40 Beeder Reef Plan

[Anthonyjiz]

So I'm finally deciding on a 40 breeder to start my first tank ever.. Here's my plan, please tell me if you see something wrong with it!

 

Lighting-

175watt 20k Metal Halide Pendant (has a weird shape so that heat goes up instead of down, so it won't heat the tank)

Filtration-

Call me crazy but I wanna try just plan natural.

AquaticLife Internal Mini Protein Skimmer 115 (It's up to 30gal so I don't even think it'll do much, but it's better than nothing)

Live Rock + Sand... I really don't know how much to start with, many people tell me 35lbs is good but then others say more like 50lbs or random numbers.. Can someone please give me a good idea and give a reason why they think so?

Chaeto.. I'm thining of sticking a pretty nice chunk, about 3-4fingers wide of chaeto in a small corner of the tank for added filtrage? What do you guys think of this idea also?

Flow-

Koralia 3

Might add another Koralia 2 or ..

Salt Mix-

Tropic Marin

Water-

Here lies the biggest concern.. I don't have a RO/DI or the money for one.. And the nearest store that has any is over 45mins away.. =( what can i do?

Heater-

Jager 150 W Heater 13 inch UL Approved

Live Stock-

2 Clownfish (Not positive on which yet)

1 Yellow Tang

1 Watchman Gobby

Do I have room for anything else? I really want a starfish also, one that looks colorful or a clam! Please tell me what you think of either..

Corals-

Polpys---

Glove Polpy

Random Zoa's

LPS---

Hammer Coral

Bubble Coral (maybe)

Some kind of Favia

A Few Acans

SPS---

Different Digis

 

(The Coral list is not defiant whatsoever, it's just a little idea list i got from searching some online shops.. But a general outlook I would say...)

[Land0]

On the LR issue it really depends on your preference.. a general rule is about 1 lb per gallon, but it really depends what you like.. some people like very little bc they think it makes their tank look bigger and some a lot cause it gives alot of nooks and crannys for fish. Just figure out the style of reef you want.. maybe look at other peoples FTS's and go with that.

 

 

 

and probably dont add a tang in your 40 breeder.

[Anthonyjiz]

The tang and clowns are what I want the most, you really don't think I can have a tang? I've seen one for years in a 20L very happy and a 40b is 6" more!

 

Is there more of a benefit if i use 45lbs instead of 35lbs?

 

I updated filtration, check it out about the cheato

[vangvace]

The MH will still heat the tank.

 

2 Koralina 2s would work better than a single 3.

 

Check out Reef Central's sand bed calculator of how much sand you need for the depth you would like. Rock depends on density.

 

No Tang

 

Check you local reef club and craigslist for an RO filter and used equipment.

[Nemo Niblets]

A full grown tang will not be okay in the 40 breeder. A little baby might be but you will have to move it out. So *IF* you get one, get it little and then get it out when it gets big. I wouldn't recommend it though. You should get a flame angel instead.

[jjjo]

actually the swimming room for a tang in a 40 breeder should be more than sufficient for a scopas/yellow/black tang type fish. (def not a regal tang or a PB).

 

because a 40 breeder is so wide, it makes up for its lack of length. its no different than putting a yellow tang in a 90 gallon tall. fish such as a tang dont swim up and down. end of story.

[Anthonyjiz]

Now who do I believe? Haha! Honestly though, now who do I believe...

I want a yellow tang (so you guys know)

 

And I'm not to into angels.. I really want some shrimps, like cherry, cleaner, or anemone king shrimps..

[jjjo]

Now who do I believe? Haha! Honestly though, now who do I believe...

I want a yellow tang (so you guys know)

 

And I'm not to into angels.. I really want some shrimps, like cherry, cleaner, or anemone king shrimps..

 

ive kept a yellow tang in a standard 55 gallon tank for several years, back in the day. the only reason it died, was negligence on my part (i was like 16 years old, and had more pressing issues other than a tank at the time).

 

if you do the math...

 

a 55 is a 48" x 12" tank.

 

a 40 breeder is a 36" x 18"

 

WHICH ONE HAS A LARGER HORIZONTAL TYPE SWIMMING AREA (just multiply number 1 by number 2)

 

should answer your question.

