Peace and Fish
New member
Hello everyone as I mentioned in the intro thread my name is Jeff and I'm new to the El Paso area. I came into the hobby in March of 2012 and have been hooked ever since. So far my longest held aquarium was a 120gal reef which I ran for a year before moving. Made just about every rookie mistake you can think of so you can say I learned not just from reading forums, asking dozens of questions to other aquarium enthusiasts and countless hours of research, but also from my very own mistakes.
I decided to start a thread for a couple of reasons. First I want to have a place where I could keep track of my progress and have the opportunity to get advice and criticism at any time. Second, I wanted to give the opportunity for others to share their ideas with me or for those who are beginners (or even seasoned veterans) to take some ideas as well. However I must point out I am keeping this build as simple as possible at the moment.
Alright now to the fun stuff! I've actually been planning out this build for a couple of months. I had ordered new equipment and just received my last piece yesterday morning. I had actually planned to buy a tank only and build my own stand/canopy but ended up getting an amazing deal on a 125gal tank, which I originally wanted about a year ago when I bought my used 120. The dimensions are 72"x18"x22". I prefer a longer tank because I would like to keep at least 2 tangs. The stand and canopy are made of a really strong wood (don't know much about wood so couldn't tell you what kind of wood it is). The tank was drilled in the middle and has (2) 1" bulkheads and a glass overflow box. Included was a used 55gal aquarium to use as a sump, but I still have to add the baffles to it. Just finished sterilizing it with a bleach solution and a little bit of sun drying. The whole setup came out to about $550. Couldn't turn my back on that.
Equipment and explanation
Skimmer: Reef Octopus Diablo DCS 200 - went way bigger this time because I plan to keep a well stocked aquarium. I've made the mistake in the past of not listening to the rule of thumb that skimmers are usually overrated and ended up giving myself headaches. Also I know I tend to get bored easily so figured if I did upgrade I would not have to purchase another one for a while.
Circulation: Currently have one Vortech MP40wES. Thought I would keep the 120 and that would have worked. Seeing that I now have a 6ft long tank, I will buy another one when my bank account recovers from the move. For now, my Hydor Koralia Evo 1400 and whatever else I could find should help to supplement while I let my tank cycle for a few weeks, maybe even 2-3 months.
Lights: Have (2) Taotronics TT-AL09 (dimmables) that I bought a year ago for my now retired 120. The lights grow coral (especially softies) really well. However, the color spectrum of these lights sucks"¦ I've compared them to higher end lights, and even diy fixtures with full spectrum and decided to get something better. I fell in love with AI lights after browsing around so decided to buy the Hydra 52. Unfortunately only had enough to buy (1) light but honestly don't mind since I won't be using lights for a while. If they look good, and most importantly, corals enjoy them, will probably buy two more, if not just regular Hydras since these might be overkill. Reason for buying? They look cool, the new Director is cool and I felt like spending a lot of money on lights. But not enough to convince myself to buy Radions.
Rocks: Bought approximately 100lbs of dry marco (I think) rocks. I have over 150lbs of rock from my old setup but definitely won't be using that as it was infested with algae and some with aiptasia. Actually ended up vinegar bathing some of them and sun drying for a week. Going to use most of my rock in the sump this time.
Other info: Will be using Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. The brand has been good to me and have so far not had to dose anything, except for vodka at one point. It's also fairly inexpensive. Have some other maintenance equipment but I won't bore readers any further.
Last notes: Plan on doing small weekly water changes and a once a month 25% water change. My short time in this hobby has taught me that nothing fixes a problem better than a good old water change. As for anyone reading this thread, here is where you come in. I am in need of a new pump. Have a Rio 2500+ but that thing won't work for this setup. I've had a good experience with Rio and was thinking of going with a Hyper Flow 26. Seems inexpensive, low energy consumption (less than my 2500"¦ hmm) and so far Rio has been reliable for me as long as they are kept clean. Please share your input on this or anything else about my setup. Will add pictures soon and hope to update regularly. Thanks for reading and happy reefing!
I decided to start a thread for a couple of reasons. First I want to have a place where I could keep track of my progress and have the opportunity to get advice and criticism at any time. Second, I wanted to give the opportunity for others to share their ideas with me or for those who are beginners (or even seasoned veterans) to take some ideas as well. However I must point out I am keeping this build as simple as possible at the moment.
Alright now to the fun stuff! I've actually been planning out this build for a couple of months. I had ordered new equipment and just received my last piece yesterday morning. I had actually planned to buy a tank only and build my own stand/canopy but ended up getting an amazing deal on a 125gal tank, which I originally wanted about a year ago when I bought my used 120. The dimensions are 72"x18"x22". I prefer a longer tank because I would like to keep at least 2 tangs. The stand and canopy are made of a really strong wood (don't know much about wood so couldn't tell you what kind of wood it is). The tank was drilled in the middle and has (2) 1" bulkheads and a glass overflow box. Included was a used 55gal aquarium to use as a sump, but I still have to add the baffles to it. Just finished sterilizing it with a bleach solution and a little bit of sun drying. The whole setup came out to about $550. Couldn't turn my back on that.
Equipment and explanation
Skimmer: Reef Octopus Diablo DCS 200 - went way bigger this time because I plan to keep a well stocked aquarium. I've made the mistake in the past of not listening to the rule of thumb that skimmers are usually overrated and ended up giving myself headaches. Also I know I tend to get bored easily so figured if I did upgrade I would not have to purchase another one for a while.
Circulation: Currently have one Vortech MP40wES. Thought I would keep the 120 and that would have worked. Seeing that I now have a 6ft long tank, I will buy another one when my bank account recovers from the move. For now, my Hydor Koralia Evo 1400 and whatever else I could find should help to supplement while I let my tank cycle for a few weeks, maybe even 2-3 months.
Lights: Have (2) Taotronics TT-AL09 (dimmables) that I bought a year ago for my now retired 120. The lights grow coral (especially softies) really well. However, the color spectrum of these lights sucks"¦ I've compared them to higher end lights, and even diy fixtures with full spectrum and decided to get something better. I fell in love with AI lights after browsing around so decided to buy the Hydra 52. Unfortunately only had enough to buy (1) light but honestly don't mind since I won't be using lights for a while. If they look good, and most importantly, corals enjoy them, will probably buy two more, if not just regular Hydras since these might be overkill. Reason for buying? They look cool, the new Director is cool and I felt like spending a lot of money on lights. But not enough to convince myself to buy Radions.
Rocks: Bought approximately 100lbs of dry marco (I think) rocks. I have over 150lbs of rock from my old setup but definitely won't be using that as it was infested with algae and some with aiptasia. Actually ended up vinegar bathing some of them and sun drying for a week. Going to use most of my rock in the sump this time.
Other info: Will be using Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. The brand has been good to me and have so far not had to dose anything, except for vodka at one point. It's also fairly inexpensive. Have some other maintenance equipment but I won't bore readers any further.
Last notes: Plan on doing small weekly water changes and a once a month 25% water change. My short time in this hobby has taught me that nothing fixes a problem better than a good old water change. As for anyone reading this thread, here is where you come in. I am in need of a new pump. Have a Rio 2500+ but that thing won't work for this setup. I've had a good experience with Rio and was thinking of going with a Hyper Flow 26. Seems inexpensive, low energy consumption (less than my 2500"¦ hmm) and so far Rio has been reliable for me as long as they are kept clean. Please share your input on this or anything else about my setup. Will add pictures soon and hope to update regularly. Thanks for reading and happy reefing!
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This is all dry fitted right?
