"If you want to upgrade your tank I want you to upgrade my front porch!"

[MatteZ]

That title is pretty clever huh?

I wanted to upgrade to a 120g rr tank for a bit now but have been running into a problem. The tank site to the right of my desk. So it is viewable from the front and left sides. Now that isn't that big of deal but I figure that this is the only time I will ever upgrade my tank. Unless I upgrade and get a new/bigger house. (That I can't build myself so my wife can't ask me)

My problem is that most standard reef ready tanks with a single corner overflow are on the left. I want it on the right. I know I could just build something to cover the side of the tank so you can't see the drain while I am sitting at my desk but I didn't want to restrict viewing. And since I will probably never upgrade to a larger tank in this house I might as well do it how I want.

I know I could drill the tank myself. I drilled my current 90g tank and not all that in love with it. Plus I would be forced to put the tank off the wall even more and I don't want that either. So I called all the local stores and nobody as able to help me. I also sent emails to all the common tank companies but they all don't make custom tanks either...

I came across Coast to Coast Aquariums and thus far have been pretty impressed. All of my reefer friends have said good things about them as well. I know that there are tons of people that say they build tanks but are not good at it. So far I feel comfortable with them and am moving forward with the build.

I went with a 54" long by 24" deep by 25" tall. It totals about 135 gallons. It is going to have Starphire glass on the front and left panel and will have black silicone and a black back. It is going to have one 1.5" drain in the back right corner and two 1" returns that are also in the back right corner. They are going to build me a steel frame for a stand that is 35" tall that I will pick up before the tank that way I can skin it and build a canopy to match.

The only other upgrades I need to do is the skimmer. I have been using the Reef Octopus 1000sss. I like it in my current system and never had any issues. I decided to upgrade to the Reef Octopus 2000sss. The place I ordered it from called me to tell me they ha an issue with my order and upgrade the skimmer t the 3000sss model! Score one for me! I will also get 2 mp40's I think later down the road. I currently hve the wp40 and am happy with it.

Here are the spec sheets for the tank and the stand

Oh, about that front porch. Yeah, um it will be done in the spring.

 

[lefkonj]

My friend had them make his 340, great work would absolutely use those guys if I was doing a custom tank.

 

[redfishbluefish]

News Flash!

Four men fell through a dilapidated front porch while delivering a new 135 gallon fish tank. No serious injuries, but the tank was a total loss.



Congratulations Matt. Will be following along with this tale.

 

[JRWOHLER]

I think the tank we set up at NJAAS was from Coast to Coast....I think if you go back though the threads you can find some pics.
Was nicely made.

 

[Cdiggy]

News Flash!

Four men fell through a dilapidated front porch while delivering a new 135 gallon fish tank. No serious injuries, but the tank was a total loss.



Congratulations Matt. Will be following along with this tale.

Damn man, you got me. I thought that stuff actually happened!

 

[MatteZ]

News Flash!

Four men fell through a dilapidated front porch while delivering a new 135 gallon fish tank. No serious injuries, but the tank was a total loss.



Congratulations Matt. Will be following along with this tale.

I have excellent homeowners insurance!

Or so I am told.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Yea, the C2C tank that we put in at Adventure Aquarium was well made. I've heard nothing but good things about them, so that's a good choice on manufacturer.

Can't wait to see this build progress. Congratz Matt!

 

[iTzJu]

I have excellent homeowners insurance!

Or so I am told.

Send me a copy of your Dec page and I'll let you know if you're covered haha (im an insurance underwriter)

I'll be following along Matt. Upgrades are always fun!

 

[MatteZ]

Thanks everybody! Now it is hurry up and wait. That and figure out how the heck I am going to transfer everything... The tank is going in the same spot as my current one. Also I want to use my existing rock in the new tank, but I am going to cook and etch it before I put it back in. I love the way the BRS Pukani rock looks but I know and have learned the hard way that it is full of po4. Good thing we just changed out a ton of egg crate at work and I kept the old ones. so I will be able to hold all the corals safely.

 

[mnat]

I have been to the C2C wharehouse and talked to the guys. They build some of the best tanks around, and you will not regret it.

 

[MatteZ]

So far they have been awesome to deal with! They also gave me the best price plus the most options out of the three quotes that I got.

I have been to the C2C wharehouse and talked to the guys. They build some of the best tanks around, and you will not regret it.

 

[MatteZ]

Equipment currently on my 90:
Reef Octopus 1000sss
Jeboa wp40
Ehiem 1262
Trigger Ruby sump 36x15x16
2 Radion Pros
3 150 watt heaters
Aprex controller
Tunze 3155 ATO
BRS Dual Reactor

So the only real things I need to upgrade is the skimmer and the power heads

These are the 2 things I ordered from that site I found Murkywatersaquariumsupplies. It wasn't the skimmer I ordered but apparently Reef Octopus stopped making the sss model. So I went with the DCS-200. I will say that the guy who runs that site gave me a huge discount on my entire order for my troubles. So much so that I placed another order wth him for new heaters and the Ecotech Reeflink. (he gave me the same dscount on them as well)

The skimmer is still sitting in the box in my basement but I couldn't help but put the vortech in my 90. So having both the mp40 and the wp40 in my tank I can make a good comparison of the two.

my lighting may be an issue with the new tank... One Radion covers 2'x2' section. my 90 is 48" long. the new tank is going to be 54". I think however this is going to be good because I have some corals that get scorched even if they are on the sand bed and I keep the lights at 40%. Some stuff I almost have to keep completely in the shade. So I figure that I will have some less lit spots at the ends of the tank.

