Brian’s 125 gallon

Brian86 · Sep 29, 2020

Hey everyone,
I’ve had freshwater aquariums my whole life. A roommate and I had a saltwater tank about 13 years ago, but he primarily took care of it since it was his. My wife and I have always wanted a saltwater tank, but we never got around to actually getting one with so much going on in our lives. Well, my wife was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago so we decided to stop putting it off. I did a ton of research and we bought a 125 gallon tank/stand combo, rock, live sand, and other equipment. I set it up in August.

The white rocks are dry rock and the purple are the Caribsea Life Rock. About 120lbs total. I plan on doing a FOWLR tank for now. Once I get more experience with the saltwater aquarium, I will start adding corals. I have a Fluval FX6 canister filter, Vortech MP40 powerhead with battery backup, 2 36” Fluval Marine Bluetooth lights, an RODI system from BRS, and I plan on getting a HOB protein skimmer in the near future. I also have a 20 gallon quarantine tank set up since I’m slowly adding fish. Nice to meet everyone and I look forward to learning!

LBReefer · Sep 29, 2020

Welcome!

Since you haven't added fish yet, I'd lobby you to drain the tank and drill it for a sump. You will be way happier long term. Drilling isn't nearly as scary as it seems and a sump will give you a lot more flexibility.

Enjoy!

P.S. I love the carpe diem philosophy and prayers for your wife's quick recovery.

JumboShrimp · Sep 29, 2020

May your new tank bring calm to your wife’s life as she recovers. Pick some beautiful fish!

Brian86 · Sep 29, 2020

LBReefer said:
Welcome!

Since you haven't added fish yet, I'd lobby you to drain the tank and drill it for a sump. You will be way happier long term. Drilling isn't nearly as scary as it seems and a sump will give you a lot more flexibility.

Enjoy!

P.S. I love the carpe diem philosophy and prayers for your wife's quick recovery.

Thank you for the prayers! So I do have fish in there. They’re just hiding because it’s late and the lights were off. I have 5 so far. The stand being divided up kinda made a sump not practical because it wouldn’t be able to be a decent size and fit in either of the 3 sections. I know the sump definitely has more benefits but I just don’t have the room right now.