My plan of a 125 gallon build

[SimonSKL]

Now that I have sold my 29g setup, I can begin to plan my 125g build. Here are some drawings of what I envision.

This will be a 125g tank measured 72x18x22, custom stand and canopy

The stand will be built a little deeper so i can have a bigger sump area to house all the equipment and accessories. Nothing will be kept outside the tank. Top frame will be built with 2x6. The corner posts will be 4x4. Rest of the stand will be 2x4. There will be no center support.

Plumbing: The tank will have two cornerflows and I will be using both bulkheads for drains in each and have the returns routed to the back and over into the tank. I hope this will create a more quiet tank without hearing the water gurgling. The green pipe is the primary drain, purple will backup drain and red the return line. There will be a manifold in the front for reactors.

Equipment in sump: I plan to have a 30g sump (36x13x16) with a dosing cabinet, reactors, and a electrical panel underneath.

I will be using a shadowbox to create some depth perception as a background.

Canopy: The top of the canopy will be hinged so it can be raised for light installment or occasional maintenance. The front door will be used for routine feeding and daily cleaning.

A few decisions will still need to be made:
What size and brand of external pump will I be using to provide 1000gph flow to the tank, to the refugium and drive the reactors? I have been thinking about PanWorld 100PXX or Blowhole 1450. I welcome any suggestion you may have.

I plan to use LED lights. At this time I am leaning toward 3 to 4 EShine 60W CREE units.

 

[Daffej]

Looks good. I really love shadowboxes. Take a look at the reefkoi dimmable 150w units. 2 of them work great on my tank.

 

[Trademark]

AWESOME, I'm glad that you are able to move up to a larger tank. I want to be the first to donate some starter corals for ya. LEDS in a mixed tank will be cool. If I understand you right you are wanting to create all your flow in your tank from your return lines? Whats your complete list for equipment. Have you thought about a UV on this setup. I still swear by it. Are you building your stand and canopy yourself? Keep the pics coming.

 

[SimonSKL]

Trademark, Thanks for the offer. I probably will take you up on that. :bounce3:

Yes, I am trying to create most of the flow thru the tank, refugium as well as drive all the reactors using my return pump. I still plan use a pair of MP40ES at each end of the tank for more flow.

At this time, I have not finalized all my equipment list yet. This is what I am planning so far:
Sump - 30g (36x13x16) with 3 compartments: refugium - Return - PS/drain
External Pump - Blowhole 1450 or Panworld 100PXX
PS - BM NAC7 (rated for up to 185g which I already have)
Flow - 2x MP40ES
Light - 3 - 4X 60W Eshine CREE LED
Ca / Alk - I have a GEO 612 Calcium Reactor which I may use again or use dosing pumps to supplement Ca, alk, and Mg
Controller - Digital Aquatics RKE

I am kind of on the fence about UV. I don't know too much about it and many thought it is not necessary. How long have you been using yours? Yours is 27W, correct? How often do you have to change the bulb?

I will be building the stand and canopy myself as my other hobby happens to be woodworking. I have all the necessary tools to make that part of the project easier. As soon as I get the tank, I will begin the build and post pictures along the way. Right now I am prepping the location of the tank with some floor reinforcement and running an IO line to it.

 

[Shooter7]

Holy cr*p, back when I was "designing" the plumbing plans for the 120g I had, it was pencil on a piece of scrap paper! I feel so lacking somehow... lol

I'm just wondering why you're going with a 125g instead of a 180g and getting the extra front to back depth? I mean, I know it adds on cost of tank, etc, but that extra depth is a real help when it comes to scaping.

And on the topic of looks, the shadowbox is interesting, but hope you have plans on being pretty rigorous in keeping your back glass clean. My 120's back glass was well covered in coralline within the first several months of having it up, so having scenery back there would have been useless for me. I just painted the back black.

Hope it works out for you... if not, it doesn't look like it would be for lack of planning. :reading:

 

[SimonSKL]

Shooter, When I designed my 92 gal corner tank almost 5 yrs ago, it was on pencil and paper. We sure have come a long way in terms of computer software.

The thought of a 180g is enticing but the added cost is not just the tank but also all related equipment to run it. I am not planning a lot of rockscape in the 125g tank. I am going for the minimalist look with most rocks stacked at each end of the tank leaving the middle kind of open (so I can keep the back glass clean :lmao:

If the shadowbox doesn't work, I will just put a black background there.

 

[Trademark]

My UV is a 25watt. Bulb change once a yr. In my experience with it so far. ( Its first time for me) I don't have to clean my glass but once every couple of weeks and that is mostly because I feel I need to get some use out of my $80.00 magnet. Never had any ich problems in my tank. The other maintence that I do about once a week is use my wiper on the UV unit to keep it in tip top shape. Have you looked at an Iwaki pump. I have always used these unit with no problems at all. I haven't had any experience with anything else but the units that I use are the Japanese models and are dead quite. The model units that are designed to except back pressure make it really easy to feed alot of different equipment without any damage to pump.

 

[SimonSKL]

Trademark, does your Aqua UV require pretty high flow rate to work? What pump do you use to drive the water through it?

I know your have double corner-flo in your tank. Do you use both the 1" bulkheads in each corner-flo for drain or you use one for drain and the other for return?

