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zooman72's 40B build...finally...


zooman72

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FTS: 2/10/15

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FTS: 1/5/2014...
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Well, I have never bothered to do a build thread, even though I have several tanks, but this is probably due to the fact that I don't have a decent camera, which is essential (along with the skills to use it!) to any good build thread.

Anyways, I have wanted to do a 40B tank for a while now, and one of the aquarists at a nearby public aquarium had offered my some cloned GBTA's if I ever set one up. Then, Petco's "dollar per gallon" sale came by, and coupled with inspiration from Lawnman's shallow 30g cube, I decided to start one. I had planned on lighting this with a Maxspect 27" Razor, but got a screaming deal on the MH light and 4 bulbs, so went with it, but reserve the right to upgrade to the Maxspect in the future... :)

The equipment list is as follows:

  • Aqueon standard 40B, back painted black
  • custom pine stand in sealed black stain from Joe's Woodworks in Buffalo, NY
  • 20L sump w/ two single baffles - 9" wide filter sock/ skimmer section, 13" chaeto/ rock section lit by Par30 LED bulb, 8" return section - sump holds approximately 15 gallons of water when running
  • SCA-301 skimmer - upgrading shortly to Sea Side Aquatics ES-5 (essentially a copy of a Bubble Magus Curve 5, but with better Sicce pump) Bubble Magus Curve 5 skimmer
  • CPR 4" filter sock holder
  • AquaMedic Phosphate filter
  • Penn Plax Cascade 300W heater w/ Finnex Deluxe Digital Heater Controller
  • Rio Hyper Flow 6H return pump
  • Eshopps Nano Overflow w/ mini-Hofer "gurgle buster" (3/4" instead of 1" bulkhead drain)
  • Vortech MP10 es
  • PFO mini metal halide pendant w/ Phoenix 14K bulb for max daylight
  • 2 BoostLED Par30's (2RB: 1CB: 1CW: 1NW) for early morning/ late afternoon lighting
  • Coralife 1W royal blue moonlight attached to MH pendant
  • "custom" light tree made from 1/2" conduit, painted black and clamped to stand
  • custom-cut glass tops on both sump and display
  • ReefBreeders Photon 24
  • Maxspect Razor 27"/ 160W 16,000K

The fish, corals and inverts to include:

  • 4-6 pair of ocellaris clowns
  • 2 4 each of GBTA's and RBTA's - currently housed elsewhere, waiting for me to finish
  • small yellow tang, small sailfin tang (lost at same time as angel below)
  • Lamarck's angel (lost due to extended power outage due to summer flooding)
  • tailspot blenny
  • elongate pseudochromis
  • Lubbock's fairy wrasse
  • 3-4 azure damsels Various damsels: Talbot's (2), Rolland's, Springer's, Sinclair's, azure, yellowtail
  • bottom-dwelling goby - species to be determined orangespotted (RIP), yellow watchman
  • Kenya tree corals - already have, moving over from soon-to-be broken down 10g
  • orange ricordea polyps - already have "colony" of 10 or so, housed in a local reefers tank
  • 2-3 branching hammer coral colonies - moving over from my 20L
  • red mushrooms - also moving over from the 20L may not do...
  • large leather coral - soon to be purchased from LFS
  • 1-2 large brain corals ("wellsophyllia") - soon to be purchased from LFS
  • may add a Pacific photosynthetic gorgonian if I come across a nice one - Grube's gorgonian

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Still need to have a couple of things come in - filter sock holder, Finnex controller, and glass tops.

Substrate will be an inch or so of CaribSea "special grade seafloor", and I currently have live rock in buckets of circulating saltwater for the last couple of months. The plan is to move the Kenya trees, hammers, mushrooms, and ricordeas over in the next day or two, to the left side of the tank, and build the "anemone island" on the right third, adding the anemones once everything settles. May also decide to do some form of carbon filtration, but space is tight in the sump... :(

Here is a shot (older) of the 10g whose contents will be moved over...
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More to come shortly of course... :)

Also, will do a thread of the other existing tanks as well once I get a better camera as they are all lit by LEDs...

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A Zooman build that doesn't exclusively have LEDs? What has become of this world!!!

 

Very clean setup though, excited to see where you take it.

