My little story of my first build, 4 tanks later, still not even close yet

fltekdiver · 03/11/2013, 08:51 AM

I started off a month ago, thinking I could do a SW tank for a budget of $1,500

I bought my first used SW tank, a 75 gallon Rimless. After seeing the sellers
120 tank that they upgraded to, I never forgot how beautiful their tank was.

Within 2 weeks, I sold the 75 gallon rimless, i bought a 90 gallon wave tank.
Bought it home, wife didn't like the look of the WAVE, I had second thoughts of the tank as well and sold it

In the middle of all this, I buy a 125 gallon SW tank, stand, chiller, sumps, everything. Bring it home, it's huge, with the 60" long footprint, as its going into a 11' x 11' home office. Also bought that used.

I get frustrated, and wanted a 120 gallon tank, so I goto the LFS, and just buy one new all ready

I get it home, and deceive that I want a huge sump/refrigum, so I use a brand new 75 gallon reef drilled tank, that came along for free, it's brand new, as a package deal with one of the above tanks.

In the middle of all this, one of the tanks I bought used, came with all the live sand, live rock, even fish! OMG, I don't even have a tank for them yet set up!

I have the fish seperate in one container with a power head, and heater, and the live rock in another. With a power head and heated. I leave for work, remove the lid from the container with the live rock, and all the snails decide to crawl out of the container while I'm at work ! I come home to a angry wife, saying she has snails crawling along her kitchen floor ! OMG, !

In a panic, I sell all the live rock and fish on CL for $80 bucks !

Next I build a stand for the new 120 tank, spend $100 in wood, 4 hours plus framing it, and realize its not going to fit the 75G tank , sump, which is also 48" long, so I tear it all back down, and now I'm back to a 60" stand to fit a 48" sump, hmmmm, I just sold the 125G tank, stand everything for $500 cause the footprint was to big, now look where I ended back at, but now I paid $600 just for a new 120

I set the new 120 on the new built stand in my home,office. Wow !
Bt wait, all that weight is on my laminate flooring, can it hold it? So I post a thread here, 120G tank on laminate floors. After a week, I deceive before I even add water, I'm carrying everything back outta the room, tank, stand, everything, and ripping up all the laminate flooring, which we never expected!

Spent all weekend tiling the floors in that room !

What's next you might ask, we'll, never figured on running a seperate 20amp
Line, which I have to do, paint the room, ohh and still have to hook my RO-DI unit up in my garage which I can't figure out where to put yet.

In the middle of all this, I haven't watched TV in 2 weeks plus, I been spending every night hours reading on this stuff on my I-pad in bed, hours and hours and hours.

I figure it will be another month before I even fill the tank, then another 6-8 weeks for the cycle to begin

I never expected all this going into this, nor did I expect all the expenses

I have pictures of the build, the process, but no computer right now, as I just tiled the room this weekend, tonight I get to trim it out, tomorrow drywallers come, Thursday paint, and next weekend run the electric into the room

And that's my story, and I'm sticking to it !

McMillin5 · 03/11/2013, 10:39 AM

lol about the snails..
I spent alot of time with a tape measure and looking at different tanks before I bought mine.. I was hell bent on buying a 125g and just making it fit but my wife put her foot down and she won that battle, so I continued to look around and found a ready to go 75g set up with decent equipment for now and got a really good deal on it..This is my first SW tank and wont be my last because I still have my eye on a 125 or 180g set up but for now its perfect.. I would like to see pics of you project when you can post them..

fishgate · 03/11/2013, 10:41 AM

Ha! I think most of us have been there, done that and didn't get the t-shirt. This hobby goes from 1 to 100,000 in terms of complexity. I have been planning my 125g for 4 months now. I hope to have water in it in maybe another 4 weeks. We'll see!

One thing I think everyone will agree is at least double if not triple your budget. My 125 is up to around $4k so far.

I'll also suggest take a look at the fish stocking list you want and match the tank to that. Tangs require at least a 125 for instance.

Good Luck and make a log with pictures. We love that sort of stuff here!