I also picked up some extra dry rock from a guy in the club. I have BRS Pukani in my tank now and LOVE it!. you can do all kinds of neat thing with it and it looks so natural.

 

[MatteZ]

The Big Question

In about 2 weeks I want to start the move process. The question is how the heck should I do it?!?! Any input is greatly appreciated!

Since the new tank is going in the same spot as the current tank I have to come up with a game plan. I want to etch the rock I just got and I want to etch the live rock in my tank. I have a bunch of egg crate left over from a reno I did at work so I am going to make a bunch of frag racks so I can cut all of my corals and mount them on plugs or something.

One option is for me to borrow a 50 gallon tank from a friend of mine and put my fish, corals, and inverts in the tank in the same room as my 90. he has a canister filter so I would have some filtration.

Another option is for me to take out the rocks in my 90 and move it to the other side of the room then set it back up with the egg crate. that way I would have my sumo and skimmer still running.

the pros of the first idea is that if I took the 90 down and put the stock in a 50g tank I would have plenty of time to really clean the sump and the rest of the mechanics. The cons is the lack of filtration.

The pros of the second idea is that I would have better filtration and more room for the fishies to swim plus I would not have to worry about figuring a way to temp hang my lights. the cons would be the lack of time to clean everything.

 

[MatteZ]

So I got tired of running a hose in the window to make RODI water. it would freeze, it would rain, my wife would park on the hose, etc. I spent all night setting this up in my basement. I cut the 3/4" main water line and added a new valve so I can dedicate it just for the RO machine. It's like a fire hose!!!! im just going to run the water line threw the floor to under my kitchen cabinet.

My house was built in 1887 so everything is OLD and crooked.

 

[Cdiggy]

So I got tired of running a hose in the window to make RODI water. it would freeze, it would rain, my wife would park on the hose, etc. I spent all night setting this up in my basement. I cut the 3/4" main water line and added a new valve so I can dedicate it just for the RO machine. It's like a fire hose!!!! im just going to run the water line threw the floor to under my kitchen cabinet.

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My house was built in 1887 so everything is OLD and crooked.

I have been thinking about shard plumbing my ro as well. I want to add a drinking water kit to it ( the 3 gallon pressurized tank and faucet ) as well as a supply to the ice maker in the freezer. Has anybody used one of these kits before?

Ps sorry for the hijack!

 

[dppitone]

Nobody is selling the Octopus 2000 anymore, the company recalled it or something like that due to a problem. I don't know what. So they're having places send out the 3000 in it's place. All the better.

And that tank footprint 54" is a great solution for your space. Remember I was pushing for a 60" but that would've been tight. So seems like you got a perfect fit there.

 

[dppitone]

the pros of the first idea is that if I took the 90 down and put the stock in a 50g tank I would have plenty of time to really clean the sump and the rest of the mechanics. The cons is the lack of filtration.

The pros of the second idea is that I would have better filtration and more room for the fishies to swim plus I would not have to worry about figuring a way to temp hang my lights. the cons would be the lack of time to clean everything.

I think either way would work OK. But with a choice, I'd use the least disruptive method, which is to leave your sump running as is and set your lighting up the easiest, which is option one. Cleaning everything is probably less of a priority then keeping the system consistent, as the upgrade will be a bit of a stress on everything.

That said, I'm sure going the 50g tank swap out would work fine also, you'd be on top of it if there was a problem. But I'd choose #1.

FWIW, if you need extra capacity, you can borrow one of our 100 gallon stock tanks, which we plan on installing in about 6-8 weeks but we won't need until then. It's drilled so you can slap a tube on there and put it in line with the system water.

Dave

 

[mnat]

I like option 1 for your move as well. With the canister filter and a couple of water changes, you could keep the tank like that for a long time. I think I have a HOB skimmer you could probably also through on there. You can rig your light over the coral in the stock tank, to keep them happy. Time and patience with the move will give you the best results especially if you want to etch some rocks and clean your equipment.

 

[NikkiT]

I like option 1 for your move as well. With the canister filter and a couple of water changes, you could keep the tank like that for a long time. I think I have a HOB skimmer you could probably also through on there. You can rig your light over the coral in the stock tank, to keep them happy. Time and patience with the move will give you the best results especially if you want to etch some rocks and clean your equipment.

We have an extra LED if you need to borrow a light. . .

 

[MatteZ]

We have an extra LED if you need to borrow a light. . .

Thank you both. I may take you up on the skimmer. I think I am going to mix option 1 & 2.

My thought is that if I move my 90 to the other side of the room I can hook up the canister filter to that and disconnect my sump and the ret of the equipment. that way I don't have to mess with hanging lights. I don't need lights to cycle the tank.