Jasonanatal's 120 gallon "Custom Built by Myself" Reef Aquarium.

[Jasonanatal]

Well it is true, I broke down my 120 gallon aquarium and sold all of my aquarium equipment and supplies except for a few essential items in hope to one day enter the hobby again after what I wanted to be a long hiatus. However lurking on the aquarium boards just left me teetering on the edge of wanting to return. And since I'm starting this thread you obviously what decision I have made. I want to build my dream aquarium. One that was thoughtfully planned out by integrating some of the best ideas in the hobby all into one massive plethora of aquatic goodness. But the best part about this build is that I plan to manufacture the majority of the aquarium and the necessary equipment personally. This will indeed be a lengthy project but definitely one that is worth effort that will be placed into it. So I hope everyone enjoys tagging along and as always questions, comments and constructive criticism is always welcome.

[Loverotties]

Good luck!Hope your back in it soon and don't be a stranger,you can help others here!

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by Loverotties

Good luck!Hope your back in it soon and don't be a stranger,you can help others here!

Loverotties, definitely will not be a stranger, but this build will take more time then normal. I just ask everyone to be patient with me.

[crvz]

Well I do have some constructive criticism, if you'll have it. Your last tank was started in December of 2008, and I was never real sure where you were going with it. Less than 6 months later you've sold it off, and now a few weeks after that you're back. Which is great, I surely enjoy the hobby and don't know how long I could stay away. BUT, with the 120 gallon you tried to establish, it started as something relatively straight forward and then a lot of the hardware and methods got more and more complicated.

I'm glad to hear you're taking your time, but my recommendation would be to be consistent with decisions made for the tank and don't chase recent fads. One example was how you were dosing prodibio, using a nitrate filter, and apparently vodka dosing... all of which can be very redundant. Using these together, especially over just a short few months, is a formula for doom. And none of them are necessary.

So research some of the long-standing traditions for successful reefkeeping, and setup the tank according to one specific methodology (be it a deep sand bed, barebottom, etc.) Once it's established, if you want to experiment with some more modern/trendy fad, do so with caution and patience, and research to the point of fully understanding what the experiment may or may not do. They definitely have their place (and benefits), but doing so on an new setup is going to provide very unpredictable results.

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by crvz

Well I do have some constructive criticism, if you'll have it. Your last tank was started in December of 2008, and I was never real sure where you were going with it. Less than 6 months later you've sold it off, and now a few weeks after that you're back. Which is great, I surely enjoy the hobby and don't know how long I could stay away. BUT, with the 120 gallon you tried to establish, it started as something relatively straight forward and then a lot of the hardware and methods got more and more complicated.

I'm glad to hear you're taking your time, but my recommendation would be to be consistent with decisions made for the tank and don't chase recent fads. One example was how you were dosing prodibio, using a nitrate filter, and apparently vodka dosing... all of which can be very redundant. Using these together, especially over just a short few months, is a formula for doom. And none of them are necessary.

So research some of the long-standing traditions for successful reefkeeping, and setup the tank according to one specific methodology (be it a deep sand bed, barebottom, etc.) Once it's established, if you want to experiment with some more modern/trendy fad, do so with caution and patience, and research to the point of fully understanding what the experiment may or may not do. They definitely have their place (and benefits), but doing so on an new setup is going to provide very unpredictable results.

Crvz, definitel will do. I know that I got more carried away with advanced equipment then really sticking to the tried and true methods. That is something that I definitely will stick to with this setup.

[Geoff]

take a read through my build thread in my sig. this should give you some good idea on how much work fully customizing a system can be. and this was with a stock tank, though if i had a tank built it might not have been quite as difficult, though not by much.

G~

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by Geoff

take a read through my build thread in my sig. this should give you some good idea on how much work fully customizing a system can be. and this was with a stock tank, though if i had a tank built it might not have been quite as difficult, though not by much.

G~

Geoff, thank you. I will definitely take a look through your build thread this evening.

[Jasonanatal]

Hypothetical Schematics and Reasoning Behind the Design

I have included some schematics containing the basic design of the new 120 gallon Reef Aquarium. Please remember that majority of equipment will be manufactured by myself so it will definitely take me longer than normal to bring this project to completion. I'm still on the fence about wether the actual aquarium will be constructed out of 3/4 inch Acrylic with "Euro Style Bracing" or 3/4 Starphire Glass. The aquarium itself is being placed in my office/bedroom so I can enjoy the beautiful reef during the day while working as well as enjoy the shimmering moonlight at night. I will hopefully start construction on the stand this weekend but it is my 2 year anniversary this saturday so I will be spending the majority of the time with my wife.



Schematic - Front view for the design of my dream reef aquarium Project.


Schematic - Left view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.


Schematic - Rear view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.


Schematic - Right view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.


Schematic - Equipment view for the design of my dream reef aquarium project.

[HD Fatboy®]

Good Luck!....But just my opinion...If you go down this road. do not forget paintence....after the build take your time with cylcling.....adding livestock....etc...etc.... My tank is finaly taking off with good results...of course theres very little in it , but I have learned alot, and now can see some visions for the future...

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by HD Fatboy®

Good Luck!....But just my opinion...If you go down this road. do not forget paintence....after the build take your time with cylcling.....adding livestock....etc...etc.... My tank is finaly taking off with good results...of course theres very little in it , but I have learned alot, and now can see some visions for the future...

HD Fatboy, I definitely with proceed from this point on with patience. I have learned alot of my previous builds and not all the lessons where bad. However, taking time does definitely help cover things that I would normally miss if I went faster.

[andbigdaddy2]

Is the guy standing next to the tank to show scale? If so dont you think u will have problems with placing corals on the bottom of your tank due to the height. I do maintenace on a lot of tall tanks and it sucks keep in mind that every time u do something to your tank you will have to grab a ladder.