First reef tank -120 gallon-

Nemises1236

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Hello everyone! I know this journey will take some time but I'm going to start my build thread now and as I'll be purchasing the equipment little by little.

I picked up a 75 gallon tank off craigslist that is 36" long 18" wide and 24" tall, it was already drilled with 1x 1 1/2" in the back for a h20verflow which he included along with 1x 3/4" hole for a siphon stopper return line ( also got with it). The stand is a bit small and not really my style so I'm thinking that I'll end up having a buddy make a slightly larger one in natural stained wood, also was going to have a canopy made for the top. I will be getting a darker set of blinds for the window too, unfortunately this is to only spot I can have the tank for the near future.

I've got a few pounds of older dry rock that I'm assuming was previously in this tank, it's decent looking pieces but they were filthy. I'm most likely going to do a bleach cure on those rocks and start to cycle them after in a bucket asap. I was considering using Tampa Bay saltwater live rock and getting their 75 gallon package but wasn't sure if it would be ok to mix them both in the tank. (May use them for sump or if it's not worth it a second build down the road lol)

I've got a little bit of equipment picked out that I'm thinking of getting for it but im still in the very early stages of planning so I'm sure it might all end up changing lol.

-Skimz UP39 SUMPRO SUMP
or
-Trigger Systems EMERALD SUMP 39

-Reef Octopus ELITE 150-INT 6" SUPER CONE PROTEIN SKIMMER
-Eheim 200W EHEIM JAGER AQUARIUM HEATER 2x
-JBJ ARCTICACHILLER 1/5 HP
-Theiling AUTOMATIC ROLLERMAT
-Pentair Aquatics SMARTUV 40 WATT
-Neptune Systems APEXCONTROLLER SYSTEM
-NEPTUNE SYSTEMS TRIDENT - MARINE AQUARIUM WATER ANALYZER
-Reef Octopus BIOCHURN 120R RECIRCULATING BIOPELLET REACTOR
-Orphek ATLANTIK V4 (GEN 2) LED LIGHT FIXTURE 2x
-KESSIL H1200 TUNA FLORA REFUGIUM LIGHT
-REEF OCTOPUS VARIOS-6 CONTROLLABLE DC PUMP (1720 GPH)
- 2.5" x 10" carbon filter
-Maxspect GYRE XF330 PUMP KIT WITH CONTROLLER

I'm still way up in the air for stocking the tank and will definitely be starting out with very easy soft corals however I would like it to be ready for the future once my skill level/confidence raises I'm in this for the long run lol please let me know if you guys have any suggestions or ideas!

IMG_20190810_152450.jpg IMG_20190810_152503.jpg IMG_20190810_152501.jpg
 

sfin52

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Welcome to reef2reef. Good luck. I never used dry rock, so no help with that. Yes you can mix lr and dry rock.
 
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Nemises1236

Nemises1236

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Ok so I'm currently designing my stand and how my equipment is going to be placed and making sure we've got enough room. I'm planning on using the Theiling automatic rollermat but considering they're only rated for 600 gph max I was thinking of installing 2 of them with my drain line splitting right at the end of the line equally between them.

I'm thinking that the red circled area of the sump could be filled with love rock/ media since I won't be needing filter socks, wasn't sure if this could be a bad idea or not.
The green circles area I'll have my protein skimmer and bio pellet reactor. My refugium will be in the purple circled area with some more live rock and macroalgae.

My heaters and return pump will be in the yellow circled area, I also planned on bleeding off of the return line and feeding into my uv sterilizer then my carbon filter then chiller and finally back into the green circles area.

Does this sound like a good plan? Am I missing anything obvious? sorry for the crude picture lol

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Don't add the heater to the return chamber. If something goes wrong with the pump or ato, the water level will drop and your heaters will burn out. Its best to place them in areas where it will always be wet.
 
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Nemises1236

Nemises1236

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Don't add the heater to the return chamber. If something goes wrong with the pump or ato, the water level will drop and your heaters will burn out. Its best to place them in areas where it will always be wet.
Ok cool I'll place the heaters by the skimmer in that section
 
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Nemises1236

Nemises1236

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The dry rock that I have (maybe 30lbs) is going into a 10gallon bucket filled with water and 1 gallon of bleach. I'm going to leave this for a few days rinse it off and see if it needs another bath

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Hey!! Looks like you are off to a nice start documenting you journey. please keep it up and WELCOME!!!!

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Nemises1236

Nemises1236

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This was just after 30 minutes or so. The rock was really dirty so I'm probably going to change the water two more times, I'll let it soak 3 or 4 days each bleaching.

IMG_20190824_131738.jpg
 
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Nemises1236

Nemises1236

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Nemises1236

Nemises1236

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Ok this is now a 120 gallon build lol I've ordered a 120 gallon Starfire predrilled tank, the price delivered was just too good. This is going to be fun!

I'll be updating the thread with the blueprints of the stand/canopy soon

Screenshot_20190826-223533.png Screenshot_20190826-223355.png
 
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Nemises1236

Nemises1236

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Great deal on that tank, I think you'll really be happy with the 120g footprint and dimensions for a reef.
I was apprehensive at first to make the dive into something so big but I know my options on what I can stock will greatly increase with this bigger tank. Also the increased flow is a big plus, I'll need to look into bracing the floor underneath forsure now though.
 
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Nemises1236

Nemises1236

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use it as the sump for sure. that would let you do anything, plus the 75g footprint is pretty sweet.
Also I have a very poor track record with making clean looking sumps lol I've done a couple for some freshwater tanks and they work just fine but never have a clean look. With this I'm trying to go for a very clean and tidy look inside and out. Tempting definitely, I'll have to give it some serious thought though!
 

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