 

[cioutlaw]

I thought the same as shooter, nothing wrong with a 125 but if I was doing a 6ft tank it would be at least 180, if cost is a factor I would wait. I went 225 for my 6ft. tank 72Lx24hx30d but it is a double side penisula style so I needed the depth.
My next tank will be 8ftx36deepx24 or 30 tall. Personal preference but I have always liked a deep tank.

 

[Trademark]

I do not have a high flow on my UV. I have a pretty low flow through it so I have a good contact time to zap as much as I can. I use my return pump for water controlled by a valve for restriction. I use all 4 holes in overflows. 2 for return ( one on each end ). One drains directly to sump and the other one is routed to fuge and sump. I control that one will a valve as to not have to much flow into my fuge. Your aquascape ideas sound good for that tank. I know of a zoo tank with that kind of aquascape and it looks really good.

 

[SimonSKL]

I went to Menards and bought some lumber for the stand and did a little bit of site prep today. I went down to the crawl space and put a floor jack underneath the new tank location. It is probably not necessary as the tank weight will be spread out across several floor joists.

The tank will go into my office which is not a big room. You can see the carpet stain where my 29g used to be.

I also ran a IO water line to the spot which will make running an ATO much easier. Behind the wall is a utility closet with a drain for the water heater and water softener. I am going to run a drain line to it for water changes.

cioutlaw and Shooter, I have not ordered the 125g tank yet. A 180g is definitely tempting and it doesn't increase the footprint of the stand as my stand is designed with a 24" depth. I am going to give it some serious thought :hmm2:. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[SimonSKL]

I use all 4 holes in overflows. 2 for return ( one on each end ). One drains directly to sump and the other one is routed to fuge and sump. I control that one will a valve as to not have to much flow into my fuge.

Many people say restricting drain with a valve is not a good idea. If a snail or something gets stuck in the valve, the other overflow will have to carry the load which has a max capacity of 700gph. If your return pump has more flow than that, your display tank will over flow the rim. Are you concern with that?

 

[SimonSKL]

Trademark, I am contemplating a 180g build. How big is your sump? If power goes out, how many inches will the water level drop in your display tank. I am trying to figure out if my 30g sump will be big enough to handle a 180g in the event of power failure. I figure if the water level in your tank drops 2 inches, there is 15 gal of water going into your sump.

 

[Trademark]

I thought about that but not a concern.
1. I do not have all of pump capacity going to tank ( i just wanted turn over of main tank and not relying on return for flow in tank, that is why i have a mp40 and a tunze wave box )
2. The placement of valve going to fuge is past main return line to sump, doing this insures that if a snail does get lodged then all the water will just go straight to the sump.


If you are considering a 180, you are more than welcome to come over and take a look at mine again if you want, no prob

 

[magneeto8]

Nice idea im loven da plumming real kool.

 

[Trademark]

I TO HAVE A 30 GAL SUMP. I WASN'T REAL SURE HOW MUCH SPACE I WOULD NEED IN THE EVENT OF POWER FAILURE SO I JUST KILLED THE POWER ON IT ONE NIGHT TO SEE. I HAD NO PROBLEM. i ONLY HAVE ABOUT TEN GAL RUNNING THROUGH SUMP AT ANY TIME. I THINK THE ONE THING THAT HELPED IS THAT I SET MY SKIMMER IN THE SUMP BEFORE I PUT BAFFLES IN IT TO MAKE THAT PART AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE. IN DOING THIS I KNEW THAT MY SKIMMER HAD TO HAVE A CONSTANT HEIGHT OF WATER IN ORDER TO WORK PROPERLY. IT MINIMIZED THE AMOUNT OF WATER I HAD TO HAVEIN SUMP IN ORDER TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. I ALSO TOOK IT ONE STEP FURTHER AND LINED MY COMPLETE AREA UNDER Tank WITH A SHOWER PAN 30MIL LINER TO PREVENT WATER DAMAGE JUST INCASE. ANOTHER THING THAT WILL HELP IS WHEN ADJUSTING YOUR LOCLINE RETURN LINES I PUT THEM AS HIGH AS I COULD TO HELP IN PREVENT A BACK FLOW.

 

[SimonSKL]

125 gallon vs 180 gallon, Same footprint.

125g

180g

125g - Because of the shallow tank, I can reach the back glass to keep it clean allowing me to use the shadowbox background and have a more quiet durso drain system.

180g - The tank is deeper and I can't reach the back glass to clean, I will have to paint it black. I also don't have room in the back to use the durso drain and will have to use the built in overflow for drain and return which is noisy.

Decision... Decision...! :spin2: Help me decide. Tell me pros and cons of each size tank.

 

[Trademark]

The major pro for a 180 build is after your done your glad you went that route.

The major con for a 125 build is after your done is wishing you went bigger.

HAHA! It basically just comes down to a personal vision of what you want to end up with. I have seen spectacular 125's and 180's as I am sure you have too. That is the beauty of this hobby (passion), its your build and no one else's.

 

[cioutlaw]

The major pro for a 180 build is after your done your glad you went that route.

The major con for a 125 build is after your done is wishing you went bigger.

HAHA! It basically just comes down to a personal vision of what you want to end up with. I have seen spectacular 125's and 180's as I am sure you have too. That is the beauty of this hobby (passion), its your build and no one else's.

Well said!

 

[SimonSKL]

The major pro for a 180 build is after your done your glad you went that route.

The major con for a 125 build is after your done is wishing you went bigger.

Trademark, you sure know how to help me decide