40b build

[Jamesfl]

So I will finally be drilling my 40b next week and wanted to go ahead and start my thread so I can update as I go.

I was planning on moving and knew I was going to upgrade to the 40b but the move was still 8 months away and I wanted to have something to look at. I went ahead and built the stand to the dimensions for the 40b and able to fit 20l sump. I had to build everything inside since the tank going on it was 12g and we were only allowed to have 5 gallons. I had seen peoples 55g through their windows but didn't want to chance it. And no the wife was not happy with the living room being a construction zone lol.



Here is what I started with. It is the 12g fluval edge. The top is peel and stick flooring from Lowe's sealed down with waterproof sealant. I thought this might offer more protection than just staining and sealing wood.



Here is the stand wrapped before staining.



Here is the stand after staining. Not the greatest but it is the first time I have ever stained anything.



I have moved and put everything into a 10g. I knew someone wanted my edge and since I had to take it down to move, coupled with the fact I got tired of the small opening I went ahead and sold it.

I have the 10g in my kitchen right now. Ignore the plates and stuff behind the tank lol. We had just got back from reefapalooza and a I took the pic to send to someone while we were eating dinner.




I will be updating this thread as I build the set-up. It won't be a super fast build but I hope to have everything done by the end of June. I will have the drill bits and bulkheads next week. I am running one AI prime right now and will be getting another one. I still need protein skimmer, return pump, and all the PVC and flex hose for plumbing. I am planning on getting Reef Octopus Classic 110INT protein skimmer and Sicce syncra-silent 1.5 return pump. I think these will be sufficient. If not please let me know because this will be my first tank with a sump. I will also be using Marinepure plates in the refugium section. Hopefully I will have pics up next week of an intact drilled tank. Sorry if I have been all over the place. This is my first build thread so just putting stuff down as it came into my head lol.

 

[Jamesfl]

Sorry I don't know why it doubled uploaded the pics.

 

[TaylorPilot]

Love the 40B. It is my favorite small tank size. I have one running right now and I am really enjoying it. 2 bucket water changes, very little in additive costs, and a bucket of salt lasts a year. LOL I am old school though. I am running a 250 MH and twin T5, so there is still a decent expense in bulbs. I am even running a 20L for a sump as well.

 

[Jamesfl]

Nice. Do you think the skimmer and pump i posted will be sufficient?

 

[TaylorPilot]

The skimmer seems fine, but that pump seems really small. I would go with atleast a 3.0. I am running a 900 GPH pump on mine, which is pretty high, but it is completely silent and I can stir the gravel and in 10 minutes the tank is completely clear again. You would just have a small trickle if any flow at all with such a small pump. A 3 would probably put you at around mid 500 GPH putting you at a 12-13X turn over. They say the minimum is 6, but that just seems really low to me personally. I like 20X. Here is a link to the diagrams for the flow charts for their pumps.

http://cdn.bulkreefsupply.com/media/wysiwyg/PDFs/syncra.pdf

 

[glb]

Nice! I'm doing a 40b right now. Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[Jamesfl]

So I got the tank drilled. It was one of the most nerve racking things I have done in awhile. I got a little bit of chip out even though I taped the backside, but I think it will be fine. GLB and Taylorpilot, thank you for the info. I saw your posts but I just finished my first semester of nursing school and this last week was filled with studying which is why I did not reply right when I saw them. I have the summer off so I am trying to have this thing set-up by the time I start back at the end of August.

 

[glb]

So I got the tank drilled. It was one of the most nerve racking things I have done in awhile. I got a little bit of chip out even though I taped the backside, but I think it will be fine. GLB and Taylorpilot, thank you for the info. I saw your posts but I just finished my first semester of nursing school and this last week was filled with studying which is why I did not reply right when I saw them. I have the summer off so I am trying to have this thing set-up by the time I start back at the end of August.

Looks good to me! As long as the chips are small and covered by the bulkhead, no worries from what I've read.

 

[Jamesfl]

Looks good to me! As long as the chips are small and covered by the bulkhead, no worries from what I've read.

Thank you. Yes they are small. The bulkheads more than cover them so I am hoping they will be good.

 

[glb]

I have a towel just like that!

 

[Jamesfl]

LOL. You attended Reefapalooza as well I take it.

 

[glb]

LOL. You attended Reefapalooza as well I take it.

I did. I finally met Rev and the gang. It was a lot of fun!

 

[Jamesfl]

Yes it was awesome. I hope to go that frag swap in June that they gave us the flyer for.

 

[hybridazn]

Looks good so far! I love the 40b

 

[Jamesfl]

Looks good so far! I love the 40b

Thank you.

 

[TaylorPilot]

Tanks drilled! It's all down hill from there! Looking good!

 

[Jamesfl]

Tanks drilled! It's all down hill from there! Looking good!

Thank you. Yep just time and money from here lol.

 

[Jamesfl]

Ok so hit a little hiccup with the build. I got my 20l a few weeks ago but have been super busy. Went to check the fit before sectioning off the skimmer, Refugium, and return pump sections and installing the baffles. When I built the stand I went off the dimensions of the tank not even thinking about the plastic trim. Well turns out the inside of my stand was too skinny by one side of the trim. So I had to modify the inside and after a broken blade and a lot of expletives, finally have the inside of the stand the right size for the 20l. Hopefully next week I will be able to do baffles and plumb the tank.

 

[glb]

Ok so hit a little hiccup with the build. I got my 20l a few weeks ago but have been super busy. Went to check the fit before sectioning off the skimmer, Refugium, and return pump sections and installing the baffles. When I built the stand I went off the dimensions of the tank not even thinking about the plastic trim. Well turns out the inside of my stand was too skinny by one side of the trim. So I had to modify the inside and after a broken blade and a lot of expletives, finally have the inside of the stand the right size for the 20l. Hopefully next week I will be able to do baffles and plumb the tank.

I did the same thing with mine, lol. I exchanged the 20long for a 20 tall.

 

[Jamesfl]

I did the same thing with mine, lol. I exchanged the 20long for a 20 tall.

I thought about doing that but I wanted the extra length so my five section would be a little longer. I am thinking about growing Mangroves in their at some point and I was afraid the 20 tall might be too tall for that in my stand.