125 gallon upgrade

[Tomchong22]

so my 60gallon tank has now been up for just over a year and a half. things are looking good but it is time for an upgrade. i knew about 6 months ago then i had obtained 2 tangs from somebody off of craigslist that i would be needing an upgrade. i just came across a 125 gallon RR tank with solid oak stand and canopy along with a 30gallon sump for $300 what a great deal!!!! this thing is almost brand new!! he just never had the time to set it up. well this coming weekend i am going to pick it up. i will be posting pics of the process. Currently on my list to get include:
sand = 250 lbs (something like $2 for 50lbs of fine grade sand from home depot)
150watt heater (currently have a 250 watt)
pvc plumbing
another 120watt led fixture
and 1 bucket of salt.

here is a pic of my current tank

[Andrew McFadden]

Very nice upgrade

[redsea]

Originally Posted by Tomchong22

so my 60gallon tank has now been up for just over a year and a half. things are looking good but it is time for an upgrade. i knew about 6 months ago then i had obtained 2 tangs from somebody off of craigslist that i would be needing an upgrade. i just came across a 125 gallon RR tank with solid oak stand and canopy along with a 30gallon sump for $300 what a great deal!!!! this thing is almost brand new!! he just never had the time to set it up. well this coming weekend i am going to pick it up. i will be posting pics of the process. Currently on my list to get include:
sand = 250 lbs (something like $2 for 50lbs of fine grade sand from home depot)
150watt heater (currently have a 250 watt)
pvc plumbing
another 120watt led fixture
and 1 bucket of salt.

here is a pic of my current tank

Congrats on your new tank! Who doesn't love new tanks?

[Tomchong22]

I know right? I'm just glad that I will now be able to give my tangs the room they deserve. Currently I have a yellow tang, sailfin, and a powder brown tang. They all get along great, they are currently around 3in to 4in in length. The new tank will be greatly appreciated.

[SWSCJ]

They're going to love the 6' length. I have 9 tangs and they school back and forth a lot. Congrats on the new tank and great buy!

[Tomchong22]

I'm thinking on putting the rocks on the sides of the tank and leaving the center wide open,

[SWSCJ]

I built the live rock on milk crates to keep water volume, create refuge, and give them the opportunity to play with cave openings.

[Tomchong22]

Originally Posted by SWSCJ

I built the live rock on milk crates to keep water volume, create refuge, and give them the opportunity to play with cave openings.

That sounds like a great idea, I was thinking on doing something just like that but with egg crate and PVC pipe.

[Heera]

Sounds great! I will follow along.
I am also looking at getting the same lights

[Tomchong22]

Well tomorrow is the big day.I plan on getting some pics up later this week

[Tomchong22]

so here is the 125 gallon tank i got($300). it came with a 30gallon sump,stand,tank,and canopy. during the following week i have a list of things that need to get done before i do the install:
do a leak test
plumb the overflows
add more support to the stand
clean and wash 250 ish lbs of sand, after all that we should be ready to go!.

[carey]

Great deal for $300!! Very nice! waiting for the build, keep us posted!

[Tomchong22]

ok so turns out it is a 135 not 125.. lol better for me . tomorrow i am going to try and add some 2x4s to the stand on the back and on the top to make it more stable. i just really don't want to take any chances with this thing, also i have a question. currently i have a viaaqua return pump on my 60, its at around 700gph, should i get a second return pump for this tank? or just plump the returns into one line?

[Heera]

Awesome deal! I would do herbie overflow design. Both as drain and return from outside on the left side. This what I have done. Since it creates a syphon NO SOUND OR BUBBLES. I love it.

[Tomchong22]

Ok so here is what I have got done so far,





tomorrow I am going to screw them into place.I cleaned the tank out and I must say the seams look really good, I am probably going to add some more silicone in a few spots just to make sure.next weekend is the big move.I'm super excited!! Things left to do still: wash 200lbs of sand, plumb the overflow, finish the sumps (a 20tall fuge, and a 30 sump)

[Hondachico]

Originally Posted by Tomchong22

so here is the 125 gallon tank i got($300). it came with a 30gallon sump,stand,tank,and canopy. during the following week i have a list of things that need to get done before i do the install:
do a leak test
plumb the overflows
add more support to the stand
clean and wash 250 ish lbs of sand, after all that we should be ready to go!.

Ok im new to this but i wanted to know if its ok to use regular sand from lowes or home depot as your sand bed?

[Tomchong22]

50 lb. Commercial-Grade Fine Sand-196152 at The Home Depot

this is what i will be using. it is 100% reef safe. i have used it in a 20gall fresh water tank and i currently use it in my sump for a DSB in my 60gall tank. way cheeper then going to the LFS for a 20lb bag of sand for $25 - 30.

[Hondachico]

It doesn't harm your fish or anything right

[Tomchong22]

nope, 100% safe. just make sure you really wash it before you put it in the tank.

[Tomchong22]

Originally Posted by Heera

Awesome deal! I would do herbie overflow design. Both as drain and return from outside on the left side. This what I have done. Since it creates a syphon NO SOUND OR BUBBLES. I love it.

could you go into more detail on this herbie overflow design? i have been doing research and it sounds like a good idea.