Jeffrey's "Big Boy"---120g Planted
- Thread starter jmhart
- Start date
The tank is a 120g Marineland, 48"x24"x24", with a 700 gph corner overflow. I will most likely be removing the overflow and simply using the exisiting holes as the intake and output for my filtration system. There will be one input from the overflow hole. Output will either be entirely by a substrate level spray bar, or the substrate level spray bar plus two glass lily outputs.
The stand is maple, custom built. I've built plenty of stands before, some that even passed as decent(see the first post here), but for this I wanted professional furniture grade. After getting the thing home, it's apparent that I could have easily done the stand because most of the trim is prefab from a woodworking store like Rockler, but the canopy was the real gem du jour. The canopy is very solid, and incorporates a nice design to minimize light from shining through the seams. That was important to me and I couldn't have duplicated it unless I blatantly ripped off the cabinet maker.
The filtration will be a closed loop incorporating three canister filters, a Hydor Inline heater, a UV sterilizer, inline co2 injection, as well as inline probes. I will also be incorporating an auto water change system.
Lighting will be a 6x54w Tek T5HO with 3 Giessman Middays and 3 Aquafloras. CO2 pressurized with a pH controller.
Finally, the whole thing will be controlled by a DIY controller based on a modified DIG drip irrigation controller.
These projects will be completed in the very near future. In consideration for expansion, I'll be building my piping with additional connections for future auto dosing.
I've taken a year to plan this out, so when I say "near future" that means, hopefully, before December 31. I'm patient and planning to build everything perfectly. I'm heavily leaning on the learning and experience of others.
The stand is maple, custom built. I've built plenty of stands before, some that even passed as decent(see the first post here), but for this I wanted professional furniture grade. After getting the thing home, it's apparent that I could have easily done the stand because most of the trim is prefab from a woodworking store like Rockler, but the canopy was the real gem du jour. The canopy is very solid, and incorporates a nice design to minimize light from shining through the seams. That was important to me and I couldn't have duplicated it unless I blatantly ripped off the cabinet maker.
The filtration will be a closed loop incorporating three canister filters, a Hydor Inline heater, a UV sterilizer, inline co2 injection, as well as inline probes. I will also be incorporating an auto water change system.
Lighting will be a 6x54w Tek T5HO with 3 Giessman Middays and 3 Aquafloras. CO2 pressurized with a pH controller.
Finally, the whole thing will be controlled by a DIY controller based on a modified DIG drip irrigation controller.
These projects will be completed in the very near future. In consideration for expansion, I'll be building my piping with additional connections for future auto dosing.
I've taken a year to plan this out, so when I say "near future" that means, hopefully, before December 31. I'm patient and planning to build everything perfectly. I'm heavily leaning on the learning and experience of others.
opcorn:
Well, I got to work and removed the overflow. It was a lot easier than I expected....I mean, I thought it was gonna be easy, but MAN was it easy.
Before:
After:
I left the strip of silicone at the bottom. It runs across the silicone at the seams of the glass, so I didn't want to risk cutting into that. Also, this way I'll have an outline if I ever want to reattach the overflow. It'll be covered up with 4+ inches of substrate anyway.
Before:
After:
I left the strip of silicone at the bottom. It runs across the silicone at the seams of the glass, so I didn't want to risk cutting into that. Also, this way I'll have an outline if I ever want to reattach the overflow. It'll be covered up with 4+ inches of substrate anyway.
I did pay a little more for it to be drilled. I wanted it drilled. I had originally thought I'd buy a standard tank, and drill the back, but later decided that it'd be better to go with reef ready and remove the overflow. Getting a reef ready tank saved me from the risk of cracking the glass while drilling and from having to spend $40 on some diamond drill bits.
I also figured a reef-ready tank would hold it's value better than a standard tank that had been custom drilled, should I resell it later down the road.
Between all those things, it was worth the extra $100...actually, after my haggling, I think it was only an extra $50.
My decision was tough when I was looking at aquariums with dual overflows, but when I saw the corner overflow, it was pretty perfect for what I'm going for.
Thanks!
I really put a lot of thought into it. I'm a bit commitment-phobic (as my wife will tell you), and that applies heavily to large purchases.
Painted that back.
Before:
Midway(styrafoam on the stand):
And 4 coats of paint plus touch up later:
Before:
Midway(styrafoam on the stand):
And 4 coats of paint plus touch up later:
