MikeIkerson's Planet Aquarium 130 Build

[MikeIkerson]

My wife and I recently built a new house so what better time to upgrade my tank. I am upgrading from a Biocube 32 that’s been running for a little over two years. I will leave that one running with my clownfish who frequently lay eggs and aren’t the most accepting of tank mates. I don’t have too much time to update this, so all posts will be a couple weeks after pictures were taken.


Tank - Planet Aquarium 130gal

Sump - TideLine 48”

Controller - Neptune Apex el

Lights - 3 Radion XR15W G5 Pro, 1 48” Aquatic Life DX18 Hybrid T5

Skimmer - Reef Octopus Regal 150 int

Auto Top Off - Tunze 3155 Osmolator with a 29 gal reservoir tank

Return Pump - Ecotech Vectra M2

Powerheads - 2 Ecotech MP40WQD

Rock - approximately 90 lbs Marco reef saver, 20 lbs prime cut, and 40 lbs shelf rock

Sand - 40 lbs CaribSea Special Grade dry sand

Neptune dos for auto water changes


When we had our house built, we added three extra plugs on their own 20amp circuit for the tank. I was originally going to center the tank with the windows but plans changed and I wanted it next to a countertop.

While waiting for the tank I bought and installed floor base cabinets and a 4’ counter top. The 12” portion will be used to store all electronics and the 36” portion will store the ATO and Dos.

ATO installed and water lines ran through wall into unfinished side of basement. ATO filled by float valve connected to 45gal brute RODI reservoir. Water changing station built a few months prior to getting the tank.

Tank has arrived to the store

Equipment took over a month to arrive thanks to coronavirus.

 

[MikeIkerson]

Day of install! Before and after tank delivered. Filled with tap water to leak test

Plumbing

The sump has to be caddywompus or else it doesn’t fit in the stand with still having the ability to use the quick releases on the doors.

Tank drained to hang the light. I’m not paranoid about scratching it or anything. I drilled a 1x6 to three floor boards and used two hooks rated to hold 150lbs each to secure the light. I then drilled a wire through each hook and secured the wire with two screws and washers.

Rocks added and I used E-Marco-400 to bond them together. I thought it worked great and I had more than enough to glue 150lbs rock together. All rocks are cemented together, the entire structure is very sturdy.

Tank filled and pumps on.

Controllers mounted, cables managed and hardware installed on cabinets.

Cycle started 7/31 with microbacter7 and IO biospria.

 

[MikeIkerson]

The equipment cabinet... an organized mess.

Quarantine tank finished cycling and four new fish have been added. One chalk bass, yellow coris wrasse, royal gramma and a purple firefish

The chalk bass is easily my favorite out of the four

Plenty of rubble added to sump for future frag rocks

 

[MikeIkerson]

Lid made using BRS DIY screen top. Had to use two supports to keep the screen from sagging into the water. The screen top is held in place by eight 15mm innovative marine lid clips. I had plans to get a clearview lid but they are months out with COVID.

 

[MikeIkerson]

The four fish graduated quarantine and are in the big tank.

I also upgraded my freshwater tank from a 40 breeder to a 125. It definitely makes the basement look much nicer.

 

[va_ill]

Both tanks are amazing! Nice work! The wife is working on a 100 G freshwater tank, hope it turns out as nice as yours..

 

[MikeIkerson]

I added a light to my sump so I can actually see what I am doing down there until I get a refugium light. Wanting to get a Kessil H380 but they are discontinued and out of stock everywhere.

 

[MikeIkerson]

I was able to get one of the last new Kessil H380s. I installed it zip tied to my PVC plumbing. Is this safe long term? The light only weighs a pound. I also added corrugated plastic to block the light made by the refugium so no algae grows in my skimmer, reactor, or check valve.

 

[MikeIkerson]

I moved some coral over to the tank and finally some diatoms showed up. I’ve had my lights on to grow some algae for over a month but it is just now showing up. I added two turbo snails and two nassarius snails. Been having to dose phosphates so the refugium doesn’t bottom them out. I’ve had the Kessil H380 on for 6 hours per night and a little over a week it has grown 4x it’s original size.

 

[MikeIkerson]

Sill in the ugly algae phase but I have stocked a few fish. Current stock list:
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 chalk bass
1 royal gramma
1 purple firefish
1 yellow coris wrasse
1 yellow flanked fairy wrasse
1 blue head fairy wrasse
1 melanarus wrasse
1 carpenters flasher wrasse
1 foxface

Also have a blue eye kole tang in quarantine

 

[JumboShrimp]

Looking great!

 

[MikeIkerson]

I recently got 24 new frags from @AquaSD live sale. All corals were labeled and extremely well packaged. Will definitely be making an order with them again. Some of my new corals:

I love the gold micros.

 

[GoTakeANap]

Looking good buddy. Cant wait to get mine set up

 

[GoTakeANap]

Any new updates? Did you put a lid ontop of your tank?

 

[MikeIkerson]

No lid yet beside the diy brs screen top. It seems to be doing the job. I added a Timor wrasse and have an orange back fairy in QT. I will make sure to update when I have time to take some pics and the orange back is in the display!

 

[GoTakeANap]

No lid yet beside the diy brs screen top. It seems to be doing the job. I added a Timor wrasse and have an orange back fairy in QT. I will make sure to update when I have time to take some pics and the orange back is in the display!

With that DIY lid from BRS. Did it sit over the euro bracing on the side with no problem? Is there a gap there in-between the top and the brace to where a fish could jump in between both and get stuck? Just trying to figure out my options on a DIY or getting someone to make me one.

 

[MikeIkerson]

My tank is rimless so I bought the 15mm innovative marine screen cover lid clips. (You can see the eight clips on post #4 in this thread.) The lid sits right on top of them, is flush with the top of the rim and has a small gap between the tank glass and lid. I added egg crate to the back of the lid due to the gap being a little bigger to accommodate my ato hose that goes into the overflow and also my auto feeder. I have never had any fish jump out while the lid was on properly. My wrasses chase each other all the time and routinely jump into the screen cover and it has always saved them. One fish did jump out but I don’t think the lid was on all the way and it actually jumped out while I was working in the sump so I was able to scoop him up and put him back in the tank right away.

 

[GoTakeANap]

My tank is rimless so I bought the 15mm innovative marine screen cover lid clips. (You can see the eight clips on post #4 in this thread.) The lid sits right on top of them, is flush with the top of the rim and has a small gap between the tank glass and lid. I added egg crate to the back of the lid due to the gap being a little bigger to accommodate my ato hose that goes into the overflow and also my auto feeder. I have never had any fish jump out while the lid was on properly. My wrasses chase each other all the time and routinely jump into the screen cover and it has always saved them. One fish did jump out but I don’t think the lid was on all the way and it actually jumped out while I was working in the sump so I was able to scoop him up and put him back in the tank right away.

Ahhh got ya. I have a rimmed tank and it has euro braces on the sides. See below in the photo. That is why I was asking about the bracing. Its kinda thrown me for a loop.

 

[MikeIkerson]

Refugium

 

[GoTakeANap]

How’s the fuge going with the H380?