Wanna be Mini ocean....

[kingfish83]

..in az...:spin2::spin1:

Here is my short intro about me. First HI! Been around in the Hobby for 7 yrs with my 46g. In the last 2.5 yrs i have turned my tank into a sps tank. This past week i wanted to upgrade and i did. I up graded to a 125g LeMar all glass starfire with diamond cut edges :spin3:. Next month i move to my new apartment so i wont be really setting this up till mid jan. Right just working on the pluming.


Major Equipment:
29g sump/fug
ASM G2 skimmer
2x250w aqua medic ocean pendants
Rio/Taam 3100 Plus return pump

Here are some pics of the tank and the diy overflows. I glued around the bulkheads just to be extra safe from leaks even though they are on tight. You can never be to safe.

 

[nikon187]

Someone didn't want that bulkhead to ever come out! Is that the drain or return?

 

[kingfish83]

haha i just used some aquarium silicone. The glue gives a added piece of mind.....Its the drain.

 

[nikon187]

A properly installed bulkhead should never leak.

 

[Peter Eichler]

Some other things to consider... There's no way you're going to light that whole tank with just 2 of the Aquamedic pendants. That skimmer and sump are also a little undersized for a tank that size and don't give you much flexibility or wiggle room.

 

[lordofthereef]

Intersting (what looks like a) drain you have there. Never seen anything quite like it

 

[kingfish83]

i know two lights wont light the whole tank. Seen a tank with two and in the middle I'm going to have suncoral or other low light corals. The skimmer is rated for a 200g tank. Thats alomst double the tank size or about 80% of double the tank size. The skimmer came with the deal when i got the tank and i'll probably have a light medium to medium stocked tank for fish.

 

[kingfish83]

Oh the return pump is rated at 690gph at 4'.

 

[fasteddie99]

A properly installed bulkhead should never leak.

Your exactly right, but I like the extra assurance it provides. I will probably do the same thing when I do my tank.

Nice job so far!

One question, how does your drain work with the opening at the top? Are you using it as an overflow? Excuse my ignorance, just trying to understand how it works because I will be upgrading in the future and have been redding around and getting ideas.

 

[fasteddie99]

Sorry, the previous post from me was directed to KingFish83.

duh :hmm4:

 

[kingfish83]

The person i got the tank from did the same becuase i had no clue what to do for a overflow with a tank that did not have one. I used 1" ID pvc piep. Each overflow has two opens making a T 90 degree elbows. The water flows into the T's and down to the sump/fug. I'll be using slip screens to keep fish from getting sucked in. I did not glue the 90 degree elbows. The reason is i can swivel the elbows a little (up or down) to change the height of the water. Will that's my theory for not glueing the elbows or the T. Plus if the water level is to high or low i can just cut a new piece of pvc to adjust to the height of the water level i want since i can't put water in it till after i move into my new apartment next month.

 

[kingfish83]

Sorry, the previous post from me was directed to KingFish83.

duh :hmm4:

:rollface: its ok. Thanks fasteddie.

 

[kingfish83]

here is the tread with pics of the tank before it was taken down for me to buy. It had 3x150w and the ASM G2 skimmer that i got with it. Plus same design for overflow i did.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1725482

 

[Stanley-Reefer]

I like the tank. Don't the drains need a vent on the top of them?

 

[kingfish83]

Vent. Going to use slip screens. For water movement have enough powerheads for 28 turnover.

 

[robot2222]

THAT LOOKS LIKE A REAL NICE SETUP .maybe get some vho's or t5s for actintics if the 2 are not enough light for you. the skimmer will be fine . some people go skimmerless. is that the tank that is starfire glass.

 

[kingfish83]

Thanks. Yes its starfire glass. I'm going to useing 14k by phoenix bulbs. I'll be doing something a little different with lighting.

 

[Peter Eichler]

i know two lights wont light the whole tank. Seen a tank with two and in the middle I'm going to have suncoral or other low light corals. The skimmer is rated for a 200g tank. Thats alomst double the tank size or about 80% of double the tank size. The skimmer came with the deal when i got the tank and i'll probably have a light medium to medium stocked tank for fish.

What a skimmer is rated for and what size tank it's really capable of handling are often two different things. You having a lighter fish load will help, but I would never trust a G2 on a tank that size if I wanted to keep nutrients low and SPS colorful.

 

[kingfish83]

i have a cpr rated at 75 g on on system thats 58g total and i have very very little problems in the nutrients. I'll be doing a little bigger water change each week. Its going to be a mix tsank but a little more on the SPS side.

 

[kingfish83]

here is a pic of my parrot fish..:lol::lol: