defective_weeble Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Man, when the itch hits in this hobby it hits hard. So, background: I started with a 20 long, HOB tank as an experiment. It took me a few weeks to realize that I wanted to step up. I moved to a 40 breeder and...yep. The itch hit again. So I went big! Or I thought that I did. I went for a 4x2x2 120 that I thought was the perfect size. In reality, I wanted a 6-foot tank. Fortunately (?) I had screwed up when I bought the 120. I bought it at night, and it was dark, and it has crap on the glass that I couldn't get off. So I've known for the past couple of months that I was going to upgrade. The 120 has a beautiful rolled-steel stand and I am really attached to it. I've searched and searched for another 120 to do a direct replacement, but then I stumbled onto an absolutely pristine 180, with tank, stand and canopy, for $350. Far be it from me to pass up a great deal! So now, for posterity, the 120: And sitting in my garage for the time being (I'm doing some traveling over the next couple of weeks and don't want to saddle my wife with watching over a new build), the 180: Link to comment
defective_weeble Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 Equipment Details: I'll be carrying over most of the equipment from the 120 build. The biggest change will be lighting. Obviously my 4 foot T5 fixture isn't going to cut it. I'm considering LEDs but I've not yet seen someone with long-term SPS colony results who can show me something that doesn't have funky growth patterns. I want to see 1 or 2 years of results, especially tabling acropora colonies. If you can show me amazing, natural growth patterns from LEDs, I'll love you long time. Right now I'm leaning toward 3x 250w HQI metal halide + Truelumen Pro actinic LED strips. Alternately I could probably find a good deal on some AI Sol Blues for actinic, but for now the Truelumens are a low barrier to entry and they'll attach to the canopy easily. My other primary lighting option is to retrofit some an 8-bulb, 60 inch T5 setup. Unfortunately, ReefGeek closing has put a cramp in my style for ordering the parts so I'm still searching. The rest of the story - Return - Mag 12, split to also run my reactors and feed the refugium Circulation - Jebao RW15 x2...I think. As much as I like EcoTech stuff, I just can't justify the price. Heat - Eheim Jager 300w x2 Skimmer - Reef Octopus XP2000 internal Reactors - Biopellets and BRS Rox 0.8 carbon ATO - 10 gallon standard aquarium with AutoTopoff.com float valve system This won't be a build thread as much as a long-term progression thread, considering that the 'build' will consist of flipping one existing, set up tank to another. But come along for the ride! Link to comment
defective_weeble Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 RW15 x2 and Jager 300 ordered today. Trying to work a deal selling off my current lights. If it happens then I'm all over a set of 3x 250 HQI halides. Finger crossed! Link to comment
defective_weeble Posted November 2, 2014 Author Share Posted November 2, 2014 So let's see... Paint is pretty much done. Need a couple more coats on the stand, but the canopy is in good shape. I did find some issues that I'm going to resolve with the stand, however. Really not as much issues as "make me feel better" ideas. The stand is a hardwood ply box with little to no framing. While I know that it can hold the weight of the tank, I'm still not comfortable with it. So I'm going to do vertical 2x4 bracing into each corner, as well as a brace behind the middle upright. The stand is built like a bomb shelter, but I'm going to make it nuclear resistant. Other stuff: RW15s are here. I'll be using one on each end, plus a WP40 on the back wall. I'm hoping that will be all that I need because I really dislike the look of lots of wave makers in the tank. Fingers crossed. I think I'm going to need a second 300w heater. I'm currently running a 300+150 and going down to 77 at night. That's not dangerous, but I really don't want a 2-3 degree swing. I need to do some not-insignificant planning for wiring inside the stand. I'm thinking that all power is going to be on the left wall, but I really want to find a better way to have access to it. Unfortunately the left wall sits about 12 inches deep into the stand, which is less than ideal if I have to move things around. More soon, but that's it for now. I'm packing my bags to leave town for a few days, so I'm sure I'll be investigating power options while I'm gone. Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Cool- lots of room ! Looking forward to seeing it develop? Link to comment
defective_weeble Posted November 21, 2014 Author Share Posted November 21, 2014 Oh wow. I've neglected this build thread as I've been updating another one on another site. Oops! So here's the update: Frame - Reinforced Heater - Ordered and arrived Apex - Found a Jr for $75, new in box. Purchased! Plumbing - All 4 bulkheads leaked. Oops! Fixed. Lights - 3x Kessil 360we purchased and arrived! It took some serious doing to get the 120 torn down and get the 180 in the house, but thanks to a couple friends we managed to work our way through it last night. Right now the tank still sits empty as I have to climb under the house and get a couple 4x4 reinforcements in place but once that's done it's water time! Link to comment
slowngreen Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Makes your tv look little bitty! Cant wait to see the progress on this. Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Nice- how stoked are you! Look at all that room- looking forward to seeing you fill it up! Link to comment
defective_weeble Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 Fortunately you don't have to wait long. Since this was just a tank switch, it's already got stuff in it. Not a lot, but stuff. Corals don't look so great because they were in a fallow tank and not being fed much for 72 days. They'll be happy again soon. Still need to get more sand, but I can add that later. Full gallery is here: http://imgur.com/a/o3vYh Link to comment
defective_weeble Posted November 29, 2014 Author Share Posted November 29, 2014 Finally got off my butt last night and cleaned up the wiring on the left side of the stand. Since I'm only running an Apex Jr for now I've had to use the 4 outlets sparingly. I'll be ordering an EB-8 soon and then I can get rid of the DJ power strip, but it serves its purpose for now. In related news, my Secret Santa got me a gift card to BRS so I used it to offset the cost of the moonlights and moonlight control module for the Apex! So excited to get that hooked up! Link to comment
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