GrantH · 03/11/2013, 10:58 AM

In my limited experience, I do not htink you will be seeing much TV for a long time. I started my first SW tank in December (my basement already has four freshwater tanks) and have already torn the tank down twice to get the fish out, the last time being to move them to a treatment tank as my yellow eye kole tank had a horrible attacck of Ich. SO, after three months I now have six tanks in the house in total!

It's all good though,

Grant

fltekdiver · 03/11/2013, 12:03 PM

This whole time my wife s against the SW tank

I stained the stand last week and the smell was so bad in the house, its been moved outside onto the Patio

I been broke the last month buying all this stuff

It will take me another 2 months to pay off my CC

I have lights to buy, skimmer, sand, and plumb everything yet left

My wife doesnt understand all this, I told her it s not costing more then $1, 500.00

Lol

Redngold · 03/11/2013, 12:50 PM

LMAO @ the snails. You probably should have stuck with the 75 rimless and gone from there! Oh well least your moving on with the build.

SexyRob · 03/11/2013, 01:03 PM

yes, sounds similar to the situation I'm in.

GF is against me spending time on the Tank when I should be doing other stuff around the house. But the prospect of having the SW tank I've wanted since I was young is just too appealing. I've finally got my stand built and the 75g tank prepped. It's been a long couple months of research and buying parts... oh and then returning/selling those parts that I later found were insufficient for my build. I'm just so ready to get this thing going but I'd rather not rush it. It's so hard to control myself and not just skip steps to get it done faster.

My current hold up is getting the GF to decide what color she wants the wall to be behind the tank and the actual color of the stand. I feel like she might be holding out on deciding to make me suffer LOL.. once that is decided and completed I should be on my way to plumbing the tank and starting the fill! I can hardly wait!

hobbby3 · 03/11/2013, 01:19 PM

lol awesome! Welcome to the addiction

djp2313 · 03/11/2013, 01:45 PM

I don't think there are many people that get it right the first time around. You'll get there soon and it'll make more sense to the wife once it's not a couple pieces of glass and wood lying around.

danil · 03/11/2013, 03:17 PM

I like this thread! Please keep us posted on your progress

. My situation wasn't so... entertaining though few "unplanned water changes" bring some color in our relationship. Nice area rug fixed my problem plus it works like a sponge and prevent water going to next room in case of UWC. I've changed three tanks now and on 180g at this moment but to get the last one I had to buy new house for it. It was well worth it!

fltekdiver · 03/11/2013, 03:55 PM

Here's some pics ! Ohh, I forgot to mention, I stained the stand in the room, which is where the fish tank was going one night, next night didn't like the color, and re-stained it again, lol

Here's some pics of the stand, room, etc, lol

fltekdiver · 03/11/2013, 03:56 PM

More pics !! Now this is the color of the stand now. It's still outside on the patio, standing on it's sode " Airing out " Wife said no more snails, and no more fumes!

danil · 03/11/2013, 04:37 PM

Have you tried smell from nail polishing fumes argument?

fltekdiver · 03/11/2013, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danil

Have you tried smell from nail polishing fumes argument?

LOL, good point !

hogfanreefer · 03/11/2013, 06:56 PM

Don't feel bad flteddiver, I ordered my tank 5 weeks ago and it still isn't in. Set up my QT and it's cycled. I'm sitting on my thumbs ghost feeding a QT with no tank to work on! Aaaaargh. I'm learning patience but I don't have to like it! LOL

jasonmxrcr · 03/11/2013, 07:18 PM

That's awesome. Not to laugh at your expense, but your post made me feel good about my 75 gallon build. It has been a 4 year process which has turned into a complete basement remodel, 3 kids, and a second job. Hoping to add water in a few weeks.

my wife fortunately is supportive, but I think it is just to help me keep my sanity.

fltekdiver · 03/11/2013, 07:21 PM

Lol, thanks for the feedback!

Keep the stories coming, I love to hear about them !

That's my " Sanity " right now, lol

jasonmxrcr · 03/11/2013, 07:21 PM

On a side note I think I just made my post count to see classifieds. Now I can buy something else for the tank!

fltekdiver · 03/12/2013, 08:43 PM

Ok, just spent 3 hours round trip, and bought a 125 gallon drilled tank, with stand, Teco15 chiller, metal halide T5 LED lighting , sump, ikimie return pump, UV filter, stand, canopy and many more parts, complete RODI system, a whole garage full of stuff

I traded him my brand new 75 galling reef ready drilled tank, that I had along with one of my purchases when I bought tanks a few weeks ago, going nuts !