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Thanks d' - my wife wanted the custom stand ("had to look good if you insist on spending some of our tax return"), and I promised her I would not "go crazy" on costs, so I used a lot of what I already had (the three Par30's, 20L for the sump, MP10, contents of 10g, Rio pump, Eshopps overflow) or picked up inexpensive deals (the rock, MH, 40B, the RBTA's) to keep the costs down.

 

Just to think though - it all started with the free GBTA's! :D

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A Zooman build that doesn't exclusively have LEDs? What has become of this world!!!

 

Very clean setup though, excited to see where you take it.

 

Yeah, I expect to catch some grief, but I never said MH "sucked" - it is just that I have not used it on anything under 75 gallons, and that was a long time ago... :happy:

 

To be honest, I still appreciate a MH-lit tank...just not as much as a good LED-lit tank! ;)

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looks like an awesome start man :D

Thanks JR - quite a bit bigger than I have done in a while... :happydance:

 

 

 

Outside of the 220g Caribbean "gorgonian forest" exhibit for the local public aquarium that is... :)

 

Is the 40 dollar a gallon sale goin on now? I was looking to pick up a 40 breeder.

 

Not sure, you would have to check your local sales flyer (can do thru the website), as I do not think it is at the same time nationwide... :huh:

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Thanks JR - quite a bit bigger than I have done in a while... :happydance:

 

 

 

Outside of the 220g Caribbean "gorgonian forest" exhibit for the local public aquarium that is... :)

 

 

Not sure, you would have to check your local sales flyer (can do thru the website), as I do not think it is at the same time nationwide... :huh:

when we move to a new house i have plans for a bigger tanks too :D small tanks for now :P

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That's my plan as well! Looking to just transfer everything to the 40 when I move here soon hopefully.

 

Hmm i thought it was a company wide thing. Nothing for the sales flyer, I'll have to take a look tomorrow I need something from there anyways.

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when we move to a new house i have plans for a bigger tanks too :D small tanks for now :P

 

When we moved to our present house 6.5 years ago, I actually sold my 125g - sort of kickin' myself now in retrospect....would have made a great FOWLR tank... :slap:

 

That's my plan as well! Looking to just transfer everything to the 40 when I move here soon hopefully.

 

Well, good luck, and I will keep an eye out for the build thread - just don't wait as long as I did to do your first one! :lol:

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Skimmer running in weak vinegar solution overnight - should be ready to go...

 

Leaving work a bit early today - picking up some CaribSea special grade seafloor "live" - used it before without issue...

 

Also picking up black zipties (clean up the cords), black return tubing, and maybe a clear utility box from Home Depot - still can't find a great spot for the MP10 controller as it has to be in the stand to keep it away from my son's tiny little fingers of destruction... ;)

 

Plan to start filling it tonight, so more pics to come soon - the hard part will be the scape for the right side...

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Well, the aquarium is finally wet - wife made me go with her to pick out new smart phones (our first), and I got a much later start than I wanted...

 

Made the mistake of not rinsing the CaribSea "live sand"...

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Skimmer and relatively quiet, but is throwin' out lots of microbubbles (I did give it a vinegar bath last night) for now...

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The "gurgle buster" is relatively quiet at this point, but could probably need a slight "tune" yet...

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Filter sock holder (and filter socks) are not here yet, so I zip-tied some filter pad to the drain inlet to the sump to catch some of the debris for the first day or so...

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Skimmer already pulling out stuff from the sand...

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Under the tank, the sump area is relatively "neat", but behind the stand is another story - will clean it up tomorrow after I am sure nothing needs moved, and will snip the ziptie ends tucking away all of the light cords...

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Live rock and the contents of the 10g sitting in buckets, including my small ocellaris pair and azure damsel juvenile - rather sad to look at here... :(

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Not sure what else I can get done this morning, but will have more pics tomorrow - hopefully the rock stack for the right side comes out like I envision... :)

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Everthing is doing well so far...

 

Scape came out well enough - keep in mind the stack on the right is to be covered in BTA's moving forward...

 

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Glass tops were done today - sump is clean and quiet, and the skimmer is starting to "settle in", with fewer microbubbles - not bad for $79!

 

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Kenyan trees and hammers starting to come around too - the left side...

