125 Gallon Dream tank

[Uptightjoker]

I have been wanting to get a saltwater/reef tank since i was a kid, just 4 or 5 years old, but my family was never able to afford it and I haven't been able to either since I've been on my own. I recently moved and got a huge payraise at work and now can afford to start a tank. My build will be slow, as I am still putting alot of money away for the future, and only saving a little out of each check to put towards my reef, but it officially started last weekend when I picked up a used 125 gallon tank+stand. The stand is homemade, and was setup for fresh water, so there wasn't room under it for a sump. My solution was to buy a separate stand that sits lower to hold my sumprather than putting it under the main tank. Today I got the sump (although i still need to get baffles cut and put into place) and the stand for it, from the petco $/gallon sale for a total of $107.

Current equipment:
125g and stand
40B and stand

Planned equipment to complete build:
Baffles cut for 40B to turn into sump
Eshopps PF-1000 overflow box
3x Prime HD LED lights
2x Vortech MP40 powerheads
planning on a Jebao DCP-13000 return pump (I'm sure it's overkill but I'd rather have too much and tune it back
Reef Octopus skimmer (although I'm not sure which model would be best yet)
I also haven't 100% decided on heaters yet.
I'm going to start with 100 lbs of rock, and go from there and I haven't picked out sand or figured out how much sand I want yet. Plan will be dry rock and sand.

Picture is of the setup as of right now

The stand isn't the pretties but is very sturdy, and the sump next to the tank isn't ideal, but I can deal with it until I move and buy a new stand (moving in probably 2 years)

 

[Flippers4pups]

Nice start! Are you planning to drill the 125 for overflow?

Here's my 125 build, though it's with a basement sump, maybe it will give you some ideas.

Build Thread - Flippers reef 125 gallon

The story of Flippers reef started long ago.......... In a time before a thing called "The Internet"existed. Land locked Missouri, mid western U.S.A. back in 1993. I had just got out of the army in 1992 and got busy starting a family. See, I had fresh water tanks off and on since I was very...

www.reef2reef.com

Looking forward to seeing your progress!

 

[Uptightjoker]

Nice start! Are you planning to drill the 125 for overflow?

Here's my 125 build, though it's with a basement sump, maybe it will give you some ideas.

Build Thread - Flippers reef 125 gallon

The story of Flippers reef started long ago.......... In a time before a thing called "The Internet"existed. Land locked Missouri, mid western U.S.A. back in 1993. I had just got out of the army in 1992 and got busy starting a family. See, I had fresh water tanks off and on since I was very...

www.reef2reef.com

Looking forward to seeing your progress!

I'm not drilling. I wanted to, but I have no space or tools available to drill, and I have no way to transport the tank to do it elsewhere. The guy i bought it from delivered it otherwise I never could've gotten it here I'm planning on running a HOB overflow. I plan to put the overflow to the far right of the tank, with the return pump coming in the left side since the sump is setup on the left, that will reduce flow loss from plumbing significantly.

Alot of DIY things are hard for me since I have very limited tools and space to work with (I live in an apartment complex).Especially since all my family and most my friends live 700ish miles away.

 

[Uptightjoker]

Today I ordered more stuff!

I ordered my Overflow box (going with the Eshopps PF-1200, as there was a deal on it so I decided to upgrade from the planned PF-1000
Heaters:2x - Fluval 200-Watt
Temp Controller: Inkbird 1200Watt controller with 2 heating outlets.
I also ordered silicone for putting in baffles and will be looking at buying glass and getting it cut at sears this weekend.

I also ordered 2 filter sock holders that I found on Amazon.

Planning on ordering the return pump later this week, and hopefully plumb everything next week!