Oceanic 125 Build, Returning Reefer

[l337pcnoob]

Hello everyone,

Ive been off and on in the saltwater hobby for a while, primarily due to relocations and having to tear down and sell everytime. Now that I’m in my forever home I’ve had the itch to start again. I ended up picking up an oceanic 125 and stand for literally 100$. Man these things are super heavy and super thick glass. I usually buy tanks new but I thought 100$ was a steal. As you can see from the pictures I’ve leak tested it and there are no leaks. Silicone looks pretty good as well. I’ve read good things about these older tanks but was wondering if anyone has experience with drilling older tank glass or glass almost1/2 inch thick. I plan on using a Fiji cube 1200 with the bean animal set up.

 

[TX_REEF]

welcome back, and nice find!!!

You can certainly drill it, just make sure it isn't tempered glass first. Slow and steady is all you need for successful drilling, let the drill do the work, keep the drilling area irrigated for heat management, and use a template to keep the bit steady to start the hole.

 

[l337pcnoob]

welcome back, and nice find!!!

You can certainly drill it, just make sure it isn't tempered glass first. Slow and steady is all you need for successful drilling, let the drill do the work, keep the drilling area irrigated for heat management, and use a template to keep the bit steady to start the hole.

Thank you! I did the tempered glass test with a laptop and it passed. What I ended up figuring out was that there were hard water stains on the glass that was giving an iridescent effect similar to that of tempered glass lol. Freaked me out but vinegar took care of it.

 

[TX_REEF]

way to be proactive! Now is also a good time to buff out any scratches as well, inside and out. For tougher scratches or marks, cerium oxide with an electric polisher (ideally random orbital to prevent hotspots) works wonders (works great for windshields too, ask me how I know :grinning-squinting-face: )

product link for reference: https://amzn.to/4iWtWZQ

 

[Fish Fan]

Thank you! I did the tempered glass test with a laptop and it passed. What I ended up figuring out was that there were hard water stains on the glass that was giving an iridescent effect similar to that of tempered glass lol. Freaked me out but vinegar took care of it.

If you did the polarized sunglasses and LCD screen test and it passed, then should be no reason you can't drill the tank. I agree with the advice from TX above, and there's got to be dozens of YouTube videos to help you.

I feel that a little mini drill press like this can be a help keeping things straight and on target:
MilesCraft drill press on Amazon

Additionally, I'm not sure if the FijiCube overflow is the best way to go. I just ordered overflows from Modular Marine for my next build, I hear nothing but great reviews for their overflows. I'd suggest checking them out:

Overflow Boxes

modularmarine.com

Good luck!

 

[TX_REEF]

If you did the polarized sunglasses and LCD screen test and it passed, then should be no reason you can't drill the tank. I agree with the advice from TX above, and there's got to be dozens of YouTube videos to help you.

I feel that a little mini drill press like this can be a help keeping things straight and on target:
MilesCraft drill press on Amazon

Additionally, I'm not sure if the FijiCube overflow is the best way to go. I just ordered overflows from Modular Marine for my next build, I hear nothing but great reviews for their overflows. I'd suggest checking them out:

Overflow Boxes

modularmarine.com

Good luck!

I try not to trash talk too much because I haven't used them personally, but I have read a couple poor reviews of fiji cube kits citing leaks and poor build quality. I can recommend eShopps brand from experience, take a look at those as you shop.

 

[Fish Fan]

I try not to trash talk too much because I haven't used them personally, but I have read a couple poor reviews of fiji cube kits citing leaks and poor build quality. I can recommend eShopps brand from experience, take a look at those as you shop.

Agreed! I didn't mean to outright bash because I've never owned a FijiCube overflow, but without taking anything away from them, the reviews for Modular Marine are very, very good, and I just ordered two of them. The owner (I'm guessing) was very cummunicative, very, very prompt replies to my many questions. Eshopps I think is right up there too, and if I was forced at gun point with spears at my back to use a HOB, non-drilled overflow, I believe Eshopps makes the best of those from what I've seen other users report.

Thanks for the reply and input, TX!

 

[l337pcnoob]

Agreed! I didn't mean to outright bash because I've never owned a FijiCube overflow, but without taking anything away from them, the reviews for Modular Marine are very, very good, and I just ordered two of them. The owner (I'm guessing) was very cummunicative, very, very prompt replies to my many questions. Eshopps I think is right up there too, and if I was forced at gun point with spears at my back to use a HOB, non-drilled overflow, I believe Eshopps makes the best of those from what I've seen other users report.

Thanks for the reply and input, TX!

Ohhh nooo lol… when I was nano reefing back in the day, I used primarily hob es siphon overflows. They worked great. Unfortunately I already ordered the Fiji 1200 so I guess I’ll have to pay extra attention just to be safe. I could never get the eshopps quiet enough safely or when I did, the gurgle would find its way back. I’ll post some pics when I get everything semi going. Having a hard time finding a 29 or 40 long tank in my area for a sump.

 

[Fish Fan]

Ohhh nooo lol… when I was nano reefing back in the day, I used primarily hob es siphon overflows. They worked great. Unfortunately I already ordered the Fiji 1200 so I guess I’ll have to pay extra attention just to be safe. I could never get the eshopps quiet enough safely or when I did, the gurgle would find its way back. I’ll post some pics when I get everything semi going. Having a hard time finding a 29 or 40 long tank in my area for a sump.

Oh sorry I was to late here, but I don't think you'll have any big problems with the FijiCube overflow, I think a lot of members use them :-)

Best of luck with yours!

 

[l337pcnoob]

So I got everything up and running, I managed to fit a 29 gallon sump under the stand but it’s a super tight fit. Maintenance will be a pain but better than 20g.

The Fiji overflow is well built but the hardware sucks… you would think for 200$ it would be a lot better. One bulkhead nut broken in box. After wasting a couple of hours fixing that problem, it’s running super silent.

2 hugger gyre pumps on either end(new to these).

No plans to go crazy with coral so I have 3 hiparagero leds to mount evenly above tank.