CuzzA's 125 Gallon Full Cylinder Glass Office Build
- Thread starter CuzzA
- Start date
So, just a little update.
Most of all the equipment is in. Waiting for the glass baffles from Pinellas Pasco Glass. You can't beat 4 baffles for under $30. Also, I'm expecting to pick up some custom cut pieces of acrylic to build an ATO reservoir either today or Monday. Again, for under $50 I was able to purchase the pieces from American Plastic Supply. Can't beat that, especially since to buy this specific size reservoir online was around $200.
As far as the stocking goes, I reached out to Tom at Creative Aquariums and he has agreed to supply all of the fish and prophylactic treat and quarantine them. This will be a HUGE help!!! Thank you Tom!!! The thought of me trying to treat and qt all of these fish at once was daunting.
I have decided on a final stocking. We're going to nix the Emperor Angel. Too risky, too big, too expensive for this tank. We are also going to only do one schooling bannerfish. Three would look amazing, but I'm trying to be conscience of nutrient levels and three adults would probably put quite a load on the system. Other stocking notes are nerite snails were meant to be zebra turbos. Not sure what I was thinking, perhaps the shell and being that it was really late the night before I made the illustration threw me off. The sally lightfoot crabs will be nixed too. I don't want to risk any fish being harmed.
The only other concern I have are the chromis. Due to the cost of the blue reef chromis compared to the blue/green, I'm considering just doing 5 blue/green with the hopes that this particular setup will be one of the success stories of a peaceful group. Perhaps adding equally sized juveniles they can learn to like each other.
Or maybe with the unique shape of the tank, a bullied chromis can seek refuge on another side of the column. The goal is to create the typical reef environment with anthias and chromis darting around the upper water column. And as I mentioned before, the auto feeder should be able to sustain the anthias.
Anyway, that's all I got for now. I'm hoping to get this tank wet in a week or so. Stay tuned.
Most of all the equipment is in. Waiting for the glass baffles from Pinellas Pasco Glass. You can't beat 4 baffles for under $30. Also, I'm expecting to pick up some custom cut pieces of acrylic to build an ATO reservoir either today or Monday. Again, for under $50 I was able to purchase the pieces from American Plastic Supply. Can't beat that, especially since to buy this specific size reservoir online was around $200.
As far as the stocking goes, I reached out to Tom at Creative Aquariums and he has agreed to supply all of the fish and prophylactic treat and quarantine them. This will be a HUGE help!!! Thank you Tom!!! The thought of me trying to treat and qt all of these fish at once was daunting.
I have decided on a final stocking. We're going to nix the Emperor Angel. Too risky, too big, too expensive for this tank. We are also going to only do one schooling bannerfish. Three would look amazing, but I'm trying to be conscience of nutrient levels and three adults would probably put quite a load on the system. Other stocking notes are nerite snails were meant to be zebra turbos. Not sure what I was thinking, perhaps the shell and being that it was really late the night before I made the illustration threw me off. The sally lightfoot crabs will be nixed too. I don't want to risk any fish being harmed.
The only other concern I have are the chromis. Due to the cost of the blue reef chromis compared to the blue/green, I'm considering just doing 5 blue/green with the hopes that this particular setup will be one of the success stories of a peaceful group. Perhaps adding equally sized juveniles they can learn to like each other.
Or maybe with the unique shape of the tank, a bullied chromis can seek refuge on another side of the column. The goal is to create the typical reef environment with anthias and chromis darting around the upper water column. And as I mentioned before, the auto feeder should be able to sustain the anthias.Anyway, that's all I got for now. I'm hoping to get this tank wet in a week or so. Stay tuned.
Htfdwhaler
New member
who will be your fish supplier?
I hear you. The emperor was very tempting, but I'd prefer a permanent resident.
