GvineReefer's 120-gal upgrade

[GvineReefer]

Hello reef world, I wanted to share with you my upgrade from my current 90-gal to the new 120-gal. This may seem like a weird size upgrade, since I'm really only gaining 6 inches in depth, but there are reasons behind this. Of course I have aspirations of a large 200-gal plus, but reality sets in quickly and the wifey strikes her whip as well. I am limited in space in our current house, so the huge upgrade will have to wait. I found a deal on a new stand/canopy that a local reefer bought and never set up, so I decided a 120-gal was where I was going.

After purchasing the stand/canopy, I had a custom tank built by Planet Aquariums. The tank is a standard 120 (48x24x24) with a single center overflow box, PVC bottom, black silicone, euro-bracing, a single 1.5" drain and dual 3/4" returns. The tank came out great and I'm really happy with it so far.

Here is a shot of the 90-gal I've had setup for about 18-months.

I took down the 90-gal today and had to transfer all of my livestock into a temporary holding tank. As I'm sure you can imagine, the wifey loves this setup!!

The 120 was brought in and put it its permanent place. It will remain dry for a week or two while I wait for a few items to come in.

Here is a shot of my sump that Planet Aquariums also built, which has a PVC bottom. It also incorporates the top off area on the far right side. In the back left corner there is an acrylic bubble trap.

Here is my equipment list so far:

Lighting - 48 Cree LED's on a 47"x8.5" heatsink (Meanwell dimmable drivers), with a 48" 2 bulb ATI T5 retro fit kit for supplementation (will be playing with blue plus and fiji purple bulbs)
Flow - 2 x Vortech MP40 ES
Controller - Neptune's Systems AquaController Apex Lite
Skimmer - Reef Octopus Extreme XS 160
Return pump - QuietOne 5000
Dosing - Bubble Magus T01 dosing pumps
Bio pellet reactor - NextReef SMR1
Bio pellets - Warner Marine EcoBak ULNS Pellets
Carbon reactor - Bulk Reef Supply Deluxe
Top Off - JBJ ATO
Additional power management - DJ Power Switch
Rock - 75lbs of Marco Rocks, 20lbs of Marco's "prime cuts"
Sand - CaribSea Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand

When I set up my 90-gal, I rushed into it and pieced it together after I initially set up the tank. It was a major PITA, so this time I'm doing it right and waiting until I have everything with me so I can make it as clean and neat as possible. I anticipate water within a few weeks.

Hope everyone enjoys my journey.

 

[Bulldogsteve]

Looks good i dont live far from you. Near fish2morrow
I am also upgrading to a 125 right now a little at a time.
Getting close to wet also.
I just bought an apex controller cant wait to get it
Steve

 

[VegasUSP]

Nice setup, I have a 120 and the dimensions are perfect for my needs. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

 

[Bulldogsteve]

Did you make your led set up, that will be my next thing to build.
if you did could you maybe help me if i have questions.

 

[GvineReefer]

Steve, I have already ordered my Apex system, so I'm just waiting for it to be delivered. I saw the GB, but already had an order, so i missed out on it.

As far as the LED's go, I had a guy in Richardson build it for me. He runs Custom Reefs and his name is Wayne. Look him up on DallasMAS, ImageX is his name on there. He will answer all of your questions and can build your system for you if need be, fairly cheap as well.

 

[GvineReefer]

I got the main plumbing done this week, pretty basic, but it seems to work. I water tested with fresh water yesterday and found a few small leaks, but should have those fixed up shortly. The tank was pretty loud, so I need to mess with my durso a bit to quiet it down. Wires will be clean and out of the way, I'm just waiting for all of it to be in there before I tie it all together. I'm a bit disappointed in the noise created by the QuietOne pump, I was hoping it would live up to its name, but not so much right now. Maybe after it runs for a while it will quiet down. If not, I'll be in the market for a replacement.

The bio-pellet reactor will be plumbed in where it is, the carbon reactor will be somewhere near it, and the dosing pumps/containers will be on the far right side of the stand. I plan to only dose alk/ca using the pumps, and will probably dose mag as needed by hand.

