New IM 112-Ext!

[Sixdinnersquid]

Y'all! I have some EXCELLENT news: after being in the hobby for 20+ years, I'm finally getting a grownup tank. I've been sniffing around the Innovative Marine 112 for a few years now, and prompted by the realization that their current 50% sale won't repeat itself soon, I screwed my courage to the sticking place and bought one. And despite their 4-6 month lead time disclaimer, IT WILL BE HERE FRIDAY.

I'm currently running a DIY 60 breeder as a peninsula, modeled below:

The new hotness will fit into the bedroom like this:

I love shallow peninsulas, I love cuboids, and I love the idea of a tank not made out of 2x4s. This seems like it'll fit the bill.

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Livestock:
My current fish stocking is light:
1x Yellow Coris Wrasse
2x Darwin Clowns
1x Spotted Watchman Goby
1x Tiger Pistol Shrimp
1x Peppermint Shrimp
2x Bubbletip Anemones

My corals are mixed, with a SPS bias, and all long-suffering frags. I have two mangroves which are growing nicely. (See my instagram for evidence.)

My fish plans are the above, with an Orchid Dottyback (or two), and possibly some Lyretail Anthias. I'm not convinced of the Anthias, and I welcome alternative suggestions - especially from those who have had a tank with these, or similar, dimensions.

Invert plans include the assumption that the Anemones will do what they want, so I won't worry about them. I'd like to segment the tank into a shallower, "coastal" section where the mangroves will reside, transitioning into a more "reef" zone where SPS will reside. (See below for an exploratory layout.)

I don't have the innate or practiced aquascaping skills of @Tigahboy or @inland_reef, so please offer suggestions, or accounts worth following. (Does Brad_908 still exist somewhere?)

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Lighting: currently some Noopsyche K7 Pro IIs, and some Quanta bars. They're great, but I'm a physicist, which means that I'm a homebrew lighting kind of guy, so I'm probably going to go back to that janky plan until my heatsinks give out and I go back to something professionally-made.

I also work for a major player in the emergency vehicle lighting market, so I'm likely to adapt some blue police lights for general blues. SLD Laser sources will give me my whites. (These things are sick.) But recall that this is the eventual plan, so I guess stay tuned. And recall: janky.

 

[Vjames]

Congratulations on the new tank!!

I am sure you are going to love it.

Just curious, How much did you pay in total, and can you give me a breakdown of the cost?

Regards,
James

 

[ryanjohn1]

Congratulations on the new tank!!

I am sure you are going to love it.

Just curious, How much did you pay in total, and can you give me a breakdown of the cost?

Regards,
James

A whole pile of money

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Under $3K, with the 50% off deal that they're still having.

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Stand in the right spot, current tank in foreground.

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

The new tank mounted, not yet plumbed.

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Temporary wooden light frame installed so I can light the thing while I figure out a permanent configuration to be made of metal.

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Temp Frame with secondary lights installed, mounted on tank, and powered.

 

[dangles]

Congrats! I had their 50 gallon AIO until about 8 months ago. I like their stuff.

Just make sure the stand components are all properly locked in place! And double check all the connections as you fill it. I had a connector that wasn’t quite locked down, and the aluminum pieces began to pull away from each other. Super glad I caught it because it would have been a tragedy if the stand had collapsed

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Excellent advice, thanks. Just found an under-tightened one.

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

20 gallons at a time, it's filling up.

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Transferred everything and tore down the old tank in an astonishing 2 hours last night.

 

[fishface NJ]

Love the tank! Congratulations!!!!

Does the stand have doors on the left and right side of the stand for access underneath the stand?

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Love the tank! Congratulations!!!!

Does the stand have doors on the left and right side of the stand for access underneath the stand?

Sure does. It has them on the front, too, but I'm waiting until I have everything in place before I put them on.

This has been a fantastic build.

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

Some shots now that it's clear:

 

[Arkayology]

Nice build! What are the future stocking plans?

 

[Sixdinnersquid]

On the fish side, I'm thinking about some smattering of the following not-always-compatible fish:
Chalk Basslet/Lyretail Anthias
Orchid Dottyback
Mandarin Dragonet
Lawnmower Blenny
Yellowhead Jawfish (but maybe not, in light of the extant Pistol Shrimp/Watchman Goby combo.

Inverts:
one or two Gorgonians
Target of Opportunity Acro Frags

And that's probably all. I recognize that reefing is generally a subject of taste, but I'd love suggestions on organisms that I haven't considered.

 

[ralquist]

Beautiful! Can’t wait to see it come along!!