SpringFever's 40B Build

[SpringFever]

Like so many others these days, I could not pass on the $/gallon sale. I purchased a 40b display and 20l sump. I am going to keep a detailed log of this build mainly to have a record of what to do differently next time...

 

Here is what I have done so far:

Basic 2X4 frame pocket screwed and braced with 2X2s.

 

 

Sub frame for sump

 

 

Skinned and partially trimmed. I still need to apply crown and base molding, stain, and clear-coat.

 

 

Drilled and painted. I am going with a 1” Herbie stand-pipe design. The overflow box is big (4”X11”) but NOTHING will be sticking out the back! This tank will be ½” away from the wall. Also, even the return is being plumed up from the bottom and over the weir. Being fool proof, quiet and clean are my big concerns. The overflow will be made of glass and painted black.

 

 

Thanks for looking! Any comment, suggestions or questions are appreciated.

[RPrepublic]

Sounds cool. I just set up mine earlier this year and im thinking the same exact thing. Would do things totally differently next time. Good luck on it looks like you got a great start!

[SpringFever]

Thanks, RP! It helps a lot that I already have a tank running. If i were tank-less I would probably be much more likely to cut corners to get it done...

 

I have been collecting the necessary equipment over the last couple of months. Below is my equipment list showing what I have and still need:

 

Tank: 40 Breeder (check)

Sump: 20 Long (check)

Stand: Custom (75%)

Lighting: Custom Canopy with two 150MH and T5 supplementation. (need some input here...)

Return Pump: Mag 7 (check)

Flow: 2 mp10s (have one, need one more)

Heater: Two 100 watt stealth (check)

Skimmer: Reef Octopus 110 (check)

Dry Rock: 30Lbs (Reef Cleaners or BRS)

 

Once my stand is done, I am going to build the sump. I would like to arrange it like so:

 

Skimmer///Return/Fuge and DSB

 

I keep reading that dwell time in the fuge is important and I think that the Mag 7 will pump around 500gal/hour through the sump. Arranging it this way and T-ing the overflow will allow me to increase dwell time. My only concern is that I will be running a filter sock in the skimmer section and there won't be any mechanical filtration for the fuge/DSB. a Wet-Web article I read about DSBs said that you don't need mechanical filtration before fuge but... that makes me nervous. Any body have any thoughts?

[bencollinz]

/subscribed

[SpringFever]

Glad to have you along, Ben!

 

I have been slowly making progress. I ordered the glass pieces for my overflow and sump baffles yesterday. I should be able to pick them up on Thursday.

 

I am still wrestling with my sump design... From what I have read about DSBs, I might be better off without mechanical filtration to that section. If I understand it correctly, it is all about the critters turning over the sand. If I let detritus fall in that section, there will be more detritavors turning over the sand, increasing the efficiency of the de-nitrifying properties of the bed. I would love to hear peoples opinions on this.

 

Here is my sump sketch. Let me know what you think.

 

[bencollinz]

I believe what you have there is what the majority of NR uses, especially for the typical 20L sump.

It is more than likely what I will use as well. As for the DSB, it makes sense to just let the CUC do the work.

 

Ben

[SpringFever]

From what I can tell, most sumps have a mechanical filter before or after the fuge section. I am unsure if not having a sock or floss section before entry to the fuge will cause detritus buildup. In theory, worms and amphapods and Lord knows what else will take it through the nitrogen process.

 

Tonight I painted the glass panels for the overflow and one panel for the fuge. I taped off 1/4" around the parameter so there would still be some raw glass exposed for the silicone to stick to. Tomorrow I am going to silicone the overflow into place.

 

Question: should I cut out the silicone in the corner where I am putting the overflow? When I dry fit the pieces, the silicone on the inside of the tank bulges out making it hard to get the glass aligned. Any thoughts? Opinions?

 

Where you at!?!?

[SpringFever]

Any opinions?

 

I would like to install the overflow tonight, but I want to make sure I don't F it up... Do I notch the silicone where the glass panels are going or just get the pieces as close as possible as is?

[SpringFever]

Well... I didn't want to cut the manufactures silicone, so I rounded the edges of the glass with 80 grit paper. The pieces fit in really nice and the glass panles look sick. I am very pleased with this overflow. Pictures tomorrow. Dreams of sugar plumb dancers now...

