Tim's 120g Mixed Reef

[chimbo84]

Well a new house obviously has to include a tank upgrade. I am fairly new to the hobby but have a well established Fluval Evo 13.5 that I have been running for almost two years.

I have been going on and on for the last ten months or so about upgrading my tank and my wife is finally on board. We have a new home with a finished basement where it would be a perfect center piece. Browsing Facebook marketplace the other day I found someone who was selling their husband's brand new dream reef setup after he unfortunately passed away from Covid in January. His name was Charlie and I fully intend to bring his dream system to fruition and finish it out. Charlie's wife had bought the entire system brand new in December and unfortunately Charlie passed before he was ever able to get it running. Some of the equipment is redundant for me and I will post it for sale or donate it to a reefer in need. Any proceeds from the sale of equipment will be donated to Save The Reef in Charlie's name.

To the tank and setup.

The tank is a rimmed 120g with stand and canopy. I believe it is a Planet Aquariums setup but I cannot place the tank. It has an internal corner overflow and is drilled for only two bulkheads so the return has to come over the top. If anyone can identify the tank I would very much appreciate it because I would like to know if the back panel is tempered. The bottom of the stand was cut away to allow for the plumbing to run up from the sump room on the floor below. This is not an issue as I plan to plumb the sump through a wall in its new location so the stand storage area will likely be used just for odds and ends. The tank did have fresh water in it hence why it looks a little dirty and still had about 2" of water in it when I looked at it yesterday. It seems sound and clean.

Finally, the sump room. I am still inventorying everything but it's essentially a dream setup (at least for me).

Unfortunately, the skimmer was accidentally removed with another tank that was already taken but here is an inventory of everything in the sump room.
(1) Trigger Systems Sapphire39 Sump
(1) Neptune Apex with EB832
(3) DOS pumps
(2) WAV powerheads (not pictured)
(1) ATK with FMM
(2) FS-100 Flow sensors
(1) COR 20 pump (brand new in box - not pictured)
(1) Kessil H160 Tuna Flora (new in box - not pictured)
(1) Trident (brand new in box - not pictured)
(2) AI Hydra 32 lights with mounts (not pictured)
(1) EcoTech Vectra L2 Return Pump
(1) AquaUltraviolet 25W UV sterilizer
(1) Finnex 300w Titanium Heater

I started tearing down the system yesterday but will need to go back for the tank, stand, sump, and plumbing once our renovations are to a point that would support the tank. I am working on getting Ocean State Aquatics to handle the move for me but not sure about the logistics as I have never done this before.

For the new location, I plan to put the tank next to the basement staircase so it can be seen from where we intend to set up an entertainment area. I don't have any good pictures yet but the renovations should be done by the end of the week with new flooring, lighting, and paint. We aren't living in the house currently but I'll grab a few pictures the next time I'm over there.

For the new setup, I had wanted to run a filter roller but the Sapphire39 is big enough to run a skimmer and still have a large refugium so I think I will just go that route rather than modify the sump to take a filter roller. I am also considering running a kalk stirrer instead of two part. If anyone has experience running a kalk stirrer on a larger tank, please let me know if this is a terrible idea. I like kalk for the simplicity and I will be setting up automatic daily water changes so any trace elements will be taken care of there.

For the aquascape, I picked up 75lbs of CaribSea LifeRock for $180. I want to do a fairly minimal aquascape to allow more water volume and swimming room but 75lbs might not be enough so I might be getting another 30lbs of rock or so depending on how it turns out. I am almost certain that I want to do a 1" sand bottom since this will be a mixed reef and I want to have some sand dwelling fish and inverts. I will likely start laying out my aquascape this week.

That's it for now, just a lot of gear organization, logistics, and planning. I look forward to starting a new build and upgrading to a nice large tank (finally). It seems to be all I can think about lately and I cannot wait to get the tank moved and plumbed.

 

[blaxsun]

Sounds like you have your Spring all planned out!

