I purchased a 120 gallon 4x2x2 setup from a former member almost a year ago.
After sitting in the garage for 9-10 months I finally got around to bringing it in the house and getting ready to set up.
I noticed the seams look really old and didn't want the possibility of the thing leaking on me.
I scraped out all the old silicone and re siliconed the tank.
Next I cut and siliconed ceramic tile down for my bare bottom surface, I was hesitant to put rocks directly on the glass.
After the tank I siliconed the baffle kit from FijiCube into the 40b for my new sump.
This cured for a week before testing to make sure it will hold up.
After 4 days holding water I determined they're good enough for me.
I bought some live rock with corals from a fellow reefer on a local forum TCMAS.
Also bought some live rock from Gulf Live Rock website.
Used 25lb of the live rock from the 40 breeder everything was transferred from.
I QT'd the gulf live rock in a 20 tall to observe any die off and make sure I don't put Aiptasia or anything undesirable into the tank.
There are a few curly cue anemones, orange, yellow, red, white/clear sponges, 8 bivalves, some tube worms, Halmeda on that rock from Florida. (2 bivalves have since died)
With 3 sources of live rock I was hoping to avoid starting a new cycle, seems to have worked!
This 120 was setup on Monday March 15th
Corals and fish went right in, only had 4 fish (Blue Hippo Tang, 2 clowns and Blue Streak Cleaner Wrasse)
Last Friday I received shipment of 6 Caribbean Blue Reef Chromis from LA Divers Den.
Tank looks much less empty, more movement and flow, also have some fish poop for corals to grow.
This past weekend I purchased 4 corals from Tidal Gardens live sale.
My goal with this tank is have an encrusting box of coral and fish.
The back wall and overflows will be encrusted with Cyphastrea and the bottom encrusted in Leptoseris.
The 4 corals I purchased are a Bird of Paradise, Ultra Lepto, Blood Orange Lepto and 24K Lepto.
Today I received the corals and after dipping/acclimating the 3 Leptos were glued to the bottom.
My next big purchase for the setup will be a Santa Monica Surf 4x, floating algae turf scrubber for the sump.
Unfortunately I did not check space between the top of sump and door opening with the stand that came with the tank, oops.
Not enough room for 99% of skimmers for a tank this size and not enough room for traditional rainfall ATS.
However I had enough foresight to build a platform for the stand to sit on so I'm not on the floor on my hands and knees when in the sump.
The platform is 17" tall, the stand is 28" tall; the tank starts at 45" above the floor and ends at 70" above the floor. (Perfect standing viewing height)
For equipment I'm running
Return Pump - Jebao DCP-6500
Wavemakers - Vortech MP10 & MP40 looking to add more flow soon.
Lighting - Current 8 bulb T5
Sump - 40 breeder w/ FijiCube baffle kit
Filtration - Clari-Sea sk5000 roller filter & Bubble Magus Curve 5 skimmer
ATO - Tunze 3155
Heater - Finnex 500 watt; backup 2x 200watt Eheim Jager
Control - Old school Apex Classic EB-8 & DC-8 powerbars connected
After sitting in the garage for 9-10 months I finally got around to bringing it in the house and getting ready to set up.
I noticed the seams look really old and didn't want the possibility of the thing leaking on me.
I scraped out all the old silicone and re siliconed the tank.
Next I cut and siliconed ceramic tile down for my bare bottom surface, I was hesitant to put rocks directly on the glass.
After the tank I siliconed the baffle kit from FijiCube into the 40b for my new sump.
This cured for a week before testing to make sure it will hold up.
After 4 days holding water I determined they're good enough for me.
I bought some live rock with corals from a fellow reefer on a local forum TCMAS.
Also bought some live rock from Gulf Live Rock website.
Used 25lb of the live rock from the 40 breeder everything was transferred from.
I QT'd the gulf live rock in a 20 tall to observe any die off and make sure I don't put Aiptasia or anything undesirable into the tank.
There are a few curly cue anemones, orange, yellow, red, white/clear sponges, 8 bivalves, some tube worms, Halmeda on that rock from Florida. (2 bivalves have since died)
With 3 sources of live rock I was hoping to avoid starting a new cycle, seems to have worked!
This 120 was setup on Monday March 15th
Corals and fish went right in, only had 4 fish (Blue Hippo Tang, 2 clowns and Blue Streak Cleaner Wrasse)
Last Friday I received shipment of 6 Caribbean Blue Reef Chromis from LA Divers Den.
Tank looks much less empty, more movement and flow, also have some fish poop for corals to grow.
This past weekend I purchased 4 corals from Tidal Gardens live sale.
My goal with this tank is have an encrusting box of coral and fish.
The back wall and overflows will be encrusted with Cyphastrea and the bottom encrusted in Leptoseris.
The 4 corals I purchased are a Bird of Paradise, Ultra Lepto, Blood Orange Lepto and 24K Lepto.
Today I received the corals and after dipping/acclimating the 3 Leptos were glued to the bottom.
My next big purchase for the setup will be a Santa Monica Surf 4x, floating algae turf scrubber for the sump.
Unfortunately I did not check space between the top of sump and door opening with the stand that came with the tank, oops.
Not enough room for 99% of skimmers for a tank this size and not enough room for traditional rainfall ATS.
However I had enough foresight to build a platform for the stand to sit on so I'm not on the floor on my hands and knees when in the sump.
The platform is 17" tall, the stand is 28" tall; the tank starts at 45" above the floor and ends at 70" above the floor. (Perfect standing viewing height)
For equipment I'm running
Return Pump - Jebao DCP-6500
Wavemakers - Vortech MP10 & MP40 looking to add more flow soon.
Lighting - Current 8 bulb T5
Sump - 40 breeder w/ FijiCube baffle kit
Filtration - Clari-Sea sk5000 roller filter & Bubble Magus Curve 5 skimmer
ATO - Tunze 3155
Heater - Finnex 500 watt; backup 2x 200watt Eheim Jager
Control - Old school Apex Classic EB-8 & DC-8 powerbars connected