[nor_cal_nano]

Nice build. I'm loving the work on the stand.

 

This thread definitely deserves more readers. If you post boobs, and they will come....

 

lol. Good luck.

[SpringFever]

Thanks for the comment, Nor_Cal! Ask and you shall receive:

Do those count as boobs?

 

 

As promised, here are some updated photos after finishing the overflow. I used Krylon Fusion on the back side of the panels.

 

This weekend I will silicone in the sump baffles and try to find "base" and "crown" molding. I can't find anything I like at the regular Box stores, so I think I'll try some mom and pop shops.

 

Thanks for reading!

[SpringFever]

Progress update. I decided to give the sump design shown above a go... If someone points out a mistake, it won't be too hard to remove and re-place the baffles. I have one more baffle to place, but I figured you would get the idea. Let me know what you think.

 

I painted this pane black so algae doesn't grow in the return section. I will also partition off the fuge light so it doesn't shine anywhere but the fuge. I also affixed some egg-crate to the top of the pane to keep critters where they belong. I am spacing the panes with a grizley catalog which I cut the binding down to the correct thickness. No need to waste perfectly good scrap wood

 

Just for fun, here are some crappy pics of my current tank. Be nice!

[SpringFever]

I'm having trouble thinking through my Live Rock options... Could use some input. Here is the situation:

 

I have about 20Lbs of live-rock in my 20 gallon tank (pictured above). I have about 10 Lbs of dry rock in my garage. I am going to order 10-15Lbs of dry shelf rock from BRS to incorporate.

 

What I would like to do is make a bonsai style scape for this build using all (most) of the rock listed above. The options I can think of are:

 

A) [1] cycle the 40B with the dry rock seeded with sand from my 20. [2] Once cycled transfer live-stock and live-rock. [3] Let settle/mini cycle [d] create scape [e] reattach livestock to scape.

 

B ) Use only dry-rock to make scape (would have to buy more than 15Lbs) and sell the rock from my 20.

 

C) Scrap the bonsai idea and just go with a pile-o-rocks.

 

D) ?

 

Anybody have any thoughts?

 

Edit: B ) = ... added space... stupid emoto-cons

[bdare]

Yo man... Looks good so far. What is the spacing between your baffles on your sump? You want to make sure they are AT LEAST 1" gap between or you will have issues with micro bubbles. I had to completely re-do my sump for the same reason... No fun after the tank is up and running!

[SpringFever]

Hey bdare, those are some nice lights you have built. Profesional... Do you do pro-bono work?

[Mojorizn]

A) [1] cycle the 40B with the dry rock seeded with sand from my 20. [2] Once cycled transfer live-stock and live-rock. [3] Let settle/mini cycle [d] create scape [e] reattach livestock to scape.

 

Thinking that dry rock won't really affect anything...no dieoff right?

 

When I upgraded my 40 to a 65 I added dry rock and just made the entire switch.

 

BUT, it was only a few pieces not several pounds.

 

Your "A" option seems the careful / cautious route. Nothing wrong with that...

[SpringFever]

What is the spacing between your baffles on your sump? You want to make sure they are AT LEAST 1" gap between or you will have issues with micro bubbles. I had to completely re-do my sump for the same reason... No fun after the tank is up and running!

 

Would not be fun re-buiding a sump... I made them EXACTLY 1" apart Down to the page...

 

Thinking that dry rock won't really affect anything...no dieoff right?

 

When I upgraded my 40 to a 65 I added dry rock and just made the entire switch.

 

BUT, it was only a few pieces not several pounds.

 

Your "A" option seems the careful / cautious route. Nothing wrong with that...

 

I smell what you're stepin' in... I plan on scrubbing the sh!t out of the dry rock, but I imagine there will still be some crud hanging on. If I have live rock in with it, the cycle should be short. But hopefully long enough for me to build my lighting fixture...

 

Do you guys know how long live rock can be out of water?

[gutterguy]

Not sure how long rock can be out of water, but when I set up my 40 i used about 30# of dry rock from RC and about 7 - 8# of live rock from old system. After 2 weeks I am seeing a pretty good cycle. More than I was actually anticipating. I just cut my lights down a little and will stop feed for a couple days.