 

[Reeferjunkie]

Looks like You have a great start and that's awesome your bringing Charlies dream tank to life. Wholesome

 

[chimbo84]

Thinking about the aquascape, I am likely going with a 1-2" sand bed for aesthetics and then a "pile of rocks" look similar to Tusi's reef with two discrete islands of rubble with some negative space in between. I do have some branching pieces to add depth and variation similar to his scape so I might just try to emulate that in my 120. I will epoxy everything together to make sure its stable.

After some thought, I think I am going to commit to using AllForReef while the tank is in the immature stages and the Ca/Alk consumption is low. Once my corals become more established, I will likely transition to a calcium reactor. The powdered AFR was served me well on my Evo and its cheap enough to run that it should work for a while.

Here is Tusi's amazing work if you're interested. (Rabbit hole warning)

Build Thread - Tusi's tank thread

I Sarted my dream about 4yrs ago. I ahd a lot of help from a friend of mine who is an expert in marine life. I absolutely knew nothing about corals, fish or how to deal with the chemistry of it. Did start with LPS as it is a little easier to handle. My tank was built by Acrylic Glass Exibhits in...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[chimbo84]

After some research I believe the tank is a Marineland CornerFlo. Unfortunately it is only drilled with two 1” bulkheads which gives me limited options in plumbing. Currently, it is plumbed with a Herbie style drain with a full syphon and gate valve and a Durso backup. The return plumbing comes over the side of the tank.

I am not really a fan of how this looks so I am considering going with what the manufacturer intended and doing a single durso style drain with the return plumbed through the second bulkhead.
Is there a major concern to only having one drain? I will be installing leak detection and automatic shutoffs via the apex so I feel like I at least have some peace of mind that way. I would really like to avoid plumbing over the side of the tank if I can.

 

[chimbo84]

Just a quick update on this build:

The tank is going into its final location this upcoming Friday (3/11)! I'm psyched that its finally happening but we've been waiting for our contractor to finish a wall where the tank will be situated. This wall separates the finished and unfinished sections of our basement so I will be able to plumb the tank through the wall and have the sump and "fish room" in the utility area of our basement. The crew at Ocean State Aquatics will be doing the move so that at least will be low stress.

I ordered a Reef Octopus Regal 150SS 6" skimmer and it should be here on Thursday.

I am putting the final touches on my stocking list. Let me know what you think:

Invertebrates/CUC​

• 2x Pincushion Urchin
• 10x Trochus Snail
• 2x Emerald Crab
• 15x Nassarius Snails
• 15x Cerith Snails
• 5x Blue Leg Hermit Crab (add empty shells to tank)
• 4x Fighting Conch
• 5x Cowrie
• 1x candy-stripe Pistol Shrimp
• Copepods
• Rainbow Bubble-tip Anemone (LINK)

Fish​

• 1x Convict Tang
• 2x Hifin Red banded Goby
• 1x Flame Hawkfish
• 1x Algae Blenny
• 1x Royal Gramma Basslet
• 1x Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse
• 1x Yellow-flanked Fairy Wrasse
• 1x Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
• 2x Ocellaris Clown
• 1x Male Melanurus Wrasse
• 1x Yellow Tang

 

[bnord]

I like your stocking list a lot - if you can select female emerald crabs, i would do so and have 4-5 in there. Tiger chonch’s are a good choice as well
Fish list looks good, why drop the Blenny?
Following along and appreciate you care planning and platting and hope you can keep the plan in place for as long as possible

Best of fortunes…

 

[chimbo84]

I like your stocking list a lot - if you can select female emerald crabs, i would do so and have 4-5 in there. Tiger chonch’s are a good choice as well
Fish list looks good, why drop the Blenny?
Following along and appreciate you care planning and platting and hope you can keep the plan in place for as long as possible

Best of fortunes…

Oh that cross out means I already have one. I’ll be bringing it over from my current tank.

