BJBass 120 Gallon Reef Build

[bjbass]

I have been meaning to start a build thread since I have been working on this 120 gallon tank since July of 2014, but I finally got it running and filled with water on 3/7/2015.

Here is my equipment list:

Tank:
120 Gallon Marineland Corner Flow tank
40 Gallon Marineland Breeder custom sump tank
Return Pump: Older style Italian made MaxiJet pump
Reef Octopus 150NWB skimmer with custom skimmer stand
300-Watt Finnex Digital Temperature Control Glass Heater
3 1.1ml dosing pumps for Alk, Cal, Mag
Chinese made acrylic dosing container
BRS GFO/Carbon dual reactor with Cobalt Aquatics MaxiJet 1200
Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 Auto Top Off with ~10 gallon plastic shipping container as an ATO container
2 MP40wES circulation pumps
Apex Gold controller with lab grade probes, extra EB8, extra temp probe for PM2 module, breakout box, ALD, WXM, and AFS add ons
Eshopps square filter sock holder for drain pipe
Fuge Light: EcoSmart PAR38 15-Watt (90W) Daylight (5000K) LED Flood Light Bulb

Rock: 100 pounds of BRS Pukani dry rock

Sand: CaribSea Ocean Direct live sand

Lighting: Reefbreeders Photon 48" full spectrum LED hung with plant hangers

Fuge: Dry rock scraps, CaribSea Ocean Direct live sand, chaeto, blue leg hermits, astrea/turbo snails

Stand: Custom built with 2x4s, 1/4" plywood, 1/4" maple hardwood ply skin

Stock:
Yellow Tang
Flame Angel
Black Nox Angel
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
Red Spotted Pixy Hawkfish
Maxima clam
Squamosa clam
Derasa clam

CUC:
200 roughly snails consisting of nassarius, cerith, nerite, astrea, and turbo
30 blue leg hermits
1 scarlet hermit
3 zebra hermit


Prepped tank and ready to spray paint. I used Krylon Fusion matte black.

Finished painting

Here is a picture after I finished several passes on my sump with the spray paint

Sump baffle installation

Dried seam

Stand frame

From top

Finished sump on stand

Adding plywood bottom

 

[bjbass]

Adding plywood sides

Adding plywood back

Sealing seams with paintable silicone. I filled in all of the screw holes with the paintable silicone as well to prevent rusting (even though I also used
the Kreg blue screws that resist weathering.

After 2 coats of Kilz primer and 2 coats of severe weather indoor/outdoor latex paint

Skinned and stained with 1/4" ply and trim. Doors to come later

Plumbing drain and return. The plumbing has changed a little since these pictures

Custom skimmer stand

 

[bjbass]

Reefbreeders LED hung

BRS Pukani rock. This was about 100 pounds.

Cooking rock in heated saltwater. I ended up cooking it for 7 months at 80 degrees.

Finished aquascape in tank

Adding in live sand

Starting to fill for the first time!

Finally filled (it took me an entire week of making RO water and mixing the saltwater)

Sump after fill

After dust settled

 

[bjbass]

Another pic during cycling with finished doors (I purchased scrap doors and stained them)

Dosing container filled

Dosing install

Custom acrylic overflow cap made from scrap acrylic spray painted with Krylon Fusion

DIY feeding ring that cost $1. This is a soap holder that I cut off the bottom from the dollar store. Works well!

Full tank shot after cycling with pure ammonia that took 5-6 weeks. This photo was taken at the end of April 2015.

I can leave you guys hanging because I am on vacation right now and had time to create my build thread (finally), but don't even have a current FTS!

BJBass

 

[mlburchjr]

Looking good. I like the dosing container. Any issues priming the dosers? I have a hard time keeping them primed. I'm using the containers from BRS you get with their kit. Also, are you using the durso that came with the tank? Enjoy your vacation.

 

[bjbass]

Looking good. I like the dosing container. Any issues priming the dosers? I have a hard time keeping them primed. I'm using the containers from BRS you get with their kit. Also, are you using the durso that came with the tank? Enjoy your vacation.

