Dbrewsky's 120 Gallon Build

[dbrewsky]

@do_0b - yes the cabinet is mounted to the wall just to the side of the aquarium. I had just enough room between the right side of the display and the perpendicular wall.

 

[dbrewsky]

Got my Neptune Apex DOS module installed inside the stand last night. This build has some tight tolerances and there never seems to be enough room, but careful measuring and planning makes it happen. So far the extra effort has paid off and things fit like a glove.

I don't know why my iPhone camera cant get an accurate white balance, but here are the pics. I have yet to organize the doser tubing.

My build is kinda in limbo this week, I have a friend who is moving on Friday and more importantly Valentines weekend is approaching and I gotta take care of the girl! She has been more than patient during this process and she is actually quite excited to see the tank up and running and I want to keep it that way. Shes a keeper!

I will also need to place orders for additional equipment and sand before attempting to aquascape and organize the electrical.

 

[don_chuwish]

Very sexy plumbing! Lots of the same bits I'll be putting on mine. I know the torture of putting together a parts order and agonizing over whether or not you have enough, or too much!

 

[dbrewsky]

@don_chuwish - thank you! Good luck on your build! Measure 4 times, dry fit twice, and change the configuration 5 times and you should be successful lol.

 

[fragit]

Looking really, really good! Fun seeing this come to life. Get some salt in that puppy already!

 

[dbrewsky]

haha, working on it! Its bugging me to see if pretty much operational, but without saltwater and rock!!!

 

[Salty1962]

Nice Build!

 

[FireEMT]

Got my Neptune Apex DOS module installed inside the stand last night. This build has some tight tolerances and there never seems to be enough room, but careful measuring and planning makes it happen. So far the extra effort has paid off and things fit like a glove.

I don't know why my iPhone camera cant get an accurate white balance, but here are the pics. I have yet to organize the doser tubing.

My build is kinda in limbo this week, I have a friend who is moving on Friday and more importantly Valentines weekend is approaching and I gotta take care of the girl! She has been more than patient during this process and she is actually quite excited to see the tank up and running and I want to keep it that way. Shes a keeper!

I will also need to place orders for additional equipment and sand before attempting to aquascape and organize the electrical.

I just went through your thread and everything looks awesome. I noticed that you are also running the dose and also see that you are very meticulous about your plumbing. I'm sure you have already seen this before but you can run RO line (color coordinated of course) from your DOS. I haven't had any problems with it and they look good too. Nice work

 

[dbrewsky]

@FireEMT - interesting idea! Was it difficult to get the ro line connected to the DOS? My only concern about using the ro line over the clear would be difficulty seeing any air bubbles in the lines or build-up. It definitely looks a little more refined than the clear tubing.

 

[dbrewsky]

Got 80lbs of Caribsea Special Grade sand on its way. Hoping to have rock and sand in the tank by the end of next week!!! Fingers crossed

 

[D_Reep1106]

Got 80lbs of Caribsea Special Grade sand on its way. Hoping to have rock and sand in the tank by the end of next week!!! Fingers crossed

where did you order from? Awesome build by the way following along since I am starting a 120 here soon.

 

[dbrewsky]

@D_Reep1106 - I purchased the sand through Bulk Reef Supply. Normally I would buy sand local, however I wasnt finding the Special Grade in stock at my local place.

I went with this sand since it is more resistant to blowing around with the 2 Vortech Mp40QD pumps. One of my priorities for this reef tank is keeping some of the burrowing wrasses and some of the other interesting sand dwelling critters. Additionally, after going back and forth with bare bottom and sand setups, I believe I have found more enjoyment and success with a shallow sand bed and I find the additional maintenance to be worth it.

 

[D_Reep1106]

@dbrewsky Yes, I love it I have it running it one of my tanks and have it for my next build. but a freidn is setting up a tank and is having a hard time finding it anywhere besides BRS

 

[nitro]

That is a well thought out and great looking set up.
Nitro

 

[FireEMT]

@FireEMT - interesting idea! Was it difficult to get the ro line connected to the DOS? My only concern about using the ro line over the clear would be difficulty seeing any air bubbles in the lines or build-up. It definitely looks a little more refined than the clear tubing.

It was fairly easy attaching the RO line. All I did was place the end of the RO line in hot water before making the connection so that the line would form to the connection. It will slip on there without putting it in hot water, I just wanted it to be easier. I have not had any issues with air bubbles. I have watched the first dose of the day after not dosing for 12hrs and there has not been a lose of prime. I have also not had any issues with build up because the lines stay well out of the water.

 

[dbrewsky]

hmm... question is where can i find orange ro line... that could look cool and match the dose pump heads

 

[sharkreef]

@dbrewaky How many mp40s do you have on your tank?

 

[dbrewsky]

@sharkreef - At this time I am currently running 2 of the Vortech Mp40 Quiet Drives with the Reef Link.

 

[dbrewsky]

Just wanted to post a little sneak peak of the progress this weekend

Spent a couple sessions trying to make the aquascape work and I failed miserably each time and just wasn't happy with any arrangements I created.

On Sunday, I went down stairs with a cup of coffee and my Pandora radio set to some chill Emancipator and magic happened! The aquascape began to come together effortlessly. The rocks fit together in a way that I hadn't envisioned previously and the whole creative process was simply magical. I hope to have some better pictures of the details of the arrangement soon because this picture does no justice to the experience in person.

I spend some time transforming the room from a fish storage and construction area into an actual living space. We moved our couch downstairs in preparation for a new one to be delivered for our living room and the room was completely transformed. I am very excited to spend time in this room moving forward and is by far the my favorite place in the house.

I still have a lot of work to do still. I am planning to have the Pukani rocks glued, sand added, and filling with saltwater by the end of the week! During the cycle I will continue to install more equipment and work on some of the detail work.

Very exciting times

 

[dbrewsky]

Crappy Iphone photo but I have sand and salt in the tank! I used Paleo Bond Jurassic Gel 4540 to glue the rocks together and had to admit I was a little skeptical of buying a $40 dollar tube of super glue gel.... but this stuff is great! It is much more viscous than the standard super glue gel and can actually bridge and fill small gaps in the rock work. Have a feeling this will be my go to frag mounting glue moving forward.