120 upgrade......

[rayn]

Well here will be I'm sure the first of many posts on this subject. I am upgrading to a 120 gal. dimensions are 60 long x 24 high x 18 wide.

I am going to build my own stand for this and make it accomodate my sump. Thinking a 2x6 frame with 2x6 supports in the middle or two equally divided out. Oak plywood on the sides and front with open back and hopefully three doors.

Currently I have a 55 almost reef, containing a couple small corals, small mushrooms, two nems, two black and white clown, small yellow tang, lawnmower blenny, coral banded shrimp, cleaner shrimp, sea hare, various snails, red leg crabs, and three emerald crabs, and a 6" black cucumber. Also at least one hitchhiking bristleworm. 65 lbs of live rock, with a 4" DSB of live sand, crushed coral, and aragonite. Sump is a 20 long with a skimmer, fuge with live rubble and cheato, and return section. I also have a 29 walmart special that I bought for a QT/HT but instead started another FOWLR. This one is bare botton with 35 lbs of seeded base rock. All that is in there are two false percs. I also have a possibilty of getting another tank of I think 30 or bigger.

Now for the questions.......for my sump, would I be able to use two tanks either plumbed together or with a overflow for my sump or should I try and utilize my 55? Are there advantages either way? The 55 is really only about four to five months old, can I just transfer my sand to the 120 and would it be enough? Currently have a aquaticlife t5 light with 4 bulbs on my 55 will this come close to lighting as I will have to hang it to make it work, or hang in a canopy, or should I try and add more? How long after I get water in the 120 till I can transfer livestock and will this cause a cycle?

If there is any other advice that anyone can give me it would be appreciated and welcome. Sure I will have plenty more question comeing so thanks in advance to all :fun4:

 

[rayn]

Well here is the beginning of the stand.
<a href="http://s496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/?action=view&current=ca7e5d33.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/ca7e5d33.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/?action=view&current=7bf1d356.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/7bf1d356.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
I still need to double brace three of the legs, but ran out of 2x6. Wondering if I can use some 3/4 partical board I have for the top and bottom shelf? Oak plywood covering for the sides and front though.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

wow a 5' tank, it's going to be interesting to see how you're going to finish the stand.

As for the sand it depends on if you have a deep sand bed or not, if you don't then yes you can transfer it, if it's a DSB then you're going to want to start over with new, you don't want to disturb the anoxic zone.

As for the lights, youo're going to need at least 4 more lights for the 120. and for it being a 5' tank it may be hard to find lights for it, I don't know though, I don't stay up on lighting.

you're going to have a cycle of some sort, how long it will be is anyone's guess, I wouldn't think it would last too long.

Anyway I'm subscribing because I want to watch your progress, maybe lend hand when I can.

Oh take lots of pictures!!!!!

 

[rayn]

Well I had to tear it apart and make it taller to accomodate my sump. Stand is now 40" tall. I also got it in the house and the tank on it even though I still need to finish the outside and bottom for the sump.

<a href="http://s496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/?action=view&current=e1173fe2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/e1173fe2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

The window right next to it, will the light cause a problem or not? I can get blinds or a shade to help with the light, but it will shine in there pretty much all day.

 

[singold]

I would recommend blinds or a shade for the window. My tank sits pretty much like yours next to a window, also.

 

[DeepSeaHunter]

yea ur defintely going to need more light, i had a 48 inch set up on my tank and there was massive darkness on the edges, i switched to 8 60" t5's now. btw i also have a 120 long. i only have a 29gallon sump cause that was my previous tank, but i would use the 55 if i had one. you can transfer the sand, but depending on how much in the 55 i think you're still about 60 to 70 pounds short. you will have to cycle the new tank, but it will be quick, just add in some of your current filter pads in there, and rocks and it should speed it up. btw i would get 6 t5's of 60 inches, or just get 8 48" tubes to cover the dark spots.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Had to go back to the drawing board huh? looking good though. I take it by making that change you're going with the 55? So now comes the plumbing and skinning the stand. Here check out my stand build

Keep taking pics.

