RocketEngineer's 75g/125g Setup

[RocketEngineer]

With the help of the neighbors, I was able to get the 125g into the house tonight. It has replaced my kitchen table but the pets don't mind. After a little cleaning, the internal overflow box was installed.

A closeup of the box:

And a long view:

My hands were just too big to reach the inside seam so I had to resort to using long handle spoon. It was a little tricky manipulating it by just the end but I'll take the result.

 

[RocketEngineer]

I had this mental image of the cat jumping into the tank and knocking the internal box enough to ruin the silicone. So this morning I cat-proofed the tank.

I used the egg crate that was cut for the bottom and a bunch of clamps to block off the opening. While it may keep her out of the tank, I wouldn't be surprised to see her sitting on it watching the FW setup at some point this week.

 

[Knd107]

Did you think about resealing the tank at all since its used?

Do you mind posting a picture of your canopy with the LEDs installed? Maybe multiple ones showing how it opens, etc.

Also, what paint did you used for the background.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Did you think about resealing the tank at all since its used?

Do you mind posting a picture of your canopy with the LEDs installed? Maybe multiple ones showing how it opens, etc.

Also, what paint did you used for the background.

1) In this case "used" is a relative term. When I first agreed to buy the tank from its original owner, it was up and running so I know it holds water. Since then it has spent almost a year in my shed. All things considered, I am more likely to damage something so I'm not going to risk it.

2) I would if I could but I can't.....The LEDs are still in the box because the gentleman who offered to drill the heatsinks for me had everything ready to go until he had a death in the family. I'm not going to push so for now I'm going to jury rig something for the 4' light until he can finish. Once it's done I will be sure to post pics.

3) I used Krylon Fusion black. It took two spray cans to do the display tank and a third for the sump. It took three full coats to get a solid covering. Just keep in mind that it does scratch easily.

 

[Knd107]

1) In this case "used" is a relative term. When I first agreed to buy the tank from its original owner, it was up and running so I know it holds water. Since then it has spent almost a year in my shed. All things considered, I am more likely to damage something so I'm not going to risk it.

2) I would if I could but I can't.....The LEDs are still in the box because the gentleman who offered to drill the heatsinks for me had everything ready to go until he had a death in the family. I'm not going to push so for now I'm going to jury rig something for the 4' light until he can finish. Once it's done I will be sure to post pics.

3) I used Krylon Fusion black. It took two spray cans to do the display tank and a third for the sump. It took three full coats to get a solid covering. Just keep in mind that it does scratch easily.

Yea, I got the same issue. I have a 125g (same one as yours) and it was running then I took down the tank. It's sitting dry right now and I was thinking about resealing since its about 10 years old. I guess the silicon looks ok and ill just make it a "all in one" by adding partitions then use it as a frag tank.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Yea, I got the same issue. I have a 125g (same one as yours) and it was running then I took down the tank. It's sitting dry right now and I was thinking about resealing since its about 10 years old. I guess the silicon looks ok and ill just make it a "all in one" by adding partitions then use it as a frag tank.

If the tank has been sitting inside, the silicone typically won't go bad. My understand is that UV is what breaks down the silicone and causes issues so if it has been in a shed/basement/garage then it is likely fine. If you can, fill it with water and inspect it full.

Personally, I think the "all-in-one" is best suited for nano-reefs. On a tank that size you would be better off with a sump even if it is just a frag/quarantine tank. If you're using the 125g as a frag tank how big is your display? Can you connect the 125g to your existing setup?

 

[Knd107]

Right now, I'm only running a AIO nano which I hate due to equipment spacing. Everything would end up being a HOB version. Funny enough that my parameters all look good and everything is growing great without a skimmer. Can't find one that fits in the back chambers so I just modded the stock one. Waiting for the weld on to set in the acrylic (son threw it down a set of stairs).

I just brought a used 30g cube that I'm going to drill and make a custom sump for. I actually brought most of the plumbing to do a bean animal set up for the 125g but I ended up buying a 120g Oceanic Tech Tank which is reef ready when I saw it for sale. Not sure I want to put 3 1" overflows for a 30g tank. Seems like overkill. I might go with a herbie style.

The 120g Oceanic is going to be my display tank but I'm going wait until I move to start it. Just researching things at this point. Been looking at those LED for awhile now. Thinking testing one of rapid's tank kits out. They have one for a standard 125g which is basically 3 sets of cool white, blue, green, red uv. Going to get one of them set up for the 30g and see how it does.

