Hey everyone! This is my second reef tank, but I've been all across the freshwater spectrum and have had tanks in some capacity all my life. My first reef was a standard 29 gallon acrylic tank. No sump, just hang on the back power filter and water changes. No equipment other than a heater. I ran into the bryopsis plague and also decided to break it down when I moved. I'm now settled into a house, and decided to try to do things "right" this time now three years later!
Goals for the build
Equipment
Total: $1130
Total if I counted all the stuff I already had (RODI unit, Lights, Misc stuff like refractometer, thermometers, etc.):$1350
Livestock
Full Tank Shots
July 26, 2019: Initial setup with hardscape (no sand or water yet)
August 2: Sand and water in; cycling begins in full force
Goals for the build
- A tank that isn't too big. I'm on a rickety second floor that I don't trust to hold too much. And I really want it in a spot that is parallel to the floor joists
- Must have a sump so that I can hide equipment and easily put more fun equipment in the system
- Easy maintenance. With my first tank, I had no RODI unit and used to drive 40 minutes round trip and fill up 5 gallon buckets from my LFS. I also had very little room for extra equipment that could ease maintenance
- Sustain a beautiful reef environment. I'm sure we all have this goal!
Equipment
Item | Description | Cost | Breakdown |
---|---|---|---|
Tank | 40 Gallon Breeder with overflow | $150 | Aqueon 40 Gallon Breeder-$50 Eshopps Eclipse S Overflow-$100 |
Stand | 40 Gallon breeder stand that can hide sump and plumbing | $78 | Imagitarium Brooklyn Metal Tank Stand-$50 5/8" Plywood-$13 Krylon Fusion Satin Black Spray Paint-$5 Minwax Grey Wood Stain-$8 Metal Screws-$2 |
Sump | 20 gallon long DIY sump with glass baffles (guide: http://advancedaquariumconcepts.com/build-your-own-custom-aquarium-filter-sump/) | $65 | Aqueon 20 Gallon Long-$20 Silicon Caulk-$8 Glass baffles (2x6", 9", 10" by 11 11/16") -$18 Needlepoint Canvas-$1 Eggrate (way bigger sheet then needed)-$17 |
Sump Plumbing | 1" downdrain, 3/4" return. Didn't drill return, so made a DIY PVC return line | $81 | Gate valve-$15 Silicon Tubing 1ft (from pump to pvc return)-$8 Locline and flared nozzle-$15 PVC Fittings and Line (2 unions, 10ft 1", 10ft 3/4", Elbows)-$33 PVC Primer and Cement-$10 |
Return Pump | Return pump capable of 300-600 GPH | $70 | Jaebo DCP-4000 DC Pump 1056 GPH-$70 |
Lights | Something capable of making a mixed reef thrive | $0 | 120 Watt Black Box LEDs from previous build-$0 |
Rock | Dry rock | $140 | 20lbs of Marco's Rocks-$60 Cool 3lb Cave rock I impulse bought at LFS-$30 40 lbs Atlantic Coral rock from Amazon-$50 |
Sand | Wanted something small enough that gobies would like it, but big enough it wouldn't blow around too easy | $50 | Caribsea Fiji Pink Sand 40lbs-$50 |
Salt | Whatever is best for a reef tank. Went with instant ocean for starting. May switch later | $40 | Instant Ocean Sea Salt-$40 |
Heater | Wanted to go with two smaller heaters that can total the complete capacity I wanted | $44 | Aqueon Pro 100w x2-$44 |
Skimmer | Something capable of handling a well stocked 40 gallon | $250 (estimation) | Just an estimation, haven't bought one yet |
Tank Cycling | Test kits and bacteria seeds | $10 | API Saltwater Test Kit (already had, but expired)-$0 Seachem Aquavitro Seed-$10 |
RODI Unit | 4 stage RODI unit. I already had one, but I needed to replace filters and resin | $30 | Replacement filters and resin-$30 |
Water Mixing Station | I want to have fresh RODI water and salt water ready to go at all times | $122 | 32 Gallon Brute Trashcan x2-$70 5 gallon bucket-$5 2x4s, plywoods, and screws-$12 1" Uniseal x2-$6 Ball valve x2-$6 Undersink Shutoff valve-$10 Misc 1/4" Tubing-$8 Misc PVC and fittings-$5 |
Total: $1130
Total if I counted all the stuff I already had (RODI unit, Lights, Misc stuff like refractometer, thermometers, etc.):$1350
Livestock
- Firefish - $20
- Bangaii Cardinal - $33
- Yellow Watchman Goby - $30
- Turbo Snails x2 - $4 each
- Hermit Crabs x5 - $2 each
- Pink tipped Urchin - $8
- Sally Lightfoot crab - $13
Full Tank Shots
July 26, 2019: Initial setup with hardscape (no sand or water yet)
August 2: Sand and water in; cycling begins in full force
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