OP
OP
Retro Reefer

Retro Reefer

Slow and steady wins the race!
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
8,048
Reaction score
46,923
Location
Manassas Va
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Day 5 of rock in tank, day 2 of testing..

5C4E48BF-9682-4234-AE60-20391506E2DD.jpeg
 
OP
OP
Retro Reefer

Retro Reefer

Slow and steady wins the race!
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
8,048
Reaction score
46,923
Location
Manassas Va
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Nice work, I wish we could get that rock here in England, I've seen a few people in the States get it. :)

Thanks.. considering how hard it is to get real rock these days I do feel very fortunate to have this available.
 
OP
OP
Retro Reefer

Retro Reefer

Slow and steady wins the race!
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
8,048
Reaction score
46,923
Location
Manassas Va
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So 10 days in looks like cycle is over.. I’ll be putting more live rock from another tank in next week and keep an eye on parameters until I start stocking.

294F1DFC-25B0-4DC3-9A48-4F089D85686B.jpeg
 

grassy_noel

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 26, 2017
Messages
278
Reaction score
246
Location
Evanston, Illinois
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Looking great, excited to follow along! You know, as I plan my next tank I have been lulled into the assumption that it has to be rimless. But when I think about the rimless 20g tank I currently have, it always has a black cover on it (looks like a rim) and I would love to go T5 lighting in a hanging canopy, which basically reduces the visual impact of a rimless tank, too.

So now I'm asking myself, if I can get a 40g breeder AND a steel stand from Petco for less than $100, why would I spend over $1,000 on a rimless setup that won't look rimless by the time I'm done with it anyway?

Plus...I like clear silicone better than black...there, I said it. I know, it's heresy, but I do.

You've given me great things to think about. Imagine what I can do with that $900 lights, skimmer, return pump, controller-wise!!!
 
OP
OP
Retro Reefer

Retro Reefer

Slow and steady wins the race!
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
8,048
Reaction score
46,923
Location
Manassas Va
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Looking great, excited to follow along! You know, as I plan my next tank I have been lulled into the assumption that it has to be rimless. But when I think about the rimless 20g tank I currently have, it always has a black cover on it (looks like a rim) and I would love to go T5 lighting in a hanging canopy, which basically reduces the visual impact of a rimless tank, too.

So now I'm asking myself, if I can get a 40g breeder AND a steel stand from Petco for less than $100, why would I spend over $1,000 on a rimless setup that won't look rimless by the time I'm done with it anyway?

Plus...I like clear silicone better than black...there, I said it. I know, it's heresy, but I do.

You've given me great things to think about. Imagine what I can do with that $900 lights, skimmer, return pump, controller-wise!!!

Thanks for stopping by.. I would love to have a sleek rimless reef tank and contemplated a Red Sea but just couldn’t justify the price, I have always loved the dimensions of the 40 Breeder and $100 for stand and tank is a bargain. the stand worried me a little but after I got it together it seems fairly sturdy and has a wide footprint which helps with stability, the only other thing would be rusting but I plan to wipe down frequently with a damp rag and protect it with towels when servicing the tank so we will see.. lighting is going to be the biggest single cost for this build but I’m still hoping to come in right about $700 for a t5 / LED combo, the 36” aquatic life t5 fixture is around $260 but hope to catch a sale and I’m thinking about trying two of the CoralBox moon LED’s @ $179 each so with four t5 bulbs @ $20 I’m right at $700
 
OP
OP
Retro Reefer

Retro Reefer

Slow and steady wins the race!
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
8,048
Reaction score
46,923
Location
Manassas Va
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I added my substrate and will be putting the rest of my rock from another tank in next week.. also added a bag of biological media from another tank to my sump and a little sand to seed new substrate.

1A56CFA3-E4BF-41E1-BF9D-8CA4D4A8507D.jpeg
 
OP
OP
Retro Reefer

Retro Reefer

Slow and steady wins the race!
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
8,048
Reaction score
46,923
Location
Manassas Va
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Installed lighting for my sump and a small 15 watt led to temporarily provide a little lighting for the tank while while it stabilizes, decided not to go completely dark during this period to hopefully preserve some life on the rock.


1DCD975E-C4AA-488D-A79C-F40164DD57C3.jpeg

539A195B-491A-4AF5-AA17-51193A214D92.jpeg
 

Bearded Dan

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 10, 2017
Messages
31
Reaction score
36
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Lol, literally started a very similar build yesterday before seeing this one. Picked up the tank and stand from petco yesterday.

Glued a couple of pieces of 1/4" mdf together to make a platform for the bottom to set the sump on. Thinking about it though, a rubber mat on the carpet could be quieter. Was planning on putting some foam under the sump.

Did you find the stand to be pretty square when you assembled it? Seems real solid to me.

Been having the debate about drilling vs hob. Wife's tank has a cpr hob overflow. My only complaint is the aqualifter pump is a pain in the butt sometimes. Think more flow would eliminate the need?

Had been considering doing a diy hob overflow out of pvc I'd seen on YouTube.

Build looks good! Thanks for giving me ideas for mine!
 
OP
OP
Retro Reefer

Retro Reefer

Slow and steady wins the race!
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
8,048
Reaction score
46,923
Location
Manassas Va
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Lol, literally started a very similar build yesterday before seeing this one. Picked up the tank and stand from petco yesterday.

Glued a couple of pieces of 1/4" mdf together to make a platform for the bottom to set the sump on. Thinking about it though, a rubber mat on the carpet could be quieter. Was planning on putting some foam under the sump.

Did you find the stand to be pretty square when you assembled it? Seems real solid to me.

Been having the debate about drilling vs hob. Wife's tank has a cpr hob overflow. My only complaint is the aqualifter pump is a pain in the *** sometimes. Think more flow would eliminate the need?

Had been considering doing a diy hob overflow out of pvc I'd seen on YouTube.

Build looks good! Thanks for giving me ideas for mine!

Thanks for stopping by:)

I think the stand will be ok it went together fairly straight but I probably should have built one myself, not sure I trust the powder coating and I’m concerned about rusting long term.. I put mine together upside down so the cross pieces would line up better with the side tops that the tank sits on to avoid the gap every one complains about also used some stick on wide dense window foam around the parameter of stand for the tank to sit

I was thinking about a shelf also but I wanted all the room I could get height wise so I can get the skimmer cup off easier, it was also simpler and cheaper to just sit it on a rubber mat.. lol

I don’t like the CPR because of it’s dependency on the pump and because of the way it’s designed you would probably need a ridicules amount of flow to keep air out.. a tube style pushed to there upper end are just about foul proof, just some simple maintenance keeping the overflow box’s teeth and the prefilter clean is all that’s needed.. the eshopps pf-300 seems perfect for the 40, the way mine is set up air will never get trapped just to much flow
 
OP
OP
Retro Reefer

Retro Reefer

Slow and steady wins the race!
View Badges
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
8,048
Reaction score
46,923
Location
Manassas Va
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Amazing how clear my water has stayed, not sure if I can contribute it to the fresh rock but my last two tanks both went through cloudy stages early on, after dealing with “milky” looking water for a couple weeks I had to install a UV system on one of them to clear the bacterial bloom..

6623348D-6BA7-48B8-A44D-867520567BDF.jpeg
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 73 51.8%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 72 51.1%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 36 25.5%
  • None.

    Votes: 31 22.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.4%
Back
Top