My 75 gallon Build thread

I thought it would be easiest to just start a build thread for all the updates to my tank now that its up and running - and my 120 nightmare is over.

I have been pretty busy over the last two weeks here is a quick (didnt turn out too "quick" but relatively speaking it is) run down -

9/6/09 - Bought a 125 gallon system off craigslist. Got the RR tank, 120 lbs of LR, few fish and corals, skimmer, 450 wts of T5 lighting, sump, heater, chemicals, RO filter and a few other misc items for $400. Pretty much everything that i need (yea right... but at $400 i can afford to buy a few other things)

Now that you have picked yourself up and got back in your chair....

9/6/09 - 10 hours in - right after i filled it up- My wife told me she hated it. It has to go.....@#%$^@@!!$#$@!!!!!

9/7/09 - Called my Dr to get some drugs for my depression

9/11/09 - Talk to OceanParadise - a local and worked out a trade with him. My 125RR for his 75 and some frags. Wife approved the transaction and actually got excited about it - so off to HD i went to build my stand.

9/12/ Got the stand most of the way done

9/13/09 -built a DIY sump. My 20 G long was not prime and i wasnt liking how limited i was on space. So it was like midnight and i had all these empty 20 and 30 gallon rubber maid containers laying around....the wheels started turning. I got out my jig saw and cut the tops and part of the side off two of them at about the same level. Screwed them together up above the water line... Bang, i just created an overflow. This might actually work! I ended up trying a whole bunch of different ways to "connect" the two containers without a whole lot of success. The only thing that worked is a whole lot of GE1. Once it cured - i covered it in Duct tape - Mainly to protect my bead of silicon - but also because im always looking for a new way to use duct tape.

The thing that didnt work so well with the sump is my other dividers. Nothing will truly "bond" the plastics together. But, i did seal the center overflow and got a bubble trap working over there. Now its up and running beautifully. Not the best sump in the world, or the prettiest for sure but room for everything plus a fuge...doesn't leak at all and my total cost is under $10.00, no joke. The containers were on sale for $2.00 each.

If you can afford it - go buy a sump. I probably could have afforded it (around $300 at LFS) to be honest - but my wife would have killed me. Plus it was a lot more fun getting this to work DIY. And now i have a sump that is 38" x 15"

9/14/09 - picked up the 75 from Ocean
-cleaned it
-Put it up on the stand
-STARTED the plumbing

9/15/09
3 Trips to HD later - i FINISHED the plumbing
Moved the LR from the 125 to the 75 and did my aqua-scaping.

Since i had just went through this filling up the 125, i had the unusual but welcomed opportunity to do it differently this time.

This time i did my stacks and rock work right on the glass bottom. Got everything just the way that i wanted it. Then i added the sand.... Now with the tank up and running two of my strategies worked...less sand for the goby means he comes out more often. Less hiding places for the fish means they are seen more.... Both strategies worked !

Then i filled it up. This consisted of me pushing a 5 G bucket down into the 125, pulled it up and out...walking to the 75.... pouring it into the 75...

20 minutes later i had the water up to the OF, so i started working on getting the system working. with the various water levels. I have my 950 GPH return choked down almost all the way actually on the ball valve. I need to get my OF dropping more GPH so that i can get the turnover up alittle more - but as it stands ... im figuring its between 350 and 450 GPH which isnt going to kill anyone...

Moved my livestock from the 125. Left the coral in there for the night until the sand settled down.

9/16/09 - Woke up to a completely clear tank. Fish seem much happier in the 75 with the new rock work.

Moved the corals over.

Took my Brown or Kole tang to LFS to trade him in. No one including the shop owner has been able to identify him 100%. The guy who bought it said he was a nigger trigger...haha - anyway, He was on the large side so i didnt think he would be happy in a 4' tank---plus i really wasn't crazy about his attitude and aesthetics. $16 credit...

No fish that my daughter liked (shes 3.5) at that LFS so we went to another one. She picked out a purple firefish...

Oh yea, i forgot to mention i also built the hood and mounted my T5's yesterday... I think that there is actually a little too much light so i turned off two of my 28W 10k's. I dont think im going to have any trouble keeping SPS...But i wont know until i try ;D


As it stands i have 4 56W T5's over driving so to be honest i dont really know what that means... or how many watts that is--or what makes its so that they are HO but thats what i was told. Plus then i have two 28 w super actinics. I have two 28w 10k days up but like i said i shut those down....


Today - Working on getting the sides on the stand and hood.

and getting my skimmer up and running. The previous guy was dropping one of his corner overflows down to the skimmer intake so that he didn't have to run a pump up to the skimmer This is the skimmer im working with... Current USA Fission Recirculating Skimmer Model 8105 225 Gallons

So i need to find a way to pump it up to the skimmer without spending a whole lot on a pump that is overkill.



But i am up and running. Fish are happy. Coral is happy. Im happy but most importantly my bride is happy and loving the tank now instead hating the tank.....and me

A few pics through the process.....

 

Looks good man! i got like 5 nice frags for ya and yup i got ya some sps so you will see very soon we still on for sunday? and if so what time?

 

nice work wk. i got tired just reading what youve been up to. lol. keep up the good job youve been doing.

 

Me too, Guy!

 

Just tested. Params are ok.

ammonia is between 0 and .25. looks closer to zer
everything else is zero.

Hopefully i will get away with out a cycle

 

You've been working hard.... Sure does show it... Keep it up.

 

Fixed my skimmer. Hooked up a mj1200 to it. Works great....

After two LFS owners tried to sell me a $160+ pump saying it was the only way to get the job done....

Question tho...

Where am i supposed to adjust the water level to? It says just below the inside cup... is that the top collection cup they are refering to? Im not getting any foam yet but im assuming that is becasue i cleaned it real good and it needs to break in again?

Thanks.

 

its a recircuitlating skimmer you do have two pumps going to it correct?

 

Yea, the mj is feeding the skimmer....