$220 used 220 gal overhaul / build

[biguebs]

I wanted to put together a thread to document the progress of this 220 gal that I was able to purchase locally for… $220! Tank is only 2 years old, previous owner had it running for about a year and lost everything in a power outage. Instead of setting it up again, it went out in his garage until he finally decided to sell it off. My wife and I are expecting twins and I had been looking to combine my two mixed reef 125s into one tank to reduce maintenance time and simplify things a bit. Obviously I moved quickly when this appeared on the FB marketplace.

FYI the first bunch of posts will be bringing this to “current”. I have been meaning to do this as a personal reference but also since I did a few things that others may be considering.

 

[biguebs]

Here it is as listed for sale - the “before”

 

[biguebs]

Off the truck and into my garage. For anyone wondering - this whole setup fits perfectly in the bed of a Silverado.

 

[biguebs]

So now that it was here, I started really thinking about the actual build a bit as I cleaned it up.

Decision 1: Was I going to keep the corner overflows? I did not like the look of them at all and I also didn’t like the amount of swimming space they took from the fish. Obviously the concerns were

1) whether I could keep the tank water tight if I removed them with 4 holes in the bottom
2) how easily/cleanly would they come off
3) do I want to drill the back for a new overflow

 

[biguebs]

After reading a LOT of threads etc I decided to at least take a shot at removing them overflows. I wasn’t going to be happy with the look and, since I basically stole this thing in my opinion, why not? Lol. The overflows came off SUPER easy. One pass with a razor blade to remove them and one more pass to get the silicone off the glass. Important note here - I left the silicone be where the glass panes met. I did not want to compromise the seal, just not worth the risk.

 

[biguebs]

Ultimately I decided to try the simplest thing first to plug the overflow holes in bottom pane - bulkheads with caps. I had the bulkheads around already and I just went and to Lowe’s and picked up 4 caps. After I cemented the caps into place I spray painted them black (krylon fusion) so I wouldnt have 4 white caps showing.

 

[biguebs]

So now that it was all cleaned up and the holes were capped… it was time for the big one for anyone who’s gone the used tank route - WATER TEST. Left it sit for about a week, no leaks at all! After cleaning this thing up I didn’t have any concerns about the seams or anything, I was worried about my capped bulkheads. But the internet had not lied! Totally water tight.

 

[biguebs]

As it was being water tested, I was prepping the “tank room / my home office” for the big transition.

In order to break down both 125s for combination into the new one, i was able to use my existing “used tank collection” very effectively lol. I was like everyone else, long time freshwater guy. At my peak I was running 3 125s and a 180 on two stacked stands I had built. Here was the plan:

1) all the corals and live rock into the spare 125. Basic heater / two power heads in there with a 4 ft 4 bulb T5 fixture on a timer over the corals

2) a 55 gallon for all of the fish. A heater, one power head, and an AquaClear 110 for some filtration. I wanted to add all fish from both tanks into this holding tank at same time so they all entered on equal footing. Once they were all in there, I added several pieces of PVC tube / connections / etc to create some hides. Since I knew they would be in this holding tank for a week or two, I went ahead and treated with copper and prazipro as well for good measure.

 

[The WaterSide Fishing]

That’s crazy for that deal, I have a 180 reef that is my show tank and is currently stocked with a wild Hawaiian yellow tang, gem tang, purple tang, coral beauty angelfish, blue hippo tang, and 2 clowns

 

[biguebs]

Wish I would have taken some pictures during the transition but I didn’t lol. Took about 10 days to get the new one moved down and the other stands / tanks up and out. I ended up paying some movers to come out. 2 125s and stands up and the 220 down into the basement, I didn’t want to risk problems there! Lol

Here it is, in its final spot, fish in, some of the corals in.

 

[The WaterSide Fishing]

Good job

 

[The WaterSide Fishing]

Why no sand?

 

[Sleeping Giant]

So now that it was all cleaned up and the holes were capped… it was time for the big one for anyone who’s gone the used tank route - WATER TEST. Left it sit for about a week, no leaks at all! After cleaning this thing up I didn’t have any concerns about the seams or anything, I was worried about my capped bulkheads. But the internet had not lied! Totally water tight.

looks a thousand times better already

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Wish I would have taken some pictures during the transition but I didn’t lol. Took about 10 days to get the new one moved down and the other stands / tanks up and out. I ended up paying some movers to come out. 2 125s and stands up and the 220 down into the basement, I didn’t want to risk problems there! Lol

Here it is, in its final spot, fish in, some of the corals in.

looks great

 

[Sleeping Giant]

amazing deal

 

[Stephen8169301]

So now that it was all cleaned up and the holes were capped… it was time for the big one for anyone who’s gone the used tank route - WATER TEST. Left it sit for about a week, no leaks at all! After cleaning this thing up I didn’t have any concerns about the seams or anything, I was worried about my capped bulkheads. But the internet had not lied! Totally water tight.

Looks awesome!!

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Ultimately I decided to try the simplest thing first to plug the overflow holes in bottom pane - bulkheads with caps. I had the bulkheads around already and I just went and to Lowe’s and picked up 4 caps. After I cemented the caps into place I spray painted them black (krylon fusion) so I wouldnt have 4 white caps showing.

Where did you get those the capped bulkheads? I need some

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Where did you get those the capped bulkheads? I need some

They look like regular bulkheads with pvc plugs screwed or glued in.

 

[biguebs]

Why no sand?

I started out wanting to try bare bottom. That short video is from a couple weeks ago. I’ve already changed that.

 

[biguebs]

Where did you get those the capped bulkheads? I need some

Yes they are just regular bulkheads with caps cemented in.