Flippers Reef 125 gallon with basement sump.

[Flippersreef]

This is my current system that was started back in 2014. It took a year to build before it got wet. This tank build is being transferred from another forum that I'm no longer apart of. Enjoy:

The story of Flippers reef started long ago..........

In a time before a thing called "The Internet"existed. Land locked Missouri, mid western U.S.A. back in 1993. I had just got out of the army in 1992 and got busy starting a family.

See, I had fresh water tanks off and on since I was very young and one summer night back in 93, while out to dinner with my wife and daughter, we had to wait for a table at a restaurant. We decided to take a walk down the strip mall near by to burn some time and unknown to me, there before me was a "saltwater fish store"! Looking in windows with eyes wide and mouth open, like a kid on Christmas Day! I had to go in! The rest is history and a "True Aquatic Addiction" permanently took hold.

Since then, a couple houses and numerous saltwater tanks later, our journey brings us to March 2015.......

This is Flippers current build thread.....

Tank: Marineland standard 6', 125 gallon RR

Stand: DIY

Canopy: DIY, 2, 120mm computer case fans

Sump tank: 6', 125 gallon, basement. DIY sump stand

Water changing station: 2, 33 gallon grey Brute trash cans connected via recirculation manifold. Danner mag 5

Skimmer: Reef Octopus classic nwb150

Heaters: 3, 150w, controlled by Inkbird Itc 308.

Return pump: Panworld 150ps

DT Wave pumps: 2, Jebao RW 15's on JB wave controller

ATO: autotopoff.com redundant float switch controlled, 16 gallon Ace rotomold conical tank. Jebao pump, internal

DT lights: 3, modified 165w Mars Aqua units. LED layout mod to SB reef lights diode layout

RO/DI: BRS 6 stage





New house = New tank! Planing stage was at least a 6' tank, but not too big due to funds. A new 6' 125 at $350 was to good to pass up. Knowing I was going to to do a basement sump on this one, I found a used 6' 125 that's was scratched up for $100.

Stand build was based on "Rocket engineers" design. 2x4's and 2x6's design. Wood screws and wood glue. 1/4" plywood skinned. No top. Doors hand built.

Interior and exterior painted semi gloss:

 

[JohnL]

Nice looking tank Flipper. Thanks for sharing

 

[Flippersreef]

Canopy was next. 1"X1" strips using wood screws and wood glue.

Skinned with 1/4" plywood.

Trimmed

Doors

Paint

And finished

Vents on top

And computer fans inside

 

[Flippersreef]

Next the basement!

This is a unfinished basement in this house and that meant I had unlimited possibilities!

First off there was no access to electricity and no easy access to water!

I had to do both!

Let's cut the main water line!

Electric

Need a sink, plumbing and water changing station

 

[Flippersreef]

On to building a sump stand

At first I used a 20 gallon trash can for the ATO and needed a stand for it

This is the ATO now:

Add RO/DI and sump on the stand

 

[Flippersreef]

Now my living room area where the DT was to go has a large span and I didn't want the the floor to bounce with the weight of the tank. So I sistered the floor joists under the tank, placed a 4x4 under the length of the tank and added floor jacks for support

With the DT stand and tank set upstairs, it was time for the drains. I choose to do an emergency drain as well

I wanted not to pack buckets, so a drain from the sump to the house was needed

 

[Flippersreef]

I went with marco rock using fiberglass rods and quikrete hydraulic cement to glue the rock work together. I change some this later do to height.

 

[Flippersreef]

Went salty and after the cycle in went some easy corals

I started out with T5's over this tank. Aquticlife 8 bulb fixture

But got tired of changing bulbs (ATI) and the cost involved, so in October of 2016 I switched over to the Mars Aqua units. Corals responded very well with the LED's.

And as of this month I modded them by replacing some of the diodes to mimic the SB reeflights layout

 

[Flippersreef]

I hate suction cups! Fixed that problem!

 

[Flippersreef]

"Old 125 gallon" sump. pulling out the overflows!

Base of DT stand.

Framed DT stand.

Skinned.

Trimmed.

 

[Flippersreef]

First coat of paint

White Paint inside

Doors

 

[Flippersreef]

Now this next picture has some explaining to do! It was very hot here at the time i started painting the DT stand and i had just finished the canopy and i had both in the garage. Now the wife looked at the canopy and the DT stand and said " the finish looks different on the stand than the canopy". After she said that, I realized she was right. So, being it was like 100+ degrees in the garage, i ran out and shot the DT stand once again. After that coat it matched the canopy.

What i didnt realize was this:

It took her (god bless her soul!) an half hour to scrub my feet clean! Tickled like the heck the whole time! lol

 

[Flippersreef]

Dec 2017

 

[Flippersreef]

April 2018

 

[Flippersreef]

Back when I used to grow Chaetomorpha.

 

[Flippersreef]

Crazy montipora growth! (Feb 2019)

 

[Flippersreef]

June 2019

 

[Flippersreef]

I still use this ATO:

 

[Flippersreef]

I've always used Instant Ocean all my years in the hobby, but back in july of 2019 it was hard to find locally. So I decided to try Fritz blue box and I found out the hard way I had a bad batch. It caused a huge amount of death in my tank.

The mixed salt water had a alkalinity of 15 dkh! It shocked my sps.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

I like your solution to "hang" your heaters.