Let's Plan a 120g Upgrade

[msn711]

Walked into the fish store, found out they were having a sale that included 20% off AGA tanks and stands, and like a true reef-fanatic, ordered a 120RR. I've dreamed about doing it, but I hadn't really planned to. So now I want ideas for planning.

This will be an upgrade from my 40br. I know I can use the 40br for a sump. I have a u-tube style overflow box on the 40, so this will be my first reef ready tank. Are the AGA overflow kits any good? Or should I be planning to order dursos?

My planning rule is livestock first, then equipment. I like agressive and semi-agressive fish. I currently have a GSM clown and a pair of pylei fairy wrases (ok, I also like wrasses, even though they're not super aggressive). I have a bad habit of overstocking, so let's keep that in mind. In a perfect world, I would want a:

- trigger (crosshatch, blue throat, there's another genus that's considered semi-reef safe...starts with an m..., or go nuts and try out a niger...50/50)
- snowflake eel
- tang of some sort (my all time favorite is the naso, but 4ft still probably isn't enough swimming room)
- foxface (magnificent or bicolor???)
- more fairy wrasses

This will be a mixed reef. My track record with sps has been hit or miss...maybe 60% working out and 40% not). This will be important circulation wise...can't be too much for softies/lps but should be enough for sps. LPS are my all time favorites by the way...I just bought another echino for my 40.

Now, with that in mind, I know I can use the 40 for the sump, keep using a 10g for top off, and the 20L that's currently the sump on the 40 can become an all purpose quarantine tank ('bout time, I know).

What about: lights, skimmer (this CSS125 has to be upgraded), and circulation???

Thanks in advance to those who feel like tossing out ideas. RC is always a great place to find great ideas, so let's hear it!

[msn711]

Starting to make some decisions. After a long discussion in this thread (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...5&pagenumber=1), I've decided to go with the 6 bulb Tek fixture. I don't want to spend a thousand bucks on lights and I want a fixture that I can set on top of the tank. Some people like DIY...I'm not one of those people. So building a hood is out. I've never seen a pre-made hood tall enough to fit MH's into. And since everyone suggested sticking with the best reflectors, i.e. lumenarcs, and those don't come in fixtures, I decided to stick with t5. And I'm almost certain there won't be any heat issues. The reason I chose 6 bulbs instead of 8 was because everytime I've seen a tank with 8x54w bulbs, they've been sps dominated. I just need enough light to keep sps at the top of the tank. The tank will be LPS dominate, and I don't want to have to hide my favorite corals from the lights. I think this will work for what II want to accomplish.

I think I'm going to go with a Euro Reef RS 180 for the skimmer. I know this tank will be considered "overstocked" by many people's definitions. So might as well plan to filter accordingly.

I'm about to upload the most recent pics of my 40br from my camera. Hopefully, that will get this thread going.

[nattydread]

Im upgrading to a 120 next month. I went with a tech 120.

SOunds like we will be stocking similar tanks.

I went with aquatinics solar flare t5 lights. MRC reef sump, aquac 180 skimmer. 1 vortect and 1 tunze w controller. I plan to plumb through my wall into the unfinished part of the basement. I will have a sweet ro station with 100gal storage. I hope to figure out some really easy and automated top off, water change systems. I will probably add a Koralin Calcium reactor too.

Id like to have my sump at matching height on the opposite side of the wall in the unfinished part of the basement. I am trying to figure out wether that will effect the pressure of the drain.

[msn711]

The techs are cool, but AGA was on sale. I thought about the solar flares, but the price was significantly higher. The constellation would have been perfect if if the price included bulbs. I'm not ordering the lights right away, so I could still go with the 8 bulb tek, but I'm really afraid it might be overkill. What bulbs are you thinking about using? I'm still trying to get through the t5 threads. I just wish there were more pics. All this technical stuff doesn't tell me anything about what the corals will look like under the bulbs.

I'm in an apartment, so I need to get as much under the stand as possible. Since I won't be SPS heavy, I'm going to continue using two part for now. We'll see if it gets out of hand.

[avp]

I'm glad to see you sorted thru all the opinions and figured out what's best for you. I will make one more suggestion on lights..look for the Tek series 2 lights. The reflectors are upgraded to Icecap equvalents and runs about 20 bucks more than the original version.


good luck,

-avp

ps: of course now you pick a skimmer-bring on the skimmer wars!