I also already have an emerald crab but I need to check if it’s male or female. I’ll also look into Tiger conchs as well. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[bnord]

Oh that cross out means I already have one. I’ll be bringing it over from my current tank.

good, cause I wouldn't have a tank without one - just as long as there was something fro him munch on

 

[chimbo84]

The tank is finally in its new home. The move was a breeze thanks to the guys at OSA in Coventry, RI and it looks great in its new spot. While the basement renovations are mostly complete, the rest of the house is still weeks away from being done so we are still in an apartment while our contractors finish things up. I will be going over evenings to work on it and hopefully get it filled with water in the next few weeks. I would like to start the cycle by May. I will be doing a significant amount of travel this spring/summer so the progress will be slow until mid August when my plans settle down.

This is my first tank with a sump having come from an AIO so plumbing will likely involve some trial and error. I'm going back over tonight to start organizing everything and laying out the plumbing. I also need to give some thought to lighting... I like the canopy and want to keep it but I have two AI Hydra 32 which won't work under the canopy. I may have to go with a panel LED like orphek or something similar. Suggestions are welcome.

 

[chimbo84]

This week I started laying out the sump, rockwork, and cleaning all the equipment. I am receiving a BRS shipment today with the replacement bulkheads (the old ones were cut too close to use a coupling) and will start the plumbing tonight. I'm hoping to have water circulating through the system and start the cycle by the end of the month.

Here I will be using the COR20 return pump and the new Reef Octopus 150SS I purchased. The middle section will be a refugium lit by the Kessel H160. The display tank is on the other side of the wall to the left and the plumbing will come in through that wall and return the same way. I will likely use a combination of filter floss and filter socks but anticipate adding a Klir DI-4 fleece roller sometime in the near future. I'm thinking I should put some cement board up to protect the framing. Is that necessary?

My plumbing will utilize a single Durso style drain and a single return. I know this is generally considered risky but the tank is drilled with only two bulkheads and plenty of commercial systems operate with a single Durso. I think as long as I keep the standpipe clean and put a lid on top of the overflow, I should be fine.

For the rockscape, I really enjoy the jumbled boulders look with lots of variation, overhangs, caves, etc. I also didn't want to go too high because being a mixed reef, I would like to have some mature SPS colonies to dominate the top of the tank. For inspiration, I have been looking a lot at the 120g done by @zachxlutz (build thread here). I still need to clean the tank but here is what I have so far.

Since the tank is new and has only ever had freshwater in it for leak testing, I am not super concerned with deep cleaning it. I am simply going to fill it with RODI, scrape the glass, and let it circulate through filter socks for a couple days.

One issue I currently have is the lighting. Its not super important right now since I don't plan to have lights on for at least another couple months but the mounting arms for the AI Hydra 32s do not fit over the rim at the top of the tank.

Angling them to try to fit them does not work, the rim is simply too wide and AI does not make a wider bracket. I am likely going to just cut out the section of the rim where the lights will be but this makes adjusting their position more difficult. BRS did an investigates episode and suggested 13" from the edge for this size tank so I may just take the guesswork out of it and go with that. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Punchlist:
* Inventory equipment
* Order skimmer
* Finalize sump location and equipment
* Plumbing
* Cement board to protect framing
* Install dedicated 20A GFCI circuit
* Clean tank and sump (circulate with RODI)
* Finalize rockscape
* Mix up saltwater (50 gal)
* Sand
* Flood tank with fresh saltwater
* Cycle
* Figure out powerheads (might need to order new ones)
* Lighting

 

[chimbo84]

Plumbing is coming together nicely. I am still working out how to do the return line with the UV system but I think I have the design figured out in my head - I will be going over tonight to finish the dry fit.

I have also ordered a pair of MP40s for the back wall. I am trying to avoid any cords in the tank and I really like the way MP40s disappear when mounted on the black rear glass of aquariums. Hopefully its enough for a mixed reef but I can supplement with an MP10 or two if necessary.

I did go ahead an protect the framing behind the sump as I was nervous about any splashing or salt creep over time. I used 2x4' sheets of particle board that I painted with grey Drylok and then just screwed them onto the studs to create a bit of a wall. It will protect the framing and provide me a solid mounting surface for the plumbing and electronics.

