Jon's 120 gallon upgrade

007_reef · Feb 1, 2018

So, the time has come to upgrade from my lowly 65 gallon reef, to a big boy tank. I enjoy reading through the various tank build threads, and ive always wanted to do a build thread of my own.

I was able to acquire a used 120 gallon, in decent condition, for a steal. Plans are to take my time, learning from all the mistakes i made setting up my 65 (which is pretty much all of the standard reefing mistakes). First things i have planned are to drill the tank, and build a stand to match the living room decor.

dbl · Feb 1, 2018

Congrats on the upgrade. You'll love the 120g.

Deep Reef · Feb 1, 2018

Your tank is missing the center brace. What is the repair plan?

dbl · Feb 1, 2018

Deep Reef said:
Your tank is missing the center brace. What is the repair plan?

My first thought too until I zoomed in...lol. I'm just hoping it was done properly.

007_reef · Feb 1, 2018

Lol, yeah, there is a glass brace. It’s very well done, and the tank does not bow at all when filled.

Deep Reef · Feb 1, 2018

Lol didn’t see it. If that is only caulked I don’t think I would trust it

Streetdoc77 · Feb 2, 2018

Good luck on the build !

007_reef · Feb 3, 2018

Took advantage of petco’s dollar a gallon sale and picked up a 40g breeder for a new sump. Also lumber to start on a stand.

007_reef · Feb 11, 2018

I’m not sure who was happier to see the box of pukani, me, or my little helper.

I’ve used true love rock, and reef saver rock in my previous tanks. This go round, I decided to go with pukani, as the pics I’ve seen of it look amazing. I had one rock in the bunch that Didn’t resemble pukani at all, it looked more like a slab of concrete. The customer service at BRS came through as usual, and had replacement rock shipped out the very next day.

007_reef · Feb 12, 2018

Some more goodies showed up today. My 1600gph overflow from Modular Marine. Build quality appears excellent, and the thing feels very “beefy”. I waffled back and forth between this and the Synergy Shadow, but the fact that the MM overflow comes with true bulkheads, vice uniseals, was the deciding factor for me.

txreefer · Feb 12, 2018

Looking good. I can’t wait to see how this turns out. I have a 120 build going on now too. Should be cycling by end of the month.

A4goulet · Feb 12, 2018

I have a Modular Marine overflow on my 120g and couldn't be more happy. And I have an older version too.

007_reef · Feb 19, 2018

Took advantage of the nice weather and dragged all of the pukani out to the driveway for a good hose down, prior to starting the curing process. It was amazing how much junk came out just from spraying it down with a garden hose. Tossed it into a bleach mix after we were done, probably for a good two weeks. After just 30 minutes in the bleach, the water was already turning yellow.

007_reef · Dec 27, 2018

Like many others, life (namely, my wife spending several months in the Middle East) got in the way of my upgrade, and progress kind of came to a stand still. I've still been acquiring the occasional piece of reef gear, that i've been just stacking in an empty tank. I started back on the upgrade in earnest around thanksgiving, and almost have stand construction completed. So far, im happy with how its turning out.

dbl · Dec 27, 2018

That's looking great. Thanks for the update and congrats on the progress.

007_reef · Dec 29, 2018

I had been toying with the idea of using the skimmer from my 65, and relying primarily on a Fuge for nutrient export; however, the pump on my skimmer decided to die, so I went skimmer shopping.
Took advantage of an awesome clearance deal at BRS and picked up this Skimz Kone sk201. My initial impressions are positive, especially when compared to the Eshopps skimmer I had been using on my 65. I’m not sure who was more excited; me, or my daughter.

007_reef · Feb 18, 2019

Took advantage of the long weekend to finish up some odds and ends prior to swapping tanks, which if all goes according to plan, should happen next weekend.
Painted the back of the tank, mounted the apex, and wired in the retrofit T5s.
Also filled and leak tested everything, and knock on wood, no leaks!

007_reef · Feb 24, 2019

After over a year of planning, building, and interruptions, the 120 is finally full of saltwater! Moving process was long, but all the corals and fish seems to have made it fine.
My 65 only had a clown (had 2, but one disappeared), a cardinal, chromis, and a firefish, who seem tiny now in a 120. Unexpectedly, I though my yellow goby was gone, but it turns out he managed to swim down the overflow of the 65, and had been living in a dark corner of the sump for the last year!

007_reef · Mar 3, 2019

A week in, and getting that initial brown coating on the new rock.

Also picked up a blue throat trigger. I wanted to wait a little longer to add some fish, but the trigger was on my dream list, was at my LFS, and the price was great; he even made his home in the cave I built in to the rock, specifically for that fish.