40 Breeder Build

[Agrass1992]

Just wanted to share some pictures of my current 40 breeder build, and maybe get a few opinions from the group.

As I said, I'm building a 40 breeder system. Using just a generic metal stand from Petco. Planning to run one Photon 24 V2+. Have set up a Fiji 20 sump and going to be using a Jeabo return pump. I also have an apex with trident that I will be adding later on.

Basically I am in the process of moving, and need to transfer all of my corals from my 180 to this 40 breeder. I am selling the fish, tank, and lights to someone local so that I can start fresh in my new house. I plan to build a 7 foot tank into a basement wall, but that will take some time since we have a few small projects to come first, then I can get to finishing the basement. In the meantime I plan to use the 40 breeder to grow out corals so I can have a few decent sized colonies by the time the new system is running.

Given my situation and the time frame I was going to just use this 40 breeder as a frag tank, but after getting this far into my build, I cant help but want to set up another smaller reef tank. I already have a decent amount of corals, as my 180 was no where close to fully stocked, but still has a decent amount of corals to work with, and would fill a 40 breeder nicely. Decisions decisions.

Given my story I'd be curious to see if anyone has any opinions on why I should maybe go one way over another? I don't really see any issue making my frag tank into a mini reef. I don't really plan to frag and sell in the next year, just to add on to my collection, and those that I need to frag I may just trade for other frags to expand my collection.

 

[Timfish]

My vote is "Reef". The bigger and more mature the colonies you can add to your new system the quicker it will mature and create the microbiome needed for more delicate corals to survive. I'd also save some o fht ebase rock in a trash can with a pump to help get things going in hte new tank.

Establishing a Healthy Microbiome in a New Aquarium Using Live Rock

Studying the effects of live rock in a newly established aquarium shows that high-quality live rock promotes the rapid establishment of an effective biological filter and a microbial community similar to those found in mature reef tanks.

www.reef2reef.com

Aura-biomes are present in the water layer above coral reef benthic macro-organisms

As coral reef habitats decline worldwide, some reefs are transitioning from coral- to algal-dominated benthos with the exact cause for this shift remaining elusive. Increases in the abundance of microbes in the water column has been correlated with an ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Intraspecific differences in molecular stress responses and coral pathobiome contribute to mortality under bacterial challenge in Acropora millepora - Scientific Reports

Disease causes significant coral mortality worldwide; however, factors responsible for intraspecific variation in disease resistance remain unclear. We exposed fragments of eight Acropora millepora colonies (genotypes) to putatively pathogenic bacteria (Vibrio spp.). Genotypes varied from zero...

www.nature.com

 

[Agrass1992]

Thank for the input.

Just an update to my thread, the tank is officially wet. Its been running for about two days now using fresh water to leak test all the joints. So far so good! I also built a few doors for the stand using oak wood. I plan to get my light next week sometime and hopefully in a week or two I will be setting this up at our new house.

 

[Agrass1992]

Its been a busy month to say the least. I moved all my coral from my 180 to my 40 breeder at my new house and built a new cabinet for my apex gear. Here are some pictures of the new tank up and running. If I could only find my light filters for taking pictures. I'm sure they will show up right after I buy a new one.

 

[Agrass1992]

Go figure, found my filters after the new ones showed up. Against my better judgement I added a pair of Maroon Clowns. I love the way these guys look but hope they wont become too big of a pain.

 

[shakacuz]

i voted frag tank, but it seems you have the funds to go either route.

i have the same tank/stand. and have for the longest time wanted to cover my sump area due to the fuge light spill. could you go into some detail how you drilled into the stand? you could PM me so we don't derail the thread.

good luck!