Moving from a 125g to 180g Journey

[jsdancer]

I see that a lot of aquarists start a thread to document their journey as they build or setup their systems. I currently have a 125g reef. This tanks' aquascape has gotten mixed reviews because of my decision to use PVC.
For quite some time, even before this years' renovation, I've wanted to upgrade to a larger tank. But because of size restrictions in my living room I could not go with my original plan of a 250 g. Then on one of my visits to an lfs, a fantastic opportunity landed on my lap. I have been able to purchase a three month old 180g glass tank w/stand, canopy, 50g acrylic sump w/ an ATO, a genx pump, 2 koralia pumps, all hosing, pvc, and bulkhead fittings.
Most hobbyists I spoke with say that this is a great size tank. It measures 72x24x24. Length wise it works since my current 125g is 6 ft long also, so it basically fits in the same spot as the curent one. The added height and width will be a welcomed addition. The stand measures 25 ½" wide by 36" tall, it has 4 doors that open like French doors. Getting things in and out will be good and easy as well.
The canopy is another 10 ½" tall by 72" long. I will be using my current lighting system which consists of three, 250 wt 20k radium mhs. Each with a LumenMax reflector and Galaxy ballasts. For actinics I will be using four sets of three SuperBrite LED's in blue. You can bet that I will add more! LOL!
Nothing has been delivered yet as I am waiting to clear my schedule. I have a lot to plan! I will also need to finish painting the wall behind the tank and finish the flooring where the 125g tank sits now.
I will work in stages but don't want to go over 72 hrs before transferring the animals. So my plans will be done on a three day schedule.
Here is a picture of the tank, canopy and genx pump.

 

[strout]

Congrats on your new tank,will be watching for pics as you set it up.

 

[jsdancer]

Well went to lfs to take some pics of the sump for my 180g. Learned that the sump is actually more like 70g instead of 50g. Also learned that there is a 65k light that can easily be used for a refugium.
Guess what we will be talking about next. Yep! How can I start one and what materials do I need.
Below are the pics at the lfs of the sump. I will try and get better pics.

 

[jsdancer]

Well things are getting closer guys. I ordered 75 lbs of base rock from reefcleaners.org and the rock is not only awesome looking but it doesn't have to be cycled! I will though cycle it for two weeks in a bin so that I can start seeding it.

On another note I have already done some damage at the lfs's. Bought the following fish to add to the display.
3 pajama cardinals
1 yellow belly damsel
3 purple queen anthias
1 mystery wrasse
2 pyramide butterflies
1 mccosters fairy wrasse
1 orange shoulder tang

I am still tossing back and forth whether to go bare bottom with a star board or go ahead and add a few inches of sand.

I am also thinking that I will want to start a refugium. The sump will have a 65k lamp so that will be enough to grow calerpa.

Next week will be a very big week as the tank gets delivered and I need to be prepared for the transfer.

By the way how do figure out what the fish bio load should be for a 180g tank?

 

[jsdancer]

Well guys the weekend is here!

I have been making RO water and filling as many jugs as I have. Base rock from reefcleaners and a good friend of mine Frank are cycling along with some of my display tank LR and sand. So far no visable signs of ammonia or nitrites!

Tomorrow Sat. the 19th will be spent on removing all tank inhabitants.

I have a borrrowed 55g that will house the fish and some of my larger pieces of coral. One of my trash bins will house the LR that has no corals attached to it. I plan on removing some of the corals that were attached to rocks or pvc so that I can later place and glue them to their next home.

All bins will have power heads for water movement. The 55g tank will have the 125g over flow box from the old tank and will continue to run while we setup the new 180g tank which we will go pick up on Sun. the 20th.

I will not start the ca reactor until the new tank is up and running for at least 24 hrs. Do you guys feel any different about that?

I decided that I will go with a thin layer of sand. In my current tank I have never had any of the typical problems because I have plenty of sand sifters.

I have been worried that I will lose a coral but I think I am ready and have plenty of help.

I will post some pics of the event and will keep everyone updated.

Don't worry guys my use of pvc this time will be extremely small and will be placed in a way that you can not see it.

Many thanks to Frank and Luis!

Wish me luck!

 

[Dtronic]

Good luck and looking forward to the pics!

 

[jsdancer]

Oh boy! I new this move would be time consuming but wow!
Here are some pics of the dismantling of the 125g.


Water 1/4 of the way siphoned out. Notice the pvc. After looking at it for 8 months it never did look like what I thought it would look like. Even though sections of it were completely covered in coraline algae the sections closer to the 250 mh's were not.

Finally empty!

Base rock trash bin

55g and storage bins for all my tank inhabitants

Bins housing some acans and blastos

55g housing all acro's and fish

 

[teambutterfield]

good luck. I am about the do the same thing. My current tank is 120 with about 200 gal total water cap.

The new tank will be around 225 with a 100 gal sump.

 

[Lightsluvr]

I love the center brace on your temp frag tank!

Good luck with your transfer.

LL

 

[jsdancer]

Well Saturday started with a few surprises and disappointments.
In order to prevent my fish getting tangled in my fish net, I rigged an old fish net with a plastic bag. It makes catching the fish a lot easier, faster and hopefully less stressful.
I noticed that my regal angle fish was frantically swimming from one end of the tank to the other. All of a sudden it just went on its side and died! I could not believe it! Not sure if it stressed itself to the point and got a heart attack. I will truely miss this beautiful fish.
On a happier note a fish that I thought was long gone and dead wasn't! I had bought a possum wrasse 4 months ago. I saw it for one day and then it was gone! As I was removing rock I see this little thing swimming from the top of the tank. I climb down from the ladder and see that it is the possum wrasse! Holy _ _ _ _!