[Trolldoll]

Go with A with a few additions.

 

I would clean the glass and use a turkey baster to get all the nasty good stuff in the water on your current tank. Then do a water change and use the old water to fill your new tank. If you can spare a couple lbs of your good live rock it wouldnt hurt to add that to with the handfuls of sand.

 

Very nice start. Time to get it wet.

[SpringFever]

Not sure how long rock can be out of water, but when I set up my 40 i used about 30# of dry rock from RC and about 7 - 8# of live rock from old system. After 2 weeks I am seeing a pretty good cycle. More than I was actually anticipating. I just cut my lights down a little and will stop feed for a couple days.

 

Thanks for the input! I have been folowing your build thread. You have done some really nice work. I'm sure the algae will be gone in no time.

 

 

Go with A with a few additions.

 

I would clean the glass and use a turkey baster to get all the nasty good stuff in the water on your current tank. Then do a water change and use the old water to fill your new tank. If you can spare a couple lbs of your good live rock it wouldnt hurt to add that to with the handfuls of sand.

 

Very nice start. Time to get it wet.

 

Thanks for stoping by Troll! I like your suggestions alot. I have a chunck of LR in my sump I think I'll throw in to help cycle.

 

The only thing that concerns me is that my LR will be out of the water for a long time while I drill holes and epoxy them together... I think i'll keep a few buckets full of salt water near me while scaping but some pieces could conceivably be out of water for upwards of a few hours. Should I be concerned? Anything I can do to stave off die-off?

 

I'm about a month away from starting the cycle... I've picked up a furnature side-project I need to build quickly...

[Trolldoll]

You could always fill up a bottle and mist the rock. When I order my LR on my first tank it was wrapped in wet newspaper. I wouldnt worry to much rock and coral are exposed to air for hours during low tides. Someone posted pics of exposed reefs when they went on vacation.

 

Do you plan on keeping the other tank set up? When I upgraded I decided to use mine as QT/frag tank or an emergency tank.

[SpringFever]

TrollDoll: Thanks again for the suggestions! I like the mister idea... I read an article recently where they explained how live rock is collected... not too worried about it now

 

I am going to go with option 'A' for the rock integration.

 

Now on to lighting... I used to think that a 6X39w T5 would give me better spread of light and higher par than a single 250w MH, but this article from advanced aquarist's magazine published results showing the exact oposite.

 

I currently have a 150 sunpod and love the shimmer. I think I'm leaning toward 2X150 or 1X250. Anybody have any suggestions?

[dotc0m]

Update!

[SpringFever]

Thanks for checking in dotcOm. Unfortunately I don’t have much to update… I run a business on the side for extra spending money and picked up a job recently. I have been pretty consumed with that. Also, my wife is in nursing school. Going down to 1.25 incomes has been a challenge. I am very good at living below my means, but money for the tank is taking a back seat. This summer (while my wife temporarily goes back to fulltime) I will hopefully bang out the rest of the build. Very slow goings until then.

 

 

 

I am going to order my dry rock and PVC fittings from BRS this weekend, though. I need a gate valve to complete the plumbing and thought I should combine that with the rock to get free shipping. So I will at least be leak testing soon.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!!!

[SpringFever]

I had something crazy happen today and just had to share…

 

 

 

I have thought about getting a Fathead/sunburst anthias several times but dismissed it on the basis that I don't need any more fish in my 20. Well… my SPS have very light, 'pastel' colors, and from what I understand, it is due to malnourishment. Easy solution = add another fish. So…

 

 

 

I am in a LFS this afternoon and guy asks me "can I help you find anything?" I respond: "what is your special order policy?" He explains then follows up with "what are you looking for?" As soon as the word 'Fathead' exits my mouth, guy cracks the biggest, dumbest smile I've ever seen and says: "I'll have one here in 10 minutes!" A repeat customer of his was breaking down a tank and was selling her Sunburst Anthias back to the LFS. I waited 5 minutes and paid the lady $40 for a fat, healthy, flake eating anthias. The LFS didn't even ask for a cut.