm not sure either are a great choice for tangs.

 

[Ryan4485]

It's a trade off. I'm not sure either are a great choice for tangs.

Do you have a tank recommendation for tangs?

 

[nereefpat]

Do you have a tank recommendation for tangs?

Which tangs are you considering? There are a few choices for 4-5 foot tanks. Some get huge, active, and some get aggressive.

Just throwing it out there...a standard 6x2x2 180 is a great size tank, and you could get most commonly available tangs to be fine in there for their lifespan.

 

[Ryan4485]

Which tangs are you considering? There are a few choices for 4-5 foot tanks. Some get huge, active, and some get aggressive.

Just throwing it out there...a standard 6x2x2 180 is a great size tank, and you could get most commonly available tangs to be fine in there for their lifespan.

I like a lot of them. But Purple, Regal, Yellow, Brown, those are what I was thinking.. How many could I do in a 6' 180 gallon??

 

[Ryan4485]

Which tangs are you considering? There are a few choices for 4-5 foot tanks. Some get huge, active, and some get aggressive.

Just throwing it out there...a standard 6x2x2 180 is a great size tank, and you could get most commonly available tangs to be fine in there for their lifespan.

Regal, Blue Powder, Purple, Brown, Yellow things of that nature.. How many could I get in a 6' 180 gallon?

 

[xiaoxiy]

I love my 150EXT. Footprint is almost perfect imo. The 3’ side panels really gives the tank a unique depth, and the view from the side looks like a peninsula.

 

[Ryan4485]

I love my 150EXT. Footprint is almost perfect imo. The 3’ side panels really gives the tank a unique depth, and the view from the side looks like a peninsula.

That is a sharp looking tank sir!!! I would have thought a tank that size would need 3 light fixtures. I like the Kessil lights a lot.

 

[Ryan4485]

That is a sharp looking tank sir!!! I would have thought a tank that size would need 3 light fixtures. I like the Kessil lights a lot.

I mean I like Kessil lights for my p tanks. The shimmer effect seems best on Kessil

 

[xiaoxiy]

That is a sharp looking tank sir!!! I would have thought a tank that size would need 3 light fixtures. I like the Kessil lights a lot.

I got away with two lights due to the rockwork design. You'll probably need 3 Kessils to make it work if you're going to run SPS, however @hart24601 is running only two kessils over his EXT 150 for softies.

 

[Haacheew]

I love my 150EXT. Footprint is almost perfect imo. The 3’ side panels really gives the tank a unique depth, and the view from the side looks like a peninsula.

You nailed it that the 36" horizontal depth really gives the sense of dimension and "realism" of the ocean nature. Don't forget, tangs not just swim back and forth along the front panel, they swim front to back, too. And 150Ext will provide that extra distance and make the environment look more natural. Those long and narrow tanks are not my cup of tea.

@ xiaoxiy, nice looking tank and those Reefi Extreme Duos serve it right.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I wish IM made a 5’ length tank..

Don't they still have the 170?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

When I was there a couple weeks ago picking up another tank, I saw the 112 lagoon.

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There is something about those dimensions of that tank that speaks to me. I love cubes! But if your choosing the 150 lagoon would be my vote.

 

[nereefpat]

Regal, Blue Powder, Purple, Brown, Yellow things of that nature.. How many could I get in a 6' 180 gallon?

Reasonably, IMO, 3-5 total tangs in a standard 180 should be achievable.

With the powder, I would not mix any other in the genus Acanthurus. Personally, I would pick 3 that don't look like each other and add one of the foxface species. Something like: purple, regal, tomini, & foxface lo.

The powders can be aggressive, and sometimes they get large, but not always. If an Acanthurus tang (like a powder) outgrows a tank, it will 'pace'. Regals can sometimes get large too, but they don't always.