First Tank - Strange New World

[Kyle079]

Hello All!

I am working towards starting my first tank! I have had freshwater tanks in the past and currently have a 10 gallon tank (Technically my daughters but she is 3, so we know who really takes care of it). I have been following reef tanks for over 10 years but have never pulled the trigger. I recently convinced my wife to let me get a tank and I am super excited!

I am taking my time and getting equipment slowly so I do not rush into things too much and I can buy the nicer options for equipment. I am also still deciding on tank size so that makes things interesting.

So far I have purchased:
-70 lbs of dry rock
-Dr. Tims One and Only
-Dr. Tims ammonia
-Hydor 850GPH Powerhead (For salt mixing)
-Inexpensive 150W heater (For salt mixing)
-Hannah Testing kit
-Refractometer
-BRS 4 stage RO/DI (Got it installed yesterday and made my first 25 gallons of water)
-Nero 5 (Just one for now)

Today I added my first salt to water! It was a fine balance to figure out using the Refractometer, but I was able to get 1.026 SG.

I then added rock and got to cycling!

Since I have not yet bought a tank I am hoping for some input into what I should get. I like the 40 breeders just for their dimensions, but I am not beholden to them. I would like to go bigger but still keep to a rectangular tank. I don't know why but cubes just seem underwhelming to me. Based on everything I have seen a sump is the way to go so I would want something that is reef ready or could be drilled. Any good tank builders that are recommended? I have tried to track some down, but it seems like a lot of them have gone out of business (Deep Blue). I really want to go for a rimless tank.

I am still pretty unsure what I want to stock at this point. Since I am new I am leaning towards a mix of LPS and Softies until I get a good idea of what I am doing and possibly branch out to SPS. I do know I want a Clown Pair (Basic I know, but my daughter insisted). I would really also like a goby and pistol shrimp pair. Any other must haves everyone would recommend?

Thanks for stopping by, I will update my post as I purchase equipment. I hope to have the tank setup and my first few fish in the next 1-2 months!

 

[alveopora guy]

For looking into tanks that are pre drilled I always go to my local fish store. They can show what the tank looks like and I can pull the trigger on whether or not I want it after I see it. I know some people aren’t that lucky and don’t have a lfs nearby, but if you do I would recommend looking into them first. Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[Kyle079]

For looking into tanks that are pre drilled I always go to my local fish store. They can show what the tank looks like and I can pull the trigger on whether or not I want it after I see it. I know some people aren’t that lucky and don’t have a lfs nearby, but if you do I would recommend looking into them first. Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Thanks for the feedback! I actually found a local guy that is selling off a tank so I am going to be picking that up this weekend. Super excited. It is a 40 breeder which seems to be a good starting place for me. I know I am going to want to upgrade down the road but this will be a good place to start and I can always use it as a frag tank if I do upgrade down the road.

 

[alveopora guy]

The 40 breeder is one of my favorite tanks as well. super cool for coral since you got tons of surface area

 

[Kyle079]

Went over the weekend and picked up the used tank, stand and sump. In a fun turn of events when we were starting to move the tank the return pipe got hung up and cracked the tank. I still ended up getting the stand, sump, skimmer, heaters, return pump and 2 kessil 160s. In the end I think this was a good twist of fate since the previous owner was just using derso drains out of the overflow box. He was planning on upgrading to a bigger tank which was put on hold so he gave me the Overflow box he was going to use for that.

The overflow is https://www.marinedepot.com/marine-depot-elite-overflow-box-w-holesaw-drill-bit-large which will allow me to run a bean animal rather than the dual dorsos. I picked up a new 40 breeder yesterday and will be drilling it this week once I decide on placement and what returns I will be running.

Since this will be a new setup now I will be starting from scratch with all the plumbing. I am considering going the schedule 80 route and using orange piping from BRS. Still trying to weight out the cost vs reward from that through. Is it worth it to spend the money on the nicer plumbing?

Is it worth it to add a manifold when I redo the plumbing? I don't want to hold myself back if this is a must have item.

 

[kput]

Since this will be a new setup now I will be starting from scratch with all the plumbing. I am considering going the schedule 80 route and using orange piping from BRS. Still trying to weight out the cost vs reward from that through. Is it worth it to spend the money on the nicer plumbing?

Is it worth it to add a manifold when I redo the plumbing? I don't want to hold myself back if this is a must have item.

It is not worth it to spend more money on the "nicer" plumbing, unless you care about the aesthetics underneath the tank. Assuming your stand is closed, so not a lot of people will be viewing your plumbing setup.
Personally, I run white schedule 40 with the letters and marking removed, with schedule 80 fittings from Menards. This gives good contrast, but without going above and beyong price wise.

When I build my 310, it will be a no-cost spared build, as I don't plan on upgrading it at any point. Colored plumbing, Sch 80 fittings, etc.
For you, already saying you'd like to upgrade in the future, just use all schedule 40 and put the extra money towards corals or something more important.

Manifolds are nice, however with a small tank and 40 breeder, you might not really need to add reactors, etc. as dosing and water changes will be a breeze. If anything, I'd add a section of straight pipe between two unions that you can take out and replace with a reactor if you ever make that decision.

 

[Kyle079]

It is not worth it to spend more money on the "nicer" plumbing, unless you care about the aesthetics underneath the tank. Assuming your stand is closed, so not a lot of people will be viewing your plumbing setup.
Personally, I run white schedule 40 with the letters and marking removed, with schedule 80 fittings from Menards. This gives good contrast, but without going above and beyong price wise.

