125g Build Thread

[AC2020x]

Hey, I'm starting up my 2nd saltwater tank. It's going to be a big jump from my last 29g, which is going rather well right now and is becoming a nice reef tank. At this point I'm 90% sure I'm going to get this guys tank on Craigslist. It looks pretty nice and comes with some good stuff. I just finished setting up a RO/DI unit at my house, the Typhoon III to be exact and it seems to be working great. I plan on either picking up the tank tomorrow or Saturday and starting the whole process. It comes with lights, stand and a Eheim canister filter- The classic 2217 which is rated up for 159 gallons.-- http://www.thereefshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=21
Do you think this will work well with my tank? My plan is to get a Reef Octopus 150 skimmer - http://www.aquacave.com/reef-octopus-nwb-150-br-needle-wheel-protein-br-skimmer-749.html

What do you guys think about the whole set-up? Here are some pics of the tank!

[AC2020x]

I now have gotten this same tank to my house- cleaned it out with water+vinegar- rinsed it out very very well and amazingly with alot of help got it into my basement!
I will put up some pics asap!
Now I'm going to buy some dry rock-- I'm debating between BRS reef saver rock- http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Eco-RoX-%28-Fiji-Rock-%29-Dry-Rock-%28Eco-Rox%29/c7_128/p865/BRS-%E2%80%9CReef-Saver%E2%80%9D-Dry-Aquarium-Eco-Rock-%28price-is-per-pound%29/product_info.html

and Marcos key largo rock- http://www.marcorocks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=69

I've heard great things about both-- Any ideas which would be better for my preator tank.

Also where do you think I should get live sand? What type do you think would be good for my tank? and how many lbs do you think I should use?

[AC2020x]

Well, I went with the marco rocks!- and let me say that i'm definitely glad I did. Just like all the pictures that you see online they look just like that- and he even takes special requests at no charge for the type of rocks you want. I got my rocks today (thursday) after placing an order on monday. - Showing how quickly he responds- I even sent him a picture of what I was looking to make with the rock and he responded almost immediately saying we will take care of that for you!- Amazing customer service and I would definitely recommend his rock especially with how light and porous it is!- Also it was packed well in bubble rap- there was some minor crumbling but he packed in 54lbs of rock in both boxes for some extra so definitely no worries there.

Once I got the rock I started placing it in the tank to see what I was dealing with, and before I knew it I was set-up with a good looking very sturdy rock structure. Heres what I came up with!-

Once I decide if I'm happy with it or not I will add water and wait for my live sand gets here! Then add that!

Let me know what you think?

[Ace25]

Nice job on the aquascape.. very nice job! Not a fan of "Live Sand" myself.. just get dead sand. Cheaper by far. If your rock AND sand are dead then just get one of those magical bacteria bottles to bump start the process.

[AC2020x]

Thanks!
I got the sand off ebay, and it's the same one I used for my 29g and I was very pleased with that so i'll go with it.

How long do you think it will take for the rock to turn live/ be good to go?

[Ace25]

Dead? Ummm.. not the answer you will want to hear, but I say at least 2 months before it is healthy and able to take on a bio-load.

[AC2020x]

I don't know if i'd say its completely dead?- it says it's pre-cycled - Our products are always collected dry, processed then pre cycled in our dark curing tanks for a minimum of 3 weeks. They are, then again, completely dried and ready for you.

[Ace25]

Very strange. Not quite sure how the bacteria and infauna that may have colonized the rock in the 3 weeks in their dark tank would survive being re-dried afterwards. Sounds like you would have a lot of die off spilling right into your tank the second it hit the water again.. but that may be what they were trying to do.. all the die off will be like adding a piece of shrimp in the tank to bump start the cycle. Either way, from what you just posted, I still say 4 weeks before adding soft corals, and 6-8 week before adding a fish.. Ya, I know, much easier said than done. I just think that will give you the best chance of success. If you stick something like a Damsel or a Clown in there at 4-5 weeks it will probably be fine since they are very hardy.. but why? Just wait the couple extra weeks and be able to add the nice fish you really want to add..

Of course.. just my opinion and others may vary.

[hmotorsol]

I dunno dry sand and wet sand cost the same where i live lol. One just doesn't cloud the water as much.

[Jakezori]

PRO!!!
Great deal and awesome aquascaping. Wish you the best!

[owl]

cool scaping ;)

[AC2020x]

Thanks, what would you guys suggest for water flow? What power and placement is good for a FO predator tank?

[Ace25]

10-20x turnover for a FO predator tank is sufficient, although a little more never hurts. So a 125G tank you would want 1250-2500GPH in powerheads, or 2-3x Koralia 3's. Placement.. really no one is going to be able to tell you that one. Something you will have to play with because the aquascape dictates placement. Just don't have them facing each other directly/cancelling out the flow.