I have my brand new 120 set up in the room now, just moved tank and stand their today, but couldn't pass this offer up, thousands of dollars in this set up, OMG , I love both of them, the 120 and 125 !

Here's pics of the 120 in its place, just moved into the room today, now that the tile is dry, and here's. pic of the 125 gallon set up I just bought in the garage !

fltekdiver · 03/12/2013, 08:45 PM

125 gallon I just traded and bought !

Unome · 03/12/2013, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danil

Have you tried smell from nail polishing fumes argument?

Quote:

Originally Posted by fltekdiver

LOL, good point !

I wouldn't even bring that topic up. You're just going to lose.

fltekdiver · 03/12/2013, 08:59 PM

Just so I don't confuse every body I did not get rid of my 120 gallon tank. The 75 gallon reef tank tonight that I had traded I acquired with another tank which was the 90 gallon wave tank bought as a package

I'm going through the bins of the stuff now and there is also a vortex XL diatom Filter

There is so much stuff here wave controllers , Powerheads,heaters ,sumps ,ballast ,
boxes and boxes. Full of stuff

Diver86 · 03/12/2013, 11:24 PM

I feel lucky my wife loves picking out fish and coral... I just built a 120 and already thinking about building the dream tank that will take up the living room wall and turning the garage to a support room....

Posted from ReefCentral.com App for Android

fltekdiver · 03/14/2013, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diver86

I feel lucky my wife loves picking out fish and coral... I just built a 120 and already thinking about building the dream tank that will take up the living room wall and turning the garage to a support room....

Posted from ReefCentral.com App for Android

Now that sounds cool !

fltekdiver · 03/14/2013, 08:23 PM

Just bought a brand new Reef Octopus DCS200 Protein Skimmer ! Rated for tanks up to
300 gallons !

Also going to install a 25 watt UV light under the stand

I can say. I was thinking of lowering the stand, but the skimmer is 24" tall, and my opening is 30" tall for my whole sump area. My total height on the stand is 42" , after reading many post on this, seems allot of DIY builders like myself, make their stands tall enough to fit all the larger sumps

I also like having the tank eye level

Wife is finally getting on board here. She's happy with the new tile down in the room, fresh coat of paint. I think she's accepted now, it's really going to happen!

In another week or two, I'll have everything in place, all this extra stuff gone that I don't need, and starting the process of getting the tank filled, which will be exciting !

03/11/2013, 08:51 AM	#1
fltekdiver Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1,533	My little story of my first build, 4 tanks later, still not even close yet I started off a month ago, thinking I could do a SW tank for a budget of $1,500 I bought my first used SW tank, a 75 gallon Rimless. After seeing the sellers 120 tank that they upgraded to, I never forgot how beautiful their tank was. Within 2 weeks, I sold the 75 gallon rimless, i bought a 90 gallon wave tank. Bought it home, wife didn't like the look of the WAVE, I had second thoughts of the tank as well and sold it In the middle of all this, I buy a 125 gallon SW tank, stand, chiller, sumps, everything. Bring it home, it's huge, with the 60" long footprint, as its going into a 11' x 11' home office. Also bought that used. I get frustrated, and wanted a 120 gallon tank, so I goto the LFS, and just buy one new all ready I get it home, and deceive that I want a huge sump/refrigum, so I use a brand new 75 gallon reef drilled tank, that came along for free, it's brand new, as a package deal with one of the above tanks. In the middle of all this, one of the tanks I bought used, came with all the live sand, live rock, even fish! OMG, I don't even have a tank for them yet set up! I have the fish seperate in one container with a power head, and heater, and the live rock in another. With a power head and heated. I leave for work, remove the lid from the container with the live rock, and all the snails decide to crawl out of the container while I'm at work ! I come home to a angry wife, saying she has snails crawling along her kitchen floor ! OMG, ! In a panic, I sell all the live rock and fish on CL for $80 bucks ! Next I build a stand for the new 120 tank, spend $100 in wood, 4 hours plus framing it, and realize its not going to fit the 75G tank , sump, which is also 48" long, so I tear it all back down, and now I'm back to a 60" stand to fit a 48" sump, hmmmm, I just sold the 125G tank, stand everything for $500 cause the footprint was to big, now look where I ended back at, but now I paid $600 just for a new 120 I set the new 120 on the new built stand in my home,office. Wow ! Bt wait, all that weight is on my laminate flooring, can it hold it? So I post a thread here, 120G tank on laminate floors. After a week, I deceive before I even add water, I'm carrying everything back outta the room, tank, stand, everything, and ripping up all the laminate flooring, which we never expected! Spent all weekend tiling the floors in that room ! What's next you might ask, we'll, never figured on running a seperate 20amp Line, which I have to do, paint the room, ohh and still have to hook my RO-DI unit up in my garage which I can't figure out where to put yet. In the middle of all this, I haven't watched TV in 2 weeks plus, I been spending every night hours reading on this stuff on my I-pad in bed, hours and hours and hours. I figure it will be another month before I even fill the tank, then another 6-8 weeks for the cycle to begin I never expected all this going into this, nor did I expect all the expenses I have pictures of the build, the process, but no computer right now, as I just tiled the room this weekend, tonight I get to trim it out, tomorrow drywallers come, Thursday paint, and next weekend run the electric into the room And that's my story, and I'm sticking to it !

