Help setting up a 120 gallon salt water tank

scottisbored

scottisbored

New Member
Hello,
I just purchased a 120 gal tank which I'd like to make a salt water reef tank out of it. I've never tried a salt water tank before and I'm trying to figure out where to go. I currently have a 120 gal African Cichlids, 41 gal community tank, 20 gal tank for my crawfish, and a 90 gal outdoor pond with koi. So I think its time to try salt water. So far i've purchases the tank, 2 canister filters (for 70 gals...totalling 140), a heater, the salt mix, test kit for reef tank, and will be purchasing a powerhead and protein skimmer in the morning. So I'm unsure on what type of lighting I should get for my tank if I'm trying to do a reef setup. I've heard that you should have 3 to 5 watts per gallon of water in the tank. So will I have to purchase a new canopy to house the lights considering mine only holds one, four foot lamp? So I'd really appreciate anyone help and input on where I should go from here.
 
Thanks,
Scott
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
First off Scott, I would suggest reading alittle bit about SW tanks. You sound like you have tanks down pat, but SW is a little different. The book I have read was the conscience marine aquarist and it was a joy to read. Look around and I am sure you can find it for $30 used somewhere. There are also tons of info out on the net that you can read through. I will say that my knowledge came from a collection of sources. About 35% from the book, 35% from websites, and the remaining 30% from this forum. The members here, save a few imature people, are awesome and will not steer you down the wrong path.
 
I would keep the receipt for those canisters as a sump/refugium would be far better. I would also think about getting more than 1 powerhead too. You dont want circular "flow" in your tank. you will want atleast 1 powerhead pushing against your return from whatever filtration you choose or against another powerhead. If you have circular flow, there will be "dead spots" behind items in the "flow". If those deadspots happen to be where you have placed your very pretty coral, they will not thrive due to lack of food.
 
As far as lighting goes, all i can tell you is that it depends on what corals you want to keep. Odds are, you will want some nice corals and will need some serious lighting to get them to thrive. The cheapest way to do this is to get a retrofit kit. I am finding out that this is really the only way to go to get exactly what you want at a price that doesnt put a damper on your wallet. There are many kinds of lights out there, but with a reef, you will want to stay with T5HO or metal hylide lights. The T5HO's are cheaper out the gate, but you will have to replace them more often than the hylides. I will let someone who has more experience than I to comment on the lights.
 
As far as what is best to do now, make a list of what you want in the tank. Research the heck out of not only the fish, but the inverts as well. Then pick the corals you would like to have and research them as well. I found that making this list first helped me decide what equipment to get and eliminated most of the "bone-headed" equipment choices i was bound to make. The most benifical research i ever did was finding out that Harlequin Shrimp only eat chocolate-chip starfish thus eliminating them from my list of inhabitants on the tank.
 
Again, i am no expert by any strech of the imagination, but I can offer you advice on the basics of this stuff. Definatly post all your questions as there are no stupid questions. The only stupid questions are the ones that go unasked.
 
scottisbored

scottisbored

New Member
Thanks alot,
I appreciate it. Yeah I'm not trying to rush into the tank and make fatal mistakes. I'm trying to slowly purchase what I can and learn as much as I can before starting the tank. I was wondering if anyone had any reliable sites where a sump/refugium systems can be purchased?
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Hi, and welcome to SWF!!! Check out the DIY section on here for the sump/refugium. If you are somewhat handy, you could build your own. This will definitely save you some cash.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the site, Scott.
 
Do you have an actual canopy on top of the tank or is it a standard hood that normally comes with a new tank purchase? For lights on that size of a tank most people go with a Metal Halide/T5 combo. You'll want at least two 250w metal halides. Personally I'd recommend going with LED's but since the price for an LED fixture to be able to do reef is beyond most peoples budget alot of folks have been building their own systems. You'll still have to change MH bulbs just as often as you do T5's which is recommended to do every 6 months to 1 year.
 
A good place to read up on sumps is Melev's Reef. com. He will make custom sumps but they aren't cheap. However he has a wealth of information on his site about the do's and don'ts of having a sump system. I will also say that having a drilled tank is much more reliable than an un-drilled tank. I have a 120G than I am currently in the process of building a whole new complete set up for. I'm building a new stand and canopy, light system, sump, drilled the tank, resealed it...the whole 9 yards. So if you have any questions just ask.
 