Thinking something like on in the right side pane in the back corner, one on the back pane about 1/2 way facing left, and one on the left pane in the front corner, that way you get the flow going along the back then around the front in a circular pattern.

[AC2020x]

I added my live sand today, it looks pretty good about 90 lbs of it. Question is it a good idea for the seeding process to have watermovement? or shoudl I just let it sit? Also does the temp need to be up? or can I just leave it at whatever is room temp?

[Ace25]

Yes on flow and keeping temp above 77 even in the beginning. Flow and heat will just help spread the bacteria around faster which is a good thing. :)

[AC2020x]

So i'm trying to decide what I want to get, in about 2 or so months that is. What do you think? Not all of these, but some of them. All would be way way to overstocked.

Porcupine puffer
Dogface puffer
-Niger Trigger
-Humu Picasso Trigger
-Snowflake eel
-Tang- Blue or Brown Powder/ Naso(might be to big) any other reccomendations?
-Angel- Dwarf- Coral Beauty, flame, lemon peel, rusty or large koran, Blue Girdled, Blueface, Annularis
-I want a lionfish but i doubt it would work
-Some type of wrasse

What do you guys think? Any suggestions? Other fish you guys think would go well in predator tank? Any of these an absolute no?

[Ace25]

Humahuma trigger, Snowflake eel, Blueface Angel, and a Mystery wrasse would be my 4 fish I would put in that size tank if that was what I was doing. :)

[BoCoMo]

are you gonna paint the back of that tank?

[AC2020x]

No, I will get a wallpaper though to go on the back. They have a really cool one I like thats different shades of blue at that fish place which I will probably go to, to get my fish even though it's about 2 hours away. There are absolutely no good stores near me! Petco is the best I have and all the fish either have ick or seem unhealthy in some way

[Jakezori]

More pics please =). Great job btw. Your moving right along.

[AC2020x]

I've finished putting water in the tank as well as added my live sand and it's looking good! I'm waiting on my koralia's to get here so I have a mag 7 in my tank for water movement. Also the temp is around 78 degrees. So here are some pics of it so far!

[Jakezori]

PRO! The tank looks beautiful. I can't wait to see fishies swimming in there!

[Ace25]

Yup, that is going to be one awesome FOWLR tank once you get fish in there.. oh man I don't envy you now.. having to sit and wait.. true test of patience coming up. :D

[AC2020x]

That's why i'm going to try to occupy myself with college work and get good grades and try to not focus on my tank. But I doubt that will work! (no pun intended)

[Ace25]

Oh ya.. wanted to add to my fish list. Those 4 I mentioned would be the "large" fish, but I would also put either a harem of anthias or a half dozen blue/green chromis as your "school". :)

[mlefessler]

*jealous*

Can I grab some aquascaping classes from you? Pwease? =P

Will you be using the canister filter for your filtration?

Lookin' great! Can't wait to watch the progression of this beaut.

[AC2020x]

Yeah, I'm gonna use the canaster I got with the tank in my sump for filtration as well as the Reef Octopus NWB 150 Needle Wheel as my skimmer. I'm pretty pumped for the tank to mature.

I'm sure if you got some marco rocks (as long as they were as good as mine) you could make a really nice aquascape as well, probably even better than mine. I literately was taking them out of the box one at a time and putting them in my tank to see what I was working with and I just started stacking them one by one across the tank. Before I knew it 20mins later I was done and it looked great! I considered re-doing it cause it didn't feel like I put in the effort I should have to get it done as with my other tank(which doesn't look near as good). But I decided I was happy with it/ it was really stable and I didn't have any set plans so if I tried to re-do it I would just be taking it from scratch like the first time and didn't want to mess anything up.

Longstory short- Marcorocks are really easy to aquascape!

[Weather Loach]

Very nice! :)

[AC2020x]

Hey I have a question about my overflow- It comes with a 1" bulkhead- does that mean I should use 1" tubing or a little larger?

Thanks alot- This is the overflow I got - I heard good things about it so I hope it works well!!- http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=18358

[Jakezori]

It should just need 1" tubing. You could always just bring the thing to lowes and test out their tubing. =p Thats what I do.Can I borrow your tank for a couple of years?

[AC2020x]

I added the powerheads to my tank-- I got 3 koralia 3's - they seem to be doing a good job!- here's some pics. If you think I could set them up in a better more efficient way, let me know!
Thanks

[AC2020x]

I really like the red coris wrasse- I think i'm going to look into those!

[Ace25]

Ya, I like that one as well, both the juvi and adult coloring is nice and it will be suited for your tank. Good choice.

