christianbam
Active Member
Hello,
I’ve been in the hobby for 9 years now but have stuck with the IM 40 for the past 4 years due to moving, having kids, etc, the 40 gallon was just right for me. Really hoping in the next 2 years to have something bigger.
Equipment:
Hydra 26HD
Jebao DC 3000 return pump
Cadlights PLS-50 Elite protein skimmer
Anyway, I started off cycling the tank and did my best with my non-creative mind to aqua-scape.
After about two weeks I couldn’t help myself and for a pair of clownfish. Honestly it wasnt until 5-6 months after that I introduced the first coral which were a few zoas, frag of dragon soul, chalice, and ricordea. Nothing special at this point. See below.
Another few months go by and I venture into more lps corals such as a gold torch, hammer coral, solar flare chalice, and a jelly bean chalice. I also added a BTA for the clownfish. At this point I also add a maxspect gyre xf230 for more flow.
After adding a few corals I turned my attention back to equipment. I added a CPR refugium to the side of the tank. I was able to successfully grow algae and create a safe haven for Pods and shrimp. However, overtime I became worried about the weight pulling against the side of the tank and the fact that I lost a whole viewing side of the tank. In the end I removed it and decided to keep up with testing and water changes.
Unfortunatley the clownfish became to agressive after they started laying eggs. I tried to be patient but they were laying very often and I was never able to do any work on the tank without them nipping at me. Eventually they started nipping at all the coral for no reason, so off they went to the LFS and got this as a trade:
After the removal of the clownfish, the BTA started growing so fast it split 3 times. Luckily my dad had no problem giving them a home.
Fast forward to today, started testing the waters with a few acros and gonis. Purchased “Reef Rax” frag racks off BRS to hold some pieces off the sand bed for now. Really like the look of a mixed reef. I can’t stress the importance of a par meter to accomplish multiple PAR needs. I also replaced the maxspect x230 with 2 vortech mp10’s. The x230 was to powerful at the lowest setting and I could not dial it in right to keep all coral happy, especially for the lps (torches).
As the acros become larger I am realizing that the hydra 26 is not providing enough coverage as some branches/sides underneath have become white. I have no experience with T5’s or T5/LED hybrids. Contemplated getting a radion xr30 blue gen 5 or orphek atlantik compact. Want a light I can hang from the tank rather than the ceiling. I did a comparison based off watching the BRS videos of light spectrum of the radion xr30 blue gen5 and the orphek atlantik compact and the radion xr30 was ‘better’. The bigger ‘non-compact’ orphek Atlantic gen 2 has a ‘better’ spectrum than the radion but that light is way to big for the Nuvo 40. Just stating what I noticed. I’m open to any suggestions in terms of adding to the hydra or getting something new like the xr30 gen 5.
Hope you enjoyed reading my build. Again, I’m open to all feedback. Looking forward to adding to it with some better pics when I get a better camera.
I’ve been in the hobby for 9 years now but have stuck with the IM 40 for the past 4 years due to moving, having kids, etc, the 40 gallon was just right for me. Really hoping in the next 2 years to have something bigger.
Equipment:
Hydra 26HD
Jebao DC 3000 return pump
Cadlights PLS-50 Elite protein skimmer
Anyway, I started off cycling the tank and did my best with my non-creative mind to aqua-scape.
After about two weeks I couldn’t help myself and for a pair of clownfish. Honestly it wasnt until 5-6 months after that I introduced the first coral which were a few zoas, frag of dragon soul, chalice, and ricordea. Nothing special at this point. See below.
Another few months go by and I venture into more lps corals such as a gold torch, hammer coral, solar flare chalice, and a jelly bean chalice. I also added a BTA for the clownfish. At this point I also add a maxspect gyre xf230 for more flow.
After adding a few corals I turned my attention back to equipment. I added a CPR refugium to the side of the tank. I was able to successfully grow algae and create a safe haven for Pods and shrimp. However, overtime I became worried about the weight pulling against the side of the tank and the fact that I lost a whole viewing side of the tank. In the end I removed it and decided to keep up with testing and water changes.
Unfortunatley the clownfish became to agressive after they started laying eggs. I tried to be patient but they were laying very often and I was never able to do any work on the tank without them nipping at me. Eventually they started nipping at all the coral for no reason, so off they went to the LFS and got this as a trade:
After the removal of the clownfish, the BTA started growing so fast it split 3 times. Luckily my dad had no problem giving them a home.
Fast forward to today, started testing the waters with a few acros and gonis. Purchased “Reef Rax” frag racks off BRS to hold some pieces off the sand bed for now. Really like the look of a mixed reef. I can’t stress the importance of a par meter to accomplish multiple PAR needs. I also replaced the maxspect x230 with 2 vortech mp10’s. The x230 was to powerful at the lowest setting and I could not dial it in right to keep all coral happy, especially for the lps (torches).
As the acros become larger I am realizing that the hydra 26 is not providing enough coverage as some branches/sides underneath have become white. I have no experience with T5’s or T5/LED hybrids. Contemplated getting a radion xr30 blue gen 5 or orphek atlantik compact. Want a light I can hang from the tank rather than the ceiling. I did a comparison based off watching the BRS videos of light spectrum of the radion xr30 blue gen5 and the orphek atlantik compact and the radion xr30 was ‘better’. The bigger ‘non-compact’ orphek Atlantic gen 2 has a ‘better’ spectrum than the radion but that light is way to big for the Nuvo 40. Just stating what I noticed. I’m open to any suggestions in terms of adding to the hydra or getting something new like the xr30 gen 5.
Hope you enjoyed reading my build. Again, I’m open to all feedback. Looking forward to adding to it with some better pics when I get a better camera.