Gotta love ruining a $55 gate valve.... if anyone has any ideas on how to salvage this I would appreciate it (yes, its glued).

 

[chimbo84]

Plumbing is done and leak tested! I am working on installing all the electronics now but in the mean time, I have started filling the tank with RODI so I can at least start cycling water through and get the tank and sump cleaned up.

Cable management is going to be a PITA but we'll get there.

The tank will take a couple days to fill. I am awaiting the shipment for sand, powerheads, replacement plates for the sump, and salt. Once they arrive, I can start the cycle so hopefully by next weekend I will get this thing going.

 

[chimbo84]

Major Progress!

Tank is flooded, sand added, electronics are installed (cable management is still a work in progress), lights and MP40s are installed, and the clown pair from my current tank was moved over two days ago to assist in the cycling process. I have a piece of live rock and some seeded bioballs from my current tank in the sump so it should be a fairly quick cycle.

I ended up trimming away a part of the tank rim to get the lights on properly; a cordless dremel made quick work of that. I need to tune and fiddle with the flow schedule of the MP40s. These are pretty strong powerheads and putting them on the back panel causes them to slowly clear away the sand at the front of the tank. You can see the result of this in the image above.

Let me tell you... the stock Durso standpipe that comes with Marineland tanks is noisy. I built my own standpipe without all the extra holes and its much quieter but it is still "flushing" a little bit. It will require some tuning but I'll get it worked out. My flow rate through the return is still a little low for my liking (~300gph) and I would like to get this up to ~500gph so this will likely be resolved iteratively as I slowly tune the standpipe and the flow out of the COR20.

I am working through the cable management for all the electronics. Charlie had done an amazing TOTM-worthy job of setting up the electronics and I would like to replicate as best I can. I just want to set up the Neptune hardware and verify that its all working before I spend the effort doing that.

I have an additional gate valve coming today to add to my main return line. One issue I currently have is that at my current turnover rate, I get zero flow through the UV. I assume its the extra head pressure from that loop up and over but I am going to add a gate valve to force the water through in that direction.

I am pretty much 90% done at this point. I have some tuning on the plumbing and cable management but other than that, I am going to let the tank coast with the lights off for a couple weeks. I am trying to source a Biota Yellow Tang locally which has been harder than expected but I would like to get one established for a few weeks before turning on the lights.

 

[jphilip813]

Major Progress!

Tank is flooded, sand added, electronics are installed (cable management is still a work in progress), lights and MP40s are installed, and the clown pair from my current tank was moved over two days ago to assist in the cycling process. I have a piece of live rock and some seeded bioballs from my current tank in the sump so it should be a fairly quick cycle.

I ended up trimming away a part of the tank rim to get the lights on properly; a cordless dremel made quick work of that. I need to tune and fiddle with the flow schedule of the MP40s. These are pretty strong powerheads and putting them on the back panel causes them to slowly clear away the sand at the front of the tank. You can see the result of this in the image above.

Let me tell you... the stock Durso standpipe that comes with Marineland tanks is noisy. I built my own standpipe without all the extra holes and its much quieter but it is still "flushing" a little bit. It will require some tuning but I'll get it worked out. My flow rate through the return is still a little low for my liking (~300gph) and I would like to get this up to ~500gph so this will likely be resolved iteratively as I slowly tune the standpipe and the flow out of the COR20.

I am working through the cable management for all the electronics. Charlie had done an amazing TOTM-worthy job of setting up the electronics and I would like to replicate as best I can. I just want to set up the Neptune hardware and verify that its all working before I spend the effort doing that.

I have an additional gate valve coming today to add to my main return line. One issue I currently have is that at my current turnover rate, I get zero flow through the UV. I assume its the extra head pressure from that loop up and over but I am going to add a gate valve to force the water through in that direction.

I am pretty much 90% done at this point. I have some tuning on the plumbing and cable management but other than that, I am going to let the tank coast with the lights off for a couple weeks. I am trying to source a Biota Yellow Tang locally which has been harder than expected but I would like to get one established for a few weeks before turning on the lights.

