Final Tank. 120g build thread

[MeghanisradxD]

We started this upgrade journey with a 6' 150g that was an upgrade from our 75 gallon, but was too narrow for my liking. It made aquascaping challenging,so we then moved to a 220 cube. I love the cube and it has a beautiful stand/canopy, but I'm getting complaints from the housemates that it's taking up too much living room space. I'm also having trouble financially keeping up with stocking it and weekly water changes, so we've met in the middle and have decided on the final tank. A standard 120 gallon with dual overflows. I should be able to keep all my current fish (not too many) and corals, but the 100 gallons less should help significantly with salt costs. I'm also switching back to LED lights from metal halides as I really only keep LPS and softies and they don't seem to make much difference over LEDs.

Here are the plans for the tank. The trash cans in the closet are going to be the saltwater mixing station. Fresh on top, salt on bottom, Ball valve and plumbing to drain the top trash can into the bottom and a mag drive pump in the bottom trash can to mix saltwater and pump it into the tank for water changes. The closet is right behind the tank which will make water changes nice and simple.

 

[MeghanisradxD]

Here is the difference in space between the old tank and new tank. Doesn't seem like a ton, but in person it will make quite a difference.

 

[MeghanisradxD]

So far, I've cleaned up all the silicone in the sump that I got and have painted all but one side black. Since there will be a refugium section in the middle with a light above it, I'm not sure that this was really necessary. But, it does look good, so I'll go with it.

 

[MeghanisradxD]

Here is the tank that I purchased




And here is the stand I'll be using. I did some trading with a member of my local reef club. He had the stand from a 150 build (The 150 is what is on it in this photo)




I'm going to be painting the stand white. I also want to block off a small section to the left to put my DJ strip in and hide cables, so it looks as clean as possible. Like the model below.

 

[MeghanisradxD]

And last, but not least for today is the sump layout. I want to design it as close to the trigger systems sumps as possible. I bought some glass and a glass cutter from the hardware store last night. It's my first time doing something like this, so we will see how this goes. :hmm5:

Drain on the back left, filter socks front left, refugium in the middle, skimmer front right, and return pump in the back right. The stand will have minimal space, so I tried to make the most efficient design possible in a 40 breeder as that is going to use up the majority of the stand.

 

[MeghanisradxD]

Here are some photos of the sump in progress. I took out the baffles the old owner had in there and cut out as much of the leftover silicone that I could, then reused the baffles. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it will do the job.





Below is a photo of the 120 with the stand and lights setup. I'm working on painting the stand white right now and will then cut and place some plywood to create the electronics center and keep it away from the saltwater.



The 120 will be delivered tomorrow, which also means the new owner will be taking my 240 gallon, so I'm trying to get as much ready as possible. I still need to get the rock, coral, and fish into a holding container, so I can drain the tank. Still have lots and lots to do in the next 24 hours.

 

[nbelohlav]

What LED's are those if you dont mind me asking?

 

[MeghanisradxD]

What LED's are those if you dont mind me asking?

They are the aqua vitro 165w LEDs. I'm having a hard time finding a link right now, but they are the same as the Evergrow or Mars Aqua models. Chinese LEDs. They have a built in controller, but it's a little wonky, so takes some time to get it setup.

I guess I should go over my equipment list anyways:
Tank is a standard Aqueon 120 gallon and the stand is the generic Aqueon stand
2 Maxspect gyre XF150's
Aqueon Quietflow pump. I believe it is the 1200 model
Reef Octopus Classis 202-S protein skimmer
I've got a handful of random heaters I've collected over the years, so will probably be reusing those instead of purchasing new
Jebao DP-4 Auto dosing pump
I have a display refugium and the contents will all be moved into the refugium section of the sump for nutrient export



I finally got the rock and fish out of the tank at 1am. It's now 8:30am and I still have about half the tank to drain and need to get the sump emptied and moved out of the stand. The new owner will be here at noon to move the tank. I'm cutting it really close with time, but I didn't want the fish in holding containers for too long. Not to mention that my house is small and having a 200 gallon tank, a 120 tank stand, multiple large containers of fish, two dogs, two cats, and four humans....It's getting a little cramped :sad2:

 

[MeghanisradxD]

The new tank is in the house and on the newly painted stand! This is not it's final resting place. We are painting the wall behind where it will go, so needed the tank out of the way.



First thing I did was paint the back of the tank black



I got the sump in the stand and it's a much tighter fit than I had hoped due to the corners not being usable space. There is a block of wood in each corner that really limits how far back the sump can sit. However, I was still able to get the sump in and the DJ power strip mounted where it is still easily accessible. It won't be fun getting to the power plugs when I have to remove or add equipment, but you can only perfect so much.



I'm off to Home Depot to get the remainder of the plumbing supplies, so I can get the plumbing done tonight and all of the rock/fish transferred tomorrow after the glue dries. I don't intend on having them sitting in buckets for long. They are as antsy as I am.

 

[MeghanisradxD]

And she's in place! Plumbing is done and there aren't any leaks. I'll begin aquascaping shortly. An entire tank transfer in 24 hours is exhausting!

 

[MeghanisradxD]

She has water!
I got all the rock, fish, and coral back in. We had two casualties My harlequin tusk and my flame angel. They were my two favorites and I'm pretty bummed. However, the tank looks great and I'm happy to have the extra space in the house.



The next plans are to setup the ATO and get the doser installed and configured. All my trace elements should be coming in from BRS today, so that will be a project for this week.