Ucantmakeme's 40breeder build

ucantmakeme · Jan 7, 2011

Hey everybody. I know a lot of people have done 40b builds in the past, and a lot of those tanks are what drove me to starting this tank. Hundreds if not thousands of people believe it has the perfect dimensions. I wish it was just 2 inches taller, but hey, its close enough.

For those of you who are going to ask immediately, I am planning for a SPS dominant mixed tank. All of my equipment is going to be purchased on the assumption that I will one day want to remove all softies and LPS and go strictly SPS. Im not a collector by any means, so all the corals I get will be what I like to look at. (plus I don't have a very good coral market around here that I know of) :xd:

This tank will be Bare Bottom to keep very high flow, because I hate the look of uneven sandbeds and the bare spots that can occur. All of my circulation pumps will be as close to the bottom of the tank as possible and hidden behind rockwork. I am planning on running an above display fuge in a 29g with a DSB and lots of macro and letting it drain into the display. This can be added at anytime in the future.

My equipment list so far is:

Tank- AGA 40 breeder

Sump- 20Long (I don't care what brand)

Glass-holes Overflow @ 700gph

Marineland 3000 return (750gph)

Lighting- 2x 150w XM 15k bulbs. (still looking for good reflectors)

Skimmer- ReefOctopus4 (100g) 2010 version

TwoLittleFishies Phosban Reactor 150

Koralia Evo 1400's x2 on a wavemaker of some kind (RKL most likely)

So far thats all I can think of. I will keep you guys up to date with purchases and will include many, many pictures, because I know that most people will not read a thread without pictures.

Any comments, questions, complaints, gripes, or even criticism(good or bad) are all welcome here. Just post right on here and don't bother sending a PM. If there is something to be learned then everyone should be able to see it. I am not an expert nor do I claim to be, so I will make mistakes. Just letting you know now ahead of time so you can prepare yourself in advance.

Thanks.

ucantmakeme · Jan 7, 2011

Heres a quick picture of my BRAND NEW skimmer and reactor I got for Christmas. Crappy phone pics because I don't have a decent camera. I will work on "aquiring" one soon.

ReefOctopus4 (100g 2010 version)
Phosban Reactor 150

ucantmakeme · Jan 10, 2011

Ok so my reflector choice was a little large for my tank, so I have decided to get the Lumenarc III Mini's. I will edit my first post to show my new decision. Also I am thinking about removing the T5 actinic sups and going with 20k bulbs to save space, because with only 16 inches I cannot fit a 14.5 inch reflector and 2 t5 bulbs over the tank and get the proper spread of light.

Does anyone have any other reflector choices they could recommend that are smaller like the Lumenarc III Mini's? I am open to all suggestions.

Also, will 1 reflector be adequate for the entire width of a 40breeder or should I just get 2?

Also, I purchased the Glass-holes overflow on Friday, so I should be recieving it in the mail sometime this week.

nayrgaijin · Jan 10, 2011

Sounds like it will be intense and you already have much of it planned out!

ucantmakeme · Jan 10, 2011

I just got a killer deal on 2 brand new Koralia Evo 1400's. So my list is coming to gether reather quickly. I am going to wait on the lighting purchase until I am absolutely positive about my choice, as it is easily the most expensive purchase I will make.

Thanks Nayrgaijin. I try to plan ahead, but I am not nearly as good of a planner as many others on this site. I am kind-of planning as I go.

Electrobes · Jan 10, 2011

Looking forward to this build! I love 40Br.. had the same tank size myself for 7 years!

- I do think thats a loooot of light power for that tank. I had a single 250 halide on my tank and it easily held sps.. but I did have some shadows here and there. Not many, but it may bother some people. I would go with just a single 250 halide and maybe no supps. It's a bit different than the typical big light with supps.... but you'll be fine.

- I love the rest of your equipment minus your flow. I have a Vortech MP10 currently on my tank and I definitely love it. It occupies little space in my tank.. which you and I know is pretty important to us. I would either go with 1 or two MP10's, or maybe just 1 MP20. This leads to a question:

What type of tank are you going for? I read the above but maybe I am getting old and missed it?

VanGogh121 · Jan 10, 2011

Electrobes said:
- I do think thats a loooot of light power for that tank.

