tank upgrade anxiety

[Littlewolf]

I am completely going through the same thing. I have a patched together marineland 125 gallon and last month decided to pull the trigger on the IM 200EXT as well. Delivery is approximately another month away. I too am on a slab and going to be swapping out in the same place which means, like you, emptying out what I can, sliding the tank over about 8 feet but my problem is that I can’t put the new one in it’s spot right away because we are getting new floors installed . So I have to move the tank, fill it back up, rip up and install new floor, put new tank in place and then transfer livestock. My anxiety is through the roof thinking about it lol.
As mentioned before, write down todo notes and leave time for the unexpected. Once the new floors are finished I’m going to plan the entire transfer in one weekend.
I say pull the trigger, you got this.

oof, so you have even another factor thrown in. I'm glad I'm not the only one stressing though. Solidarity haha. You'll have to keep me updated on how it goes and what little quirks you discovered while doing it since I'll probably be right behind you in timeline.

 

[Littlewolf]

For what its worth, that anxiety works both ways. I used to have a 300g display connected to a 750 gallon system. Once you get used to the scale, its actually kind of nice. I have more anxiety running my current 75g tank than I ever did with that big system. Keeping a successful reef is all about stability. Big systems tend to be easier to keep stable. Only downside is making changes take glacier speed.

The added stability of a larger system is definitely something I'm looking forward to, especially since I'm running sumpless right now. my HOB refugium is only 4 gallons so it basically just holds some miracle mud, chaeto, and some hermit crabs that have been sent to crab jail. If i dose anything right now, it goes straight into the display and my fish have a tendancy to go "oooo stuff!" and swim right into the concentrated dose of whatever it is like a bunch of idiots. My tank now oddly remains very very stable all things considered and my corals are all growing at warp speed so i hope that continues with any even better system.

 

[Littlewolf]

Great suggestions all the way around. My first concern was how your flooring would handle the weight (as stated above). You'll find that larger tanks are easier to run. My minimum was 29G and max was 90G. The 90 was SO much easier. I'm waiting until I get an opinion on whether my floor will handle the extra weight of a 120, then I'm gonna upgrade my actual flooring from wood to tile. All that being said, I am jealous! You're gonna have a great time. Oh! And have EVERY step of a tank transfer planned out and mapped. That way, you'll minimize your livestock in a less than optimal environment.

yea i've had a 55 mixed, 36 predator, 29 FOWLR, and now the 75 over the years. This is is HUGE jump for me, so the panic is real right now haha.

we just built our house 2 years ago so fortunately I know exactly how our house is constructed from the ground up. we have extra LVP on the off chance a plank is cracked or something too, but it should hold up just fine. fingers crossed.

good luck on your upgrade as well! hope it works out and you dont have to do too much construction.

 

[exnisstech]

How do you like the Waterbox?

I'm happy with it so far. Its a heavy beast that's for sure. WB customer service has been awesome. Very responsive to all questions even getting back to me when they had to reach out to engineering to get answers.

 

[Devaji]

you totally got this!

as for a tanks go.. I have had red sea 750 XL ,red sea 650P, WB 2420, WB 16, fiji cube 18.5 pen. res sea 300XL, SCA 90, 40brs 20L...wow I have had alot of tanks for the years.

anyway my current "big" tank is the IM 200 EXT peninsula love it, I think it the best bang for your buck out there and it very well made. the APS stand is really nice I give it a 9.5 out of 10 and the tank it self is 10/10
there sump is pretty nice too. not ideal for peninsula tanks but it looks amazing.
I got the tank before they offered complete plumbing. but I was ok with that as i did my own think so no pipes getting in my way.

I am just cycling the tank as we speak. all tho i had it in the house for a year. was working on the RS 300XL

if you have space in your home I would strongly consider the peninsula version of that tank. it makes the perfect room divider

a body of mine like it so much he got the 200 int. pen. even tho he will run it one side on the wall.

so you're right on the money for tank selection IMHO.

like other have said just make sure the flooring can support the weight of the tank.
get some help alot of it moving it in. the tank weights 400# or so. cant quite remember but i know it's heavy.

you totally got this. go slow get the tank and gear. get it cycled then move everthing from the 75 over. you will find have a sump so nice. the aquarium will be a major feature in your home.

if you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[Danny McElroy]

Need some help from large reef keepers. I currently have a 75 gallon, very patched together system that I've had running for a couple years. It's just a plain ol' marineland that I cleaned up and repainted the stand, threw a canister on with in-line UV sterilizer (stand not compatible with a sump), a HOB refugium, a HOB reef octopus protein skimmer, a couple inexpensive powerheads and a couple black box lights. It's not pretty by any means, but it runs great, my corals are growing like crazy and my fish are fat and happy. Now i'm finally looking to upgrade. I am looking at the Innovative Marine 200 EXT complete reef system. I've never run a system of that size or that complexity and I am freaking out a little. It's the size tank I have always wanted and my very supportive husband has given my the green light to go ahead and get it. I have almost hit the "checkout' button about 50 times before I have a mini anxiety attack and my ADHD brain goes "is it too big? is it too much? is it too expensive? what if it leaks? what if i can't handle a tank this size? holy **** its heavy..how will we even lift it? how will we even set this up? how will we transfer all of my babies without any of them being damaged?" and on and on.

I don't really know what I'm looking for here... talking down from my anxiety ledge? encouragement? reassurance? advice?

Funny post, JUST DO IT!!! Enjoy the challenge and I promise you will be glad you did, great tank choice!!!