Those you mentioned would be good candidates. A Genicanthus caudovittatus would fit well too. Fortunately any angel would be added last, so after the aquascaping is done and all other fish are in I'll try to gauge how another addition would work based on a visual assumption of all adult fish in the system.
I got all the baffles siliconed in tonight and will start setting up equipment tomorrow. More pics to come.
I am having difficulty with getting the RW-15's to attach to the cylinder overflow box. It's a double box so there's about 3/4" total and the round circumference isn't helping. I'm going to try adding more ceramic magnets to see if I can get it to hold. If not, I may be forced to semi permanently mount the holder with silicone or epoxy. I really don't like that idea though. Perhaps I can fit a magnet between the double wall. We'll see.
Those you mentioned would be good candidates. A Genicanthus caudovittatus would fit well too. Fortunately any angel would be added last, so after the aquascaping is done and all other fish are in I'll try to gauge how another addition would work based on a visual assumption of all adult fish in the system.
I got all the baffles siliconed in tonight and will start setting up equipment tomorrow. More pics to come.
I am having difficulty with getting the RW-15's to attach to the cylinder overflow box. It's a double box so there's about 3/4" total and the round circumference isn't helping. I'm going to try adding more ceramic magnets to see if I can get it to hold. If not, I may be forced to semi permanently mount the holder with silicone or epoxy. I really don't like that idea though. Perhaps I can fit a magnet between the double wall. We'll see.
I posted this in the national board, but would like to here some TBRC feedback too
I posted this in the national board, but would like to here some TBRC feedback too
I posted this in the national board, but would like to here some TBRC feedback too
That title probably got your attention, huh? :lmao:
So here's the scenario.
For a build I'm working on (BUILD THREAD HERE), I want to incorporate the use of a filter sock from the drain pipe to minimize detritus in the sump and most importantly, detritus collecting on a RDSB. However, space is really tight and the tank is serviced every two weeks so I need a sock that won't clog too fast and has a very flexible footprint. Also, ideally, IMO, a filter bag should be changed out daily to every other day but that's just not an option here. Therefore, I'm thinking panty hose is the solution.
I could buy THESE, 20 for $5 and just throw them away after each use. This would eliminate collecting bags for washing. Also I'm thinking just a simple rubberband would be good enough to hold the sock to the 1.5" drain. I would assume that a panty hose is going to let smaller particles past, but that's ok because I don't want it clogging prior to the two week service.
I would like to hear from those who have used panty hose and most importantly how quickly does the panty hose clog.
Thanks!
For $5.50 for 20 socks, I highly doubt they are using anything but nylon. I know they are safe as other people use them. The concern is more about how quickly will they clog. I can't have a regular filter sock due to space constraints, nor could I have one clog up and block the drain or overflow within 2 weeks.
I thought about a 200 micron 4" sock, but honestly, when I say space is tight, I mean it's "super tight." And I think any filter bag would clog within two weeks. If not clog, it will no doubt become a "nitrate factory." I'd rather smaller particles to pass through to be consumed or skimmed out of the tank.
Quick update...
After doing some inspecting on the electrical I found the aquarium electrical line that drops from the ceiling was split off a fluorescent light which was not switched, night light if you will. Nevertheless, it was still on the same circuit with the rest of the lobby lighting. I felt it was best to run a new 20 amp dedicated circuit on a GFCI breaker. Much more reliable than GFCI outlets. Also, since the canopy has to be able to be removed from time to time I decided it was best to run a plug in whip from the double gang box. Simply unplug it from the circuit and remove the canopy, simple enough. I should note that this system also has a battery back up air pump and both the display and sump have grounding probes. Safety first. Most of the equipment and plumbing is done, but I forgot to snap a pic before I left. I'll update again this weekend. And yes, everything is code.
Creative aquariums has most of the fish in qt right now and I'm still searching for a dry rock source. I find it so odd that so many companies in this hobby don't pick up the damn phone, return messages or emails. It's so annoying and I'd rather not do business with companies like that, but it is what it is.
