New Saltwater Reefer 120 Gallon Tank Build

rhoule6819 · 10/09/2018, 10:38 AM

Hey everyone,

I have wanted to start my own saltwater reef tank for a while now, and with the wife finally given me the go ahead, I wanted a place where I can post my progress and updates as well as get some advice along the way. First things first, the tank is planning on going into our living room so I wanted to make sure that not only did I have a great looking stand but a matching Canopy as well. I decided to go the route of building my own stand. Now let me start by saying I am most defiantly an armature carpenter. I have been working on the stand and Canopy for the last 4-5 weeks on the weekend as time permits. I have posted a series of pictures so you can see how it has progressed. I must say I am very happy with how it has turned out so far and please feel free to post your thoughts on it. I plan on starting to prime and paint the stand this weekend hopefully. Once it has been fully painted/seal and I have an electrical come and put a dedicated breaker onto the outlet I will be using, my buddies and I will move it into the house, start setting up the equipment, plumbing etc.

Speaking of equipment below is the fully list of equipment I plan on buying. If you have any thoughts on the equipment by all means let me know (good or bad).

Apex Aquarium Controller
2x Netputne Systems Wav pump (4000 GPH)
2x Reefbreeder Photon v2 32 inch
Apex Cor-20 Return pump
Leviathan Reef Sump 36
Leviathan ATO10 10 Gallon Auto Top Off Container
Skimz SM167 Monzter DC Protein Skimmer
Smart UV 25 Watt UV Sterilizer
BRS 6 Stage RODI 75 gallon/day
Neptune ATK Auto Top Off
BRS Dual Carbon & GFO Reactor with Pump
2x Jager 300w Heater
Apex FMK Flow monitoring Kit
2x Apex Leak Detection

Seeing as I will be getting an apex i wanted to have as much control ability from it . I will continue to post updates and pictures along the way so you all can see how it is going.

rhoule6819 · 10/09/2018, 10:45 AM

Forgot to upload the photos. They should be attached

lpsouth1978 · 10/09/2018, 06:04 PM

Good looking build so far. The only thing I would eliminate from your equipment is the UV sterilizer. I have simply not seen any need or advantage in having one. They only kill free floating organisms that actually pass by the bulb. Most of the things we want the sterilizer for are NOT free floating. Just my $0.02.

I am looking forward to seeing this progress.

vrba · 10/09/2018, 06:26 PM

Looking great.

cvrle1 · 10/09/2018, 07:42 PM

Just my 2c on the equipment:

If you can spend a bit more on the skimmer, look into Lifereef skimmers. If you end up scrapping UV filter as mentioned above, it will more than cover the difference. They are bulletproof and will outlast most of your equipment. SVS3 model is modular, meaning it can be upgraded, which allows you to use it with even bigger systems if you ever decide to upgrade in the future.

RO/DI, 4 stage may be good enough, depending on your tap water. More important is media used inside them. Also look for 100 GPD minimum. It doesnt seem like much of a difference, but it will make things go a lot faster.

If your tank is 4x2x2, you can get away with 1 48 inch photon V2+ fixture. 2 32 inch fixtures may be an overkill and waste of light for 4 foot tank

10/09/2018, 10:38 AM	#1
rhoule6819 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 8	New Saltwater Reefer 120 Gallon Tank Build Hey everyone, I have wanted to start my own saltwater reef tank for a while now, and with the wife finally given me the go ahead, I wanted a place where I can post my progress and updates as well as get some advice along the way. First things first, the tank is planning on going into our living room so I wanted to make sure that not only did I have a great looking stand but a matching Canopy as well. I decided to go the route of building my own stand. Now let me start by saying I am most defiantly an armature carpenter. I have been working on the stand and Canopy for the last 4-5 weeks on the weekend as time permits. I have posted a series of pictures so you can see how it has progressed. I must say I am very happy with how it has turned out so far and please feel free to post your thoughts on it. I plan on starting to prime and paint the stand this weekend hopefully. Once it has been fully painted/seal and I have an electrical come and put a dedicated breaker onto the outlet I will be using, my buddies and I will move it into the house, start setting up the equipment, plumbing etc. Speaking of equipment below is the fully list of equipment I plan on buying. If you have any thoughts on the equipment by all means let me know (good or bad). Apex Aquarium Controller 2x Netputne Systems Wav pump (4000 GPH) 2x Reefbreeder Photon v2 32 inch Apex Cor-20 Return pump Leviathan Reef Sump 36 Leviathan ATO10 10 Gallon Auto Top Off Container Skimz SM167 Monzter DC Protein Skimmer Smart UV 25 Watt UV Sterilizer BRS 6 Stage RODI 75 gallon/day Neptune ATK Auto Top Off BRS Dual Carbon & GFO Reactor with Pump 2x Jager 300w Heater Apex FMK Flow monitoring Kit 2x Apex Leak Detection Seeing as I will be getting an apex i wanted to have as much control ability from it . I will continue to post updates and pictures along the way so you all can see how it is going.

10/09/2018, 06:04 PM	#3
lpsouth1978 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 915	Good looking build so far. The only thing I would eliminate from your equipment is the UV sterilizer. I have simply not seen any need or advantage in having one. They only kill free floating organisms that actually pass by the bulb. Most of the things we want the sterilizer for are NOT free floating. Just my $0.02. I am looking forward to seeing this progress. __________________ Current tank: 40B work in progress w/20L sump

10/09/2018, 07:42 PM	#5
cvrle1 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Surrey, BC Posts: 454	Just my 2c on the equipment: If you can spend a bit more on the skimmer, look into Lifereef skimmers. If you end up scrapping UV filter as mentioned above, it will more than cover the difference. They are bulletproof and will outlast most of your equipment. SVS3 model is modular, meaning it can be upgraded, which allows you to use it with even bigger systems if you ever decide to upgrade in the future. RO/DI, 4 stage may be good enough, depending on your tap water. More important is media used inside them. Also look for 100 GPD minimum. It doesnt seem like much of a difference, but it will make things go a lot faster. If your tank is 4x2x2, you can get away with 1 48 inch photon V2+ fixture. 2 32 inch fixtures may be an overkill and waste of light for 4 foot tank Last edited by cvrle1; 10/09/2018 at 07:48 PM.

10/09/2018, 06:26 PM	#4
vrba Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 5	Looking great.