Nice and impressive thread so far...I am having a new house built myself...and will be doing the same... New House, New Tank...but looking at the Fuji System (108 full)... Treat to myself...

 

[chimbo84]

I decided to commit to the skip-cycle method so once I brought all my established live rock over, I moved my clown pair, lawnmower blenny, and my six line wrasse over. I think they’re really enjoying the massive upgrade in space!

I also picked up a two spot bristletooth tang who is being very cryptic at the moment so no pics of her yet. My frag tanks and collection of frags are also doing well and opening up. Once we’re officially moved into the house, I will start laying out the corals and attaching them to the rockwork.

I ordered a refugium starter pack from IPSF that comes on the 13th. (http://ipsf.com/refugiumstartup.html). I’ll update this thread when I receive that and get the fuge up and running.

Currently the floors in the house are being refinished and our basement has no exterior access so I am not able to check on the tank for the next few days. We officially move in on April 15! It’s been a loooong six months of home buying and renovations.

 

[chimbo84]

Oof it’s been a busy month. I wanted to spend some time updating this thread with the good and bad now that I’m coming up for air after finally moving into the house on April 14.

The Good:
The corals and fish all seem super happy and everyone gets along. I got a bunch of corals mounted and so far the polyp extension and growth has been great. The parameters of the tank are super stable and I have not had any issues whatsoever with the corals. My SBB “Red Dana” Mille is already encrusting and is colored up nicely. The rainbow BTA I picked up has also found a nice home on the back rock and appears pleased with the situation.

The Bad:
Unfortunately, along with the corals and fish, the hair algae is also super happy. It’s this weird brownish-white filamentous algae that seemed to take hold on top of the small diatom bloom I had and hasn’t gone away. It definitely appears photosynthetic so a short blackout might be necessary if it’s not resolved in a couple weeks. I have the refugium going almost 24hrs a day to help compete with it and it seems to be dissipating so we’ll see. In the pics below, you can see that oddly enough, it’s only on the new rock and not the rock that I moved from my established system so maybe the rock is leeching phosphates or something. Regardless, I am hitting it hard with snails, urchins, and patience. I don’t want to be reactive quite yet given that everything seems happy. Also, pistol shrimp and melanarus wrasses are NOT compatible


My current fish list:
* two-spot bristletooth tang
* sailfin tang
* clownfish pair
* 4x green chromis
* six line wrasse
* melanarus wrasse
* algae blenny
* white watchman goby (?)
* Mexican turbo snail
* pincushion urchin

 

[chimbo84]

I forgot to mention that one of my fish acquisitions recently has been this guy. It was labeled simple as “watchman goby” which I thought was weird because it’s pure white. On further inspection, the mouth and markings also appear different so I am hoping someone might help me identify it. It seems like a hybrid between a watchman goby and an algae blenny. It is a sand sifter and does not swim in the water column at all. He stays pretty well planted in the sand which is great since he is keeping the sand clean without dropping it all over the coral. He’s been pretty ideal so far.

 

[chimbo84]

It’s been wayyy too long since I updated this thread. Summer has been super busy with family vacations, ongoing home renovations, a new job, and some business travel. Secondly, the tank has been struggling as of late and I haven’t been inspired much to take pictures and update this thread because I’m not proud of its current state.

I am currently dealing with some extremely persistent algae. I am starting to believe it is a type of Bryopsis since none of my herbivores and inverts are touching it. Urchins and tangs refuse to even make a dent and manual removal is a short term solution. I have my refugium going full steam and am currently on day three of a Fluconazole treatment but so far do not see any change. It’s been about two months dealing with this algae and I’m not sure what else to do. My nutrients are 0.0 nitrate and 0.02 phosphate.

Anyways, I am going to wait out the fluconazole treatment and give it three weeks. If this doesn’t work, I may need to drain the tank and go at it with hydrogen peroxide. I would like to avoid that if I can though.

 

[reeftwincities]

Bummer on the algae problem! Good luck!