# My 120 is finally Up. Check it out.



## Dax (Sep 29, 2010)

Just made the move from a 60 gallon, so now I have more options. Check out the pics and let me know what you think. Notice the Deep sand bed on the left side and SSB on the right. The rocks on the left side are on standoffs so if I want to get rid of the sand later, I can do it slowly and without stirring up the crap.

My nitrates were over 100ppm but I've been adding upto 50% new water over the move so hopefully it settles down. I'm going to wait a couple of weeks but am itching to add new stuff. Not sure if i'll make it past this weekend but we'll see what specials SUM has.

I'll have to wait for the water quality to settle before adding corals but in the meantime any ideas on what fish to add? My kids want the Dory fish (Regal tang) so that's a given. I'd like to get more movement in the tank; maybe a few Chromis (5) for the schooling effect but that may limit my stocking with other more colourful/interesting fish.

So far:

1 Bubble tip anemone (see picture)
1 Heniochus butterflyfish (6 inches)
2 Clarkii (3 inches each)
1 Foxface rabbitfish (4 inches)
1 Sixline wrasse (3 inches)
1 Yellowtail Damsel (2 inches)
2 Cleaner shrimp
2 Emerald crab ( can only see one)
1 Arrowhead sponge crab
8-10 Hermits
5-6 snails

All comments, ideas, advice are welcome.


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## Kooka (Feb 8, 2011)

Looks good, whats your filtration like? Are you planning on any corals later on?


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## Dax (Sep 29, 2010)

I thought about a sump long and hard but opted not to go that route. The HOB option works fine and I left plenty of room in the back.
Currently I have a Fluval canister running only carbon and Purigen. My old HOB skimmer doesn't fit the tank so I'm currently looking for another.
My lighting is reasonable for corals but my nitrate levels are still high so I'm waiting to get this under control, hence the DSB.


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## poobar (Feb 20, 2011)

Looks amazing!

Why did you leave the space at the top and not fill to the top??


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## Dax (Sep 29, 2010)

It is now almost filled to the bottom of the rim. Instead of putting all the old water in, I just left out about 40 gallons and made this my water change. That's a lot of water to make at one time so I am adding about 10 gallons a day and dripping it in because it has no time to properly mix.


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## Shoryureppa (Jul 1, 2011)

dude, tank looks nice man, love the dsb, that should help with your nitrates! how did you end up seeding it? what kind of sand did you use? i ended up buying 270lbs of bahama oolite. hows the flow in the tank? looks like the anemone is getting blasted, looks awesome. 
i finally got my oceanic tech tank 120, maybe i'll do a thread on it. going to be building an ada style stand. next week comes the 2 mp40's with battery back up and spare wetsides!!! would love to get your input when i set mine up


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## Dax (Sep 29, 2010)

The sand is the caribsea aragonite from the original tank. I figure the sand should already have some life in it but I also got a couple of handfuls from Big Als. I got a handful from a tank in the Newmarket store and also a handful from the Thornhill one. The manager in the Thornhill one was cool enough to grab the crud from the bottom of the live rock tank. It made a real mess and looks ugly as hell but I figure its got more diversity than any one tank. Still hoping to get some sand from you once you get some from your buddies. Can't wait to see your setup and definately take pictures as you go. Did you notice the layering of coarser sand in between the fine one? I thought it would look cool and I must say I like it. I only did it along the glass. If I did it again, I'd probably get more creative.

BTW, all 3 store owners/managers I spoke to advised against a DSB. They said it is potentially more trouble than it's worth ... that is why I set mine up the way it is. If I have to remove it, the rocks lift off and I can siphon out a section at a time. In the meantime I get to try one more thing. The Vodka method did nothing for me except waste good boose  or maybe I gave up too soon.

The flow in my tank is around 3000 gal/hr or ~30X. I figure thats enough. Now 2 MP40s, thats impressive. I've thought about it but can't seem to pull the trigger when I see the price tag. Congrats.


