FINALLY!!!!! My new 125
- Thread starter FlorabamaTrigger
- Start date
Well, after reading all the different opinions on another thread here about Wet/Dry vs. Canisters, I finally decided on going the Wet/Dry route. I was speaking with someone who was putting together a price for me of a complete wet/dry with overflow and 1300GPH pump. Unfortunately his stuff was a little out of my price range. Granted, it was good quality, and I was partly paying for his knowledge in knowing where everything goes, but alas, I didn't want to completely blow my budget and end up with a great tank, clean water, but nothing but water in it! So, I started looking a little deeper and found a setup on Ebay that comes with a 26gal wet/dry tank w/media, dual overflows, hoses both up and down, 500W heater to go in the bottom of the sump, and a 900Gph submerged pump, all after shipping to my house for $275. Granted I might have saved a couple bucks going through the trouble of finding a used tank and making my own. But I figure I wasn't going to save THAT much so I decided to go with this setup. I was wanting originally to get my water to turnover at 10x per hour, but decided 950pgh should be sufficient. And if I end up needing more, I've got some 300GPH HOBs I can always throw on the back.
I purchased and fitted the eggcrate stuff from Lowes into the bottom of the tank tast night. I also picked up some PFS and a couple bags of crushed coral yesterday as well. The plan is to get started on rinsing the sand this weekend, so hopefully when the sump gets here early next week I'll be ready to start dumping water in finally! Granted it's probably going to take a month or so of cycling before I'm ready for fish, (although I'm tempted to try some of the liquid additives the LFS has to speed that up), but that will give me enough time for the sand to settle and the tank to clear as well as give me enough time to lay out all the million or so decorations and rocks that the guy threw in and decide what's going in the tank, and what's going to be for the front yard landscape!
I'll take pics along the way as I go.
I purchased and fitted the eggcrate stuff from Lowes into the bottom of the tank tast night. I also picked up some PFS and a couple bags of crushed coral yesterday as well. The plan is to get started on rinsing the sand this weekend, so hopefully when the sump gets here early next week I'll be ready to start dumping water in finally! Granted it's probably going to take a month or so of cycling before I'm ready for fish, (although I'm tempted to try some of the liquid additives the LFS has to speed that up), but that will give me enough time for the sand to settle and the tank to clear as well as give me enough time to lay out all the million or so decorations and rocks that the guy threw in and decide what's going in the tank, and what's going to be for the front yard landscape!
I'll take pics along the way as I go.
Okay, here we go. The Wet/Dry finally showed up, and just shy of the skimmer box breaking, (He's sending another one), and me having to remove one of the rear supports in the stand to get it in, it looks as though it's going to work out fine. Tomorrow I will bring home some hose clamps to secure the hoses until I can replace with PVC, and then start setting it up!
Oh, and another bonus, the pump is 1300 GPH rather than the original 900GPH I thought came with this kit!
Now for some pics....
Oh, and another bonus, the pump is 1300 GPH rather than the original 900GPH I thought came with this kit!
Now for some pics....
Okay, I FINALLY got the tank filled. I opted for only one bag or Crushed coral, (actually it's aragonite), and I'm thinking I may still add the second bag. With this being my first sump, it was definitely a learning experience! I see, or rather hear, now what people refer to about it sounding like a toilet flushing constantly. Although it doesn't bug me now, I'm going to figure some kind of top for the overflow box to possibly quieten it down. I also will say that I realize now why everyone always paints their tanks rather than putting that plastic stuff on them. It worked fine on my 29g, but now this 125g is a bit longer, and with it being black, it REALLY shows all the bubbles. I thought I had gotten the majority of them out, then this morning after filling the tank long stretches of air started showing up in it. Thankfully I left enough room to get a paint roller behind the tank and paint it later on down the line without draining and moving the thing! I haven't put much in yet as I was mainly wanting to hurry up and get the tank filled and cycling. Anyways, here are the latest shots.
Very nice start! Im doing a VERY similar setup soon. I suggest looking into some CA/SA cichlids, some of the pearling and patterns are mind-blowing! Carpintis, cuban, female red terror, beani, etc.
madhatter27;4716043; said:
Thanks! This is my first, (although saying this here on MFK is like throwing a deck chair off a cruise ship), Big Boy Tank! I got my first 29g about 6 mths ago and have African Cichlids in it. Thinking I'll probably stick with the ACs for now. My plan is to keep this tank up and learn over the next year, and then for Xmas next year, get another 125 or hopefully larger so I can have some Monsters of my own!
Nice looking set up. I love that sump! As far as your next tank goes, get a 2ft wide tank. They're so much nicer and once you get one, you'll understand what I mean. One question for you, what is the egg crate for?
