I finally got around to getting my 120 setup, I had ordered all my materials and got the stand built a few weeks ago, but I never really had the time to put it all together until last week.
This is what the tank looked like when I first got it. Obviously it needed some cleaning and even with a few gallons of vinegar and razorblades some of the algae was so stuck I started chipping off the overflows, so I just left it on.
The stand is a basic design with 2x4's nailed together for the legs, 2x6 for the rails, and a few sheets of plywood. As I was priming the wood I thought it looked pretty nice in white, so I finished it off with a few coats of Behr Ultra White paint and a waterproof polyeurathane finish.
I was originally going to use a sump to filter it, but I got a good deal on a new 55 and I decided to use it for my brother's turtle tank. I still needed a filter though, and after some thinking I went with a inline canister setup. I picked up a few bulkheads and drilled the 55 for a external pump. Basically the 120 will drain into the 55, and it get's pumped back up through a iwaki 40rlxt pump and passes through 2 ocean clear canister filters.
First Overflow w/ Bioballs for extra filtration
Second Overflow w/ Durso and heater
Drain Lines
55 W/ Black PVC
The water exits the bulkhead
Enters the Iwaki external pump
Comes through both ocean clears
First canister has a cartridge
Second canister is all bio media
And exits via two return lines with locline fittings.
I also have a Eheim 2217 and a powerhead from my old setup, just to provide some extra filtration and circulation. I had to use vinyl tubing as the stand is very tall-40", and it wouldn't reach the top.
That's it for the filtration, here are some actual tank shots.
Overall the setup went pretty smooth, I got a lot of the stuff used so I saved a good deal of money. The stand was easy to build, the only tools I had were some clamps and drill. Plumbing was annoying though, as I had a few leaks and ended up redoing the hard plumbing twice, but in the end it was definitely worth the effort. I hope you'll enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed setting it up.
This is what the tank looked like when I first got it. Obviously it needed some cleaning and even with a few gallons of vinegar and razorblades some of the algae was so stuck I started chipping off the overflows, so I just left it on.
The stand is a basic design with 2x4's nailed together for the legs, 2x6 for the rails, and a few sheets of plywood. As I was priming the wood I thought it looked pretty nice in white, so I finished it off with a few coats of Behr Ultra White paint and a waterproof polyeurathane finish.
I was originally going to use a sump to filter it, but I got a good deal on a new 55 and I decided to use it for my brother's turtle tank. I still needed a filter though, and after some thinking I went with a inline canister setup. I picked up a few bulkheads and drilled the 55 for a external pump. Basically the 120 will drain into the 55, and it get's pumped back up through a iwaki 40rlxt pump and passes through 2 ocean clear canister filters.
First Overflow w/ Bioballs for extra filtration
Second Overflow w/ Durso and heater
Drain Lines
55 W/ Black PVC
The water exits the bulkhead
Enters the Iwaki external pump
Comes through both ocean clears
First canister has a cartridge
Second canister is all bio media
And exits via two return lines with locline fittings.
I also have a Eheim 2217 and a powerhead from my old setup, just to provide some extra filtration and circulation. I had to use vinyl tubing as the stand is very tall-40", and it wouldn't reach the top.
That's it for the filtration, here are some actual tank shots.
Overall the setup went pretty smooth, I got a lot of the stuff used so I saved a good deal of money. The stand was easy to build, the only tools I had were some clamps and drill. Plumbing was annoying though, as I had a few leaks and ended up redoing the hard plumbing twice, but in the end it was definitely worth the effort. I hope you'll enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed setting it up.
![[enjoyable_attempt]](/forums/data/avatars/s/41/41106.jpg?1431689636){kind=avatar}