03/11/2013, 10:41 AM	#3
fishgate Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Damascus, MD Posts: 3,340	Ha! I think most of us have been there, done that and didn't get the t-shirt. This hobby goes from 1 to 100,000 in terms of complexity. I have been planning my 125g for 4 months now. I hope to have water in it in maybe another 4 weeks. We'll see! One thing I think everyone will agree is at least double if not triple your budget. My 125 is up to around $4k so far. I'll also suggest take a look at the fish stocking list you want and match the tank to that. Tangs require at least a 125 for instance. Good Luck and make a log with pictures. We love that sort of stuff here! __________________ 125RR in-wall, 40B Sump, CS180 BM Skimmer, ATI 4x80 watt, eheim 1262, custom wrap around rock wall, ReefKeeper Elite 120g in-wall, 40B Sump, PC 54wx4, Jabao DC-6000 (full siphon), future seahorse t Current Tank Info: 125g, 120g, 2x40b sumps, ATI 4x80 T5HO

03/11/2013, 01:19 PM	#8
hobbby3 Reef Junkie Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Oregon Posts: 371	lol awesome! Welcome to the addiction __________________ My 90G Tank thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2147252 My Water Details: WATER: IO Reef Cry, SG 1.026, Alk 8.5, Calc 435, Mag 1480

03/11/2013, 06:56 PM	#15
hogfanreefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 2,117	Don't feel bad flteddiver, I ordered my tank 5 weeks ago and it still isn't in. Set up my QT and it's cycled. I'm sitting on my thumbs ghost feeding a QT with no tank to work on! Aaaaargh. I'm learning patience but I don't have to like it! LOL __________________ DSA 155,Custom Trigger 42" sump/refugium, MP40 X2, MP 10 X 2, AI Hydra 52 X3, Apex controller, Tunze ATO Current Tank Info: DSA 155 gallon, mixed reef, SPS and wrasse dominant

03/11/2013, 10:39 AM	#2
McMillin5 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: New Castle, PA Posts: 72	lol about the snails.. I spent alot of time with a tape measure and looking at different tanks before I bought mine.. I was hell bent on buying a 125g and just making it fit but my wife put her foot down and she won that battle, so I continued to look around and found a ready to go 75g set up with decent equipment for now and got a really good deal on it..This is my first SW tank and wont be my last because I still have my eye on a 125 or 180g set up but for now its perfect.. I would like to see pics of you project when you can post them..

