My 125g Build (Mostly DIY)

[Drama93]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the Atlanta Reef club but not to the hobby. I havent had a reef tank in 2 years... having kids makes you move a lot of things around. Anyways, I decided to get back into the hobby and built a stand and got a 125g drilled tank. Check out my progress:
Week 1: built the stand


Week 2: The final Pieces and Paint job


That's all I've got so far... I'm buying a 50g that I will be converting to a sump this weekend. I'll also be buying white aragonite sand.

I will be going with an SPS dominant tank with about 12-15 fish.

Let me know what you think!

 

[Dmitri]

I love how you painted that stand, looks great!
Can’t wait to see the progress!

 

[Drama93]

I love how you painted that stand, looks great!
Can’t wait to see the progress!

Thank you! We had to mix 2 different types o paint to get it to color up the way we wanted. It was a fun peocess!

 

[Adam]

Thank for joining the club and welcome to ARC.

Looks like you're off to a good start. One question though. Do you ever use the fireplace?

 

[Drama93]

Thank for joining the club and welcome to ARC.

Looks like you're off to a good start. One question though. Do you ever use the fireplace?

Nah, that fire place hasn't been used once since we moved in. Do you think it could cause issues with the tank I'd we turn it on

 

[Adam]

Nah, that fire place hasn't been used once since we moved in. Do you think it could cause issues with the tank I'd we turn it on

If you do ever use it, then most definitely it will cause an issue. The radiant heat from it will increase the tank temp pretty quickly and the CO2 given off wouldn't be the best for a reef tank either.

 

[AquariumSchmo]

Welcome! I look forward to seeing the progress.

To be honest, I'm a little worried about your stand though. I'm not sure how to explain this, but the vertical boards on the inside are just guides; they don't provide much support to the tank. The vertical corner boards on the outside should overlap at the joints; so it would be best if you moved those over and added another.

Your Stand:


Correct Way:

 

[Drama93]

Welcome! I look forward to seeing the progress.

To be honest, I'm a little worried about your stand though. I'm not sure how to explain this, but the vertical boards on the inside are just guides; they don't provide much support to the tank. The vertical corner boards on the outside should overlap at the joints; so it would be best if you moved those over and

I can see what you mean, do you think there's going to be a future problem with the overall weight of the tank? It would be pretty difficult to pull it apart to add new support without damaging the exterior. It's my first time building a stand, so I figured there would be some potential for trouble.

 

[AquariumSchmo]

For your first time, you did a good job, but I personally wouldn't trust it to hold up. When filled with water and rocks, that's a lot of weight. I build mine stands the same way Joey from the King of DIY on YouTube does. If I'm not mistaken, I think I've heard him say when done the way you have it, the stand can twist.

Maybe you could get away with just removing the top and adding vertical supports to the sides, but that still wouldn't give you the overlap where the boards come together on the corners.

I'm sure you have put a lot of time and money into that, so hopefully others will chime in with opinions.

 

[Drama93]

Thanks @AquariumSchmo, I'm going to try and see if I can slip the support in without pulling anything apart. Appreciate the info!

 

[Adam]

You don't want the stand to be able to cant at any angle, front to back or left to right.
Think square = good. Trapezoid = bad, VERY bad.

 

[Mom2Many]

Welcome! So glad you are getting back into the hobby! Looking forward to seeing your progress!

 

[Drama93]

Yeah, I'll be adding additional support this weekend. Figured out a way to slip it in without having to take anything apart. Thanks again for the info!

 

[Drama93]

Added additional support and filled up with water today.

 

[Mom2Many]

Every step done, is a step closer to cycling and getting things going. Looks great! So glad you found a way to add more support without taking anything apart. It looks so good.

 

[Drama93]

Thanks @Mom2Many , I ended up having to empty the tank out because the floor turned out to be uneven. Got that fixed now I'll refill it hopefully this weekend. I'll post some pics once its filled!

 

[Mom2Many]

Wow! so much work. I have had that happen before where the water line was not even because the flooring was not. On a much smaller tank though!! Looking forward to seeing it filled and going!

 

[Drama93]

Finished the plumbing and added the rock and sand. The tank is running with a 40g sump, 2 heaters and 2 return pumps. I'll be filling it up tomorrow!

 

[hzheng33]

nice looking sump. a word of advice: those hoses will kink over time (i give it 2months). at least get braided vinyl.

 

[Drama93]

nice looking sump. a word of advice: those hoses will kink over time (i give it 2months). at least get braided vinyl.

Yeah, that's an awesome sump! You did a great job. What do you mean by "kink"? I ended up using these because they're more flexible and were w perfect fit for the pump.