The Longest 120G Build Ever

G

grim-bob

Ok. My tank is finally up and running after what has been nearly a 2 yr process due to other commitments taking up my time. I still have some minor additions to make but she has been up and running for a few months now.

There is some background in this old thread.

I built everything I could myself. Some details:
120G tank drilled for a closed loop with 4 returns
custom built steel stand
custom acrylic sump
2x250W MH
Velocity T4 return pump
Sequence Dart closed loop pump
DIY recirc skimmer (used body and collection cup from an old Top Fathom skimmer and a GenX 2400 needle wheel pump)

Here's some pics from along the way:

Raw Steel for the stand.

uncut_steel.jpg
alt="">

Tank parts piling up.

tankparts.jpg
alt="">

Remodel in progress.



remodel.jpg
alt="">

Lights on rails so that they can be moved out of the way for major work in the tank.

lightrail.jpg
alt="">

LED PC Fan. Provides for cooling. Blowing across the main display between the top of the tank and the lights. Also provides moonlighting via the built-in LEDs.

ledfan.jpg
alt="">

Rear view of the tank on the stand. Painted Plumbed and ready to move inside.

tankonstand.jpg
alt="">

View of the internal tank plumbing/bulkheads. Setup is indentical on the other half of the tank.

intankplumbing.jpg
alt="">

Sump curing after being glued up.

makingsump.jpg
alt="">

Rock cooking during the build.

rockcook1.jpg
alt="">
rockcook2.jpg
alt="">

Removable trimming that covers the front of the tank.

trim.jpg
alt="">

View with the tank installed. Basically complete. Needs a couple of final trim pieces installed and painting to be finished. You can't see it in the pic below but under the mini tree in the niche, the trimmed area comes off to reveal a hidden hatch that contains the 15G top-off drum and the MH ballasts.

flvw_trimmed.jpg
alt="">

frtvw_trimmed.jpg
alt="">

undertank.jpg
alt="">
 
That looks great! I have the exact same tank but didn't go through anywhere near that much effort to get it running...great work!

It's nice to see that the tank can be drilled. I bought the diamond tipped hole saws but didn't have the guts to do it. Maybe next time I need to move it I'll do it right.
 
OMG! :shock: That is amazing! I think that's my favorite in wall tank I've ever seen! Just fabulous! Under the stairs, wow. .just wow! :shock:
 
Looks great Josh. Glad to see that the upgrade was successful. Looks like you changed the stand a little bit.

How's the temp holding up with the tank all sealed up like that? Did you vent the area behind the sump/tank?
 
So far the temp is sticking at 82 which is near where I always ran my older tank. I'm probably going to add an exhaust fan routed to the attic but haven't done it yet. Also going to add a another fan over the sump most likely. I'm keeping a close eye on it though since that was the biggest concern I had. If needed I'll put a chiller on it.
 
Josh,

I would recommend running the exhaust through the attic and out an eve or exterior wall vent (you could install a dryer vent). I would be worried about condensation in attic, especially during the winter. In my last house, our clothes dryer vent pipe came apart and all the warm moist air was going into attic. During the winter, the water started to run down some framing inside the wall and the sheetrock on an interior wall started to weep. On our new house, all of the bathroom fans are vented out the eves for the same reason according to our builder. Awesome work on the built-in tank. I love the removable face.

Lee
 
Well. I found such a good deal on a chiller that I went ahead and picked it up. ($200 for a 1/3 hp). Better to have it and not need it than to not have it and need it I thought. As with all new toys I couldn't let it sit there idle so I went ahead and plumbed it in and decided to set the controller at 79. Dropped it down from 82 in no time. Has been barely kicking on to keep it there for the past 2 days.

Anyone know of any places to get some decent sized rocks? Decided I need a couple large pieces to add to my aquascaping.
 
Found a few large rocks a little over a month ago that I added to the tank. Redid the aquascaping yesterday and think I have something I can live with finally. Here's a rough pic (I'm no pro :shock: )

120G_012207.jpg
alt="">
 
Josh,
that's Simply incredible. your forethought in design looks like it'll pay off nicely. One idea you might consider is to use AC vents in the soffet area venting into the room. This however might cause the room to maintain overall humity and additional heat in the summer, but would be a nice usage of the generated heat in the winter.
Again, beautiful Job on the entire project.
 
Nice clean installation and the planning that you put into this project really shows. Great job and thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing future progress of your tank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top