120

[jeeperrs]

Well, I picked up my 120 today and man is it heavy lol. Once I find a stand and a sump I will start a thread on that build. For now it is sitting on the floor in the office and will sit there until I am ready to upgrade my 75 to it's new home. This is so exciting If anyone has suggestions on a stand or sump let me know. I want a fuge in my sump really bad because I plan to have a mandarin here soon

[dustin Combs]

Fantastic!! Look forward to following your thread!!

[Travis L. Stevens]

Definitely a custom built stand. It makes it so much easier in the long run to have it built to your specifications. You could also find a cheapo stand and alter it yourself. As far as sumps go, prefab tanks are great, plastic bins work in a pinch and are cheap, and there are a few other rarely used methods that work for a sump as well.

[jeeperrs]

So, I am looking for a sump to put under the 120. I know I want a refugium built into the sump. Does anyone have any suggestions? Once I can decide on the exact sump then I can get my pump and be two steps closer to being ready to set it up

[pwhitby]

if you can get a 55 under there, thats what I would go with. Add dividers and you are set.

I ran a 55g under my 120 frag tank without a skimmer and it was just fine.

P.

[happysak]

Did you find the sump.

[jeeperrs]

NO! I hope to know something by monday The good thing is that I am getting closer and closer each day to being ready to put this beast together. I expect that in the next month I will have the 120 up and running WOO-HOO!

[happysak]

It is tuesday

[jeeperrs]

Sorry Happy, I forgot you were waiting to hear ha-ha


Ok, I found a sump at aquariums. I am going to use a 40 breeder for my sump. Originally I was going to use a 40 long and was ready to buy it at Premier Aquatics in tulsa but then I realized the 40L is 48 inches long. Since I couldn't fit a 48 inch tank under a 48 inch Display tank I had to start thinking smaller. While I was in OKC last weekend (I really need to stop going into the fish stores when I am in Tulsa or OKC ha-ha) I talked to Leighanne and found out that I could use the 40 breeder since it is not so long I actually got a great deal on it too since they are on sale!! I am very nervous about the DIY idea but I think I can do this lol. I have a feeling that in the next month the 120 will be kicking off I just have to save a few dollars for my pump and then I will be set, unless someone wants to make that a birthday gift for me ha-ha.

[Travis L. Stevens]

jeeperrs, if you need help with any DIY, give me a holler since I'm close. God knows if it wasn't for DIY, I wouldn't have a tank

[happysak]

Jeff, if you need help with the sump let me know, I got tools

[jeeperrs]

Ha-ha, you must have read my mind.....or heard me tell Leighanne I don't have hardly any power tools lol. It will be another week before I can start on the sump. When it is in I can get started on it and most of the plumbing on my tank. I managed to get a lot of LR from a guy here in Stillwater for a really good price. I have it in an empty 20 gallon (well it has saltwater in it now too). I am going to leave it in there until I am ready to put this thing up. The birdsnest coral I got from you guys is really turning pink. In the moon lights it is almost hot pink, very beautiful!

[okcfishlady]

glad its doing good. I can't wait to see what you do with this tank. It's going to be awesome! Look forward to seeing you next time you come down (even if you only stop by to say hi and see Boogus). Hope you don't lose sleep over the sump. The thing is, once you do a successful DIY, you'll have entered a whole new facet of this hobby.

[jeeperrs]

I thought I would take a pic for those of you who are waiting to see my 120 take off. Today started the staining of the stand. Initially I was going to go with a fancy stand but then thought it was better to keep a low budget and do some of it myself. So....here I am today putting the first coat of stain on. Tomorrow will be the second coat and I will take a new picture with the nice dark color. I am staining it a "deep ebony" since I want to make the stand match the rest of my furniture. I also will be applying "marine spar varnish" which is used to water seal mahogany wood on boats, so it is saltwater and mildew resistant. The can was about 10 bucks but I think if I can protect the wood long term from all the accidents and dripping water that happens every time you have to do something inside the tank, it will stay looking nice. At the end of the week I will be starting on my DIY sump

Oh, and for the person who said "What are friends for? Well, I have lots of things I could use help with (and I have two brushes for the varnish applications) ha-ha.

[BrackishBoi]

This stand is gonna look so classy in the living room!

[happysak]

Looking good

[jeeperrs]

I will post some more pics of the stand tomorrow. I am having the last coat of sealant dry It is a much shinier finish than I expected but I think it will still look great.

[jeeperrs]

Ok, just to give you an idea by what I mean when I say shiny here are some pics. It is still wet but the shine is about the same when it is dried. Look at all the reflections lol.

[happysak]

very nice

[jeeperrs]

I was bored and took a couple pictures. The firefish was a gift from my dad last weekend. The two anemones are clones, they split about 3 weeks ago. These are currently in my 75 gallon and will be going to the 120 when it is up and running









This is the current 75 gallon

[Travis L. Stevens]

Good shots, Jeff!

[Lytehouse]

Agree with Travis, Have you already been to the photo clinic. Ananome and clowns look super. One of the reasons I'm looking at larger tanks and watching you build yours.

[jeeperrs]

Well thanks for the compliment! I have not been to the photo clinic and won't make it this weekend after all. I thought putting in notice 3 weeks in advance I would get the evening off for the meeting. It was a good though but didn't work out lol. Oh well, this summer job is about over and soon I will be teaching at two colleges and I won't have to find summer work anymore (this is the joys of working on your doctorate) lol. My nems have done very well. I keep the water VERY clear and run a skimmer that is rated for a tank about 3 times my tanks volume, I think that helps a lot. I also feed my nems every 2-3 days. Today I am getting my sump. Hopefully next week I will be making sure my tank has no leaks, then setting it up for the real deal!

[jeeperrs]

The sump is now put together. I will take some pics of it when it is finished drying. I think I like how it turned out. It does look a little ugly since I am not a pro at smoothing out the silicone but it doesn't look to bad Hopefully Weds I will be filling the 120 and sump with water to do a little practice run and make sure there are no leaks. I am hoping that by the weekend the 75 will be torn down and the 120 will be up and running. I have to make a crap load of water if anyone has some extra buckets I can start filling with saltwater.

[Lytehouse]

When raising discus, I used a big rolling trashcan I bought at hardware store to mix water for water changes. The size was great and the wheels really helped when I needed to get it outside to clean or whatever.