120 Gallon In Wall Mixed Reef Build

[Reu2]

I'm in the building phase of a 120 Gallon Aquaeon (AGA) Reef ready tank. The plan is to build it into the wall during a basement remodel. Along with the 120 gallon display, I'll be adding a 40 gallon Sump, and a seporate 40 Gallon fuge. I built a water change station that I'll be plumbing to the sump as well for easy water changes.

Here is the planned equipment, none of which is purchased yet.
Lighting - Two Ecotech Radions (Maybe AI Vega, waiting for reviews), T5 for Fuge, LED puck lighting for sump work lighting.
Skimmer - SRO XP-3000i
GFO/Carbon - Bulk Reef Supply dual GFO/Carbon Reactor
Pump - Don't know yet, was thinking the Blueline 1400GPH external
Controller - Apex
Heater - Undecided
ATO - Tunze
Circulation - Two Ecotech MP40w

Any suggestions on how to get this tank up right the first time are appreciated.

Here is the SketchUp on the stand with tank.

SketchUp by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Starting and planning in the future of the space.

Start by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Rough in complete, next dry wall. The stand will be covered with 3/4 plywood and the whole area will get oil primer. I've run two 20amp power lines and two Cat5e Giga base ethernet lines for connectivity. I'll also add a soft-wall for mounting all the tech high, to reduce moisture exposure.

RoughIn by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Stay tuned, I'm hoping to have fish in this by New Years.

[JEC11718]

I wish I had a basement! But I'll trade a basement anyday for the Gulf of Mexico! ps..I'm in Florida.

[Reu2]

Originally Posted by JEC11718

I wish I had a basement! But I'll trade a basement anyday for the Gulf of Mexico! ps..I'm in Florida.

Ha, I used to live in Fort Lauderdale, now in Milwaukee, this hobby is as close as I get to the beach anymore.

[fishmanstan]

Nice! I have a 120 too! Is yours the 4'? What's your plan for stock?

[Reu2]

Dry wall is up. Primer, paint, and trim up soon. On another note, I'm thinking of holding out for the new Radions...


IMG_2191 by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

This is 48"x24"x24". I have a wish list as to the stock list but nothing nailed down yet. That is where the LFS shines, I'm going to give them the list and get their advise on which and how many can be responsibly kept.

[fishmanstan]

Put the list here....the LFS IS a store, they want to sell. They may give you a wack stock list.

[Reu2]

Guess it can't hurt to have another opinion, will do. I'll post it soon.

[Reu2]

Here is a quick list of the fish I want to stock.

Hoeven's Wrasse or Tail Spot Wrasse
Foxface Rabbitfish
Yellow Belly Regal Blue Tang
Yellow Tang
Mimic Lemon Peel Tang
Blue Throat Triggerfish
Green Mandarin (or Red)
Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish
Court Jester Goby

I may skip the Wrasse as I'm thinking of only a 2" sand bed. I also already have a Potter's Angel, two Pajama Cardinals, Algae Blenny, and three Chromis going in from an existing tank.

[fishmanstan]

You want ALL of that in a 120?! Those fish together need a ~240-300g!

[Reu2]

Not all, but most. This is my short list, I know not all of them will make it into the tank. Many of these are "reef safe with caution" and I don't want to push my luck.

[Reu2]

Paint and trim are done in the room as well as the electric. I still have to finish the HVAC and Network. Also I have to finish the boarder around the tank, the top boarder is going to be hinged for front access when needed for cleaning.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for the return pump? I'm thinking around 1400 GPH, the elevation will only be about 6'.