[msn711]

LOL. I keep hearing good things about the euro reefs. I want something plug and play. I hate having to constantly tinker with this stupid CSS 125. Of course, I'll probably be stuck using it while I save up for the euro-reef, but you know how that goes.

Do you know anyone selling the tek series 2? I was looking at reefgeek and I haven't seen anything about a new series? Time to google I guess.

[avp]

They are on reefgeek.com, they are the limited edition models. I think everything in the same but the color and the reflectors.

-avp

[msn711]

Oh ok, those are the ones I wanted anyway...just b/c I thought the blue color would be cool.

[etrigo29]

tagging along, I just got mine tonight.

I want to see what I should do about the sump

[MarineGirl411]

I can't wait to see your tank with the T-5's after a while. I love looking at growth pictures. I hope you like your unit. Do you still plan on keeping your tank covered with glass tops? I don't "LIKE" diy. I just have to. =( I wish they had the Lumenarc's on a nice fixture, but the closest thing they have is the pendant. They aren't bad looking, but I still wouldn't want to stare at them. I also love the fact that I don't have stray light seeping out into the living room. Where are your 40 breeder pictures? Are you going to make the 40 breeder your sump? I've got the same tank and I'm running out of room. I'm letting the corals grow now. I haven't gotten any for a while and I am going through coral with drawls here!
I was going to turn my 150g into a reef, but I decided to sell it and save for the Tech. They are cool, but they are too expensive. =( I might change my mind again. I can't decide. Can't wait to see your new tank! I will subscribe.

[msn711]

I just can't see spending the extra money on the Tech tanks, but they do look great...especially all of the threads here on RC.

I talked to the LFS today. They're going to deliver the tank Thursday morning.

I am going to use the 40br as a sump. That's actually going to make the transfer kinda difficult. I have to move everything into rubbermaids. Get the 40 in the stand. Empty the current 20L sump. and then pull it out of the top of the 40 stand. I was thinking about using it as the holding tank, because you just never now how long it's going to take to cycle the 120 since I need more rock, but I may just leave everything in the rubbermaids.

I'm about to upload recent pics of the 40 to photobucket.

I actually hate DIY...just was never good at it. I very much believe in plug and play. On my first 20L sump, I tried siliconing baffles into place. Didn't really accomplish much with all the leaks I had where silicone should have been. On the current 20L sump...no baffles whatsoever. And I still don't have an issue with microbubbles. So my plan is to use the 40br as is (cleaned out of course), and just keep the flow through the sump a little lower.

So here's where I am so far:
Aggressive Mixed Reef
120 AGA RR w/ black pine stand (blue background...just to change things up)
~ 150lbs or LR. I already have about 60. So another 50lbs base and 40 of something live.
Either a DSB of 4" or a SSB of .5"
6x54w Tek T5 LE lighting (all ATI bulbs: 2 blue plus, 2 aquablue, 1 daylight/sun, 1 actinic...hopefully I get the Phoenix 14k look)
Sump: 40BR
Return Pump: Quite One 4000, Mag 9.5, or an Eheim if I can ever figure out why they're supposed to be so much better
Circulation: about 35x. A few possibilities
- 2xSeio 620s and 2x6045 nanostreams
- 2xSeio 620s and 2x1100s
- koralias?
- OR a vortech
Skimmer: ER RS 180
Phosban Reactor - Do I need another one?
JBJ ATO w/ 10g holding tank
RODI: AirWaterIce Compact Reefkeeper
Salifert Test Kits
20L QT Tank

[etrigo29]

I really like my panworld pump, i'm using a px50-x for my 58 thats turned down considerably but at full blast will be great for my 120 and its super quiet

[msn711]

Most recent FTS of the 40:


Rose Millepora:

Hasn't grown much, but it has put down a base.

New Orange Cap:


Hot Kiss Micromussa:

I'm trying to figure out where that green stuff is coming from. It looks like cyano, but there's plenty of flow, and it's green. Makes me wonder if the phosban is even worth it.

More pics coming...

[msn711]

Oh, and the damage to the favia in the pic above is from where an acan lord fell on it. Acan Lord 1 - Favia 0. Hopefully, it doesn't get any worse.

"Chronic" Echino:


New Encrusting Hydno:


New Bright Orange Chalice:


Middle of the Tank:

I just like this pic.