I was thinking the same thing! Way to much light. Get a nice LED fixture...

Jcr's Reef · Jan 10, 2011

Nice! I love 40 Breeders. Your lighting choice of 250's is overkill I think, unless you plan on running them high off the tank. I personally would go with 150watt MH. Hamilton Caymans are good pendants and I like the design. They have a good 1.5' spread. I'm running 2 of them on my 95 Rimless (48"L x 24"W x 20"H) and love them.

phi delt reefer · Jan 10, 2011

i like that you have taken the time to plan things out (alot like me... i started in late June 2010)

i havent setup my tank but heres what i have come to learn from my research...

scratch the glass holes kit - go with a beananimal design - a little more complicated but dead silent and has an emergency drain in case your main drain gets plugged. Do everything with a redundancy or safety factor built in. Remember it cost more to fix something than it does to do it right at first.
2x250 is going to put some serious heat into that small of a tank. Have you though of t5's? 40 breeders are pretty shallow and the T5s are a proven light technology. 6x39w ATI Sunpower would be my recommendation. bulb replacement cost is about the same but you wont have any heat issues. if you still want the halides there is a dude on nano-reef selling two mini's. I dont know if he still has them but they were pretty cheap.
if your budget is tight get the ReefKeeper from Digital Aquatics to do your wavemaking/automate your aquarium (~$100 brand new). If you have cash - get the Neptune Apex unit - its a tried and tested system that does everything except make you breakfast when you are hung over.
get dry rock (marco rock, brs eco-rock, etc.) seed it with a piece of live rock from an established tank that you know for a fact has 0 issues (pest, algae, etc.)
good quality test kits are a must - read teh instructions 20x over and keep everything clean - contaimination is pretty easy when you start mucking around in your sump area.
run carbon - rox0.8 from BRS is the bee's knees. Run a little and change it regularly vs. running a lot and swapping it quarterly.
water changes - keep your ro/di unit up to spec (ie. filters/resin) and keep your container clean. TDS meters are cheap and will help you determine if your source water is getting iffy. Do the water changes weekly - reefing is your new religon
ATO... lots of options here... I have settled on a gravity driven float/pinch style. There are digital systems out there...do your research and wieght the cost/convenience/reliability.
good luck and all the best - I look forward to an awesome build!

Cheers
Vince

Electrobes · Jan 10, 2011

1. Agreed with this though it may be difficult to find someone to do this for you. It will be custom which means a little more money.

2. I definitely agree here, but I assume the author is more gun-ho on the halides. While T-5's aren't completely without heat issues.. they are far better than halides, that's for sure.

3. I also agree with this suggestion, if anything because of having a lot less wires. I use independent systems for everything, but only because I've gotten over time and they've never failed me. That and if there is a systemic error I won't have to worry about ALL the machinery going to poop. But let's be honest.. with the way controllers are made nowadays, that's a very rare thing to happen.

4. A favorite with just about all reefers, saves money and headaches down the road though it does require more patience.

5. Another fan favorite. Sucks that test kits are so expensive. I'm going with the naughty thing of testing once a year or so with aquariumwatertesting website. I don't suggest this, but I've fallen into the trap of thinking I know what's going on with my tank.

6. I'll always agree with this one because my tank is softy dominated. Be careful about how much you put in, a lot of people overestimate how much to put in and shock the tank. Never a fun thing to deal with. The monthly change if often suggested. I definitely rely heavily with carbon and change it monthly.

7. I suggest getting the inline tds meter (It hooks up to your ro/di). It's easy to install and one button tells you the story with your ro/di filter. I also like color changing di resin as an indicator.

8. I used a gravity ATO using a solenoid.. and honestly I would rather stick with a pump driven one. I currently use an aqualifter for plain ol' replacement water. If you were to use kalkwasser I would suggested a stronger pump. If you do end up with a gravity fed ATO.. use two gates (Two solenoids, or whatever opens up to let the liquid through).

phi delt reefer said:
i like that you have taken the time to plan things out (alot like me... i started in late June 2010)

i havent setup my tank but heres what i have come to learn from my research...

scratch the glass holes kit - go with a beananimal design - a little more complicated but dead silent and has an emergency drain in case your main drain gets plugged. Do everything with a redundancy or safety factor built in. Remember it cost more to fix something than it does to do it right at first.