 

as stated... i DO NOT advise you to keep tangs such as blue regal tangs, and the such in a 36 x 18 tank. but a yellow tang definitely should do fine under proper care.

 

-dan

[plainrt]

I have seen yellow tangs in 40bs plenty of times.

[Anthonyjiz]

ive kept a yellow tang in a standard 55 gallon tank for several years, back in the day. the only reason it died, was negligence on my part (i was like 16 years old, and had more pressing issues other than a tank at the time).

 

if you do the math...

 

a 55 is a 48" x 12" tank.

 

a 40 breeder is a 36" x 18"

 

WHICH ONE HAS A LARGER HORIZONTAL TYPE SWIMMING AREA (just multiply number 1 by number 2)

 

should answer your question.

 

as stated... i DO NOT advise you to keep tangs such as blue regal tangs, and the such in a 36 x 18 tank. but a yellow tang definitely should do fine under proper care.

 

-dan

 

Thanks buddy, then it's settled! I shall have a baby yellow tang! =D

 

Did you guys checkout the filtration i changed? I wanna have chaeto, because I think it should help bc I won't have any kind of filter.. What you guys think?

 

And a star or clam? Ideas?

[jjjo]

Thanks buddy, then it's settled! I shall have a baby yellow tang! =D

 

Did you guys checkout the filtration i changed? I wanna have chaeto, because I think it should help bc I won't have any kind of filter.. What you guys think?

 

And a star or clam? Ideas?

 

I think a small skimmer would make your life a lot easier. Chaeto might also have some benifits as well.

 

as for a clam... all i know is in smaller tanks, as the clam grows, so does their need for calcium and such. are you willing to test your water and keep up with the clam's growing demands?

[Anthonyjiz]

I think a small skimmer would make your life a lot easier. Chaeto might also have some benifits as well.

 

as for a clam... all i know is in smaller tanks, as the clam grows, so does their need for calcium and such. are you willing to test your water and keep up with the clam's growing demands?

 

Hmm.. Seems to me as a clam is a high end invert... Don't know if I'll go down that path till I'm more established then

 

As for the skimmer, are you trying to say that my skimmer that I have will be good?

 

Lighting... Do you think I should have it a foot over the tank, or two feet?

 

Chaeto.. How much do you think I need? And it doesn't need much flow right, so maybe I can even hide it behind rocks so it doesn't kill the display??

[Toomin]

a yellow tang huh.

goodluck with it

[SpankythePyro]

you will need to feed the tang alot of he will get aggressive, I know I have a kole tang that was the same way.

 

You have to look at fin/body shape as well. Some tangs are built for agility (yellow/kole/tomini), while others are built for sprints (hippo/regal/pb)

[Anthonyjiz]

So will a yellow tang be ok or no? what you mean frag alot?

[jjjo]

>>2 Clownfish (Not positive on which yet)

1 Yellow Tang

1 Watchman Gobby

 

 

he shouldnt be too aggressive toward these fish if he is added LAST...

 

however, after adding any more fish, OR fish after the yellow tang is acclimated and used to the tank, you may run into aggression problems. also fish shaped the same way as a yellow tang, or is similar in size AND color might lead to fights.

[Anthonyjiz]

Yeah I'm having very very big second thoughts on the tang.. I'll have to find something as colorful or such... what do you guys think of me having a Green Mandarin Dragonet? Are they hard to keep?

[nemmy]

Yeah I'm having very very big second thoughts on the tang.. I'll have to find something as colorful or such... what do you guys think of me having a Green Mandarin Dragonet? Are they hard to keep?

 

Yes, and no at the same time. It all depends on your tank, and your ability to train it.

Mandarins eat pods, so your tank needs to have a very large pod population (which it can deplete in a matter of days), so you will either need a way to replenish the pod population constantly, or train it to eat frozen foods.

 

Training it to eat frozens can be a pain in the butt, but buying one from a store that you have seen eat frozen food can make things a lot easier. If i can recall correctly StevieT has a lot of experience in this subject. I'm pretty sure it was his RSM build thread that shows him training his mandarin to eat frozens.