[pkumar]

Cool rock scape! Will be follwing for updates. Congrats on a great looking tank.
-Prashanth

[ram303]

Hi AC2020x I really like your setup. although i am a little confused did you want a predator tank or a community tank.
if you want a predator tank then fish like a Coriss wrasse, blue/green chromis, or Anthia's
will only wind up as food for your eel. also a lion fish would be fine in a tank like yours
although volitan do grow quite large maybe a zebra lion, or spot-fin lion.
i had a brown Morey and a zebra lion together for 2 years and they where fine
although a couple of times my moray did take a piece out of the lion, but all in all great fish. especially hand feeding the moray.
oh and my lion fish only took live fish. Which lucky for me i have an endless supply, local boat ramp lol......
a Niger trigger, and a fox faced rabbit fish would be my choice along with the eel an lion........
whatever you choose it looks great sofar.....

[Ace25]

Isn't he talking about a snowflake eel? Aren't they one of the smallest/most peaceful of the eels? The ones I see in stores are usually the diameter of a pencil when they come in, little babies, but it would take a loooong time for it to grow up big enough to eat a coris wrasse or any of the other "community" type fish. If he was talking about a moray or even a wolf eel then I would definately question the smaller fish. I think the stocking list is fine with the types of fish listed so far... just my opinion of course.

[AC2020x]

correct about the snowflake eel, I don't think it would eat the coris wrasse as long as the coris isn't a baby and the eel isn't full grown. The wrasse or maybe a large angel will probably be the least aggressive fish in my tank. And from what I've heard they should be fine as long as the snowflake can't fit them in his mouth. Or maybe a puffer, because I want a puffer so badly I think i've ruled a lionfish out. Otherwise I think I would def get one!

I'm still not sure on my stocking list my I have the next 2 months or so to figure it out before adding my first fish so all in all i'm good!

[ram303]

Average Size:

Attains at least three feet (36 inches) in length.
Minimum Tank Size Suggested:

No less than 75 gallons, because it can outgrow a small aquarium in a rather short period of time.
Characteristics and Compatibility:

Although considered to be less-aggressive than other saltwater morays, the Snowflake Eel can become very pugnacious at feeding time. With poor eyesight but a keen sense of smell, when food is detected it emerges from hiding and aggressively searches it out. This moray is best kept with similar in nature aggressive fish species, and ones larger in size than the eel to discourage predation. Can live communally with other eels if plenty of room and shelter is provided. However, an established resident my become aggressive towards a newly added smaller eel, sometimes resulting in cannibalism.
Diet and Feeding:

A predatory bottom-dweller, this carnivore will actively go in search of food. With blunt teeth for crushing its favorite prey, crustaceans, the Snowflake Eel also eats fish. Juvenile and adult specimens alike readily adapt to aquarium life, accepting all types of fresh and frozen fares including clam, crab, shrimp, squid, scallop and fish meat. Usually if well fed, by feeding several times a week of an amount of food to satisfy the eel's appetite, it ignores other tank inhabitants. It is not uncommon for eels to go into a "hybernation" period, often hiding and not eating for several weeks, or longer.
Reef Tank Suitability:

Not considered reef safe. Will eat crustaceans and fish tankmates.


Although I have not kept a snowflake eel myself, they did have one in the LFS for a very long time, about 2ft long. 6 cromis lasted 2 weeks in his tank.

[AC2020x]

I've got a couple of questions about water testing?

Here's what I have
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
PH
Alkalinity/ carbonate hardness- I have one for each- are they the same? what the difference?
Calcium
Phosphate

Thats what I have- is there anything else I should/need to have? Also what should my levels be for them? Specifically the last three?
Thanks alot!

[ram303]

that should just about cover is AC2020x
Amonia should be 0 as to nitrite,phosphate, and nitrate.
calcium should be around 400ppm I think. it depends on your coral load.
I dont have much coral so i dont check it very often in my tank.
PH should be 8.3-8.4
As for the differance between ALK and KH im sory i dont now that one.

[AC2020x]

While i'm cycling my tank should I leave the lights on at all?

[ram303]

It wouldnt hurt AC2020x if there is any coraline alge on your rock, I think it may need light.I did with my old tank and i will with the new one...

[AC2020x]

Well, just an update on the tank, All is doing well and pretty much in the same place as I left it soo far. I'm still in the process of making my sump. I had it completly done and tested and ready to put it under my tank but it wouldn't fit long wise though the size of the cabnet by like 1/8" too long. So my dad tried tapping on it lightly to push it in and the glass broke. So this weekend i'm getting a new 29g and resealing the sump baffles. Our new plan is to take out part of the cabinet that doesn't hold up the tank, so then we can just slide it in this time.