2x250 is going to put some serious heat into that small of a tank. Have you though of t5's? 40 breeders are pretty shallow and the T5s are a proven light technology. 6x39w ATI Sunpower would be my recommendation. bulb replacement cost is about the same but you wont have any heat issues. if you still want the halides there is a dude on nano-reef selling two mini's. I dont know if he still has them but they were pretty cheap.

if your budget is tight get the ReefKeeper from Digital Aquatics to do your wavemaking/automate your aquarium (~$100 brand new). If you have cash - get the Neptune Apex unit - its a tried and tested system that does everything except make you breakfast when you are hung over.

get dry rock (marco rock, brs eco-rock, etc.) seed it with a piece of live rock from an established tank that you know for a fact has 0 issues (pest, algae, etc.)

good quality test kits are a must - read teh instructions 20x over and keep everything clean - contaimination is pretty easy when you start mucking around in your sump area.

run carbon - rox0.8 from BRS is the bee's knees. Run a little and change it regularly vs. running a lot and swapping it quarterly.

water changes - keep your ro/di unit up to spec (ie. filters/resin) and keep your container clean. TDS meters are cheap and will help you determine if your source water is getting iffy. Do the water changes weekly - reefing is your new religon

ATO... lots of options here... I have settled on a gravity driven float/pinch style. There are digital systems out there...do your research and wieght the cost/convenience/reliability.

good luck and all the best - I look forward to an awesome build!

Cheers
Vince

ucantmakeme · Jan 13, 2011

Ok thanks for the detailed input guys. I don't have the money for LED's but I absolutely must have the shimmer. Thats why I'm pretty set on MH.

Thanks to Phi Delt Reefer I have been thinking about the custom made tank more and more. I think I would like to keep the same footprint of the 40B but raise it up to 20 or 22 inches tall. Im not sure of the new gallon amount but I like "deeper" tanks. I could then use the 40b I already have as a sump. I will look into glass pricing today. Someone in my local club I found the other day should help me silicone the peices together. (I know about the certain types of silicones)

I also looked up the different designs for overflows and really do like the Beananimal Design. (Thanks Phi) Definatley a custom option tho.

Also, I guess I will stick to 150w halides as pretty much everybody said 250 is way to much light. Even with 22 or even 24 inches deep? Im just trying to save as much money for when the next upgrade happens. So if I already had all the lighting that would be a huge savings, instead of buying all 150w stuff, then buying all 250w stuff in the near/far future.

ucantmakeme · Jan 13, 2011

Electrobes;580075 This leads to a question: What type of tank are you going for? I read the above but maybe I am getting old and missed it? ;)[/QUOTE said:
I am planning for a highly dominant sps tank with a few lps and softies that I like or already have. But I am trying to build the tank in a way that if I want in the future, I can remove all softies and lps and make it a strict sps tank.

ucantmakeme · Feb 15, 2011

Well I have been ordering equipment slowly over the past few months when the funds are available. I have everything to get the tank up and running except the lights and the controller.

My dad and I spent a couple beer fueled hours this weekend finally building the frame of the stand.

First off- It is 38 inches tall. I am 6'1" and I HATE bending all the way over to look into my current tank so I "extended" the height a bit. I can reach perfectly into the tank and reach every spot comfortably and without the least bit of strain.

It is 2x4's and 2x6's. Its pretty overkill, but I am one of those "better safe than sorry" guys, especially with a 3 year old running around. I do understand that the tank will be top heavy, therefore, I will be securing the stand to the wall with 2 simple L-brackets.

I did not take any "during" pictures, but I did take a few after pictures.

Before moving into my house.

After being moved into a temporary location.

Sideways but you get the idea. 38" tall.

Closer image.

Now with sump and equipment added.

Let the comments flow. Let me know if im missing anything so far. And the stand IS NOT finished yet. Just so you know.

tangboy · Feb 15, 2011

Looks like you are doing the right thing by taking your time and asking lots of questions. I have moved from the Nova Extreme T5X4 to a 250w MH with a 14k Phoenix bulb and really enjoy the shimmer of the MH. Right now it's winter so I'm not sure about the heat issues but I could see how it could heat up when it's 98 outside

I still like the MH over the T5 from my experience in my 40g breeder!