Well, I am 4 months into my living room remodel and 1 month into the build of a 125g fish tank that will live in the living room. I thought I should start this thread before it gets too far along. Here is a pic of what my old 90g tank looked like and what I did to the living room. I will start posting pics of the new build later today or tomorrow. All of the livestock from the 90g went back to the LFS and the rock went into the pictured holding system until the living room was far enough along. My wife would love to get the laundry area back.
Dave's 125g tank build
- Thread starter DaveMorris1
- Start date
The hardware in this tank includes:
Euro Reef CS6 skimmer
2 GenX PCX-40 return pumps
Auto top off via float switch and a Rio 800
2 Hydro 400w heaters
Aquadyne Octopus controller
2 - 400w 14K MH on PFO ballast
1 - 65w Actinic power compact
1 - 65w 10K power compact
110 lbs. fiji rock from my 90g tank
105 lbs. Aragonite sand
20 lbs. Oolitic sugar sand
400 miles of PVC pipe
Euro Reef CS6 skimmer
2 GenX PCX-40 return pumps
Auto top off via float switch and a Rio 800
2 Hydro 400w heaters
Aquadyne Octopus controller
2 - 400w 14K MH on PFO ballast
1 - 65w Actinic power compact
1 - 65w 10K power compact
110 lbs. fiji rock from my 90g tank
105 lbs. Aragonite sand
20 lbs. Oolitic sugar sand
400 miles of PVC pipe
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Here is the other side of the lower stand. The stand, tank, and lighting setup will all be enclosed in cabinetry that is going to be built around the tank, floor to ceiling across two walls of the living room. I wasn't sure how much room I would need for the tank, so it came first and cabinetry comes later.
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Here are some pics of my rock setup. All but three pieces came from my old 90g tank and they don't have a lot of coraline on them. I bought a few more since I have two feet more space in the tank. I can not believe the difference that it makes going from a tank that was 13" front to back to a tank that is 18". My rock doesn't look like a brick wall. I also built a PVC support system to create a cave-like atmosphere and serve as a super structure to hold up the rock. The PVC makes a frame and I put eggcrate on top of it to add support. I still need to cover it in a few spots, but most of it is hidden pretty well. I think I will layer some epoxy over the pvc that I can see and push small chunks of rock into it to cover it up. The two pipes running down the corners are returns from one of my GenX pumps. They keep the water moving under and behind the rock. My Yellow Tang and Royal Gramma, the only two fish in the tank so far, love hiding in the rocks and zooming around the tank. I have added 12 hermits, 6 Astreas, 6 Turbos, and two Queen Conchs. The conchs are very amusing to watch. Sometimes I think they are watching me instead of the other way around.
That's all for now...
That's all for now...
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Besides the fact that the rocks touch the left side (I like to be able to clean the sides myself), the rockwork looks very nice! 
Is the 125 in the opposing wall of where the 90 was? Or on the wall to the left of where the 90 was?
What are the plans as far as corals and other fish/creatures go?
Is the 125 in the opposing wall of where the 90 was? Or on the wall to the left of where the 90 was?
What are the plans as far as corals and other fish/creatures go?
Actually the wall that the 90 was on is completely gone. The "fishroom" was a 8x15 room built within the 20x20 living room in the southeast corner. I tore out the walls and made it one big room. It is a much better use of the space and besides, now I get a bigger tank. I won't be cleaning the sides because I don't like the mirror effect that you get when viewing the tank from the front. Cabinets will cover the sides anyway.
As far as fish and corals go...I think I want to have as much of a coral mixture as I can. Probably mostly SPS. I am going to take that slow and easy. The LFS that I religiously use here in San Diego (Aquatic Warehouse) has some great talent when it comes to advice and help. I will probably work closely with them to plan my purchases.
As far as fish and corals go...I think I want to have as much of a coral mixture as I can. Probably mostly SPS. I am going to take that slow and easy. The LFS that I religiously use here in San Diego (Aquatic Warehouse) has some great talent when it comes to advice and help. I will probably work closely with them to plan my purchases.
Time for an update:
I have added:
another 5" hole in the wall
60g refugium
Ozone
Coral Beauty
Scopas Tang
Orange Zoos
Green Zoos
Red Shrooms
Green Monti frag
Everything seems to be doing good. I am having some trouble keeping the temp stable due to very cold un-San Diego-like weather over night' but I am working on that. Here are some pics:
I have added:
another 5" hole in the wall
60g refugium
Ozone
Coral Beauty
Scopas Tang
Orange Zoos
Green Zoos
Red Shrooms
Green Monti frag
Everything seems to be doing good. I am having some trouble keeping the temp stable due to very cold un-San Diego-like weather over night' but I am working on that. Here are some pics:
Attachments
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