Did you think about adding a set of moonlights into your config?

When I was reffering to the AIO for the 125g, I was thinking of adding in acrylic partitions with a overflow and then follow a sump design for the other half. So, it would be more like a 80g frag side and 45g sump side.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Research is good. I'm a big proponent of research and planning. It has taken me months to get where I am on the 125g even after buying the tank.

For the 30g, I would look at the available overflow kits that use a 1-1/2" bulkhead and run a straight Durso style setup. The large size of the pipe and the small flow rate allows the water to "stick" to the inside of the plumbing which limits the noise. I agree that a BeanAnimal setup is just too much for such a small tank.

A 120g is one of my favorite sizes. The four foot length fits just about anywhere. If you are going to start with that one, put the 125g to the side until the 120g is figured out. You may not want two tanks.

I went with LEDs because replacing 12-16 bulbs every year gets expensive fast. I got my stuff from RapidLED but because I only have the one center brace I did a custom heatsink. Getting enough parts to build one kit would be a good way to see what you like. I went with the solderless parts to make changing LEDs easier.

I did look at moonlights. When I upgrade to the Apex controller I might pick up the 4 LED version but that would be one of the last things I would add. For now, lights on and off is enough.

Again, get the 120g up and running before you do anything with the 125g. Once you have a setup that uses a sump you will understand the advantages. Leaving the 125g in storage won't hurt it.

 

[Knd107]

Yea, 30g first then 120g then I'll see about the 125g. I wasn't planning to have this many tanks.

Probably going to sell the smaller AIO.

I'm going to do the solder less ones too and went to LED for the same reasons. I can always pull a couple out and adjust as required.

The only problem I have now is that I probably should design some sort of canopy when I never wanted one. There's nowhere to put all those drivers.

Oh, sorry to hear about your friends loss.

Sorry to go off topic from your build.

 

[RocketEngineer]

I don't mind answering questions, it lets me explain WHY I'm doing something not just rattling on about what I'm doing.

The canopy doesn't have to sit on the tank. Plenty have suspended canopies that just hide the lights and gear while leaving the tank open. There are several threads around with really good ideas as well as TOTM articles.

My upgrades have been gradual. My first tank was a 30g I set up 5 years ago. Starting small means my mistakes were less expensive early on while I figured out what direction I wanted to take. I wasn't planning some of the tanks I have gotten over the years and now I have .....wait I have how many?....(2) 10g, (1) 29g, (1) 30g, (2) 40B sumps, (2) 75g and the 125g. Yup a total of nine tanks even after taking two apart for their glass. Definitely more than I planned. I'm only using three at the moment. I may need to do something about that......

 

[RocketEngineer]

Just got the two orders of parts. New heaters, the loc-line valve and flare nozzle, and the gate valve. Everything I need for upgrading the tank.

 

[cdrewferd]

Did you take any pics on how you did the magnets?

 

[RocketEngineer]

The 75g is no more.

The 75g is no more.

But the 125g has begun.

The day started by emptying most of the 75g into the 29g tank and one of my garbage cans. With the fish trapped in low water I was able to direct the tang and two clownfish into the specimen container. With those three in the 29g tank I transferred all the corals into the holding tank as well as the anemone in its rock. Once most of the rock was in the garbage can, I dug up the jawfish and got him into the holding tank.

With everything out of the tank I scooped out most of the sand. I may reuse it but for now its filling two garbage cans. I had some hard spots so determinately need to rethink the sand bed.

At that point, my friend Jon showed up and helped me move the 75g off the stand and the 125g into place. The sump was then emptied into the display and removed. Since the stand was empty I took the opportunity to clean up a few things. Being empty also let me start the plumbing without fighting the sump.

Most of the afternoon was spent plumbing and putting things back together. Having all the pieces out of the tank let me do some cleaning in addition to reworking the wiring. I also transferred most of the rock, both new and old, into the display. I don't expect to start aquascaping until tomorrow at the earliest but with all the rock in the tank at least I know where the water level should be.

SO, at this late hour all the livestock is in the 29g holding tank with a powerhead and heater. The display is about 3/4 full of SW, the rocks are in the display and that tank also has a powerhead and heater. There is also a garbage can with new SW mixing to top off the setup.

Tomorrow the goal is to get the plumbing completed, fill the setup and get the sump online. Sorry about no pictures but I was more intent on getting things done than documenting the process.

And now its time to find some pain killers and get some sleep.

