Hey guys, thought I'd start one of these to document my progress as I set up my new (to me) tank. Little background, have a 40 breeder mixed reef in my basement that's been running for a little over a year. I knew within 6 months that a larger display tank in my living room was inevitable. Fast forward to this past August, I just happened to run across a local reefer unloading his previous setup. It also happened to be exactly what I was wanting to upgrade to (perfect size for my 4ft space). The way my house is designed I couldn't really fit a 5ft or longer tank so it was a 120 or a 3ft cube, or a corner. A 120 seemed much more practical in every aspect so that's what I was planning on in my head. So I ended up getting almost everything I needed for the upgrade.
As you can see, everything was filthy. I don't mind a little soak & scrub and I definitely didn't pay "clean equipment" prices, so I wasn't bothered at all. So I got to the clean up after a couple of busy weeks with work and all. Things were starting to look brighter almost instantly.
So this tank came with a stand and canopy that were painted black. I knew I was going to be building from the ground up when I brought it home. So I got to work on planning the design of the stand & plumbing. This part consumed a lot of my time. I also had a near crash in my 40 breeder while away on vacation. Slowly recovered there while things on the 120 were put on hold over the holiday season. Shortly after the new year, I started loading the garage with lumber. Over the last couple months, I've been slowly getting it put together in my free time. I'm about 80% done now & hope to be painted and siliconed by tomorrow evening. But here's where I am currently.
Gonna get the side panel & the controller box mounted onto the skeleton tonight. Tomorrow I will be picking up a french cleat for the front panel, some 1/4 round to finish the top, filling the finishing nails, sanding, prepping and laying down a few coasts of kilz, inside & out. Thinking I'm gonna need a 2nd gallon of kilz to get everything covered well. After the paint is dry I will silicone all the seams on the inside of the stand. And then start fitting the sump and measuring for pvc. Will be going blue pvc from BRS & schedule 80 fittings. Also want to hard wire in a light recepticle for my refugium led bulb. Anyway, thanks for making it through this far! I will try and keep this thread updated as I continue onward with my build. My goal is to be cycling by April 1st.
As you can see, everything was filthy. I don't mind a little soak & scrub and I definitely didn't pay "clean equipment" prices, so I wasn't bothered at all. So I got to the clean up after a couple of busy weeks with work and all. Things were starting to look brighter almost instantly.
So this tank came with a stand and canopy that were painted black. I knew I was going to be building from the ground up when I brought it home. So I got to work on planning the design of the stand & plumbing. This part consumed a lot of my time. I also had a near crash in my 40 breeder while away on vacation. Slowly recovered there while things on the 120 were put on hold over the holiday season. Shortly after the new year, I started loading the garage with lumber. Over the last couple months, I've been slowly getting it put together in my free time. I'm about 80% done now & hope to be painted and siliconed by tomorrow evening. But here's where I am currently.
Gonna get the side panel & the controller box mounted onto the skeleton tonight. Tomorrow I will be picking up a french cleat for the front panel, some 1/4 round to finish the top, filling the finishing nails, sanding, prepping and laying down a few coasts of kilz, inside & out. Thinking I'm gonna need a 2nd gallon of kilz to get everything covered well. After the paint is dry I will silicone all the seams on the inside of the stand. And then start fitting the sump and measuring for pvc. Will be going blue pvc from BRS & schedule 80 fittings. Also want to hard wire in a light recepticle for my refugium led bulb. Anyway, thanks for making it through this far! I will try and keep this thread updated as I continue onward with my build. My goal is to be cycling by April 1st.