Check that out, and talk to him before making a jump on the mandarin. Either way your tank should be pretty established before you get one. The training to eat frozens can really muck up your tank with uneaten food floating around. While at the same time you want a good amount of pods to hold him off while you try to train him.

[badbread]

You probably want 2 MH lights over it. I started with a single 250w and there was no way that would work. I now have 2 250w's and it is perfect.

[fewskillz]

The lighting will be fine, but it'll be a little darker around the edges of the tank.

 

Nothing wrong with natural filtration, all of my tanks are this way. That skimmer probably won't do much, a 30 gallon "rating" is probably a stretch and you're talking about putting it on a 44.9 gallon tank. It'll help a little, but not worth the expense, the electricity consumption, or the heat the extra pump will be putting in your water.

 

Like I said in your other thread, get however much will look right in your tank. The actual amount isn't as important as the density of the rock. You want porous rock. I would order a 25 lb box of dry Fiji rock from marcorocks.com and then seed it with some quality live rock from local reefers or a LFS. How much live you get will depend on how you want the tank to look.

 

Chaeto is a good thing, it will be beneficial.

 

Either find a used RO/DI unit or save up a little longer and buy the Mighty Mite from airwaterice.com for $110. You can't have a saltwater fish tank without salt water, so make sure you take care of your water. This isn't a place to shortcut.

 

Don't put a Tang in a 36" tank. I don't care if it's a 36" cube, it needs more swimming LENGTH. The 18" front-back dimension helps, but it still doesn't make it right. Tangs dont swim in circles, they swim in straight lines, a 48", 55 gallon tank is the minimum for a Tang for a reason. If you want a tang that badly, keep saving, start with a bigger tank. Don't get one saying "oh I'll get rid of it" or "i'll upgrade", do it right the first time or don't do it at all. Tangs don't fit in nanos. Sorry. Plus, Tangs are dirty dirty fish, even as babies. You don't want that kind of bioload in your tank, not with natural filtration.

 

Try a lemonpeel angel or a false lemonpeel angel instead. They're equally beautiful, just as hardy, and they won't outgrow your tank. Wanting shrimp has nothing to do with not wanting angels, they're perfectly safe with inverts.

 

The rest of your livestock looks fine. I'd hold off for a few months to make sure your tank is stable before you try a clam.

 

 

 

cliff notes: Buy good rock, don't get a tang, don't get a clam (yet). Just keep asking questions, nice to see a rookie thinking something through.

Get two Korlias, I would go with a 2 and a 3 in your case. (my old 40b had two 3s, but I like lots of flow)

[badbread]

Totally disagree on a single MH lamp for 36". When I put the single 250w over my 40 breeder there wasn't a little shading, there was a lot. I was using a SE Lumenarc mini reflector which is suppose to have a lot of spread. Maybe a different reflector would do better but the Lumenarc III mini was a no go.

[jjjo]

You probably want 2 MH lights over it. I started with a single 250w and there was no way that would work. I now have 2 250w's and it is perfect.

 

a luminarc hung a bit higher than normal would fix that.

[fewskillz]

Totally disagree on a single MH lamp for 36". When I put the single 250w over my 40 breeder there wasn't a little shading, there was a lot. I was using a SE Lumenarc mini reflector which is suppose to have a lot of spread. Maybe a different reflector would do better but the Lumenarc III mini was a no go.

It also depends on how high you mount it from the top of the tank and what you consider an acceptable amount of shade. If it's that bad maybe he needs to consider some t5 supplementation or going with t5s altogether. I doubt his budget has enough room for multiple MHs if he can't afford an RO unit.

 

I've had a 150 mh + 2x65 PCs over a 40b and I thought it was fine, I liked having the different light levels.

[badbread]

Hrm, I hung the light up pretty high. It was probably about 12" above the tank, maybe I should have hung it higher? Didn't notice the budget part of the post, my bad.

 

How would you supplement with T5's as i was pondering that before I splurged on the second MH. The width of the Lumenarc (in my case) was the width of the tank, and I couldn't think of a clever way to mount the T5's without them blocking any of the MH light.

[fewskillz]

He would just have to trim his reflectors to make them work together. DIY work isn't finite, there are millions of possibilities!