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## Shoryureppa (Jul 1, 2011)

i got the same responses about dsb's from BA. one thing I've learned is to always ask if they had done what i'm about to do, if not, i could care less about what they say because it's all based on their on their own theories. most of the reef tanks i saw and will copy from youtube all had dsb's, the ocean is a massive dsb, how could it not work if maintained properly? i figured i would need supplemental nutrient export ie. refugium, macro etc. but it will work.

that layer definitely looks dope, adds character, thats is why i asked what sand you used. when i set mine up, i'll hook you up with the sand. 

the mp40's i found a great deal used. when i bought my first mp40, i couldn't open the box and thought maybe i should return it, mind you i used it on a 30 gallon. but when i set the damn thing up, my tank came to life,coral extensions on the polyps were unreal, even the fish behaved differently. my only regret is spending the money on the P.O.S. powerheads that i already had, now they are in my sump with the live rock, and the other 2 i use to mix salt with  once you see the flow and undertow from an mp40, you will never go back.

this time around i'm super patient, getting all my equipment set, the ones that will do the job, not just get by. i have wasted too much money buying and experimenting things then having to spend more just to upgrade because the cheaper crap won't work.


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## Dax (Sep 29, 2010)

Shoryureppa said:


> i got the same responses about dsb's from BA. one thing I've learned is to always ask if they had done what i'm about to do, if not, i could care less about what they say because it's all based on their on their own theories. most of the reef tanks i saw and will copy from youtube all had dsb's, the ocean is a massive dsb, how could it not work if maintained properly? i figured i would need supplemental nutrient export ie. refugium, macro etc. but it will work.


I'm with you. Not sure if I agree comparing the ocean to a tank but like you said, if maintained properly not only could it work, it WILL work. Most failures usually come from ignorance.



Shoryureppa said:


> that layer definitely looks dope, adds character, thats is why i asked what sand you used. when i set mine up, i'll hook you up with the sand.


My sand looks great. I don't think it matters what you use because the fine grain is what gives it that pristine look.



Shoryureppa said:


> the mp40's i found a great deal used. when i bought my first mp40, i couldn't open the box and thought maybe i should return it, mind you i used it on a 30 gallon. but when i set the damn thing up, my tank came to life,coral extensions on the polyps were unreal, even the fish behaved differently. my only regret is spending the money on the P.O.S. powerheads that i already had, now they are in my sump with the live rock, and the other 2 i use to mix salt with  once you see the flow and undertow from an mp40, you will never go back.


P.O.S powerheads, what are those?  Honestly, I like the Koralia, but then again I have no experience with any sort of wavemaker. BTW, I had to play with the PHs so that the sand doesn't blow around. Not sure what a nice undertown will do but I guess we'll find out.



Shoryureppa said:


> this time around i'm super patient, getting all my equipment set, the ones that will do the job, not just get by. i have wasted too much money buying and experimenting things then having to spend more just to upgrade because the cheaper crap won't work.


Amen, brother !!!


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## Shoryureppa (Jul 1, 2011)

Maybe the ocean is too big(no pun intended) of a comparison, but you know what I mean. If set up right and maintained properly, it will work. I'm willing to bet my *ss those people had not kept a dsb. I cannot stand it when people tell me something will not work, especially if they have no experience with it. You post something somewhere looking for advice then idiots chime in with their irrelevant 2 cents as to why it will fail.


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

What lights do you have on this tank?

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## Dax (Sep 29, 2010)

1- 48" Coralife Aqualight CFL w/ 2-65watt 10000k and 2-65watt actinic
and
2- 30" Coralife T5 w/ 1-18watt 10000k and 1-18watt actinic

I made up 4 custom aluminum heatsinks (2 feet each) and have a couple of large switching power supplies. One of these days when I get around to it, I'll order the LEDs and that will be my lighting.


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

Dax said:


> 1- 48" Coralife Aqualight CFL w/ 2-65watt 10000k and 2-65watt actinic
> and
> 2- 30" Coralife T5 w/ 1-18watt 10000k and 1-18watt actinic
> 
> I made up 4 custom aluminum heatsinks (2 feet each) and have a couple of large switching power supplies. One of these days when I get around to it, I'll order the LEDs and that will be my lighting.


Money suckers. That, why I did not want 72 long, but now got it 

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## Chromey (Sep 25, 2010)

This hole Hobby is a money sucker Greg... Could be worst, You could have bought a 60" ATI fixture, To replace a few months later with LEDs $$$$.

my wallet Hurt for a few months after that.


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## Dax (Sep 29, 2010)

Chromey said:


> This hole Hobby is a money sucker Greg... Could be worst, You could have bought a 60" ATI fixture, To replace a few months later with LEDs $$$$.
> 
> my wallet Hurt for a few months after that.


Anybody with a whole lot of money and just a little bit of common sense can have a beautiful setup. The trick is to balance creativity, efficiency and the $dough$. That is one of the things that makes it exciting for me. The only problem is having self control. Just like every kid, you see something and you want it, and you want it now.


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