My 125 gallon

[Lynnmw1208]

I haven't really been on this forum much, so I thought I would share my tank with you! I am pretty proud because I did all of it myself without help from my husband besides him helping to put the tank on the stand! Here are the new videos I have made just a couple days ago as my tank is 5 months old. I mention references to some posts which are on another forum in case you were wondering. I will also add some pictures later. Enjoy!

[video=youtube;_iiahayHs0k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iiahayHs0k&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;Hc6-lJEPHqU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc6-lJEPHqU&feature=related[/video]

 

[brannock_16]

Looking good! I like the open space created by the two islands. If I remember correctly, that tank is 5 feet? What kind of lighting fixture did you go with? I had a 5 foot 125 for a while (before it cracked on me) and found it really hard to find a suitable light fixture.

Also, what is your livestock list? What kind of reef do you plan to stock? What kind of equipment are you using?

 

[aquafrags]

impressive, look like you have a nice start, looking foward to the progression

 

[Lynnmw1208]

Looking good! I like the open space created by the two islands. If I remember correctly, that tank is 5 feet? What kind of lighting fixture did you go with? I had a 5 foot 125 for a while (before it cracked on me) and found it really hard to find a suitable light fixture.

Also, what is your livestock list? What kind of reef do you plan to stock? What kind of equipment are you using?

It is a 6 foot tank so it was kind of hard to find a fixture since hanging was out of the question. That's an aquaticlife fixture with ATI bulbs in it.

My livestock is:
2 ocellaris clowns
2 carberryi anthias
1 yellowhead jawfish
1 green mandarin (female)
1 yellow eye kole tang
1 skunk cleaner shrimp
1 carpenter's wrasse (in QT)

Equipment is described in the 2nd video, but I will post it here as well:
30 gallon DIY sump
mag 12 return
2 fluval heaters, soon to be replaced by something better
JBJ auto top off
BRS dual GFO/carbon reactor with maxijet 1200 running it
72" aquaticlife T-5 fixture with 8 ATI bulbs (4 blue+, 2 purple+ and 2 actinic)
1500gph glass-holes overflow box
3/4" glass-holes return kit with loclines
1/4" clear mesh screen tops from BRS
2 koralia evolution 1400s
eshopps psk-200 skimmer

Right now the corals I have are mainly LPS, but I plan on getting a few more SPS to fulfill that upper part of my tank. Corals as of right now are:
pink with green tip frogspawn
green with pink tip frogspawn
pink millepora
unitentified SPS
zoanthids
green birdsnest
orange ricordea florida
duncan
green goniopora
pink hammer which is recovering from peppermints snacking.

 

[Oceanslayer18]

Very nice tank! i two own a 125 and ive been meaning to put it on here. lol yours has great progress. heres a link to mine Orlando Reefs • View topic - 125 Upgrade

 

[Saltgator]

Nice videos and detail. I own a 6 foot 125 as well.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

I decided to post some of my pictures of my tank build here as well. I will probably add a few a day so I don't overwhelm you guys! I started this tank back a year ago collecting equipment slowly and then it was actually up, running and cycling on March 1, 2011. I did the work myself so I am pretty proud of myself. Now thinking back, I would've done some things differently, but I am really happy with the way it turned out. I plan on possibly switching to biopellets, getting that new koralia smartwave and possibly the apex jr. Anyway, here are some of the beginning stages of my build!!!

Stand was sanded and bleached: my sister had this tank before me and her dog peed on it...

Tank looked like this before

painted back with Behr ultra premium paint since I had to do this indoors.

painted the trim because I didn't like the oak at all!

also painted the stand black with Behr ultra premium in eggshell finish

 

[Lynnmw1208]

My 30 gallon DIY sump water tested with no leaks!

getting ready to drill! If I could go back, I would drill the returns a bit higher and a bit more towards the outside.

this is the kit I got from glass-holes; made it so much easier for me

The scary part was over! drilling finished! What a breeze!