 

[RocketEngineer]

WE HAVE FLOW.

The sump is online and everything is back in the tank. All that is left is getting everything straightened out. That should take another month+.

 

[sirreal63]

Excellent news. It always feels good to have the plumbing accomplished.

 

[RocketEngineer]

First, a thanks to DC for changing the name of this thread. With everything in one place folks can see the progression of the whole setup without having to jump around.

With everything up and running I took a moment and snapped a picture of the 125g on the stand.

I have been playing around with the drains this morning, adjusting the stand pipes and two valves. At the moment the only sound is the skimmer pump which is brand new and the tank in the kitchen.

The only thing I wish I had done different when I built the stand was having more space behind the tank. When the sump out, I snapped a picture showing how tight it was.

The one nice surprise yesterday was finding out that the siphon pipe could drop straight into the sump. By not having a jog in that pipe, the plumbing looks much cleaner.

I still need a little more water to get everything online. Removing the sand and a few rocks has me just short of starting the refugium. Also my rock structure needs to be put back together and put into the tank so I can start aquascaping. One more trip to the hardware store for a pair of tubing elbows should have the Phosban reactor back online.

On a side note, what do you do on a cold, windy afternoon? You take a cat nap of course.

 

[iwishtofish]

Things are looking really good! I love the aquascape, but do you have enough room between the rocks and glass for a big mag scraper? I can't wait to watch this progress...what's your fish list again, if I may ask? Do you have an urchin?

Love the pics of your pets, as always. I can see their personality, even from still shots.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Things are looking really good! I love the aquascape, but do you have enough room between the rocks and glass for a big mag scraper? I can't wait to watch this progress...what's your fish list again, if I may ask? Do you have an urchin?

Love the pics of your pets, as always. I can see their personality, even from still shots.

Well the "aquascape" in that pictures was more "pile them in". I have spent most of the morning putting things into position. One of the new rocks was already removed because I didn't have enough space for it. Combined with the 6 rocks I have already removed, I figure about 2/3 of the rock I have will go into the 125g to get a decent aquascape. My problem at the moment is it's so cloudy in the tank that I can't see what I'm doing. I will wait a while to let it settle before I continue.

One of the things I always check is having enough space for the scraper. I've been down that road before and won't be making that mistake again.

I am looking forward to this one. With the increased flow through the sump, I hope to get back to feeding my corals and watching them grow. Once the LEDs are online I will be picking up a few more SPS for the upper areas.

On the fish front my next purchase is another tang. I'm probably going to pick up a yellow tang because I want one with the long snout to get down into the rock work. If I can find a small sailfin tang I might settle on that instead. Beyond that I have no idea. Anthias are one option but I'm not sure about them in a tank this size. Another option is a new wrasse since I bought screens to cover the tank. For the most part it will be a case of seeing what Dr. Mac has and work from there.

I don't have an urchin and am kind of hesitant about getting one. I definitely need to pick up a clean up crew. I have killed off a number of snails over the years so I'm going to let things go before picking up more. I do want one or two serpent starfish as they caught my interest early on but I have never picked up any.

The four footed ones definitely have personality. The cat thinks she owns the place. The dog is everybody's friend and loves being outside. They only really interact in the evenings and then it the cat going after the dog's tail and the dog licking the cat and using her as a pillow. I couldn't tell you who wins but watching them go at it is great after a long day at work.

More details to follow.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Another day, more progress. One of the major accomplishments today was placing the hood on the tank and rigged a support for the light.

First things first, an overview of the rock work:

Working left to right, the aquascape starts with a large pile of rock with many openings and overhangs.

That connects to the large rock in the center which has been carved to provide several interconnected passageways.

The tunnel:

The light spot is the back of the rock as seen through the opening.

To the right of the center rock is a couple of shorter rocks that sit alone among the sand. The far right is the rock structure I assembled from smaller pieces.

Sorry about the jug. I have a slew of small pieces of rock for the jawfish to use and I don't want them buried in the sand.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Since the back of the hood was already on the tank, I figured I would finish the front panels:

cdrewferd, I didn't forget about you. I just didn't have things where I could take a decent picture until today.

So the front panels mount to the back of the hood using two magnets per panel. The magnets are designed for wash-down applications and are totally encased.

The strike for the magnets mount on the back side of panels and two poplar blocks support the weight.

With everything I have done over the last three days, the one thing I still have left to do is finish washing the sand and get that into the tank. I will need more but I should have enough to at least cover the bottom.