03/11/2013, 10:58 AM	#4
GrantH Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan Posts: 26	In my limited experience, I do not htink you will be seeing much TV for a long time. I started my first SW tank in December (my basement already has four freshwater tanks) and have already torn the tank down twice to get the fish out, the last time being to move them to a treatment tank as my yellow eye kole tank had a horrible attacck of Ich. SO, after three months I now have six tanks in the house in total! It's all good though, Grant

03/11/2013, 12:03 PM	#5
fltekdiver Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1,533	This whole time my wife s against the SW tank I stained the stand last week and the smell was so bad in the house, its been moved outside onto the Patio I been broke the last month buying all this stuff It will take me another 2 months to pay off my CC I have lights to buy, skimmer, sand, and plumb everything yet left My wife doesnt understand all this, I told her it s not costing more then $1, 500.00 Lol

03/11/2013, 12:50 PM	#6
Redngold Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 71	LMAO @ the snails. You probably should have stuck with the 75 rimless and gone from there! Oh well least your moving on with the build.

03/11/2013, 01:03 PM	#7
SexyRob Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 121	yes, sounds similar to the situation I'm in. GF is against me spending time on the Tank when I should be doing other stuff around the house. But the prospect of having the SW tank I've wanted since I was young is just too appealing. I've finally got my stand built and the 75g tank prepped. It's been a long couple months of research and buying parts... oh and then returning/selling those parts that I later found were insufficient for my build. I'm just so ready to get this thing going but I'd rather not rush it. It's so hard to control myself and not just skip steps to get it done faster. My current hold up is getting the GF to decide what color she wants the wall to be behind the tank and the actual color of the stand. I feel like she might be holding out on deciding to make me suffer LOL.. once that is decided and completed I should be on my way to plumbing the tank and starting the fill! I can hardly wait!

03/11/2013, 01:45 PM	#9
djp2313 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 75	I don't think there are many people that get it right the first time around. You'll get there soon and it'll make more sense to the wife once it's not a couple pieces of glass and wood lying around.

03/11/2013, 03:17 PM	#10
danil Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Concord, CA Posts: 935	I like this thread! Please keep us posted on your progress . My situation wasn't so... entertaining though few "unplanned water changes" bring some color in our relationship. Nice area rug fixed my problem plus it works like a sponge and prevent water going to next room in case of UWC. I've changed three tanks now and on 180g at this moment but to get the last one I had to buy new house for it. It was well worth it!

03/11/2013, 04:37 PM	#13
danil Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Concord, CA Posts: 935	Have you tried smell from nail polishing fumes argument?

03/11/2013, 07:18 PM	#16
jasonmxrcr Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 78	That's awesome. Not to laugh at your expense, but your post made me feel good about my 75 gallon build. It has been a 4 year process which has turned into a complete basement remodel, 3 kids, and a second job. Hoping to add water in a few weeks. my wife fortunately is supportive, but I think it is just to help me keep my sanity.

03/11/2013, 07:21 PM	#17
fltekdiver Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1,533	Lol, thanks for the feedback! Keep the stories coming, I love to hear about them ! That's my " Sanity " right now, lol

03/12/2013, 08:59 PM	#22
fltekdiver Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1,533	Just so I don't confuse every body I did not get rid of my 120 gallon tank. The 75 gallon reef tank tonight that I had traded I acquired with another tank which was the 90 gallon wave tank bought as a package I'm going through the bins of the stuff now and there is also a vortex XL diatom Filter There is so much stuff here wave controllers , Powerheads,heaters ,sumps ,ballast , boxes and boxes. Full of stuff

03/12/2013, 11:24 PM	#23
Diver86 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 108	I feel lucky my wife loves picking out fish and coral... I just built a 120 and already thinking about building the dream tank that will take up the living room wall and turning the garage to a support room.... Posted from ReefCentral.com App for Android

03/14/2013, 08:23 PM	#25
fltekdiver Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 1,533	Just bought a brand new Reef Octopus DCS200 Protein Skimmer ! Rated for tanks up to 300 gallons ! Also going to install a 25 watt UV light under the stand I can say. I was thinking of lowering the stand, but the skimmer is 24" tall, and my opening is 30" tall for my whole sump area. My total height on the stand is 42" , after reading many post on this, seems allot of DIY builders like myself, make their stands tall enough to fit all the larger sumps I also like having the tank eye level Wife is finally getting on board here. She's happy with the new tile down in the room, fresh coat of paint. I think she's accepted now, it's really going to happen! In another week or two, I'll have everything in place, all this extra stuff gone that I don't need, and starting the process of getting the tank filled, which will be exciting !