Another 40B reef

lpsouth1978

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I am not new to reefing and this is not a new build, but I am new to R2R so this will be my tank journal. I actually built this tank a little over a year ago and it has undergone several changes in that time. Let me start from the beginning.

I have had aquariums for almost as long as I can remember, but since moving states a few years back, I had been without for a while. I decided that it was time to get a tank going and I wanted to do it on a bit of a budget. The $1/gallon was the answer. I decided to pick up a 40b for the DT and a 20L for a sump. I prefer to have a sump and so decided to drill the 40 and use an Eshopps Eclipse M overflow. The overflow was placed in the center of the tank and I drilled a hole for returns on either side of the tank.

It is pretty difficult to find a decent, affordable stand for 40b tanks, so I decided to use a shelving unit for garages. I turns out that they are a PERFECT fit for the tank. I left ALL of the crossbars to keep as much strength as possible, and also kept one shelf under the tank to hold all of the controllers and power supplies.

I started the tank with 40lbs of special grade live sand and 40lbs of dry rock. To light the tank, I had a CBB and was happy with it for a short time, but quickly upgraded to 2 x AI Prime HD and later to 2 x Hydra 26 HD. Because this was meant to be a budget build, i decided I would keep a mixed reef with LPS, softies, shrooms, and zoas. I also found some nice nems in town, so added them to the system.

Now for pictures up to this point in the journey:

20180512_121242_resized_1 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr

20180512_131652_resized_1 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr

20180519_202605_resized_1 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr

20180811_112532 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr

20181104_152150 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr
 
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lpsouth1978

lpsouth1978

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A short time after the last photo above was taken, I found myslef moving into a different home and decided that rather than stressing over moving the tank and needing to get it done quickly, I would build a nearly identical system in the new house. This allowed me to take my time to prepare the new tank and then just move everything over. When drilling the new tank, I decided to place the overflow in the corner and have just a single return.

My equipment on the tank now is:

- 40b DT
- 20L sump
- Jebao DCP-8000 return pump
- Vortech MP40WQD
- Jebao OW-8
- Bubble Magus Curve 5 Elite
- 200W heater
- 1x AI Hydra 26 HD
- 2x Hipargero 30W LED's

The move went ell and all of the corals and anemones survived and are still doing well. Unfortunately things did not go so well for the fish. I believe that something got in the water and wiped out almost all of my fish in a matter of days. The only fish to survive was my Melanurus Wrasse.

While I was out making the rounds, I came across a beautiful neon green Haddoni Carpet for a great price, so I snagged it, and also found a nice pair of spotcinclus clowns to go with it. These 3 fish are the only fish in the tank, and it seems to be working out quite well.

20190214_190640 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr

20190317_150409 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr

20190412_172802 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr

2019-08-07_11-17-02 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr
 
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lpsouth1978

lpsouth1978

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welcome to R2R! nice build I have a soft spot for 40BR just great little -big tanks .
beautiful carpet did it move for the last pic?
Thank you, I love the footprint of the 40b. Both of the carpets decided that they like the right side of the tank better. The bright green one is in the back corner. You can just barely see a bit in the last photo. It has been there for the last couple months.

This tank is actually going to be upgraded in the coming months. I have a Waterbox 230.6 that is currently set up as a Discus tank. I have found that Discus take A LOT more time to properly care for than a reef and so I am going to convert it to a reef system and move everything from the 40 into it. More details on the swap will be coming.
 

Oba97

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What made you decide to change out the two AI Primes? I am setting up a 40B and was planning on using 2 prime HD’s (I already have one).
 

Peace River

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Great job on this build thread so far and congrats on the pending upgrade!
 

LadyMac

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Awesome build. So what happened to the other 40 breeder?
 

Ultrawalrus

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What made you decide to change out the two AI Primes? I am setting up a 40B and was planning on using 2 prime HD’s (I already have one).

I am curious about this too. I was just about ready to buy a second prime HD as I already have one.
 
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lpsouth1978

lpsouth1978

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What made you decide to change out the two AI Primes? I am setting up a 40B and was planning on using 2 prime HD’s (I already have one).
I am curious about this too. I was just about ready to buy a second prime HD as I already have one.

I actually got a killer deal on a pair of Hydra 26HD that I couldn't pass up. I have actually put both Hydras back on and removed the Hipargero's. I also didn't care for the spread of just 2 Prime's. I think 3 would be best.

Awesome build. So what happened to the other 40 breeder?

I gave it to my nephew, who plugged the bulkheads and turned it into a freshwater system. The sump from that system is in storage right now.
 
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lpsouth1978

lpsouth1978

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I’m in love with your tank. Do u feel the diffusers make a large enough difference?
The diffusers really help to eliminate the disco ball effect and soften the shimmer. I like shimmer, but too much is simply annoying.

This tank is actually no longer running. I ran out of space and upgraded to a 75g. The build thread is here.
 

brett_schn

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The diffusers really help to eliminate the disco ball effect and soften the shimmer. I like shimmer, but too much is simply annoying.

This tank is actually no longer running. I ran out of space and upgraded to a 75g. The build thread is here.
Ahh ok I’ll follow that too. Hmm I love the kessil shimmer
 

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