IMG_2202 by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

[Reu2]

I got the stand primed and the tank in place, just thought I'd share more photos. My dogs at least are excited. And please listen to the whole "use in well ventilated area" warning. The smell of primer throughout the entire house was eye burning. We had to open windows on the first night to hit freezing this year. I'm still waiting on the hinges for the upper DT trim, and I still haven't decided on a pump yet. Also I should have the draft for my sump up soon too.


lSide by Reuben Neese, on Flickr


rSide by Reuben Neese, on Flickr


Back by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

[Reu2]

I decided on the Reeflo Snapper Gold. Bulk Reef Supply had it on sale for only $14 over the standard Snapper and has more stainless steel parts, consumes less wattage, and has a 5 year warranty. Let's hope it's quite.

Here is version 4 of my sump design. I made a quick mockup of the SRO XT-3000i for measurement sake. The Baffles are 1" apart, and the raised ones are raised 1". I didn't want the water level to change much keeping the skimmer running properly and still have enough room for water when the return is shut off. I will have live rock rubble in the first section for noise and bubble reduction, hopefully there won't be much as I want to use the Herbie method requiring full syphon. I will use that mesh filter stuff (can't remember the name) in between the last two baffles to cut noise and keep larger debris from getting to the pump area.


40SumpV4 by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Should I allow more room for the mesh stuff between the last two baffles?
Any suggestions that would improve this design?

[Reu2]

Refugium stand is built and primed, I'll be putting it in place tonight, then I'll finally get to finalize my plumbing measurements.

Economy Glass in Cedarburg has 1/4" glass and estimates 7-8$ per baffle, but I have a couple questions on this.

What actual width do I want these cut. I heard you want to leave about an 1/8th" room. So for a 18" tank width with 1/4" glass (17 1/2 internal width) I would want 17 3/8"? Or would it be 1/8th off each side giving me 17 1/4"?

How do I allow the glass to sit flush on the bottom of the tank? Won't the silicone keeping the tank together raise it up? I don't know if the glass store can bevel the lower corners to get it to sit lower, or if it really isn't an issue as I can just silicone the crap out of it to fill the space.

Maybe I should start a separate Sump thread...

[Screener]

Great porgress, I'm doing a very similar build, except in the attic. So Im following along with great interest.
Reu, some Q's
Will it be difficult to get in the back left corner from the fish room?
What height did you use for the base of the tank from the carpeted floor.
Will you keep all the sump out from the under neath of the tank ( I plan to).
Did you seal the wall plate to the floor near the carpet side to prevent water wicking through there?
How long has it taken so far?

many more questions, but enough for now. Good luck with your beautiful setup.

[Reu2]

Let me take your questions one by one;

Will it be difficult to get in the back left corner from the fish room?

About 3 1/2" will be hidden by the wall, but there is still plenty of room for the MP40 that'll go there. I don't anticipate to big of a problem as I hinged the top boarders to get access from the side.

What height did you use for the base of the tank from the carpeted floor.

40", I wanted higher than the standard as this is a rec room, and it'll be normally viewed from a standing position. Also it helps keep children's hands out. It helps to know what equipment you want under the tank to estimate height, but it's really your preference.

Will you keep all the sump out from the under neath of the tank ( I plan to).

No, the sump will be under the tank for mechanical and maintenance. A separate 40 Gallon tank will be use for biological filtration (Refugium).


Stand by Reuben Neese, on Flickr
Refugium on lower right, sump under tank. This sketchup is unfinished.

Did you seal the wall plate to the floor near the carpet side to prevent water wicking through there?

No, fortunately here in WI they required floor drains in the basement. This tank is setup only 6 feet from it. Water will flow to the unfinished side of the tank to the drain. Also the footers are all elevated to allow water to run under them. Aside from someone going at the tank with a baseball bat, I stand to only really lose carpet to water damage (The carpet and pad is directly on concrete.)

How long has it taken so far?

Not including a lot of planning time (still in progress, you have to be flexible), I started the basement in August. The remodel went quickly but the tank has been delayed a couple times. Still hoping to have fish in it by the end of the year.

If you're going to do this in the attic, make sure you reinforce the floor and you're near a load bering wall.

[Reu2]

Okay, an update.

