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09/26/2006, 07:41 PM | #1 |
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Amb's Reef - a 125gal build
This is my official 125 gal tank log post.
I want to start by especially thanking the following individuals: - Melev & Quicksilver for ReefCast (those taste tests are hilarious!) – Melev’s reef site is a big help in many ways. I hope that someday I can buy one of his sumps just so I can have an authentic Melev creation! - WaterKeeper – for his FANTASTIC newbie information. I think it was his sense of humor and honest information that let me really believe I could do this. - The Crew at Wet Web Media – I have spent hours reading their tireless answers. They do the hobby a great service. - Rob at Talking Reef for good honest information and great informative videos - Nick, Cory, & James at my LFS, The Aquarium Center in Flagstaff AZ, for always taking time to answer silly questions and not trying to push products on me that I don’t need. These guys are certainly good LFS people and provide excellent advice even when it does not increase their profits! - Reef Central in general – without this message board I would be lost in many ways! Now – onto the process! Heh heh heh Equipment: Tank: All-Glass 125 gallon megaflow Stand: DIY black woodgrain Sump: DIY using 50 gallon All-Glass tank modeling Melev type F Return: Eheim 1262 Powerheads: 2 Seio 1500 Skimmer: ASM G3 with gate valve mod Heaters: 2 visitherm 300 watt Lighting: (not purchased yet) 5x 80watt IceCap T5 Retrofit with Individual Reflectors Misc: RO/DI: Typhoon III Salt: Instant Ocean (I will change to reef crystals once I start adding corals) Salinity measurement: Refractometer Quarrantine: 20 gallon long with aqua clear 50 filter and small powerhead (many pictures to follow – I will be uploading them over the next couple of days)
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 07:43 PM | #2 |
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It seems you can't start one of these threads without taking a picture of one of your kids in your tank. So here goes - had to use one of my smaller kids as this is not that big of a tank... heh heh heh
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 07:45 PM | #3 |
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The stand started with a 2x2 base. You can see the 3 GFI outlets I installed on the wall in this picture as well. The middle one is its own 20 amp circuit - the 2 on the sides are a shared circuit.
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 07:48 PM | #4 |
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Here is the stand in a much farther along state. I did not get as many pictures of the build process as I intended to. I guess I just got on a roll and kept going. Nothing special. It is framed from 2x6 lumber and 3/4" ply for the top and the bottom.
I left room on the ends for openings so that the sump could be slid in and out. It is very stable so I am happy with having both ends of the stand accessible as well as the front.
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 07:52 PM | #5 |
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I skinned the stand with 1/2" plywood and used 1x6 pine as the trim.
I primed the inside of the stand with a high quality primer and then I painted the inside with 3 coats of a semi-gloss exterior grade paint. The outside was done with many (at least 6) coats of krylon spray-on enamal. Here is the tank on the stand before I installed the doors:
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 07:55 PM | #6 |
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Looks good, I'll follow along
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Greg Current Tank Info: 125G Reef; SPS, LPS, and Softies; 3x150w 10k HQI MHs, 4x96w PC Actinics, 14 Moonlights; 25w UV Sterilizer; Euroreef Skimmer; Schuran JetStream 1 Calcium Reactor; Sealife Systems Sump; 10g Refugium |
09/26/2006, 07:57 PM | #7 |
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As for the doors - I found a link in another thread to a door company online and decided to just purchase my doors from them. They offered an unfinished oak door that had a raised panel that was exactly the size I was looking for. Best of all they sold them for just over $10 a door and I just could not beat that price!
I was not sure what to expect in a $10 door but I was pleasently surprised. Here are a few pictures (sorry about the blury one - but I wanted to try to show the full construction):
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 07:59 PM | #8 |
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I decided to paint the back of the tank black so I got some Krylon Fusion paint and taped up the overflows for painting.
