Grady's 120 Gallon SPS Dominated System

Grady’s_Reef · Apr 17, 2024

Hello Fellow Reefers!

This will document the tank build so far and the future of this system. Allowing you reefers to chime in with improvements and maybe some of you can learn from my mistakes along the way.

To get started I have been reefing since early 2019 and before that I had kept a multitude of different freshwater setups since as long as I can remember. This will be my 7th saltwater tank I have built since then and you could say this is my 4th iteration of my "main" reef tank.

This first post will be a snapshot of what the tank looks like today after being wet for almost 3 weeks now. If you have any questions on how I did anything feel free to ask and I can go more in depth on certain things.

Onto the specs:

Tank: 120 gallon euro braced from SC Aquariums
Stand: Made myself out of 1" square steel - magnetic 3/4" plywood panels
Lights: GHL Mitra LX 7206 x2
Wavemaker: MP40QD
Return Pump: GHL Versia Flow 9
Skimmer: AquaMaxx ConeS Q-2
Heating Element: BRS 300W Titanium x2
Controller: GHL Profilux 4
Rock: 50Lb Fiji Live Rock - 35Lb marco rock
Sand: 80Lb Special Grade Aragonite CaribSea

I have more equipment and I'm getting more, but we will get there when we get there. Controller cabinet, 75g LPS display, and 18" cube mangrove refugium, all soon to be added to the system!!

This tank was filled on the 28th of March. Fiji rock was added the 29th. An acropora and a digitata were added on the 31st. 4 more acropora were added on the 1st of April. The chalices were added on this past Sunday. All are doing very well. Parameters are where they should be and haven't been fluctuating much. Never saw any ammonia on the testers. No pests from the live rock that I have seen. Why are people insisting on starting everything with dry rock and sand and using mystery bottles to "seed" their biodiversity?

Here is what the tank looks like today after running for only 20 days! It is far from done and the chalice are only in here for the time being.

Bj’s Reef · Apr 17, 2024

Your setup looks good.

vandy · May 2, 2024

What material did you skin your tank with? And how did you attach it?

I have a similar steel stand and I'm trying to get some ideas, and I really like how yours turned out.

nuxx · May 2, 2024

Looking great so far!

Grady’s_Reef · May 4, 2024

vandy said:
What material did you skin your tank with? And how did you attach it?

I have a similar steel stand and I'm trying to get some ideas, and I really like how yours turned out.

Thanks! The panels are made out of 3/4" marine plywood that has magnets embedded into the panels. There is a strip of the same plywood attached to the inside of the panel near the bottom so it simply just rests on the frame of the stand and the magnets hold it to the frame. I painted the inside of the stand with a couple coats of KILZ and the outside is some enamel oil paint.