40 gallon breeder first reef tank

[kidnoname]

Hello!

I have been freshwater keeping for a few years, and I have just started cycling my first saltwater aquarium. I know I have a lot to still learn, and it's going to take some time, but I'm ok with that and excited to start reefing!

Equipment so far:
40 gallon breeder
40 pounds of live rock
Tidal 75
Eheim jagar 150w heater
Hygger mini wavemaker 20watt 2600gph (might get a second)
Seachem Stability
Seachem Prime
Instant ocean salt
1.5-2inch Crib sea aragamax sandbed

I was looking for suggestions as to which light would be budgetish but good enough for a mixed reef. I am eventually thinking of moving up to Since I am new to reef keeping the plan is to let the tank be a fowlr tank for a few months until I am more used to reefing/the tank has matured until corals.

I was also wondering if there was anything extra I should put in the Tidal 75? I currently have the media that it came with, a pack of bio balls and some carbon. I was thinking filter floss, or possibly later a hob refugium with chaeto for copepods

I am in no rush to add fish so I'm going to add slowly for both the tank and budgeting. I was also wondering what are people's thoughts about stocking. I was hoping to add 7 maybe 8 fish out of this list, though I know it doesn't always work that way.
I was also wondering if there was a way to tell if you have a good current flow or not?
This is my current wish list, I know that the tank can/will probably look different
Inverts/Clean up (28)
1 Conch
1 Tuxedo Urchin
1 Pistol Shrimp
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 Emerald Crab
1 Pom Pom Crab
3 small red leg
3 small blue leg
1 Turbo Snail
4 Cerithium Snail
4 Trochus Snails
4 Nassarius Snails

Fish 6-8 iffffff 9 great if not I'm not worried!
1 Royal Gramma
1 Pink-Streaked Wrasse
1 Blue-Green Chromis
2 Clownfish
1 Firefish
1 Mandarin
1 Longnose Hawkfish
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 pajama cardinal

One of either
Anemone • bubble Tip
Clam • squamosa

Coral
Zoanthid
Simularia Leather
Weeping Willow "Toadstool"
Xenia Soft Gorgonian
Green Star Polyps "GSP"
Acan/Blasto
Hammer/Frogspawn
Mushroom
Candy Cane
Duncans
Birdinest

Any advice would be much appreciated! I know this will take a while to both learn and create but it's also exciting. If there are any questions I am more than happy to answer. I know that this is a lot of info to both give someone and to receive but I would rather ask before than something happen later.I will also post a photo later when I get home.
Thank you!!

 

[TheLegendaryBarlowe072]

Goodluck!! And Happy Reefing!


If you get a mandarin look for captive breed. You’ll have an easier time getting them to eat frozen or pellet. Otherwise they’ll most likely starve to death. Natural diet is mostly copepods.

 

[littlefoxx]

Hawkfish might pick off your shrimp and eat it! Just FYI

 

[Fish Fan]

Hello and welcome to saltwater aquaria! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

I'm sure others will be along soon to offer their advice, but I have a few first thoughts.

SeaChem products don't seem to have a lot of love here at R2R, and I wouldn't recommend them.

In particular, the SeaChem Prime is not at all recommend, at least during your initial nitrogen cycle. I've known this for a long time, but I didn't know exactly why until just last night (I thought Prime did something that it did not do). Here are some very experienced and trusted reefers just recently setting me straight about SeaChem Prime:

Semi-urgent!!!

Oof. The one on the bottom looks like it has disease. Can’t remember the name but the deterioration of the tail is not a good sign.

www.reef2reef.com

@EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal Thank you again, I definitely don't want to give out bad advice ;-)

So @kidnoname please don't use SeaChem Prime, at least not now :-)

And the SeaChem Stability product also doesn't get a lot of love here at R2R, I'm sorry to say, though it shouldn't hurt anything.

The *best* way to start and cycle a new tank is with live rock and sand, but short of that, I like and recommend the Dr. Tim's One and Only bacteria in a bottle. If you want a super fast acting product, I think the Fritz Turbo Start is the go to, from what I've read, for a super fast cycle.

But, could I please ask, how are you cycling this aquarium? Are you providing a source of ammonia, such as Dr. Tim's ammonium chloride, or some fish food, or a piece of shrimp from the grocery store? Are you testing for ammonia?

I'm asking because this is an often overlooked, but necessary, step to cycle a tank.

I hope that helps!

 

[kidnoname]

Hawkfish might pick off your shrimp and eat it! Just FYI

Thank you! Makes the list shorter to the number I'm looking for.

 

[littlefoxx]

I also wouldnt do a mandarin and wrasse in that size tank, some wrasses do eat pods as well and the mandarin could starve!

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@Fish Fan , why the admonishment to not use Prime during the cycle?? As mentioned, it is a great dechlorinator if tap water is being used, and does NOTHING to affect the development of nitrifying bacteria when used at even many times the recommended dose.

If the OP, coming from freshwater, plans to even do the initial fill with tap, then Prime or another dechlorinator will likely be needed...

 

[Fish Fan]

@Fish Fan , why the admonishment to not use Prime during the cycle?? As mentioned, it is a great dechlorinator if tap water is being used, and does NOTHING to affect the development of nitrifying bacteria when used at even many times the recommended dose.

If the OP, coming from freshwater, plans to even do the initial fill with tap, then Prime or another dechlorinator will likely be needed...

Thank you for your reply! I said that assuming the OP was using RODI water, and therefore wouldn't need the Prime for any reason, dechlor or otherwise. Again, I apologize, I should have been more clear (EDIT: or should not have assumed).

 

[kidnoname]

Here is the rockwork

 

[littlefoxx]

Here is the rockwork

With that many fish you will want more caves and arches for them to hide in