Thanks for tagging along!

[MarineGirl411]

On the tech tank, the thing I like is no center brace and the starphire front. Have you ever had a large tank before? I'm not trying to sound rude at all. I hope I don't. I had a 150 gallon and it was very hard to reach inside and clean. The center brace would constantly rub against my arms while cleaning. Maybe the shorter tank 25" will not be as bad. I just know that with my 40 breeder, I love not having a center brace. I hate them. At least I hated mine. Also, with lighting there is shade that goes along the center of the tank. That always bothered me too. The plants in the center of my planted tank didn't do as well as the others. This was of course a freshwater tank planted tank. Maybe I wouldn't mind a 120 g with a center brace. I'd have to test it out to see. You might be taller than me as well. I'm only 5' 3 1/2". So getting inside the tank to clean was very hard. I stood on a chair and could still not reach the bottom and back.

I think that transferring things from my 40 breeder to the tank, then converting it into a sump would be hard. I am not looking forward to that either. Your rubbermaid will work well for holding things in the meantime though. You're not going to cure the rock before you place everything in the tank? Maybe I don't understand, but that could pose some real problems. Unless it's already cured. You probably know all this though....yes I hate DIY too. I told myself never again. I just don't think I'd be able to get what I want if I don't try. I can't wait to see the new tank. Looks cool. I'd go with the Vortech and a battery back up. I still have to order my battery.

[msn711]

You're not being rude at all. I didn't really think about the center brace issue. I had a 55g with a center brace back when I couldn't figure out how to keep corals alive (tap water...big no no. I learned a lot of the things the hard way in the beginning). Anyway, it didn't really bother me on the tank, but then again, I had it sitting on the floor because I was too cheap to buy a stand.

This will be my first big tank, and hopefully (knock on wood), the last until I can buy a house and set up a 6ft long monster of a tank!

I may use the shade to my advantage for corals like open brains.

I'm about 5'8, so a few inches taller than you, but I still get my shirt sleeves wet when I reach into my 40. I was thinking about a DSB of about 4", but then I read on wet web media that they're not really designed for a heavy fish load or messy feeders. And the centerpiece of this tank will be a snowflake eel and a niger trigger. So I'm just going to go with a SSB of .5" and have to deal with the height of the tank.

My plan was to cure the new live rock and base rock in the 120. When it finishes cycling, then transfer the contents of the 40br (waiting in rubbermaids) to the 120.

As I understand it, the Vortech creates a nice even flow throughout the tank. Has that been your experience or are there some higher flow areas in some spots? And it's adjustable right? One problem I have in my 40 is placing my LPS corals. I just don't have a spot right now with low enough flow to put an open brain, and that's one of my favorites.

Has anyone heard of STN in LPS corals? I'm just wondering about that favites pictured above. Would Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure help any?

Marinegirl...I just noticed your name. Sometimes I wonder if we're the only 2 females on RC. I'm sure there are more, but you can't really tell from screen names.

[msn711]

One more question...do the vortechs blow sand around. The description on marine depot said they create a nice "undertow." What does that mean?

[msn711]

I just thought of something. Instead of moving all of my livestock to rubbermaids, I'm just going to move as much as I can to the 20L sump that's currently under the 40. Any extra rock, I'll put in a rubbermaid. That way I can free up the 40 for the move without moving all of the live stock 2 or 3 times. Plus, it'll be easier to clip my coralife lights to a tank than a rubbermaid. Good thing I don't have any baffles in my sump.

Hopefully, all goes well in the morning with the tank delivery.

I just noticed my female pylei is chasing the male around (used to be the other way around). The male seems to be staying in hiding after trying to jump yesterday despite the glass top. So the current heirarchy is GSM clown (female...she killed her male mate despite the fact that I bought them as a pair), female pylei wrasse, male pylei wrasse.

[msn711]

So I just tested my water in the 40 since I'm about to go out of town for a week. My nitrates tested at 50! I thought for sure something was wrong with my Salifert kit. No way they go from 0 to 50 in a week. Well, I get to looking around, all of the corals look fine, all of the fish are present, and the anemone is looking fine. Then I checked the sump, and found out that something had rotted away in my sump. I have no idea what it was, but the mass was pretty big and smells like sh*t! Seriously, it smells worse than anything my protein skimmer has ever pulled it. And the craziest part is that my skimmer wasn't even going nuts!

