My "Free" Roadside pickup tank build

[Octane13]

Finally decided to start a build thread for the "new to me" tank. Backstory, I have had a 40br for a little over two years now and had some we'll call them learning curves. After fighting through Dino's and some ill timed equipment failures the tank is doing fairly well now so TIME TO UPGRADE. I had been dead set on a 4ft 120 for the longest time and missed out on some decent tanks. I always felt like if the 40 was just longer it would be awesome so I kept my eye out for a 6ft. Seems silly now but I wanted a bigger tank for two reasons, the first is I got a tang after about a yr in the 40 and it should be in a bigger tank and the second is that I REALLY want a spotbreast angel pair among other things. Anyway one day bored I was on marketplace and saw a tank in the background of a picture for something else. Well I talked to the seller and it was free but he wasn't sure the size he thought it was a 120. So like an idiot I hooked up my trailer and drove 45minutes one way for the tank. Turns out it was a 125 in decent shape and the rest is history.

 

[Octane13]

Since I picked the tank up in June and test filled it then progress has been very slow. I got it about halfway filled and ALL the plastics cracked. So time to reseal and apparently its nearly impossible to find trim for a 125. While I figured out what to do I thought I might as well strip the silicone. For A short while I thought I might turn it into a plywood tank, but who wants to spend time in an unfinished basement...

 

[Tamberav]

eurobrace the top perhaps?

 

[Octane13]

eurobrace the top perhaps?

I did end up going with 3 top and 3 bottom braces I was going to full euro but didn't think it was necessary or cost effective. This is what it looks like I think they were 10 mm? I can't remember now but it was the closest to the glass of the aquarium that I could get without a custom order.

 

[Octane13]

It has been up for about a month or so with water and no issues knock on wood. These were of the test fill (outside of course). waited 24hrs before moving it inside

 

[Octane13]

Drilling for for the fijicube overflow

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Finally decided to start a build thread for the "new to me" tank. Backstory, I have had a 40br for a little over two years now and had some we'll call them learning curves. After fighting through Dino's and some ill timed equipment failures the tank is doing fairly well now so TIME TO UPGRADE. I had been dead set on a 4ft 120 for the longest time and missed out on some decent tanks. I always felt like if the 40 was just longer it would be awesome so I kept my eye out for a 6ft. Seems silly now but I wanted a bigger tank for two reasons, the first is I got a tang after about a yr in the 40 and it should be in a bigger tank and the second is that I REALLY want a spotbreast angel pair among other things. Anyway one day bored I was on marketplace and saw a tank in the background of a picture for something else. Well I talked to the seller and it was free but he wasn't sure the size he thought it was a 120. So like an idiot I hooked up my trailer and drove 45minutes one way for the tank. Turns out it was a 125 in decent shape and the rest is history.

Hey, that looks like my tank.....

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Last month I was working at a customer's home going back and forth by the trash can and I noticed a 10 gallon aquarium, I took the filtration and lighting I wish I would have got the tank, tank was in great condition.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Drilling for for the fijicube overflow

You went b@#$ out, nice.....haha

 

[Octane13]

Last month I was working at a customer's home going back and forth by the trash can and I noticed a 10 gallon aquarium, I took the filtration and lighting I wish I would have got the tank, tank was in great condition.

People give me tanks all the time. I would have grabbed the 10 just bc (says the guy with 2 55's a 30 and two 10 gallons sitting empty in basement).

 

[Octane13]

becoming poor, while making other people rich....

 

[Octane13]

Playing with some aquascape ideas.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Gonna be the most expensive free tank ever.......

Love it

 

[Octane13]

Gonna be the most expensive free tank ever.......

I should have just driven by the tank and thrown money out the window would have been cheaper

 

[Octane13]

More scape ideas but inside the tank.

 

[Octane13]

Before I filled it up I decided to paint the wall.... bc why not? Turns out that colors are not what they seem and in certain light the room turned baby blue :mad: So changed the color again. and set up the tank.

 

[dantimdad]

Love fijicube overflows!

Nice project.

 

[SMSREEF]

Nice setup so far! I really like your scape. Lots of swimming room for your tang.
I’m excited to follow along and watch how it all comes together.

 

[kidrobotny]

haha nice build!

 

[Octane13]

One of the hardest parts of the build was to implement some lessons learned on the other tank. So this time it is plumbed to the basement where my mixing station is and where I have room to work. So I drilled a brand new 75 and set about the baffles (should have used thicker glass, they bow slightly when adjacent sections aren't filled.

1- no filter socks - made a section for filter floss (so far it works wonderfully)

2 - going to try reactor instead of refugium and have a LR section - could ditch either at any point and still have room

3 - Oversize the return section to be able to cover volume to eventually two tanks
- One of the biggest problems I have in my 40 is the return section empties too quickly and takes about a minute to equalize. This causes excess fresh water from the ATO until Leveling out and salinity issues and raises the level in the sump to make my high level sensor freak out.

4- check valves are not a fail-safe so make sure there is enough sump volume to cover any extra that makes it past the valve