I also have received everything I need for including my skimmer, pumps, canopy and so on so i'm just waiting to get my sump ready to use.

Tommorow me and my freind are also headed to lancaster to That Fish place, where my plan is to get 4 pj cardinals to put in my tank to make sure it's good to go for when I get my first less hardy fish. (not sure what that's gonna be yet.)

I tested my water last night and it seems to have mostly cycled- there's still a little ammonia and other stuff but I think the cardinals should be fine!

Ammonia- .25ish
Nitrite- Low- can't remember exact - less than .5
Nitrate like 5-10
PH 8.2
Salinity 1.24 (should be alright?)
and I tested some other stuff that all looked good. (the numbers are at my house but I'm not)

I'll update again with pics once I have the fish!

[ram303]

How long has your tank been cycling for now AC2020x

[AC2020x]

Now I would say it's been about a month. I'm sure it's not fully cycled but I think it should be alright for pj cardinals since they are pretty hardy.

[ram303]

you can only give it a go mate. But i would recomend a good water change first.
I always do a waterchange befor adding new fish, i think its just good practice.

[AC2020x]

I did one today. - i'm hoping/ guessing they should be alright. I'll let you know how it goes!

[Jakezori]

Well, I got the 5 PJ cardinals today- I drip acclimated them for around 2 1/2 hours and they seem alright. I put them in the tank and they seem completely lost and out of place in a 125. I also turned off one of the 3 powerheads since they seemed to be being pushed around a little much. Currently the lights are off but I'll try to get some pics tomorrow. There are two grouped together on one side of the tank. And 3 on the other. I wonder if they will every explore the tank and meet up? Probably once they get used to the tank. lol

[AC2020x]

That was actually me who posted- My friend signed into his account on my comp and I forgot to sign out. lol

[Jakezori]

ROFL

... ac ... where are pics?

[AC2020x]

Well, Good news and bad news- Bad being that one of them died last night. I think it was because there was too much flow in the tank and he was too small and must have made for too stressful of a night. The good news- The rest are great. I turned off two powerheads now as opposed last night I still had 2 on so I only have 1 on now. They seem very happy and seem to stick together well. I fed them a bit and they ate so they seem good. Here are some pics.

Hopefully after another month or so my tank will be fully cycled and good to get a less hardy fish.

In the mean time I will be setting up my sump system and ATO.

I've got alot of work to do!

PS the powerhead they are next to is off otherwise they would be swept away!

[ram303]

Very cool AC2020x

[AC2020x]

So, my first sump tank as I said earlier cracked as I tried to get it in the bottom on my tank. So I had to make another and this time me and my dad removed what was blocking it, and just put it back on after we put it in!
This is me testing the tank for holding water - and then this is what happened to the tank.

[AC2020x]

This time once I reconstructed my sump I removed the panel in my stand and put it in there- that was a few days ago- and now I fully have my sump up and running. I put my heathers- thermometer, filter and protein skimmer in it. I have an eshopps-1000 and a mag-7 pump. The whole set-up is a bit noisy but not bad.

At first I thought it was much much louder
There are two small PVC pipes that the eshopps comes with and the water flows down though them while still in the overflow box I forgot to put the sponge padding in the pvc so when it flowed down it made a huge gugling sound and when the water came out of the PVC there were so many air bubbles it was like a rapid of spashing water in there. Once I put in the sponges though it calmed down alot and a vast majority of the noise is gone!!!

Here are some pics of my set-up. If there is anything you guys see that I should watch out for or change- let me know.

Thanks alot

[Muske]

Have you checked the capasity of the 29 if and when the power goes out?

As the pre-filter collect a little detrius, there will be even less noise.

[AC2020x]

yeah, I've tested it and we've already had a power-outage so it's a good thing that I did. Thats a good idea for the pre-filter I will def look into that .

Well, New/ big update- I've got a huma huma trigger and Snowflake eel- They both seem to be doing great and eating very well. The huma has an awesome personality, and he is a pig!- he is about 2-3" and everytime I put my hand or soemthing into the tank he will rush right over to it. He also lets me hand feed him which is alot of fun and he has also nipped at my hand a couple times before realizing it wasn't food.

The snowflake has been in the tank about 3 days and has spend most of his time in the rocks hidden. He's starting to come out more and more though and during feeding he comes out most of the way. He's about 7-8" and very small in circumference- he seems to be doing great though and is a ton of fun to watch eat!!

They are some really awesome fish!

[AC2020x]

Small update i'm remaking my 29g since it has some serious issues and I moved my clowns and firefish into this tank and they seem to be doing fine along with everyone in the tank. Everyone is eating and very happy/ healthy! W00t!