Anyway here's a couple pics of the new electrical. The wire coming from the ceiling will be hidden by a very creative design my crafty girl is putting together. It will look really sharp.
After doing some inspecting on the electrical I found the aquarium electrical line that drops from the ceiling was split off a fluorescent light which was not switched, night light if you will. Nevertheless, it was still on the same circuit with the rest of the lobby lighting. I felt it was best to run a new 20 amp dedicated circuit on a GFCI breaker. Much more reliable than GFCI outlets. Also, since the canopy has to be able to be removed from time to time I decided it was best to run a plug in whip from the double gang box. Simply unplug it from the circuit and remove the canopy, simple enough. I should note that this system also has a battery back up air pump and both the display and sump have grounding probes. Safety first. Most of the equipment and plumbing is done, but I forgot to snap a pic before I left. I'll update again this weekend. And yes, everything is code.
Creative aquariums has most of the fish in qt right now and I'm still searching for a dry rock source. I find it so odd that so many companies in this hobby don't pick up the damn phone, return messages or emails. It's so annoying and I'd rather not do business with companies like that, but it is what it is.
Anyway here's a couple pics of the new electrical. The wire coming from the ceiling will be hidden by a very creative design my crafty girl is putting together. It will look really sharp.
ClownMan727
New member
What do you do to clean up the edges on that acrylic?
It definitely won't be a typical filter sock. Although I could put a 4" bag on the drain it would make it difficult on the maintenance company to swap and would most likely clog within 2 weeks. I'm trying to be conscientious of making things relatively easy for them. I picked up the panty hose and will try it out first and go from there. I may nix the sock altogether if I find it to be a PIA. The output of the drain is directly over the skimmer pump intake so that should help with detritus. Ultimately my biggest concern is the RDSB becoming a nutrient sink. They should last for many many years, if not indefinitely if you can eliminate the detritus from settling. If it doesn't work then Marine Pure blocks will likely take its place.
I'll just round the corners and edges with sandpaper, followed up by wet sanding (decreasing grit size), then maybe compound and polish. I'll have to see how it looks after the sanding to determine if I want to compound and polish. It is just an ATO reservoir after all that no one ever sees, but I want to make it look a little professional and finished.
Htfdwhaler
New member
good work on the ATO reservoir. How much did it cost in acrylic?
I had mine made for 120 bucks with similar dimensions and black acrylic to match everything. Slim dimensions are awesome for those with limited space.
I had mine made for 120 bucks with similar dimensions and black acrylic to match everything. Slim dimensions are awesome for those with limited space.
Thanks. Yes the only one I found was $200. I paid $47 for the acrylic including the cuts and it took me an hour tops to assemble and sand/polish. While this turned out pretty damn good aesthetically, if I ever built something that I wanted to be show quality I would make sure the cuts were done on a router for a cleaner adhesion. Theres a few tiny bubbles, but nothing to bad. I've seen worse on display tanks.
Ok, except for cleaning up/securing electrical wires, this project is nearly complete. Rocks will be here tomorrow and I'll start trying to figure out how I'm going to stack them in this heavily eurobraced 36" deep tank. I'm tempted to cut off excess wire from all this equipment, but I know that will void the warranty so I'm going to have to get creative with hanging wires. Of course they can't be permanent mounted due to maintenance.
Also I'm not thrilled about how far the powerheads stick out, but I was able to get them to hold by adding extra magnets. I think a gyre maybe the solution here. Other than that everything has worked out as planned. Everything that will need regular maintenance can be removed very easily so this should make the service company happy.
Here's several pics I snapped before I left tonight.
Also I'm not thrilled about how far the powerheads stick out, but I was able to get them to hold by adding extra magnets. I think a gyre maybe the solution here. Other than that everything has worked out as planned. Everything that will need regular maintenance can be removed very easily so this should make the service company happy.
Here's several pics I snapped before I left tonight.