I've got about 15g of RO water waiting, and I think I'm going to make 5 more gallons and just siphon out the sump. I seriously can't believe things aren't dying and algae hasn't taken over. And it's now official...my CSS 125 is a piece of junk! How could it not go beserk with something like that sitting in the sump with it?

I've already changed the carbon and phosban in my reactor and that's running on the display tank for now. I just can't believe this. And I have no idea what could have died and rotted in my sump! There's nothing missing from my tank.

[The Shan Man]

Just found your thread... I am going to be following along with you... Need lots of pics and ideas. I just got my new tank last weekend...Finally upgrading. It is a 90 gallon RR...I could use some input.

Hope everything is alright in your tank... Good thing you tested your water!!!

[MarineGirl411]

Hi! You're a girl? WOOOHOOO! I know what you mean about being the only girls. I know of one other one. Nanogurl. I understand what you mean about being the only ones on the board. I feel like that sometimes too. It's nice to find other girls that share the same interests. My boyfriend doesn't really like the reef like me. He doesn't understand about the corals. He likes the fish, but not the corals. LOL. Oh that's awesome that you will cure the rock in the 120 first. That is great.
Are niger triggers reef safe? Oooh they are so beautiful! I love the way they siwm. Will it be safe with your wrasses? I really like snowflake eels. They are really pretty.
The Vortech is awesome. It has more flow right where it comes out of the Vortech. It then distributes evenly in the tank. It does blow sand around, but I have too much sand in my 40. In your tank I don't think you'd have a problem.

[MarineGirl411]

I wonder what died in your tank? Was it a snail? Your wrasses are very pretty. Speaking of jumping fish, one night my Anthias decided to jump out of the canopy while I was feeding. Thank God that I saw it happen because my cat was right next to it. He just tried jumping again. I really need a bigger tank. I can't wait to see your new 120. It's so exciting. I know what you mean about wanting a large 6' tank. I'd love one. Maybe someday. I don't think Salifert tests are always correct. I know mine isn't. =/

[msn711]

Depends on how you define reef safe. They don't bother corals, but shrimp and crabs might become lunch. I've seen some people keep them with clams, but I've read some websites that say they may nip at the clams. So I probably won't chance that.

I have no idea what could have died. The mass I found was bigger than any fish I have, and I don't have anything missing that could be rotting. Not to mention, how it ended up in the sump!

I found the wrasses on diver's den. I got really lucky because the price I paid for my pair is what LA is charging for one now.

I haven't had any problems with my salifert test kits in the past. Anytime I've tested IO salt, I get low calcium like you what expect. So that's why I thought the 50ppm nitrate was so odd. I almost ignored it until I was looking around the sump. I still can't believe my skimmer didn't even react. It's hardly skimmed anything for the last couple of weeks.

What I ended up doing was prepping about 15g of saltwater and then spending the rest of the day emptying the 40 and the 20L sump. I moved the 20 to my kitchen. Moved all of the livestock to the 20. My extra rock is sitting in a rubbermaid with a powerhead and heater. And the 40 is now sitting in my room waiting for the tand and stand delivery. Then I'm going out of town for a while later this evening. So I'll try to get pics up of the tank and stand, and the mess I made clearing out the 40. But then it'll be a little slow going until I get back and can get the 120 plumbed. This will be my first time plumbing a RR tank, so hopefully it doesn't give me a hard time.

One good thing that came out of this though was getting the rock with my BTA turned around so that I can actually see the BTA. And I just tested the 20 this morning. I'm getting 0 ammonia, .1 nitrites, 5 nitrates, 11.65 alk, 390 cal, and 1260 mag.

Stay tuned and thanks for tagging along.

[WinnipegDragon]

You and I might as well be building the same tank. RS180, TEK lights (8 bulb here, going SPS dominant), 120g AGA tank...

I'm going Koralia for powerheads, Eheim 1262 return (1260 would have probably been fine), 2 Phosban reactors. For the Koralias, I have 2 K4s now, and 2 K4s on order.

(Also, sorry but I'm a guy!)

[etrigo29]

hey if you haven't already ordered your light i found out that sunlight supply has a outlet store on ebay....pretty good prices about 60 dollars cheaper.