Justin's 125 build

today I got the painting done for my pump base and finished the plumbing on my return pump. The return is now mounted and ready to operate. I also installed the T5 fixtures for my fuge and I did some work on the electrical. Tomorrow I hope to find the time to wrap up the electrical and I should be close to being ready to tear down the new tank to drill it and install the overflows. I am feeling lousy today, like I am coming down with a cold, so I didn't make as much progress as I hoped. Hopefully this won't slow me down the rest of the week!
 
Break out the onion tea Justin.It'll either kill ya or cure ya :D Either way,it'll get you goin.
 
Well it's another day of SLOW progress... but I do feel a little better today. I took some meds and fell asleep early last night and it seems to have helped. Today I got the tray for my switches/timers cut out and painted and built a shelf for my ballasts to sit on. I also was able to locate the last few supplies I needed to finish the electrical. I had hoped to have that done today but I didn't find the time. I got all of my bulkheads from the LFS and picked up a handful of snails while I was there. I am still waiting on the hole-saw to drill the tank and the reflectors for my actinics but otherwise I think I finally have everything I need to finish the build. I will update with some pics soon.
 
Sorry to keep you waiting...
The return pump
P1110020a.webp
Some of the ballasts, and the T5's over the fuge
P1110021a.webp
The timers and switches
P1110024a.webp
More ballasts, the return, and a whole mess of wiring that I still need to make sense of
P1110025a.webp
More wiring to sort out...
P1110026a.webp
 
One more... A shot of the top of the sump, and inside of the stand.
P1110027a.webp

The electrical is done as much as I can do until the last few things arrive. I am waiting on the LED strips for moon lights and the hole saw to drill the tank. As soon as they arrive in the mail I will take everything out of the display and move it into the sump so that I can drill the tank and finish the electrical.
 
Last edited:
dcantucson said:
Wow very sharp and clean Justin. It looks like you've done this before! :)
Click to expand...
Thanks! I am trying to make this a clean build. One of my pet peeves is messy wiring and plumbing and it bugs me how too often people treat the sump and stand with the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality.
 
I agree with yo completely. The sump area is one area I hate more than anything else. Hard to work in, wires everywhere, and it's just a general PITA.

I wish I had a utility room or something with plumbing through the wall. :frustrat:
 
That's why we plumbed my tank through the wall in the new house. My last tank had all the equipment underneath and alongside the tank, and NDB was NOT happy with the look and the noise of it. It is great being able to have a lot of space to put everything -- and plumbing it through the wall was super easy.
 
dcantucson said:
I agree with yo completely. The sump area is one area I hate more than anything else. Hard to work in, wires everywhere, and it's just a general PITA.

I wish I had a utility room or something with plumbing through the wall. :frustrat:
Click to expand...
It's funny, I was thinking the same thing. The thing that really makes it tough for us desert dwellers that try to fit everything in the stand, is how confined the space is. I knew from the beginning that trying to fit a 75 for my sump wasn't going to allow for any room for error or miscalculations. I would love to have a mechanical room instead of packing it all into the stand, but I have put a lot of thought and planning into this build, and I think I am going to end up with just enough space to fit it all... assuming I don't end up needing a chiller...
 
Bifferwine said:
That's why we plumbed my tank through the wall in the new house. My last tank had all the equipment underneath and alongside the tank, and NDB was NOT happy with the look and the noise of it. It is great being able to have a lot of space to put everything -- and plumbing it through the wall was super easy.
Click to expand...
I am envious! I don't have the space to put it through a wall here. Perhaps the next time I move I will be fortunate enough to have the room to expand. If so, you know I am getting a bigger tank :)
 
It looks like you have great access too. I only have one 2' x 2' door in my 5+ foot cabinet. Very hard to maneuver around in there.
 
dcantucson said:
It looks like you have great access too. I only have one 2' x 2' door in my 5+ foot cabinet. Very hard to maneuver around in there.
Click to expand...
Wow! That is rough. Perhaps I will have to come help you modify that stand once I get my build done. I am planning to put 4 cab doors across the front, and 1 on each side. I will use magnets to attach them so I will be able to remove them easily and essentially have the same access you see now. I will only be adding 3" trim around the top, bottom and sides but since I built it with 2"x4"s the trim shouldn't interfere much.
 
Thanks Yote, I am trying to get it done so I can get to stocking those SPS! I do enjoy the build though!
 
I got some more done today... I am still waiting for the LED's and hole saw to arrive, but I found more to do...

I added a fan through the back of the stand to pull out the heat from the ballasts
P1110032.webp
I added two lighted rocker switches; one for the new fan, and one for the fans that I will put in the hood
P1110031.webp
I added a power strip for the power heads and/or accessories.
P1110033.webp
 
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