 

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Stack on the right side - future anemone island...

 

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Kept the rocks away from the sides and ends to facilitate cleaning and flow...

 

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The clowns and damsel seem to be doing well so far, and the tang just went in (shots to come hopefully) - looks a little ragged, but was in quarantine for the last month - maybe the carbon I was using was counter-productive (re: recent research on carbon linked to HLLE...)? It is still eating at least...

 

Have to add in the ricordea colony and leather yet (this week?), plus the additional clowns, damsels, and a goby or two, plus the anemones - but they are a little way off for now as I wait to ensure the tank doesn't go thru a mini-cycle...

 

Maybe I should change my thread title to generate more interest... :P:lol:

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Sorry I missed this so far! Great build man, glad to see you documenting one. Where you gonna source all the anemone's?

 

I love the two island scape, excited to see this take form.

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Sorry I missed this so far! Great build man, glad to see you documenting one. Where you gonna source all the anemone's? I love the two island scape, excited to see this take form.

 

Thanks - I plan on another thread to cover the others as well, but figured I would start with this one first... :)

 

I have 2-3 GBTA's at the Aquarium of Niagara waiting for me, and I purchased another 1-2 RBTA's from a local reefer on the Upstate Reef Society forum on Reef Central...

 

I have been popping in to see yours - everything going well still?

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Thanks - I plan on another thread to cover the others as well, but figured I would start with this one first... :)

 

I have 2-3 GBTA's at the Aquarium of Niagara waiting for me, and I purchased another 1-2 RBTA's from a local reefer on the Upstate Reef Society forum on Reef Central...

 

I have been popping in to see yours - everything going well still?

 

I lost that torch I got from Brian, not totally sure why. I think my lights were too low (it browned quite a bit) and I moved him too much. Meh. Joe said I could get a head or two of the false Todd's he's got in the display so I may replace it with that. Just taking things slow at the moment. Waiting for tax return and some play money to try out an MP10.

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I lost that torch I got from Brian, not totally sure why. I think my lights were too low (it browned quite a bit) and I moved him too much. Meh. Joe said I could get a head or two of the false Todd's he's got in the display so I may replace it with that. Just taking things slow at the moment. Waiting for tax return and some play money to try out an MP10.

 

Sorry to hear about the torch... :( I have lost LPS occasionally for seemingly no reason too, including the mother colony of the hammers pictured here. Joe @ SWP gets in some of the best torches I have seen locally - hopefully your next one fares better... :)

 

MP10 will be nice, and more than enough for your tank - I am using one here, and it probably will not go beyond 75% in reef crest mode...

 

This 40B is being financed with my tax return too! :lol:

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Sorry to hear about the torch... :( I have lost LPS occasionally for seemingly no reason too, including the mother colony of the hammers pictured here. Joe @ SWP gets in some of the best torches I have seen locally - hopefully your next one fares better... :)

 

MP10 will be nice, and more than enough for your tank - I am using one here, and it probably will not go beyond 75% in reef crest mode...

 

This 40B is being financed with my tax return too! :lol:

 

How do all these people get these great tax returns? Am I doing something wrong? Or maybe I am doing something right by not overpaying taxes?

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This is going to be epic Zooman!

 

Thanks Jordan - I hope so (no pressure now or anything... :P )...

 

How do all these people get these great tax returns? Am I doing something wrong? Or maybe I am doing something right by not overpaying taxes?

 

Technically you are right to pay less throughout the year, but it is just so much fun to get that lump sum at once! :D

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Thanks Jordan - I hope so (no pressure now or anything... :P )...

Technically you are right to pay less throughout the year, but it is just so much fun to get that lump sum at once! :D

 

Ya sometimes it's a bummer doing it right from the get-go. having to save my own money, sheesh!

 

Oh and no pressure, but if it isn't great. There will be hell to pay. (but it will be great so no worries) :D

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Oh and no pressure, but if it isn't great. There will be hell to pay. (but it will be great so no worries) :D

 

:o

 

 

 

:scarry:

 

 

 

omgomgomg

 

 

 

:rant:

 

 

 

:owned:

 

 

 

 

Damn Canadians are so aggressive - must be hockey season!

 

 

:lol:

 

 

;)

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