Step-by-step building of my 125 - Page 2

hansmatt · 06-03-2007, 04:51 PM

I have my skimmer in the "input" chamber on the far right of my sump. Bubbletrap uses about .25" acrylic bonded in place with weldon. My tank is acrylic, this won't work with glass. My bubbletrap is only 1" spacing, a bit tight to clean, but it takes up much less space in the sump. I have a fuge on the far left, fed by a Y in the overflow from the tank. Both fuge and skimmer compartments feed the return in the middle. Make the return section bigger if you can, as all the evaporation loss occurs here. The other section (s) will always have a constant volume/level. The larger the return, the more time you have between top-offs (and the bigger changes in salinity, but on a tank this big it's a pretty nominal amount). Let me know if you'd like to check mine out...I'm in Onalaska.
Matt

Jrmass · 06-04-2007, 12:07 AM

Thanks for the invite and I might just take you up on that... I tested out the system today and worked out a few kinks (mainly a few very minor water leaks due to not tightening up my hose bibs well enough). Other than that I will post up some pics of the tank tomarrow. I filled it ran it for about 4 hours just to make sure everything ran the way I wanted and to hopefully see no water spots anywhere (which ended up the case after adjusting a few things). Also put in all 300 lbs of that sand I was talking about and holy crap I will say that turns out to be one freak'n deep sand bed lol. *should easily clear 5"-5.5" when all is said and done* lol. Anyhow I'll get those pics up and hopefully I'll be able to start putting in my rock tomarrow I'm making RO water like crazy right now so that I can keep mixing it up (the sump is full with SW so I just need to get the display tank full).

Jason

Jrmass · 06-06-2007, 11:48 PM

The tank is now fully operational... I know I know pics as I said I would post a few days ago... I just got the tank 100% setup today. Skimmer is somewhat dialed in. Rock and sand are set. Piping is leak free... Things are going well.

Also took a side view pic of my current 70 gallon tank next to my 75 gallon sump. (makes a guy kind of depressed to know that I'm using a bigger tank as a SUMP than I am as a display tank) lol

hansmatt · 06-07-2007, 09:39 AM

Are you going to keep it down there? Plumb it in as a frag grow out, or mega refugium!

Jrmass · 06-07-2007, 01:09 PM

You must be talking about the 70 gallon correct? If so, that isn't a bad idea what-so-ever... I mean heck it's already setup and running it wouldn't take much for me to rig up another lighting system on there. (Currently it's a jbj 192watt p.c. flourescent over it). Think I might seriously put some thought into that!

hansmatt · 06-07-2007, 05:01 PM

why not? more water volume=more stability, place go grow frags, isolate as necessary for quarantine I guess, add chaeto & pods, lights will be ok for fuge, even corals. Electricity is the only (major) downside that I see

pogodzib · 06-07-2007, 05:19 PM

From my experience with having a 125 gal reef tank & 45 reef tank currently set up, here is what I see as the major pros and cons.

Pros:
Frags/corals to stock the second tank can be free if taken out of the first tank.
Second tank provides a place to move corals to incase of a tank crash.
It's almost as easy to feed, add water/chemicals to two tanks as it is to add to only one.

Cons:
Cost (electricity, fish, equipment)
Humidity, esp. in winter - I run a dehumidifier year round (which also increases the electric bill)

hansmatt · 06-07-2007, 07:44 PM

yep, the existing 70g. use it as a grow out, quarantine if "locked off", huge fuge for chaeto & pods, or time out tank for the bad fish.

Jrmass · 06-07-2007, 11:12 PM

Like I said, I think I might go that route actually. Already have chaeto in my 6 gallon CPR HOB refugium. Suppose I could just put some into the 70 gallon main tank. I already plan on putting some into the 75 gallon sump on one of the dividers with scuba tank netting holding it into place. *that's what I used to use as a fish divider for my FW tanks*

Anyhow though, I think I have my skimmer dialed in now to get max production and not get such watery skimm. I also hooked up my old Rena XP3 from my FW tank put a bunch of the LR rubble from my LR I ordered into there and it should become a excellent filtration media. It should rotate all water I believe about 1-1.5x/hour (on a 150-175 gallon system)as it's rated for 350 gph. I'm figuring I wont get nearly that as I believe they get that number with all trays empty. And seeing I have a leaky gasket and 3 filter trays just loaded with rubble I'm hoping for roughly 250 gph. About a 30% reduction in performance as I feel that should be a safe estimate. Anyhow, here's the latest on the tank it has cleared up tremendously since yesterday. Amazing what 24 hours of continuous flow can do.

Jrmass · 08-01-2007, 10:20 PM

FINALLY it begins! After nearly two months of waiting for the tank to cycle (which it finally has or close enough to start adding stuff) *5 nitrates*. I have moved all of the corals from the 70 gallon into the 125. Moved a few of the hermits and one of the 2 HUGE snails over. I also have a shipment of snails, brown stripe hermits, and blue leg hermits coming tomarrow to add to the mix. Since I just put everything in and had to do some moving around as I had a EXTREMELY stubborn rock anemone, and a striped mushroom that wouldn't leave it's hole the tank is just a tad cloudy (nothing major at all though). I will definately be posting some pictures tomarrow. I would do it today but, I work at 5 a.m. and it's already after 9 p.m. So, everyone will have to wait to see pics as I have had to wait to get everything in there. (Probably the hardest 7 weeks of looking at a tank that I knew I couldn't do anything with).

Jason

pogodzib · 08-02-2007, 04:52 PM

Glad to see that you waited for 7 weeks before moving the corals over. Is the old tank still setup to use as a frag, refugium, or just incase some ofthe corals don't like the new tank or did you take it down?

Jrmass · 08-02-2007, 07:51 PM

It is still setup. It's kind of in shambles right now seeing it took quite a bit of effort to get the two anemone's out. The carpet wasn't such a task just a lot of "tickling" to get it to release from the bottom of the glass. But, the flower/rock anemone wouldn't budge for the life of me. So, I took the whole rock (20-30 lbs) lol it's like 12"x12"x8" if I had to guess. It was just a beast of a rock to have to move not to mention I couldn't allow the rock to completely sit in the bucket as I moved it seeing the anemone wasn't cooperating with me. I'm about to take some pics for you guys to see.

Jason

Jrmass · 08-02-2007, 08:29 PM

Alright... As promised these are the pics of the tank as it sits right now... I can just about guarantee that there will be other modifications done with the tank as I plan on adding more of the older live rock to the setup for color. The last pic was the last pic I took of the 70 gallon before I tore it all up last night scouring for corals the clownfish and the anemone's.

Any suggestions are definately welcome. And if anyone sees anything that I should adjust (such as placement of any of the corals) PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE to tell me!

Jason