Sherman
Has Met Willis
I'm getting really close to adding water, so I figure it's about time to start posting progress photos of the 120g (4x2x2) I've been working on for quite some time now. I had hoped to have water in it a few weeks ago, but that just wasn't possible. The tank is a used AGA 120 from a club member.
I've just never been able to tolerate the AGA Mega-Flows. They're bulky, take up precious aquascaping space, and have that silly dual layer setup. Most importantly, they're curved, so the coralline can't be scraped off very effectively. So the first project was replacing those overflows with a single, square overflow.
The 120 comes with 2 overflows, with 2 holes drilled in each (1" and 3/4"), for a total of 4 holes. AGA intended the 3/4" to be used for returns, but I decided I'd rather be more conventional, and go over the back with the return plumbing, so I could eliminate one of the overflows and use both holes in the remaining overflow for drains. To cover the now unused holes, I decided to copy what the bottom of the tank was already made out of, 1/2" tempered glass. I siliconed a piece right over the top of the holes. Looking back, this was extreme overkill. It wouldn't have taken anywhere near this much strength to cover those holes. Oh well, I'll sleep easy at night, knowing it's pretty much bulletproof down there.
The final step was painting the tank. I'd long ago decided I wanted a tank with an open area for fish to swim, and I thought the "edge of the reef" would be a nice effect. This also worked out well with the offset of the overflow. So... I painted the background. 4 different blues (the darkest is hard to see in this photo) and black. This photo was while I was leak testing the siliconed plate of glass.
Next was a stand. I wasn't really in the mood to shell out a few hundred dollars for a custom stand, so I decided to do it myself. All the furniture in my house is Mission style red oak, and I wanted something a little different for the new aquarium, so I decided on black stained birch. The back and sides of the tank are made of 3/4" birch plywood for strength, and the front is made from birch hardwood. The top and bottom are plain 3/4" plywood. I painted the inside with a 2-part epoxy after I sealed all the seams with silicone. The stand should hold several gallons of water, in case of flood.
I contemplated what to do with the sump for quite some time. I wanted a refugium, and I had to fit the 10" round AE-USA skimmer. The sump is made from 3/8" acrylic, is euro-braced, and has 1/4" baffles. The 1" tank drain will drop right down into the skimmer chamber through a filter sock, go through the bubble trap, and into the return chamber. The 3/4" drain will feed the refugium, which will overflow into the return chamber. Total volume of the sump is about 45g, with about 18g of that being backup.
I still need to put another coat of stain on the stand, then varnish it. Once that's done, it's back out to the backyard for leak testing the entire setup.
Notes on equipment:
The return pump is a Mag 12. I'd like a Sequence Snapper, in time, but this Mag came at the right price and will do the job.
Water movement will happen with Seio powerheads. I have a 2600 and a 1500. If those don't work out to enough flow, I have another 1500 as backup. In time, I'd like to see Vortechs on the tank, but these work for now.
The skimmer is an AquaEuro USA Classic 400. It looks like they've fixed their pump problems, so I'm anxious to see what this thing will do.
Lighting is a Catalina Aquatics fixture with 2x250w DE metal halides, 4x39w T5 and an array of moonlights. It will be hanging from the ceiling via stainless braided cabling and GripLocks.
I will be running a 25w UV sterilizer. I'm going to attempt to gravity feed this unit. Flow won't be anywhere near what it's supposed to handle, so I'm not sure what that will mean. If it doesn't work out, I'll remove it until I can add that Snapper pump, and have some flow to waste.
I've just never been able to tolerate the AGA Mega-Flows. They're bulky, take up precious aquascaping space, and have that silly dual layer setup. Most importantly, they're curved, so the coralline can't be scraped off very effectively. So the first project was replacing those overflows with a single, square overflow.
The 120 comes with 2 overflows, with 2 holes drilled in each (1" and 3/4"), for a total of 4 holes. AGA intended the 3/4" to be used for returns, but I decided I'd rather be more conventional, and go over the back with the return plumbing, so I could eliminate one of the overflows and use both holes in the remaining overflow for drains. To cover the now unused holes, I decided to copy what the bottom of the tank was already made out of, 1/2" tempered glass. I siliconed a piece right over the top of the holes. Looking back, this was extreme overkill. It wouldn't have taken anywhere near this much strength to cover those holes. Oh well, I'll sleep easy at night, knowing it's pretty much bulletproof down there.
The final step was painting the tank. I'd long ago decided I wanted a tank with an open area for fish to swim, and I thought the "edge of the reef" would be a nice effect. This also worked out well with the offset of the overflow. So... I painted the background. 4 different blues (the darkest is hard to see in this photo) and black. This photo was while I was leak testing the siliconed plate of glass.
Next was a stand. I wasn't really in the mood to shell out a few hundred dollars for a custom stand, so I decided to do it myself. All the furniture in my house is Mission style red oak, and I wanted something a little different for the new aquarium, so I decided on black stained birch. The back and sides of the tank are made of 3/4" birch plywood for strength, and the front is made from birch hardwood. The top and bottom are plain 3/4" plywood. I painted the inside with a 2-part epoxy after I sealed all the seams with silicone. The stand should hold several gallons of water, in case of flood.
I contemplated what to do with the sump for quite some time. I wanted a refugium, and I had to fit the 10" round AE-USA skimmer. The sump is made from 3/8" acrylic, is euro-braced, and has 1/4" baffles. The 1" tank drain will drop right down into the skimmer chamber through a filter sock, go through the bubble trap, and into the return chamber. The 3/4" drain will feed the refugium, which will overflow into the return chamber. Total volume of the sump is about 45g, with about 18g of that being backup.
I still need to put another coat of stain on the stand, then varnish it. Once that's done, it's back out to the backyard for leak testing the entire setup.
Notes on equipment:
The return pump is a Mag 12. I'd like a Sequence Snapper, in time, but this Mag came at the right price and will do the job.
Water movement will happen with Seio powerheads. I have a 2600 and a 1500. If those don't work out to enough flow, I have another 1500 as backup. In time, I'd like to see Vortechs on the tank, but these work for now.
The skimmer is an AquaEuro USA Classic 400. It looks like they've fixed their pump problems, so I'm anxious to see what this thing will do.
Lighting is a Catalina Aquatics fixture with 2x250w DE metal halides, 4x39w T5 and an array of moonlights. It will be hanging from the ceiling via stainless braided cabling and GripLocks.
I will be running a 25w UV sterilizer. I'm going to attempt to gravity feed this unit. Flow won't be anywhere near what it's supposed to handle, so I'm not sure what that will mean. If it doesn't work out, I'll remove it until I can add that Snapper pump, and have some flow to waste.
.... i can't wait to see more progress 
