Rick Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Well, I did it again. I'm upgrading once again. This time I'm replacing my 4 foot long 85g display with a 6 foot long 125g AGA Tank. I was planning to replace it with a 120g 4x2x2 but I got a great deal on this tank from Scott (Steelhead77) so I decided to go with the longer tank instead. I did have to talk my wife into letting me move her hutch to a different wall to do this though. The tank is currently undrilled however I plan to build an overflow inside and drill it for drains, returns, and a closed loop system. Most of this willl come from the 85g tank so I'll have to do most of the plumbing mid swap after the 85g is empty but before I fill the 125g. I'll try to keep a daily update as the build progresses until the new tank is setup. These first pics are of the tank prior to picking it up a couple of days ago. (Scott, I hope you don't mind me using these pictures, if so let me know) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelhead77 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 No prob on the pics Rick. Good luck on the build. I'll be starting a similar thread pretty soon as I begin to upgrade to my new 125 (thanks Brandon!) from my 72 Bow. -Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 My first step with this tank after picking it up 2 nights ago was to get a stand put together far enough to get the tank on it so I can decide what needs to be done for plumbing, backdrop, etc. The structural portion of the stand will be primarily 2x4's with plywood covering both the lower portion where the sump and maybe a separate refugium will set and the where the tank itself will sit. In the first picture here you can see the framework for the stand. You can also see some of the Bamboo flooring on the bottom which I will be using for the exterior of the stand and hood. In the background you can see the 85g tank and stand it will be replacing along with the hutch which still needs to be moved. My next step following this was to go ahead and get the coraline algae cleaned off the glass and clean up the tank. This gave me a good chance to look the entire tank over real closely as well. The result is that the tank looks brand new (Second Pic). So far I haven't been able to find a single scratch in the glass and overall the tank is in excellent condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 22, 2009 Author Share Posted August 22, 2009 Today's update. Today I painted the back of the tank blue (I've had both blue and black and I prefer the blue) and then I worked out what i will do for the plumbing for the closed loop and for the sump. I then drilled the holes (5 of them) to install the plumbing. This time around I will be running the closed loop exclusively on the bottom of the tank with 4 returns behind the rocks in back to hide them. For the sump I'll be building an overflow in the right hand corner with 2 drains so I can use the Herbie method and then it will have 2 returns that come in on the left side at the top of the tank and will be routed to the front to get water flow to the front of the tank on the left side. To supplement this I will also be using the SEIO 1100 Power Head which will provide water flow across the front of the tank from the right. I think this will be enough flow but if not I'll add another power head later. (Maybe a Koralia 4) My next project on this will be to build the overflow box in the right corner. Once this is done I can begin transferring stuff from the 85 gallon tank into containers so I can empty it far enough to move it to put this tank in it's place. At that point I can do the plumbing for the closed loop so I can get everything put back into this tank. (I can complete the remainder of the plumbing after this but I want to get everything back into a tank as soon as possible) Today's Pics: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Looks good Rick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smann Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Work looks good Rick, keep up the post. I have the 50gal rubbermaid tubs if you want to borrow one to make the transfer and keep as much water as you can for the new tank. Also I do like the blue background but we'll see in a few months when its covered with corraline! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltfinsax Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Grats on the new tank. It looking good so far. Let me know if you need a helping hand or tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 22, 2009 Author Share Posted August 22, 2009 Looks good Rick. Thanks, I'm past the big hurdle now since I have the holes drilled so I'm happy. (I was worried that it might be tempered glass) Work looks good Rick, keep up the post. I have the 50gal rubbermaid tubs if you want to borrow one to make the transfer and keep as much water as you can for the new tank. Also I do like the blue background but we'll see in a few months when its covered with corraline! I think I'll have enough if I drain and move the sump out first and then use the buckets and containers I have along with it but if not I may call you tomorrow. (I expect to start transferring stuff tomorrow afternoon) I expect it to be covered with corraline eventually but until then the blue works better for pictures. (I have a really hard time getting pictures of my trigger against the black background in the 40g tank) I suspect that after this move I'll probably put the Eel, Trigger, and Lemon Peel Angel into the bigger tank and hope for the best with my Red Fire Shrimp. (So far the eel has left all of the hermits and snails alone) If that works out then I can turn the 40g into a frag tank. Two other things I need to do before the transfer. I need to put a filter sock in (I'll sew one up in the morning) so I can scrape a bunch of the creatures out of the overflow in the old tank and catch them and then I also