When I build my 310, it will be a no-cost spared build, as I don't plan on upgrading it at any point. Colored plumbing, Sch 80 fittings, etc.
For you, already saying you'd like to upgrade in the future, just use all schedule 40 and put the extra money towards corals or something more important.

Manifolds are nice, however with a small tank and 40 breeder, you might not really need to add reactors, etc. as dosing and water changes will be a breeze. If anything, I'd add a section of straight pipe between two unions that you can take out and replace with a reactor if you ever make that decision.

Thanks for the input. That is a good point that it might not be worth it since I do plan on upgrading. I do like your idea of adding the straight section for maybe adding one down the road. I hadn't thought of that. Would give a good upgrade path if needed.

 

[Kyle079]

Well I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the nicer plumbing. When I broke down the price it was not much more than getting schedule 40. Since I am going to be the one working under the tank all the time I wanted it to look nice. As a way to save money at the start I am going to plumb my returns with 3/4 braided tubing. I can always add a manifold if I find I need one.

So I ordered everything I need for my 3 drains, and 2 returns. While I am running 3/4" return tubing, I elected to use a reduction 90 for connecting to the bulkheads and using 1/2" bulkheads for the returns. I know I could do one 3/4" return but I like the idea of spreading the water coming out of the returns.

Plumbing wise everything will be here Thursday, so I can start plumbing next weekend.

The cycle seems to be proceeding well on my rock. I started off with the Dr. Tim's One and Only and took the Ammonia to 2ppm. I just checked an hour ago and I am at .5ppm so the bacteria is starting to do its thing. Probably have a few weeks left until I can cycle 2ppm in 24 hours, but it is starting to look good!

I found someone local that has a pair of black snowflake clowns that I might pickup for my first fish. They are a great deal for the two of them and I know there is nothing wrong with them. The only thing I don't love about them is they are a few years old so I don't feel like I will get to watch them grow overtime. I might still get a young pair from my LFS so I can watch them grown and pair up. Luckily I have time to decide.

 

[Kyle079]

Got my plumbing in today, ended up going with the red schedule 40 pipe and the schedule 80 fittings. BRS has the 24" lengths of colored pipe on sale for 3$ so I decided to go for it. Even if I upgrade I plan on keeping this tank around for a frag tank, so I went ahead and did the nicer plumbing. Also picked up a Pro Clear 22" Sump from my LFS. They had a great deal on this since they are going to stop carrying them. Was going to use a 20 long for a sump before, but these ended up being only about $70 more than I was going to spend on the 20 long and baffle kit. Also picked up a used Kessil H160 Tuna Flora for a good deal for my refugium.

First time drilling my tank went great, got the overflow installed. The only problem was I forgot to order the bit for my returns, so I have to wait a few days for that to come in from BRS. I could have sworn I had it in my cart but I guess I missed it. Going to start doing some dry fitting and cutting tomorrow night, excited for things to start coming together!

 

[MERKEY]

Looking like a sweet build!!

 

[Kyle079]

Got started in my plumbing tonight. It is coming along pretty well so far. Ran into an issue with the secondary return. I accidentally glued one side of the union on without the ring that screws in. Sucks, but lesson learned always double triple check before glueing.

Still need to drill my two holes for my returns and paint the back and bottom. I am happy to be making progress though!

 

[SMSREEF]

Looking really good!
The plumbing looks fantastic.

 

[Kyle079]

Looking really good!
The plumbing looks fantastic.

Thanks! First time plumbing so I am learning and guessing while I go!

 

[LBReefer]

Great looking build. I love the enthusiasm.

You mentioned getting a second pair of clowns. I'm not sure if someone told you already, but clowns are super territorial, especially once they pair up. If you want to get little ones and let them grow, I'd pass on this first set.

 

[Kyle079]

Great looking build. I love the enthusiasm.

You mentioned getting a second pair of clowns. I'm not sure if someone told you already, but clowns are super territorial, especially once they pair up. If you want to get little ones and let them grow, I'd pass on this first set.

Thanks I am enjoying every stage so far!

I think I may have mis spoken. I am not planning on getting two pairs of clowns, just one pair. I am just deciding between getting a pair from a local guy that are a few years old or getting my own from the LFS that are still young. Sorry if I worded it bad

 

[xlayedoutx]

Any update? I’ve got a 40 Breeder also.

 

[Kyle079]

Got the return holes drilled and been working on painting the back and bottom. I have 2 coats of rustoleum black enamel, waiting on the second coat to dry so I can do a 3rd. Had a good deal of bubbles in the paint which you can see in the picture, but the back of the tank will be fully covered so I am not worried about it.. Also got the replacement union in so once I am done painting I can get the plumbing finished up.

 

[R.Weller]

Looking good! I love finding fingerprints on the glass from the kids. I’m sure your little one will find it mesmerizing.

 

[Kyle079]

Looking good! I love finding fingerprints on the glass from the kids. I’m sure your little one will find it mesmerizing.

Yea my oldest (3.5 year old) has a Fluval Spec V freshwater that is loves. She is very excited to see Daddy's tank. We can also sit our 8 month old in front of the freshwater and she loves it, so I am excited to see how she reacts to all the colors of the saltwater.

 

[Amstar]

updates? really like the plumbing etc. looking good