Planning a 120g

drew2007

New member
So I just sold my 75g setup and I'm upgrading to a 120g. Here's my plan and list of equipment. I've been researching for a few months on this. Opinions and suggestions are welcome. My goal on this setup is silence! I want it to be as quiet as possible so....

Tank - footprint will be 48x24x24. Unless i go with a DSA 105 instead. I want rimless again so I'm not 100% on my choice yet. Drilled for bean animal with 1.5" drains
DIY stand skinned and painted black.
DIY 40 breeder sump designed with an ato section.
Return pump - eheim or sicce syncra
Skimmer - aquamaxx or jns coneS co2
Lighting - Maxspect LED from my previous setup. 3 modules to start will probably add another.
Flow - 2 vortech mp40's which I have and they are not loud at all.

All my live Rock will be getting bleached and acid bath. No more sugar fine sand or live sand. I'm going with special grade this time around.
 
My vote goes to the eheim (1262) for the return pump. It will give more than enough flow for the return and to run carbon/gfo reactors. It will also outlast the rest of the tank.
 
Sounds like we're both working on similar setups...

Tank - 48x24x21 rimless being built by Planet aquarium, 1" drains & 3/4" return
Stand - Coastal Designs, i think, is the name of the builder, black, nicely built
Sump - Eshopps R-300 36x16x16, got this dirt cheap from a guy leaving hobby
Return Pump - Tunze 1073.040. Both you mentioned hi on my list, Tunze low watts won me
Skimmer - Aquamaxx ConeS co2
Lighting - Reef Breeder Photon 48
Flow - 1 MP40, 1 MP10, scouting for another used MP40
Misc - BRS filter for GFO & carbon, BRS dosing 2 part, BRS dosing NoPox if I like it, Apex Neptune, Avast neck cleaner and skimmate collector
Maybe - Ozone reactor used one in past loved it, probably going to build/buy kalk reactor
 
Setup sounds good

"1 drains will be sufficient for a full siphon drain setup, properly setup you could get up to 1500 gph

pump that is capable of 600gph after head loss, Eheim 1262 and Sicce 4 would both would work well
 
Thanks for info. I'm also considering a manifold so I may need to upsize the pump a bit. Maybe a sicce syncra 5?

I choose a 1.5" drain because the overflow I'm pretty set on getting comes pre drilled for 3 1.5" bulkheads.
 
I choose a 1.5" drain because the overflow I'm pretty set on getting comes pre drilled for 3 1.5" bulkheads.

I would expect the siphon drain to be at least 75% closed, Here is a link to a calculator from the Bean Animal web site
http://www.beananimal.com/articles/hydraulics-for-the-aquarist.aspx

As far as the pump goes you could go up to a Sicce 5, install a ball valve so you could fine tune the flow. I like to use double union ball valves in case I want to remove the pump/valve
 
Pretty close to what I just built. I did the JNS SK2 because of availability. I went with a panworld external, but really liked the looks of the Fluval SP4 pump (will be buying over the next year as my back up or switch over to it). A DC pump with a "track record" is way too expensive right now. I also went with RB Photon48 LEDs but have my MH/T5 combo in the closet just in case I end up not liking (But so far love them). I only have one MP40 with a WP25 kicker. When the WP takes a crap (seems like they only last a year or so), I will add another MP40 or Tunze 6095.



 
I would expect the siphon drain to be at least 75% closed, Here is a link to a calculator from the Bean Animal web site
http://www.beananimal.com/articles/hydraulics-for-the-aquarist.aspx

As far as the pump goes you could go up to a Sicce 5, install a ball valve so you could fine tune the flow. I like to use double union ball valves in case I want to remove the pump/valve

So, if I understand that calculator correctly let me throw out an example with 3/4" siphon drain line, if I may...
100 gallon tank, return pump with net of 500 gal per hour output, 3.5' vertical height from tank's overflow water level to waterline in sump, with siphon pipe having internal diameter of 0.75". ---
Then I'd have the gate valve open about 60% to balance a full siphon?

Does that sound right? Guess I tighten valve a little to force some thru the open channel pipe. Thought I'd looked at everything on the beananimal site but that calculator is pretty nifty.
 
Skimmer arrived today. Ordered Tuesday! :thumbsup:
 

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Nice! Where'd you buy from? I would think a lot of Aquamaxx seekers would be interested.

My swabbie and skimmate collector arrived today. Now all I need is the tank :)
 
Nice! Where'd you buy from? I would think a lot of Aquamaxx seekers would be interested.

My swabbie and skimmate collector arrived today. Now all I need is the tank :)

Got it from big als online. Same exact specs as the aquamaxx. They have co1, co2 and co3 in stock
 
So I'm picking up my 120 in the next 2 weeks. I need some advice on return pump. I'm doing a bean animal with exact specs that is on his site. 1" bulkheads and 1.5" pvc. I'm looking at the Fluval sea pumps. I'd like to give it a shot. I'll have somewhere around 5' of head. The sp2 seems too small. It's 275gph at 4.5'. But the sp4 is 1275gph at 4.5' head. Should I go with the sp4? I drilling 5 holes. 3 for bean and 2 for returns. 1 on each end.

Cepex union ball valve on siphon or spears gate valve and separate unions?
 
So I'm picking up my 120 in the next 2 weeks. I need some advice on return pump. I'm doing a bean animal with exact specs that is on his site. 1" bulkheads and 1.5" pvc. I'm looking at the Fluval sea pumps. I'd like to give it a shot. I'll have somewhere around 5' of head. The sp2 seems too small. It's 275gph at 4.5'. But the sp4 is 1275gph at 4.5' head. Should I go with the sp4? I drilling 5 holes. 3 for bean and 2 for returns. 1 on each end.

Cepex union ball valve on siphon or spears gate valve and separate unions?

Look into the Water Blaster HY-5000. It is right in between those 2 you mentioned. I'm building a 120 too, and I think this is my final decision on return pump.
 
Well my 3 choices were eheim 1262, sicce 5.0 or fluval sp4. All are quiet. The eheim is a great pump but not enough gph. I'm running bean animal with 1.5" pvc. Why bother if after head loss on the eheim all I'm pumping is 600 gph thru it. I figure the sicce 5 or the fluval sp4 push a lot more gph at the height I'm setting the returns.
 
Halfway there. Still need to skin, prime and paint inside and make the doors. I might take out the floor of the stand and drop the sump lower onto shower pan liner. Thinking of making a shadow box to house controllers. I'm picking up tank next weekend. Still a work in progress but getting there. Can't take credit for the stand build. Fellow RC member and great friend helped me out big time. Thanks Odysi!! Great work so far. :beer:

I also settled on the fluval sea sp4 pump. Got a good price on it.
 

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