plan to put aluminum foil under the tank in case I decide to go bare bottom later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 22, 2009 Author Share Posted August 22, 2009 Grats on the new tank. It looking good so far. Let me know if you need a helping hand or tools. Thanks. Do you hava table saw? Probably a stupid question knowing what you do. If so I may see if I can bring a few pieces of the bamboo over when I get ready to put it on the stand and rip them so the edges look nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smann Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 If you do need a tub they are in N portland by the Rose quarter (our business) so its not to far from Vancouver, dont have to drive all the way to west linn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanz Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Nice! I too will be starting my build thread soon. Too bad you already painted your bg, I would have suggested a teal color like the attached pic. That marine blue is still nice though. Too bad my tank has black plexi on the back or I would have gone with the teal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 22, 2009 Author Share Posted August 22, 2009 That teal does look pretty nice. I think the blue will look okay as well since it is pretty close to the same color as the 85g tank this one is replacing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share Posted August 23, 2009 Update for Saturday. Saturday was a big day for me. First I painted the top of the stand to help with water that inevitably will spill over the tank sides. Then I placed a layer of aluminum foil over this. If I ever go bare bottom this will reflect back some light. After this I made a custom overflow box that measures 9" x 5" x 11" deep and then placed it into the right upper corner. At that point I was ready to begin transferring water, rocks, corals, etc. into totes and buckets. Once I had enough transferred to get what items I needed to plumb in the closed loop system I went ahead and did so. I still need to add the retrun pieces inside the tank but that will just be a matter of piecing them together and pushing them into the slip fittings there now. With this completed I was able to transfer more stuff into containers until I was able to move the old tank out and place the new one into position. At that point it was just a matter of moving stuff back into the tank and then transferring the fish from the old one. I did sell a few chromis yesterday and I still have a couple of cinnamon clowns and yellowtail damsels in the old tank because they will not be going in the new one. The yellow tail damsels will probably go in the refugium later today and the Cinnamon Clowns will be swapped out with the Orange Clowns in my 40g tank so that all of the clowns in the new tank will be the large ocellaris/percs. Here are pics for this update: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltfinsax Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Looks like someone is going needs more rock. hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 i just want to know if your gonna stop with this tank, or the next bigger size comes along are you upgrading again??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Its looking great Rick just curiouse of why you are moving so fast with this tank? Your stand isnt even ready and ya got fish in it. Haste makes waste, I would hate to see ya need to barrow a bunch of rubbermade containers because you have rushed this and need to tear down your tank do to some minner little oversight! Did you put any ball valves on your closed loop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share Posted August 23, 2009 Looks like someone is going needs more rock. heheI actually have a couple of buckets of rock already. If that isn't enough I'll make more and wait another 3 months to put it in. i just want to know if your gonna stop with this tank' date=' or the next bigger size comes along are you upgrading again??? [/quote']Now that I opened up the space I could get a 180 gallon tank in the same spot pretty easily. I don't think it will happen though anytime soon. A frag tank may not be out of the question though. Its looking great Rick just curiouse of why you are moving so fast with this tank? Your stand isnt even ready and ya got fish in it. Haste makes waste' date=' I would hate to see ya need to barrow a bunch of rubbermade containers because you have rushed this and need to tear down your tank do to some minner little oversight! Did you put any ball valves on your closed loop?[/quote']I'm not moving any faster than I did in the past with the exception of the original 60 gallon which took several weeks. Primarily I just don't have the room to have 2 large tanks here (Especially with this one) so I need to get the old one out of here as soon as possible. The stand itself is structurally complete and anything I will need to get to that will be needed to cover it is either out in the open or is already completed. (It's actually easier to plumb and install the sump and refugium first anyway) I can now take my time on the exterior of the stand to make it look nice. Yes, I put ball valves in the closed loop. (The closed loop except for the portion inside the tank all came from the closed loop on the old tank) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Was it difficult to drill the glass? I just got an used small sump to add to my 10 gallon and I would like to drill a couple of holes but I'm scared... I'm looking forward to see the new pendant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Glass isn't too hard to drill if done correctly. The thicker the glass, generally the better in my experience. 