Thanks! I was wondering about the priming of the dosers. I didn't have any issues at all. I hooked them up to the dosing container and I turned them on to get the dosing solutions to the end where they started to drip into the tank and then shut them off. I am wondering if it is just the type of container I have? I went through some various gyrations on how I wanted to do it and ended up with this. I got that container shipped from China for about $50.

I am using the durso that came with the tank. I decided against the Herbie and feel that this is working well. It is pretty well silent with my overflow cap and the sponge that I zip tied to the return pipe to prevent the noise it has from the siphon break (which still breaks the siphon).

Thanks for the vacation wishes! I am in the outer banks this week.

 

[nitro4kthompson]

I really like the rockwork shape. Nice job.

 

[bjbass]

Thanks! I used acrylic rods, fiberglass rods, and reef epoxy putty to put it together. I also used a super long drill bit that I got at harbor freight for a few dollars. I can post more pictures of things like how I created the scape

 

[Wazzel]

What are you planning on keeping? If you are doing a reef that scape is going to be difficult to work with and not leave much room for growth. It looks really nice, but may not be practical.

 

[cincyjim]

Very nice work and attention to detail!

 

[bjbass]

What are you planning on keeping? If you are doing a reef that scape is going to be difficult to work with and not leave much room for growth. It looks really nice, but may not be practical.

Yeah. I agree. I decided early on that I wanted a pillar scape and knew I would have shadowing, but thought I would go for it anyway. I figure in shades areas I can keep lowlight coral like dendros. The one thing that I didn't take into account was that I made the arch and everything so high. That limits that space there for growth, but figured I could do encrusting corals there? Any suggestions?

 

[bjbass]

Very nice work and attention to detail!

Thanks so much! I plan on showing more detail now that my thread is started. I need to show my electronics cabinet on the side of my stand.

 

[nuxx]

Looking good

 

[mlburchjr]

I am definitely following along. Looking forward to seeing what you did. I'm in the planning / wife approval phase of a 265 gallon build.

 

[Cosmojo]

Very nice start, I just went from a 65 to a 120 and a 180. All of the old stuff went in the 120, and the 180 is getting basically coral safe fish. What are your plans for coral in here? I really like the rock work. Any issues with flow?

 

[Fuel1976]

I'm 1 week in from starting my own 120 (upgrade from a 90). Great pics. Appreciate u posting this, once I get further along think I'll start a build thread. On the stand I noticed that u have no center support. 100% open in the front is great for sump maintenance. Definitely taking the same approach. Always a fan of open rock scape. Noticed ur using filter socks, any closer pics on how those are mounted & plumbed?

 

[bjbass]

Thanks so much everyone! Heading home today so I will get a new FTS and some more detailed closeup a and descriptions! I don't think I have too much flow issues even though I am covering the overflow. I will take some more plumbing close ups and my cable management.

 

[Reefer PT]

Must be something about 120's... I bought mine in March and it's still dry! Great job, you have almost an identical set up except I went with the RB value fixtures.
Dave

 

[JAustin]

Nice build. what corals if any do you plan on putting on the rock that is so high up? I'd suggest lowering your rock work by 6-8" so you can put some corals on it. Resist the urge to fill your tank with rockwork due to lack of corals.....they will grow and fill it out for you.

great start!

 

[bjbass]

Nice build. what corals if any do you plan on putting on the rock that is so high up? I'd suggest lowering your rock work by 6-8" so you can put some corals on it. Resist the urge to fill your tank with rockwork due to lack of corals.....they will grow and fill it out for you.

great start!

Yeah, I was worried about that. It might be hard to do with the right side of my arch, but the left side that top piece will come off and could probably move it down more. I guess it is inevitable that I will have to do that if I want a good amount of coral. I was just going to do encrusting corals at the top then so they will just fill out on the rock and not really grow upward, but a few people have commented on the rock being high so I am not sure I have a choice but to move it down if I want lots of coral up in my tank.