 

[Littlewolf]

you totally got this!

as for a tanks go.. I have had red sea 750 XL ,red sea 650P, WB 2420, WB 16, fiji cube 18.5 pen. res sea 300XL, SCA 90, 40brs 20L...wow I have had alot of tanks for the years.

anyway my current "big" tank is the IM 200 EXT peninsula love it, I think it the best bang for your buck out there and it very well made. the APS stand is really nice I give it a 9.5 out of 10 and the tank it self is 10/10
there sump is pretty nice too. not ideal for peninsula tanks but it looks amazing.
I got the tank before they offered complete plumbing. but I was ok with that as i did my own think so no pipes getting in my way.

I am just cycling the tank as we speak. all tho i had it in the house for a year. was working on the RS 300XL

if you have space in your home I would strongly consider the peninsula version of that tank. it makes the perfect room divider

a body of mine like it so much he got the 200 int. pen. even tho he will run it one side on the wall.

so you're right on the money for tank selection IMHO.

like other have said just make sure the flooring can support the weight of the tank.
get some help alot of it moving it in. the tank weights 400# or so. cant quite remember but i know it's heavy.

you totally got this. go slow get the tank and gear. get it cycled then move everthing from the 75 over. you will find have a sump so nice. the aquarium will be a major feature in your home.

if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Ugh, I wish I had a place to use one as a room divider. We live in south Florida so 2 whole walls of our main living/dining room are glass doors out to our lanai. It's all open concept so there just nowhere to put it beside against a wall in the office. Fortunately, I can stand at my kitchen island and have a perfect view of it while I cook and my fish keep me company while we're on our computers.

I appreciate the input on the tank choice. I've been looking at different brands for probably a year now and it's so hard to really know how good the quality is unless you see it for yourself or hear about it from someone who's used it.

I think I'm going to have to make more friends to help us set the thing up though lol

 

[Littlewolf]

It's done. I hit the "check out" button. In the words if my 2 year old daughter, "I did it!!". Thank you all for your moral support.

 

[NickHolmes]

Congrats! Not sure if it was mentioned already but when you do the transfer, take caution with disturbing the sand bed as it can release ammonia and gases which can quickly turn south, depending on how deep it is.
It's better to buy new sand.

 

[Littlewolf]

Congrats! Not sure if it was mentioned already but when you do the transfer, take caution with disturbing the sand bed as it can release ammonia and gases which can quickly turn south, depending on how deep it is.
It's better to buy new sand.

Thank you for the tip. Definitely plan to replace the sand. Fortunately I only did about a 1.5 in sand bed and i actually stir it a couple times a week because my conchs are super lazy. All of my LPS get super happy after ive stirred it up a little. It wont be a lot to dispose of though. I don't like the texture of the sand I have now anyway so it'll be nice to start fresh.

 

[Devaji]

It's done. I hit the "check out" button. In the words if my 2 year old daughter, "I did it!!". Thank you all for your moral support.

you will love the tank. it's made to order so that will give you time to get a plan together.
slowly get the gear you "need"

yes you will need lots of help getting this in. I would suggest 6 guys 4 big strong ones at a minimum.

see what a LFS would charge you to move it in. or join a local reef club. when I lived in a more populated area I really enjoyed the local reef club.

 

[Wasabiroot]

Now the fun part...thinking of future livestock

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

Ugh, I wish I had a place to use one as a room divider. We live in south Florida so 2 whole walls of our main living/dining room are glass doors out to our lanai. It's all open concept so there just nowhere to put it beside against a wall in the office. Fortunately, I can stand at my kitchen island and have a perfect view of it while I cook and my fish keep me company while we're on our computers.

I appreciate the input on the tank choice. I've been looking at different brands for probably a year now and it's so hard to really know how good the quality is unless you see it for yourself or hear about it from someone who's used it.

I think I'm going to have to make more friends to help us set the thing up though lol

you could put it on the lanai and save money on buying lights ;-)

 

[ShoreReefer]

I just got the email that the tank arrived in California and is being inspected to be shipped. Just to give you an idea I placed the order on 3/24 so one month from order to delivery in US. I’ll update when the tank arrives.

 

[Littlewolf]

Now the fun part...thinking of future livestock

I have already spent sooo much hypothetical money in my head on all of my dream fish for this tank. Not to mention the 11 coral frags we brought home from reefapalooza last weekend....my husband may regret being so supportive lol

 

[Littlewolf]

I just got the email that the tank arrived in California and is being inspected to be shipped. Just to give you an idea I placed the order on 3/24 so one month from order to delivery in US. I’ll update when the tank arrives.

Oh wow. That's not too bad. The estimate on my order was 4-6 months which is a bummer because I'm excited, but also a good thing planning-wise. My garage looks like we moved in last week, not 2 years ago so I have a lot of work to do to clear space.

 

[ShoreReefer]

Oh wow. That's not too bad. The estimate on my order was 4-6 months which is a bummer because I'm excited, but also a good thing planning-wise. My garage looks like we moved in last week, not 2 years ago so I have a lot of work to do to clear space.

I had to clean my garage also lol. I was originally quoted 3-4 months then I called and the said 2 1/2 months and now it looks like it’ll be about a month and a half from order to arrival

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

I had to clean my garage also lol. I was originally quoted 3-4 months then I called and the said 2 1/2 months and now it looks like it’ll be about a month and a half from order to arrival

funny we all had to do that to the garage. I had the 6 months wait but it ended up much shorter. ordered in Aug and arrived in Nov.

 

[leon.1980]

I am planning and designing my ultimate aquarium. It will be 5 plus years down the line. When my kids current school playroom becomes a sitting room. It will be a 8ft monster. For me it will be heartbreaking to destroy whatever tank I have at the time but it will be exciting to start something new. I will take cuttings of my full blown reef to start over with. Don’t think of it as an end of something but a beginning of something else.