Now on Sunday the surprises keep coming. All I had left to do today was remove some of the sand, disconnect the lights and sump. As I sholved some of the sand this thing moved and I dropped the dust pan that I was using thinking that I found a big bristle worm! What was it? My green 4" coris wrasse! I forgot about it! It buried itself in the sand and slept there in less than 1" of water! I quickly placed it in one of the bins and it seems to be doing fine. Wow!
As things progressed throughout the day I realized I had not made enough saltwater!
Thank goodness my friends Frank and Luis from Aquamania were there to help me. I can't thank them enough! At 9pm on Sunday we head to the store to get an additional 75g of salt water. We made the effort so that I could get the tank running. Well as you can see from the 2nd pic we are still about 15% short.

Anyhow still lots to do but calling it quits for the day.


My buddies Frank and Luis filling up the tank

End of night and 15% short of salt water but LR and base rocks are in!

Nice huge sump and a 65k pc light fixture for the evental refugium.

 

[jsdancer]

I have a feeling that the red/white stripe hogfish kept that possom wrasse hiding. It would go after any other wrasse I would put in my tank. From a mystery to a dragon wrasse. As for the possum wrasse I must've had enough of a food source for it to have survived and it looks very healthy.



Today 9-22-09 I added a fairy wrasse and two pyrimad butterflies. Connected my chiller and ph probe.



Till tomorrow!



Tomorrow a big day. Will add more fish and start puttting my animals back.

 

[jsdancer]

Well today 9-23-09, I did not add the corals and fish from the old tank. I needed to pick up the fish that I had on hold from my lfs's.
Thanks to Ocean Direct, Aquamania and WWC.

Due to work I had only enough time this morning to rearrange my rock aquascape. This is the rough skeleton and will most likely change when I start to add my corals.

Hey guys NO room for PVC!LOL!

This evening I added a mystery wrasse, 3 pajama cardinals, and a orange shoulder tang.


I cleaned my 300g capacity Marineland in-sump skimmer and it is working great!

I also connected my ca reactor. I thought I would have trouble remembering how to connect it but it was a piece of cake.

Slowly but surely it will get done.

 

[jsdancer]

Well today 9-24-09.....

This morning it took me about 2 1/2 hours to put all coral and fish back in tank. Mind you I just placed everything in the tank. No order as of yet because I want to have my lights in place so that I can judge a little better as to where their new placements will be.

This evening I started to hook up my metal halides which as you can see by photo there are three. They consist of 250 watt radium bulbs. The reflectors are Lumenmax and the ballasts are galaxy ballast. This time I screwed to the back of canopy the ballasts. Any heat produced by them will be disbursed throughout the room instead of under the stand.

I have not finished yet but installed the first row of Super bright LED's so that I can enjoy the tank with the blue actinics. All together there will be 10 stripes. They will be secured to the hood with plastic ties.

 

[phungcpu]

wowww so much work!!

 

[jsdancer]

Tell me about!!!!Still working on it. Will be placing the corals in their permanent places today.

 

[jsdancer]

9-27-09
Well finally! Rearranged some of the rock structure and placed corals in their new home. I actually was looking for a frag and have not been able to find it. My pearl berry frag! Since the water is still a little milky I am hoping that in a few days I will be able to see a better reflection against the glass in the back of tank. At that point I hope I can find it!
I added a juvenile wantanebi angel.
The fish in the aquarium are:

1 yellow tang
1 blue regal tang
1 kole tang
1 orange shoulder tang
2 pyrimad butterflies
1 possom wrasse (I saw this one today)
1 mystery wrasse
1 yellow belly damsel
1 barlett anthias
1 flameback angel
1 black/white clown
1 wantanebi angel

This should be good for now.
Any how on to the pics of the tank. Excuse the fact that the water is still milky in appearance.

1/4 Left side

2nd 1/4 of left side

2nd 1/4 of right side

1/4 of right side

View from the left side panel

View from the right side panel

And of course a fts

Will take some new pics when the water clears.
Only one piece of PVC guys can you find it?:celeb1:

 

[jsdancer]

9-29-09
Well guys I think I am almost finished! Just a few more touches and I will be done.
The water is FINALLY cleared up and pics are to follow.

I am not sure what to do with the koralia power heads. I would like to place them so that the corals get the best over all flow. So far my current placement makes the sand bed blow onto the corals that I placed at the bottom.
Any suggestions for better placement?

I still have some coral epoxying to do but mostly done.

I have connected lights to timers so that I don't need to be home to turn the lights on.

Next in the plans are the following that I have already just need to install:

1. Moonlight install
2. ATO install
3. Refugium install
4. Trim for bottom of stand
5. Matching trim for canopy

Here are FTS from different angles.
Let me know what you think.

Once corals have had time to acclimate to their new surroundings I will take pics of them individually.

 

[Lightsluvr]

Wow - what an upgrade. I'll bet you're glad you ditched the PVC tubing...your new tank looks very ncie and will continue to improve as your coral grow out.

The only thing missing in your photos is the tank owner! :wavehand:

Following along...

LL

 

[jsdancer]

Oh never thought of that. Well I will try to get one in. Thank you for the very nice compliment. I certainly hope the corals acclimate quickly and start growing.

Wow - what an upgrade. I'll bet you're glad you ditched the PVC tubing...your new tank looks very ncie and will continue to improve as your coral grow out.

The only thing missing in your photos is the tank owner! :wavehand:

Following along...

LL

 

[waynem]

Try a different size grain for your sand bed or at least the top layer.

Does that chiller drive you nuts with the sound?