Spoonman's new 120 reef build thread!

[SeanMonster]

Maybe fish first because of bio load potential? That would allow you to check everything again and then add corals.


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[spoonman]

I keep going back and forth. For the reason you stated and then I think it would be easier to do the corals first so as not to disturb the fish while placing corals if the fish are in first. Decisions, decisions!!!

[paul87]

I would probably do coral first, but don't know if it would matter really. Your choice. I would be prepared for a water change soon after everything is added though.

[spoonman]

I will have another 80 gallons ready to go when I move everything. Good call!

[spoonman]

Tank is cycled and I will be moving everything this weekend. Put Chaeto and pods in the sump in preparation for the mandarin....

[redsea]

Awesome,! Good luck! Be sure to let us know how it goes.

[spoonman]

Well, I jumped the gun and couldn't wait for the weekend! I got all the fish and coral transferred Wednesday night. Thursday afternoon it stormed and we lost power. Just got power restored at 2am this morning (36 hours later). I bought a generator when the power went out and saved everything! If anyone is curious, a 4000 watt generator is plenty to handle a 240 gallon fish tank, a 120 gallon saltwater tank, 2 refrigerators, a stand up freezer, a couple lights and a couple fans. Well, here is the result. Kinda barren, but I will be filling it with mostly SPS in the months to come. Thanks for all of your advise and support!

[Sniperhank]

It really depends how much is all on that generator and how much gas you have! I personally don't worry about my fridge...I've lost power for days on end and as long as the door stays closed everything else will too (generally).
Either way, a generator is a great idea. I only have my vortechs hooked up to a battery backup, but it will easily do for some time.
One of my co-workers came up with a great solution to his power outages. He has a gas well on his property, so his gas is free. The railroads have old generators for sale that run off of gas so they can be self supporting. They supposedly cost about 8k...throw that in a small building and you're good to go!

[paul87]

Can't wait to see this thing fill up with coral! Glad you had a generator in that situation! 4000w is alot of power however something's take alot of wattage, like a simple microwave for example (1000-2000 watts!).

[paul87]

Originally Posted by Sniperhank

It really depends how much is all on that generator and how much gas you have! I personally don't worry about my fridge...I've lost power for days on end and as long as the door stays closed everything else will too (generally).
Either way, a generator is a great idea. I only have my vortechs hooked up to a battery backup, but it will easily do for some time.
One of my co-workers came up with a great solution to his power outages. He has a gas well on his property, so his gas is free. The railroads have old generators for sale that run off of gas so they can be self supporting. They supposedly cost about 8k...throw that in a small building and you're good to go!

Definitely sounds like a winner!

[spoonman]

Just bought these on E-bay for $75 each. Hope I like them. Will sell either the blue/white ones I have with my 75 gallon reef or these if I dont like them. Figured I would give the full spectrum a try. We will see!

US Stock Dimmable Full Spectrum 165W LED Aquarium Light for Coral Reef Marine | eBay

[paul87]

Originally Posted by spoonman

Just bought these on E-bay for $75 each. Hope I like them. Will sell either the blue/white ones I have with my 75 gallon reef or these if I dont like them. Figured I would give the full spectrum a try. We will see!

US Stock Dimmable Full Spectrum 165W LED Aquarium Light for Coral Reef Marine | eBay

That's an incredible price. Can't wait to see how these work out for you! I've thought about getting full spectrum next light purchase.

[spoonman]

So, the tank is doing great! All fish are healthy and happy. The new lights I didn't like so I sold them with the 75 gallon. Didn't seem as bright as the blue/white ones and you could see the different colors in the streams of light in the tank. Stuck to the old TaoTronics blue/whites. Will post some pics later today. Have a couple new additions also!

[redsea]

Originally Posted by spoonman

So, the tank is doing great! All fish are healthy and happy. The new lights I didn't like so I sold them with the 75 gallon. Didn't seem as bright as the blue/white ones and you could see the different colors in the streams of light in the tank. Stuck to the old TaoTronics blue/whites. Will post some pics later today. Have a couple new additions also!

So glad everything is doing well, and I'm excited to see the new additions! Congrats!

[spoonman]

Got home too late to get pictures tonight.
My stock list is now:

1 - black saddleback clown
1 - Yellow Tang
1 - Tomini Tang
1 - Hippo Tang
1 - Chromis
1 - Coral Beauty
1 - Mandarin
1 - Melanarus Wrasse
1 - Leopard Wrasse

All are getting along well and eating and healthy. When and what should I add for inverts and cleanup crew? I know its early. Would like to put a couple shrimp in there. I do have corals, so they will have to be reef safe. I know snails will have to wait until the tank is more established and there is stuff for them to eat. I will take some pics and post them tomorrow.