10g tanks are made of pretty thin glass and are at great risk of chip/stress fracturing than their larger cousins. When you get into tanks that are 75g+, it becomes a breeze to drill them, just takes a bit longer. The tank is looking nice Rick! I am sure you will want to go with a 180-210g sooner or later though I think this should hold you off for a bit Nice start! Garrett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 Was it difficult to drill the glass? I just got an used small sump to add to my 10 gallon and I would like to drill a couple of holes but I'm scared... I'm looking forward to see the new pendant. As Garrett mentioned glass isn't too hard to drill. It did take a little while but not too bad. Is it the sump or the tank that needs to be drilled?. My understanding is that a lot of the 10g tanks are tempered so make sure it isn't first if your going to drill it. Let me know if 1" bulkheads will work. I already have the bit which you can either borrow or you can bring it up and I can drill it for you here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 3 days worth of Updates: Sunday. I didn't get any pics yet but I did get a good bit accomplished. First I drilled a 20 gallon long tank to fit next to the sump to use as a refugium. This actually is using an existing bulkhead that the sump had in the side already. I just added a spacer between the tanks, a second rubber washer, and some silicone for added insurance. (I'll try to get pics of this) Following this I plumbed in the overflow drains and the return line. Once this was done I started adding mixed saltwater to fill it up. This took several hours as I only had enough ready here for about 30 gallons. (Had to wait for 20 gallons or so more to filter and mix) While I was waiting for this I rearranged the rocks so I could get the 2 closed loop pipes put inside the tank (This gives me 4 closed loop returns behind the rocks). Then I added the rest of the DIY Live Rock (I'll still need a little more I think) and then began rearranging the aquascape and added sand around the rocks as I went. (I stopped about half way across the tank to let the water clear up before I continue) I went ahead and installed an exterior dual light fixture and wired it in over the refugium as well to install 2 18w 7100k CF spiral bulbs. These will run at night from the time the lights go out until mid morning to help keep the PH balanced and to feed the macro algae in the fuge. I moved a few fish into the fuge as well that I don't want to chase around the display later. The Jewel Damsel was aleady in the sump so I just moved it over and then I put the 2 yellow tail damsels in there as well. Monday, Added remaining sand and aquascaped some more. Installed Light hangers and 400w Pendants. For this I used 7/8" Heavy Wall Stainless Steel tubing bent using a professional bender (used for building boat tops) with Stainless Eye Ends. These are held to the stand using pipe retaining straps from Lowes and then the pendants are hung from the eye ends using small pieces of chain (The chains were actually left over from a couple of shop lights I stripped out to build ODNO Flourescent lights). I also adding a small board between the pendants to keep them from twisting. This is actually just temporary until I figure out the best position for the lights over the tanks and can build a canopy for it. Who knows though, I may leave the hangers and have the canopy be topless. If not then I'll sell the hangers. (If anyone else is interested in hangers like this I'll figure out a price for them) Tuesday, Installed a 3rd. spiral bulb in the stand. This one is on the right side of the refugium and will add a little light for it however it is primarily there to make it easier to see under the stand. I mounted the electrical strips into the stand at the same time (One on each side). I also added about 4" of sand in all of the sump chambers. (Only one chamber had sand before this) Aquascaped some more. (Still not quite happy with the aquascape but it's getting closer) Added a tri-color frag of some sort (From the $5 frags at Seahorse) added a conch (also from Seahorse). Additionally I replaced the closed loop screen with a more subdued black one than the latch hook one seen in the previous pictures. Other than this I took my skimmer apart and cleaned it and worked on getting it dialed in. (I made a few changes that effected it enough that it needed to be readjusted) So far there are 2 casualties that I can see(Although they may turn up later). One is a couple of purple mushrooms with green stripes in them. These were on a frag plug and appear to have been scraped off at some point. These very well may turn up somewhere in the tank eventually. If not I have a few of them so eventually they will be replaced. (The frag plug still has one or two small ones on it) The other is a purple chalice frag I picked up from the $5 frags at Seahorse. This came off the frag plug at some point and disappeared into the bottom of the tank. Who knows, it may turn up at some point. Tomorrow I'll see about getting some pics of the latest changes and I'll start putting a livestock list together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 keeping fingers crossed for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 Here are some pics: 40 Gallon Tru View converted to a Sump, Ruben Special (I think) Recirculating Skimmer: 20 Gallon Long AGA for a Refugium: This shows them sharing the same bulkhead (Temporary Screen to keep the Jewel Damsel from jumping between them). This shows the fixtures and 7100k spiral bulbs above the refugium: Some of the plumbing in back (In the middle is the closed loop): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share Posted August 26, 2009 The 400w MH Pendants and Stainless Steel hangers: Full shot of the Tank, Sump, and Refugium: FTS without flash: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 looking good, now you just need to break up the rock wall and get creative. You got room to do like a spur and groove, couple of pillars or rock islands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.