Dah da da DAh........just another 120 build

Smitty750

New member
Hey everyone Im Smitty nice to meet some of u. Ive finally started my 72"x18"x22" 120 gallon AGA RR. Ive had 90's, 55's and most recently setup another 90 until my leak test blew out a side panel causing $1000's damage to my house:mad2: . But my OCD has prevailed and I just happened to have the 120 in my basement (which ironically caught the majority of the water from the 90). My plan for the tank is a diverse reef consisting of SPS, LPS, softies, clams, inverts,FISH!!! (important cause the gf loves em and in turn takes some heat off me) I am a diver and just love seeing the diversity when I dive so I wanna recreate that in my home as best I can. I plan on using MH/T5HO lighting, diverse flow, a remote sump/fish room and as much DIY as I can handle. Me and a buddy already started the stand its constructed of 2x4's and 2x6's and is in the process of being skinned with maple ply and solid maple trim and stock. Ill have pics soon cause my camera is broken (gf dropped it in the snow).

Equipment List:

Outer Orbitz 3x250HQI/8x39T5HO
2- Vortech MP40W
Sequence Reeflo Marlin return pump
Lifereef SVS2-24 skimmer 250g capacity
Filter Guys 75GPD RO/DI unit
100gallon Rubbermaid stock tank w/ new schd80 bulkhead for sump
50gallon Rubbermaid stock tank w/ new sch80 bulkhead for fuge
Some sort of CFL lighting for the fuge
RK2 or RKL not sure I love the blue backlit screen and the RKL doesnt have it?
Calcium reactor in the future

Any comments or suggestion as far as equipment choice thus far would be appreciated I wanna do this right the first time.

Setup:

The DT will be upstairs in a room off the kitchen(pics soon) kinda like a dining/sunroom of sorts. I have to support the floor underneath cause the tank rests about 16" from where the floor joist meet the main support, the floor joists are nailed to the front of the support beam without Tico hangers. I planned on installing joist hangers and 4x4 posts from the bottom of the FJ to the crawlspace floor directly under the cenrer line of the tank, it should be enough I think but LMK if you think differently. 2 1" returns from my MegaFlow overflow will gravity drain into a 1 1/2" PVC DWV Y, BV's on each side to throttle flow from the DT instead of the sump room. The 1 1/2" line will than drain into my 50gallon Fuge feeding excess nutrients and food to the Fuge. The Fuge will than overflow into my 100gallon sump where the skimmer, heater, and probes will be located. My Marlin pump will than pump the return water to my DT w/ valves under the DT to control flow. If anyone has suggestions or a better setup design its greatly appreciated I tend to over analyze things and have gone over this part in my head a 1000 times or so. I plan on having 2 40 gallon Brute containers for RO/DI storage and mix water for WC's. A gravity fed ATO will keep evap water in check.

So thats the jist of it pics to come soon (going to BB today to buy a new 1) Please feel free to help out if youd like I value everyone's opinions on RC and look forward to working w/ you on this build. One catch my first child is on the way Aug 11th to be exact so I wanna have this thing up and running by April the latest, time for a safe cycle, and maybe a little stocking of the DT, cause once the little one comes Im sure reef spending will be impeaded a bit :lol: Stay tuned for updates planning on readying the sump room today Ill post pics
 
Tests show that skimmers only remove 40% of total organic carbons so I would flow to the skimmer and then to the refugium. Or house the skiimer in its own tank and flow to the skimmer, then the refugium and then to the sump. Use the sump as stability mechanism only so as to give greater storage mass for thermalenergy and greater stability against other rapid water parameter changes.

Before you even start think about setting up your support sumps I would set them and even your display tanks on top of foam insulation and insulate the sides of your sump anf refugium so as to lessen winter heating bills as the insulated tanks will insure thermal storage to lessen the heat requirements at night and especially at night during the winter. Prevent heat gains that are extreme during the summer by both thermal tempering by the large insulated storage masses and through fans blowing across the water surfaces rather than by heat losses through the glass and rubber surfaces. My commercial tanks all have sumps three times larger than the tanks capacities plus standard sumps holding skimmers and remote deep sand buckets. My large sumps are water tanks used for hauling drinking water in the back of pickup trucks or trailers. They are tanks with a 10" screw on manhole cover and entrance and exit bulkheads. I also drilled a vent hole in the manhole cover. They large enclosed tanks are covered on all surfaces by 4" of urethane foam board, and the smaller sumps are covered every where but the top and front with two inches of urethane foam. My tanks are also covered back sides, and bottom with foam during the winter and I remove the side and back faom during the summer. By tanks are only viewed from the front though.

Large sumps are great for tempering all parameters and can cut heating and coollng costs a huge amount. Remember your water changes are based upon your bioloads. If you have a 250 gallon system in which you are changing 25 gallons a week and you then add another 250 gallon sump you still only need to change 25 gallons per week if you do not increase your bioload through feeding more etc. Your concentrations of pollutants will build up half as fast with double the volume so to get approximatelly the same results you remove proportionally the same amount of water or 25 gallons per week as your contaminant concentration is half as high so you omnly have to remove half as much. Ie. you now only have to remove 5% of your water rather than 10% because your concentration of contaminants is half as much.
 
Well I finally got a new camera and got some pics of my DIY stand. Its 2x4 and 2x6 frame wrapped in maple plywood and trim, its not done yet hopefully this week Ill post more pics as I go, canopy to

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And here are some photos of my DIY Foam Rock Wall, thanks very much to SpeckledGrouper for her info and help

some dry baserock to put on backwall
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this is the backwall w/ rocks attached
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another of the backwall
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A side shot of the backwall
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So let me know what u think Ill have more pics tomorrow after I epoxy and add sand to the walls
 
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looks great so far can't wait to see it with live rock and corals in it.
Did you just make the design for the stand your self or did you get it from somewhere.
 
Very nice work on the stand and canopy. It'll be interesting to see the rock wall come together.

Don't be down hearted at the lack of responses. That just means, people couldn't have done it better so far!

Good luck with the build.
 
nice detail mirroring the wall baseboard trim on the stand so it sits perfectly flush.....small details like that are sometimes the biggest pain in the *** to accomplish, but really add to the overall visual appeal
 
Liek the details ogf the seahorse handles...nice touch Nic cabinetry too Will follow to see the progress
 
here are some pics of the plumbing Ive done so far.

I added a slop sink to make life easier
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Piping into and out of 100 gallon sump
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sump again
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Piping into and out of Fuge
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Ya it is a 125 I always say 120 for some reason???? I had a small problem with a leaky bulkhead on my 100 gallon stock tank, fixed it up so hopefully I'm good to go now. Ill keep u guys updated
 
any chance you can post some shots with the door to your stand open? Trying to figure out how wide of an opening you have there.
Thanks
 
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