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:00 PM | #9 |
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While painting I ran into a small issue - it turns out that there was some extra silicon on the back of the tank that I did not see. This caused an issue with the paint. You can see the problem in this picture:
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:02 PM | #10 |
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At first I was worried that this would cause me major problems but I ended up just scraping the paint off in that area and cleaning with rubbing alcohol. After it was clean I re-painted and you can not see where the area was. I was very happy about that.
Here is the clean piece:
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:03 PM | #11 |
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And here is the finished paint job:
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:06 PM | #12 |
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I then started work on my sump. My friendly neighborhood LFS ordered me a 50 gallon all-glass aquarium to start with. It must not be a popular model because it came packaged in a 55 gallon box.
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:07 PM | #13 |
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I then used a lot of research I had done on Melev's site and created a modified model F sump:
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:13 PM | #14 |
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I then slid the sump under the stand and did the plumbing. Here is a shot showing the Eheim 1262 hooked up.
I have it sitting on a silicon pot holder. I thought this would work better than a mouse pad to dampen vibrations. I also used the larger hose attachment provided by Eheim to connect to 1" ID tubing. That connects in turn to 1.25 tubing up to a TEE. Then I reduce to 3/4" pipe from there. I decided to use the electrical conduit PVC to give me rounded corners. It worked out great and I think it helps to reduce the head pressure on the pump.
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:14 PM | #15 |
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Looks like a good start so far. Time to Subscribe to this Thread.
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09/26/2006, 08:16 PM | #16 |
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I just could not bring myself to pay $50 for the all glass megaflow kits - so I built my own Durso standpipe and lockline return.
Here is a closeup of the Durso that I built. I created a strainer with my chop saw. It is not perfectly cut - but it works great and I am happy with it.
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:17 PM | #17 |
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Actually I built 2 of them of course...
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:18 PM | #18 |
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Here is a shot of my Typhoon III before I hung it on the wall. The tank is on the wall right outside the bathroom - very easy to access water this way.
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:21 PM | #19 |
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Great thread...please keep it going
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09/26/2006, 08:21 PM | #20 |
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With the Typhoon hooked up I was able to add the sand and start filling the tank. I went with 3 40 pound bags of CaribSea special grade sand. I like the sand a lot and it seems to have worked out fine.
I did choose to rinse the sand first - I know some don't do this but I just felt it would be a good idea. Here is a shot of the tank filling. The RO/DI water is going in so slow that I did not have a sand storm while filling.
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:26 PM | #21 |
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Oops - I forgot the gratuitous (sp?) picture of all of my equipment before I started... just so it does not get completely missed I will put it in here:
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:29 PM | #22 |
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I wanted to buy some base rock from ReeferRocks but unfortunately they went out of business before I could finalize my order. I tried a couple of other places and had no luck. (one took my order and money yet did not ship the rock - I am still waiting for a refund on that grrr.... )
I ended up buying 50 lbs of tufa rock from my LFS as base rock. This is not the best - but it is very porous and I think it will work fine as base rock. Premium aquatics was out of stock on cured fiji live rock at the time so I ended up buying 90 lbs of the fiji select rock at LiveAquaria.
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:34 PM | #23 |
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The LiveAquaria Fuji Premium Select arrived in pretty good shape. Though it had a lot of dead and rotting stuff on it for "pre-cured" rock.
Overall I think I am happy with the selection of rocks. They had many shapes but I do not believe that they all had coraline algae as they advertise. One was about a 14 lb. chunk of white rock with not much on it. Most of them however are very nice pieces so I think I got a good deal on the quality for what I paid. It was packaged very well and there was very little leakage at all of the boxes. The styrofoam was cracked here and there - but what would you expect in shipping rock! heh heh heh Here are a selection of pictures of the rock as I unpacked it and rinsed it in fresh saltwater:
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:36 PM | #24 |
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More of the rocks:
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
09/26/2006, 08:37 PM | #25 |
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"God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef |
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