I finished my first ever sump (haven't water tested yet), hopefully it doesn't look like it's the first I've done. This sump is intended to have a skimmer area that doesn't fluctuate in water height due to evaporation. The last chamber is for top off and evaporation. I still have to make a skimmer stand about 4~5" high, what's the best way to build that? I was thinking just some cut PVC and egg create.

Sump w/o Skimmer stand by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Here is the refugium tank, carefully in progress on the carpet (against Lauren's wishes), but after tweaking my back again, I'm in no shape to go hauling aquariums out to the garage.

Refugium in Progress by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Rock! I have about 100 lb. of dry rock here. Not set on the configuration, but this has proven to very difficult for me. I must have stacked and unstacked these rocks 50 times by now. Any suggestions there would be much appreciated. If you are wondering about the multi-color grid sitting in the tank, it's a Camera Calibration card, similar to a White Balance card but more capable, I wanted to see if I could White Balance a straight 10K bulb (results not posted). I still have to paint and secure the trim around the tank, I know primer isn't the best look.

State of the Tank by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

[Reu2]

Got some new toys today. I know, I know, their to expensive, to high tech, not fully fleshed out for reef tanks. But I'm a geek, and I can't help myself.


Ecotech Radion XR30w Pro Unboxing by Reuben Neese, on Flickr
Ecotech Radion XR30w Pro Unboxing

[sp0k]

very nice tank and good job on the work you putting in to it

[fishmanstan]

Pros?! High roller! Haha. I have G2s and love them(so do my SPS)

[Reu2]

High roller!?! Ha, I just didn't tell my wife how much they cost, at this rate I won't be able to afford a fish to put in the tank.

I would say my corals love them, but still no water. But my dry rock never looked better

Finished plumbing the sump line, hopefully I can get the returns and manifold done this week, then the overflow lines and reactors done next week. I might actually get to water test this month yet.

[Reu2]

I'm finally back to finishing this tank, finished the plumbing and got water in the Tank! Awesome. Everything was running great, except a small leak from a union on the Reeflo pump. It was awesome seeing 1700 gallons of flow going through this for the first time.


Cloudy with a chance of Reef tank by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Tweaked the pipe just a little too much and heard a "bink", not awesome. Sump cracked.


Bink! by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

I could have just patched the tank with another piece of glass and saved myself a lot of work. But since there is no life in the tank yet, I decided to rebuild the sump. Also, as is my fashion, I realized I over built my sump. So with a new plan I got to work.

Drilled the new tank, yes I used Hello Kitty Duct tape. I free hand the hole saw (Start at an angle and smoothly bring it flat to the glass while cutting), and after having only done a few of these it's amazing how much easier it is once you've done it. Just take it nice and slow, let the weight of the drill do the work. The videos from BRS and from Glass-holes were very helpful on this my first time.


Drilled Tank by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

My dog Deedee helped me get through the first two baffles. I'll do the third tomorrow after the silicone has time to dry. Then two days after that I'll get water in it. I'm using Aqueon Silicone this time. Rafael Gonzalez has a great video on building Sump/Fuge, he only builds a small one in the video, but he does commercial windows and shows you a good way to work with the silicone. It's a long video, feel free to skip around. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXpze...b1gmIl6zmJIqhZ


Sump in Progress by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

[Terefel]

Awesome, Reuben! Looks fantastic. Sorry to hear about your sump woes, though :/

[Indymann99]

Nice, you will love having the tank in the basement... cool in the summer and warmer in the winter.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ement52009.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...mfull52009.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ann99/Bar1.jpg

[Reu2]

Done!

Done! by Reuben Neese, on Flickr

Just Kidding.... Added sand tonight and finished up the New Sump. I opened the bags under water to avoid floating sand. Didn't expect all the surface foam though.

Waiting for the silicone to dry in order to water test. Should go into service in a couple days. Sans the wood of course. Just a reminder, there is a separate tank for the Fuge in case you haven't been following along.

Sump 2.0 by Reuben Neese, on Flickr