Close of of the holes

overflow box in! I love how this thing is so low profile especially with the black background. I don't know if I'll ever get a reef ready tank if I can drill it myself

One of the returns

 

[Saltgator]

Very nice. You make me wish I had took the time to drill.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

Very nice. You make me wish I had took the time to drill.

Thanks!!

Now for some more pictures!

This is what the plumbing looks like on the back. I used vinyl tubes for the returns which are not pictured here. I also used metal clamps to keep these hoses on.

close up of how I connected the plumbing

top view of the overflow box

side view of plumbing clearance from wall. I left about 4 1/2" in case I need to reach back there.

freshwater test! passed! My how clean the sump looks! I also don't have that viaaqua pump anymore as it stopped working after a month!! never will buy another viaaqua product again as they would not replace it.

sand cleaned, rocks positioned, and RO/DI water going in! Took 3 days to fill the tank since I couldn't leave it on 24/7.

all filled with 2 live rocks in.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

At this point I got some nice diatoms

I got a nice surge protector from best buy. I mounted it up high to keep water off of it.

That eshopps skimmer does a pretty good job. This was around 2 days worth of skim.

The lid I bought for the overflow box would not fit with the trim from the tank so I had to improvise. I took a piece of acrylic left over from making the sump and fashioned my own lid. I wanted to keep those fish in my tank

first sign of hair algae

This is Bob. Bob came in on live rock and I assume he is a strombus grazer as one site called him. Bob turned into Bob X100 recently. yay for free CUC!

and more hair algae!

hair algae at it's worst I think

 

[Lynnmw1208]

I installed this in order to take care of the hair algae. It's the BRS dual GFO/carbon reactor. Works pretty good, but the maxijet pump recommended for it can get clogged easily.

I then made those 1/4" clear mesh tops from BRS. I just got the mesh from them and went to home depot for the screen frames, corners, spline and spline roller. It was actually really easy to do!

I switched to ATI bulbs in this pic. The difference is amazing!!

I then had struggles with bryopsis. It has finally receded with the help of kent tech M and some mexican turbos.

and a recent FTS

 

[revhtree]

Looks very nice and clean!

 

[Lynnmw1208]

Looks very nice and clean!

Thank you! I can't wait until I get more corals and they fill out the space!! :bigsmile:

 

[jiffy]

wow you really went to town on that tank. very nice

 

[skinz78]

Nice build, keep us updated on the progress!

 

[clowns101]

Your 125 looks better than mine! LOL...Im going to model mine after yours I think.

What t5 fixture do you have?

 

[Lynnmw1208]

wow you really went to town on that tank. very nice

Thanks! I am really glad I drilled and put in the extra effort!

Nice build, keep us updated on the progress!

Thank you, I will!

Your 125 looks better than mine! LOL...Im going to model mine after yours I think.

What t5 fixture do you have?

I'm sure your tank will look wonderful I have the aquaticlife 72" 4 bulb fixture (it really has 8 bulbs though; 4 on each side) I have got to say I love it's features a lot! The stock bulbs stink though so be prepared to buy some ATI bulbs! As a reminder I am using 4 blue+, 2 purple+ and 2 actinic.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

I think it's time to update with some tank inhabitant shots!

My clowns when I first got them

My clowns now 6/25/2011

carberryi anthias (the one in the middle was evansi and did not make it though. Issue has been resolved by liveaquaria)

soon to be male

female green mandarin

yellowhead jawfish

yellow eye kole tang (juvenile right now)

 

[Lynnmw1208]

corals

green birdsnest (green goes away with more light)

miami hurricane zoanthids (radioactive dragons eye were taken over)

pink frogspawn is finally happy in it's new spot

green frogspawn (growing 2 new heads on each side of the base as well!)

pink hammer which is recovering nicely after being eaten by my peppermints...

eagle eye zoanthids (some are missing due to a worm who is now dead)

fire in the sky zoanthids I got for $10!! awesome deal

orange ricordia florida aka slowest growing coral ever

some SPS frag

pink millepora