I received the retro T5 kit and I put it together. I ran out of time yesterday and was busy today, so I didn't have time to get them mounted. I'll get that done in the next few days. I am still waiting for my MP40's and the Apex, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed they arrive this week so I can get this thing finished and ready by the end of next weekend (3-day weekend for me). I like doing everything at once, that way I don't have to re-do everything when something new arrives. This is the method to my madness, so once I get the final 2 pieces (MP40 & Apex), I'll start knocking things out left and right.

Update on my livestock: I lost all of my SPS in the transfer to the holding tank, but all of my fish pulled through and are doing great. My monti-cap nuked the holding tank, so I was desperately scrambling to save everything else. Made lots of water and did a few water changes. All other corals are doing well now. I was hoping the anemone would split with all of the stress, but no dice. It is back to normal and huge as ever.

I'll update with progress pic's later this week.

 

[Buzzword]

looks like great setup! I have a 120g also and love it but would like to upgrade as well. Bummer on the loss. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Bulldogsteve]

Thank you for the info.
I will send him a msg when i get to that stage in my build.
Sorry for your loss.
You can have a frags of anything out of my tank that you would like free!
Steve

 

[GvineReefer]

A few updated pic's. My lights will be here next Wednesday, so I'm stuck using a 24" power compact setup that only has one bulb for now. I haven't setup the wireless network yet, so I've got a nice pretty cable running from my router in a different room. I hope to have everything finalized by the end of next week once my gaming adapter and lights get here. Started bio-pellets on Wednesday so we'll see how they do.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

Looks good. The tank stand and canopy really go well with the color of the wall.

 

[tqpolo]

Very clean build. I like it a lot, especially your rockwork. Did you use any glue or epoxy?

 

[GvineReefer]

Thanks guys. I used rods and zip ties, but no epoxy. I got a masonry bit and a driveway marker from Home Depot, then cut the rod to length. I had some of the Marco Rock plaster, but ended up not using it. It is pretty sturdy for the most part, with only a few small areas that move. I don't think it will affect anything.

I thought I updated my thread about my lights, but looks like I didn't. I decided to sell my LED's and go with an 8-bulb T5 setup. I've only had LED's since I started the hobby and have not given any other light form a shot. The heatsink I had was very bulky, heavy and hard to mount anywhere. It ended up being a chore trying to get it in my canopy, along with the retro T-5 kit. So, I sold the LED's and retro kit, and purchased a TEK fixture from a guy here on RC. I may go back to LED's later down the road, but I have seen too many incredible tanks with T5's to not at least give them a shot. Got a great deal on the T-5 setup as well, so that made it an easy choice. In the end, I'd like to be able to say with confidence that the light source I choose is the best for ME. Again, we'll see how this goes. Lights will be here Wednesday...

 

[want2reef]

Nice setup.

How tall is your stand?

 

[GvineReefer]

My tank sits at 40" and the trim goes up to about 41.5-42". I love the height and not having to lean over to look into it any more. I'm around 6' tall and my eyes are near the top of the tank. The wifey's eyes are about mid way up the glass, so I sometimes wish I was 5'4". I got a great deal on the stand/canopy and I couldn't pass it up due to the height. It is a bit more challenging to work in, but well worth it in my opinion.

I also would highly recommend anyone in this hobby acquiring a sturdy step stool. I asked for one of these for Xmas and it is one of the best gift's I have received in a while. I got the middle sized, three step safety stool.

http://www.thelittleladderstore.com/LittleGiantSafetyStepStool.html

 

[GvineReefer]

It's been a while since I've updated my thread. I've been waiting for the tank to settle down and we're still in that process. I'm working out an issue with the bio-pellets and think I'm headed in the right direction. Headed to NextWave tomorrow, so hoping to get a bunch of new corals to start over with. I'll add some new tank pic's in the next few weeks once I get all of my corals placed and everything in some sort of order.

I did however, want to show off my new Diver's Den acquisition. I've studied these fish a lot and am to the point that I'm going to change the direction I go to keep certain fish that have been on my list for a long time. This is a dream fish for me, so I figured I'd give it a go to see what happens. It seems really healthy and is doing good in the tank right now. I have kept certain corals in there to see what it has a taste for, and as you can tell by the pic, it's found one already. Corals will definitely be removed if it continues, so we'll see how that goes. This is the first time I've ordered from Live Aquaria/Diver's Den, so I'm really happy so far. The packaging was great and the fish I received is exactly what I wanted. Fingers crossed it works out...

 

[bdyj]

Nice clean set up
Looks good