Steve's 120 Long reef and side tank

[jamesonwhiskey]

I've been thinking about upgrading my tank for a while now... I've had the 54g corner bow for 2.5 years which was upgraded from a 12g nano that I had for 2 years before that. The tricky part here is going to be the actual switch between tanks since the new one is going in the same place as the old one so I'm going to do as much as possible upfront.

I'm planning on bigger fish and maybe going with semi-aggressive one's this time but I want to keep my Clowns and Mandarins for breeding soooo.... I'm going to plumb in a smaller tank (20-30g maybe??) into the same system, it will be about 8 feet away. Then will switch out pieces of live rock every couple of weeks for the Mandarins, they also love Ova so I don't have to fully depend on the LR for feeding.

I'll update with some pics and a list of what I got so far tomorrow but wanted to get this thread going :smile:

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

current setup...

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

new tank and stand...

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

Can I use white vinegar to help clean this up?

 

[fishman1069]

I had those things soaking in vinegar for a week! I tried my best to get it off and the coralline won:smash: Good luck with it man, I'll be following the build

 

[JonnyJ]

i would use vinegar and mr clean magic erasers

 

[thirty6]

I had those things soaking in vinegar for a week! I tried my best to get it off and the coralline won:smash: Good luck with it man, I'll be following the build

I did same thing, I didnt win either. You can try muratic acid (spelling) if it bother you to look at. I'm going to leave mine be

 

[lnevo]

current setup...

Hmmm, gives me an idea..have all that wasted space behind the sofa wedge...

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

I had those things soaking in vinegar for a week! I tried my best to get it off and the coralline won:smash: Good luck with it man, I'll be following the build

And I was going to use a vinegar/water mix, guess I have no chance... I'm just going to them leave as is

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

Hmmm, gives me an idea..have all that wasted space behind the sofa wedge...

lol... my corner tank will likely be up for sale by end of Sept if all goes well. Although my buddy stopped by last night and thinks I should put the new tank somewhere else and keep both!

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

Did a water test yesterday... the glass did flex a bit since the cross-brace is broken. I got a metal brace with the tank which helped but I'm going to try some epoxy in there too.

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

Also tested the MP40 I got from AussieCrazy... never used anything more than a $30 powerhead previously, there's a slight difference

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

I'm going to paint the plastic trim... I'll scuff it up with sandpaper then use a glossy black.

What kind of paint do I use to paint the back of the tank though... regular flat black spray paint, or something else?

 

[bigdog1428]

I used a satin black , and I rolled it in . 2-3 coats should be fine

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

I used a satin black , and I rolled it in . 2-3 coats should be fine

cool, hoping to get it done this weekend. much easier than bringing the tank outside to spray paint it.

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

I'm going to use a thin <1" layer of black sand and will have my sump w/ light underneath and don't want any light to shine through. Does anyone paint the bottom of their tank?

 

[thirty6]

Are you placing sand in tank? If so no point in painting it really

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

Are you placing sand in tank? If so no point in painting it really

yeah less than an inch...

 

[Awibrandy]

Wow, I would be so nervous about the tank possibly blowing out on account of the damaged center brace.:yikes:
You mention wanting to paint the brace, how about replacing the brace? Honestly, I would just buy a new 55, I just wouldn't be able to sleep. yeah, I'm a girl....LOL

 

[jamesonwhiskey]

Wow, I would be so nervous about the tank possibly blowing out on account of the damaged center brace.:yikes:
You mention wanting to paint the brace, how about replacing the brace? Honestly, I would just buy a new 55, I just wouldn't be able to sleep. yeah, I'm a girl....LOL

The bad brace is on the 120 Long, not the sump so it's a little harder to get a new tank. You can see in my pics it came with a white steel support brace that I put on top to keep it from flexing, it worked well.

I did epoxy the plastic though tonight but don't think I'll ever trust it 100% as you said lol.