 

[rayn]

Well here is the first true component I have purchased for this and every other future build!!!
<a href="http://s496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/?action=view&current=70b583ab.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/dougcobb/70b583ab.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
BRS 5 stage plus. These guys are great. I actually got it off ebay, but from BRS and they shipped it to me in only three days!!!
Next on my list is the overflow. I did some searching and am really thinking of going with the herbie/bean silent failsafe overflow design. I also checked out the bean homepage of DIY and might just follow along with his sump design and try that. If not you will notice the FREE 29 gal sitting behind the ro/di. Not big enough in itself, but if I bulkhead it to another..........

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

You know I used the Bean design on a 75 and loved it. I messed up at first because I used 1" Tee's instead of 1.5" street elbows (thinking it's only a 75 so i really don't need the 1.5" plumbing). With the 1" had problems with restarting the system (I turn off all the pumps when I feed) But once I replaced everything with 1.5" it worked great. I also researched the herbie design and didn't go with it because it didn't offer the amount of safety the "Bean poles" did.

 

[rayn]

I started reading through the bean design and realized it was a version of the herbie design with the fail safe added. That is why I gave both credit. Any thoughts on the sump bulkhead idea? Looking this weekend for paint and a hole saw for drilling. Any recomendations?

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Are you going with the Bean design? If so I would definitely recommend a coast to coast (C2C) I am going to try and track down some pics of my bean animal design. I drilled the top of the tank with 5 holes, 3 were drain and 2 were returns. as for the drill bit, I was never lucky in finding anything locally, I had to order the bit off of ebay. and I always went with the threaded bulkheads just to know than they can be broken back down if I need to move the tank.

 

[rayn]

If you use the C2C and have two returns, that I was thinking as well, where are they placed? I like the idea of a full skim area across the back, but I was thinking about building a box leaving around two to three inches on each side for the returns. I figure the returns still have to be up higher in the tank from siphoning out in a power outage.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

That is exactly what I did. It worked fine the only complaint I had was the way it looked. It would have been cleaner if it truly went coast to coast. I found the pics on my other computer so I'm uploading them now, I will post in a few.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

These are the pictures of my mistake, using 1" plumbing. I don't think I took any pics of it after I changed it to 1.5". I remember I had a hard time drilling the holes bigger just because I had to go super slow, so that I didn't break the glass.


Here is the back:
<img src="http://api.photoshop.com/home_7597f43bc1cf43e59b7b221c6f90495f/adobe-px-assets/763bd412f7d8438abdda8d58e26b60a5" width="1296" height="972"/>

<img src="http://api.photoshop.com/home_7597f43bc1cf43e59b7b221c6f90495f/adobe-px-assets/2af4398dd8f941048478bb16f8d28290" width="845" height="1127"/>

The top view:
<img src="http://api.photoshop.com/home_7597f43bc1cf43e59b7b221c6f90495f/adobe-px-assets/2899add863024fa69ffff148e346de15" width="1296" height="972"/>

And from the front:
<img src="http://api.photoshop.com/home_7597f43bc1cf43e59b7b221c6f90495f/adobe-px-assets/4471dba51eda4db59a7aaac6190edfc9" width="1099" height="824"/>

If I had to do it all over again I would have made the C2C all the way across and had the returns go through the C2C (a little more work but it would have paid off in the long run. I didn't have this tank long because after I got it going I fell into a great deal on the 125 that I currently have. HTH
Jimmy

 

[rayn]

Great! Thanks for the pics. So the returns go through the tank, overflow, then into the display water. So I would need actualy like 7 bulkheads to keep the overflow and the return seperate.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

that would be the best way to go about it, but you can get away with siliconing it through the C2C. Or afer it comes into the tank have it come up and over the C2C and you can take advantage of it being above the water line so that you can drill a small hole for a siphon break. ***Does that last suggestion make sense?*** It's hard to explain something when I can't draw pictures

 

[rayn]

Gotchya on the siphon break in the return. Only thought on that is the 90 deg bends I would have to make to go up and over the C2C. Only other way would be to leave plenty of room in the sump for return water if I couldn't drill a hole.

 

[trb]

Good ideas in here. When (if) I upgrade to a regular 120, I'm thinking about the same C2C style overflow. I like the idea of the returns on the ends. As for the return plumbing, you can just use some Locline from the bulkheads that runs right over the top of the overflow. If you have teeth on the overflow, you can also cut out a couple of them and then the locline will only be like 1/2 way above the water line.

 

[rayn]

Very true trb. I forgot about the locline.

 

[rayn]

Hole saw and bulkheads ordered :spin1: Hopefully get the back painted this week or next too.