Innovative Marine has brought us some really awesome all in one tanks over the years and the latest addition is a pair of glass, All in one peninsula tanks that allow viewing from three sides.   In this video we’re going to take the IM 20 gallon Peninsula Tank and completely deck it out with some of our favorite gear in order to show you guys how these tanks can provide the perfect platform to build the nano tank of your dreams.

The 20 gallon tank is constructed of thick, 8mm low-iron glass for a seamless viewing experience.  The glass has diamond polished edges with black silicon at the seams for a clean look. The tank measures 12”W x 30”L x 13”H.  It includes a 211 GPH pump to move water through the internal 3 stage filtration system.

Tank Hacks

We matched the tank with one of the new APS aquarium stands from Innovative Marine which is a really cool new product that utilizes anodized aluminum profiles to create the frame of your tank stand. We have a separate video all about these new tank stands and be sure to check that out.

The tank includes a filter sock which works out great but neglects the fact that you may want to employ some chemical and or biological filter media in this area. Enter the Innovative Marine Customcaddy - Desktop Size which is a 3 level media basket that fits perfectly into the first chamber of the filter compartments.  The 3 levels allow you to mix and match the filter media of your choice.

The next chamber is the largest of the three and here you could do a couple of things.  The most popular option would be to drop in the Innovative Marine DeskTop Ghost Protein skimmer.

Tank Hacks Middle chamber used as a refugium

The next option would be to turn this area into a refugium.  Just like all of the Innovative Marine NUVO tanks the back wall is covered with a black sticker that can easily be cut and peeled off the reveal the clear glass below.  You can then install a magnetically mounted Refugium light to shine some light into this chamber in order to grow macro-algae.  The chambers are also baffled in such a way that will keep substrate, rocks, and debris inside the refugium area and out of the pump chamber.

Another option for this middle chamber would be to drop in the Innovative Marine MiniMaxx Desktop Media Reactor for carbon, GFO, BioPellets or any other suitable filter media of your choice.

So you definitely have some options in terms of upgrading the filtration.  We are going to stick with the CustomCaddy Media Basket in the first chamber and the Ghost Skimmer in the middle chamber.

The third and final chamber holds the pump and could also house the ATO sensors. After a bit of research, we found the Eheim Compact 1000 and the Sicce Syncra 1.0 both work as a great upgrade pump to replace the stock pump that comes with the tank. In both cases you are only increasing the flow rate by about 20% but that can make a big difference in a small tank like this.  Eheim and Sicce engineer some of the finest aquarium pumps available and no modification is required to make the exchange.  Just remove the old pump and then connect the ½ tubing on the tank directly to ½” fitting on the new pump.

The 75 watt Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm is perfectly sized for this tank and the slim profile heater makes it easy to mount in the third pump chamber.

For topping off the tank with freshwater, the Innovative Marine HydroFill TI works perfect because both sensors mount nicely in the pump chamber.  You could employ a variety of ATO systems here but something with a magnetically mounted sensor will probably be best so you don’t end up clogging the small chamber with sensors, mounts and wires.  We then placed the Innovative Marine HydroFill ATO Reservoir directly below the tank to house freshwater.

Tank Hacks Hydrofill sensors mounted in the 3rd chamber

For lighting and water flow you do have some options.  This tanks really calls for a powerhead that you can mount to the back wall and a slim profile light fixture that will give you even lighting through the entire display.

The Current USA LOOP system is a great choice because both the Orbit IC LED Light and eFlux wave pump are perfectly suited for this tank. With the use of the Current USA Loop controller both the LED lights and powerhead can be synced up and controlled from a central source.

Tank Hacks Current USA Loop system installed.

The 24-36” Orbit IC LED Light fits nicely over the tank and you some options when it comes to mounting the light fixture.  Current USA offers a mounting arm that will allow you to attach the fixture to the back wall but this would require that you remove the skimmer or media reactor to make room for the bracket.

The eFlux Wave Pump has a single magnet mount that can safely be submersed in the filter chambers.   Because we have all of this extra filtration in the back compartments, the only chamber that the magnet will fit into is the third pump chamber.  You could also mount the pump to one of the side walls instead.

Tank Hacks

After getting all this extra equipment on the tank, you end with quite a bit of cords and control equipment to manage down below the tank.  Since the ATO reservoir sits on the bottom cross braces perfectly, we utilized the extra piece of rigid foam board that comes with the tank stand and mounted in on the back wall instead.

 

We then used the board to mount all of the control equipment and then neatly tucked the cords away behind the board, out of plain site.