If you're handy you can build your own sump for a fraction of the cost to purchase one...
 
 
scottisbored

scottisbored

New Member
Thanks for all the information,
It seems like I'm going to have to buy a canopy for my tank then because mine came with a standard 4 foot hood. I'm debating between building my own or buying one. Anyone have any thoughts on which would be cheaper? Also, I have a spare 20 gallon tank that'll fit in my stand and I'm wondering if I should try building a sump. I'm not the most handiest person around but my dad is very handy and I might be able to convince him to help me. Has anyone built a sump and have any advice for a newbie trying to build one?
 
Thanks,
Scott
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottisbored http:///forum/thread/380013/help-setting-up-a-120-gallon-salt-water-tank#post_3306075
Thanks for all the information,
It seems like I'm going to have to buy a canopy for my tank then because mine came with a standard 4 foot hood. I'm debating between building my own or buying one. Anyone have any thoughts on which would be cheaper? Also, I have a spare 20 gallon tank that'll fit in my stand and I'm wondering if I should try building a sump. I'm not the most handiest person around but my dad is very handy and I might be able to convince him to help me. Has anyone built a sump and have any advice for a newbie trying to build one?
 
Thanks,
Scott
Hey, Scott...Honestly a 20 is a little small to use as a sump for your size tank. The typical rule of thumb is go with the biggest size tank that you can fit under your stand. If you could do at least a 30g or 35g that would be better. I'm using a 55g tank as my sump for my 120G tank. Some folks even use a combination of 2 tanks to make a sump/refugium because it's easier to get 2 smaller tanks under a stand than it is 1 large one. I'll see if I can find this guy who just built a 2 tank system and see if he'll show you some pics of his new set up.
 
If your 120G tank is the same dimensions as mine you really don't need lights bigger than 48" (4 ft). My tank is actually 5ft long. Building a canopy can be cheaper or more expensive depending on how elaborate you want to make it.
 
scottisbored

scottisbored

New Member
If I try to do a 2 tank system I could use my 15 gallon too. That'll give me 35 gallons. Or I could got to the LFS and pick up another 20 gal tank. My stand is not enormous but it roughly 5 feet long and 2.5ft tall and 18 inches wide. My tank is 5 ft by 18 inches width and 25 inches tall.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
Just want to let you know I'm following the thread... I'm away for the next day or two but when I get the chance I'll take a few pictures of everything. I haven't added anything to the sump/refugium so I'll take it out from under my tank and get a little more in depth for you. The least I can do since everyone was able to help guide me along. Also I'm not even the least bit handy... just as of recent I've started my handy man kick and I will be honest, this might be some of the easiest work you'll find. Not to mention it feels great doing it on your own.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
The only reason you'll need a 2 tank set up would be if your large tank wouldn't fit. For example I have a brace in the center that kept me from getting 1 40 gallon tank under there so I had to get 2 20 gallons and link them together.
 
scottisbored

scottisbored

New Member
ok thanks, that'll really help!
I believe that I could fit a bigger tank in my stand but I have 2 other smaller tanks sitting around and I'd like to use them if I can.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow but no later than Tuesday on how to set everything up. 2quills is a huge source for this set up so any detailed questions I can't answer I'm sure he'll be more than happy to take over.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
Fortunatly my computer still has all the pictures that I took. This is similar to what you're going to want to do with your tank.
 

Unfortunatly, I don't really have any other pictures right now. Hopefully I can get some pictures tomorrow night but like I said, no later than Tuesday. I have also added all baffles and will be working on adding the egg crates when I get the chance, but they're cut to size so it's just a simple add in. I'll have pictures to show you what I built and hopefully I can help you through this... I know it was an awsome feeling getting this all completed.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
I won't be able to get the pictures today... I'm very sorry. I'll have them up around 7pm est tomorrow... I'm sorry if I might be delaying any forward progress.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
I'm chock full of them! But as I said, tomorrow 7pm, be there or be square.
<--- I feel that is kind of like a "scouts honor" face.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
Im VERY SORRY! I know I said 7:00... I have a TERRIBLE memory and thought about it as I was about to fall to sleep. Here are some pictures of how it looks... if you need any other pictures or any explanation of how it works let me know by either PMing me or just message it here.

This first picture is the tank set up with water in it and mostly filled up. Hope you all enjoy it! :)
 
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