Some very beginner questions

[Liame124]

Along with this being my first post on this forum i am also starting my first SW tank. I've done plenty of research so far, but have a few questions. I plan on doing a 40 gallon breeder set up, i've checked out the "40 Gallon Breeder Club" which has helped me with many ideas. Anyways i want my 40 Gallon breeder as my display tank with a DIY 10 gallon sump. But got my questions.
1. Done some research between Herbie overflow and the Durso overflow but cannot decide. I will be drilling my tank, and installing a overflow box, but also need help on deciding which size of overflow box. Along with this i don't know what size of piping to go with for the overflow and the return. Also the size of my return pump (My sump will be right under my tank in stand).

2. I plan to cycle my tank with LR and will also have live sand. Should i rinse off my LR before beginning to aqua-scape my tank.

3. How much water flow in the tank should i have, i am fairly limited for money as i am a high school student so will most likely be going with cheaper powerheads so i can my start up. Just curious on the GPH i should have in the tank, and how many powerheads. Maybe a few smaller ones, or just a couple or one more powerful powerhead.

4. Also found a 36" Tek light 6×39w T5 fixture on craigslist for $120 just curious if this will suffice for lighting in my tank. Long term down the road 8+ months would like to get a anemone and heard they need good lighting and don't want to be super tied down on what my lighting will support. Also have read that lighting is very important for reef tanks so i dont want to purchase something that wont work long term.

Many thanks in advance

[tetraodon]

1. check out glass-holes.com they have a couple kits of various size, used them for 30 and 40 gallon tanks. look at the sicce brand pumps, good power and head height for the size tank

 

2. always rinse sand and rock going into the tank unless its cured

 

3. check out jebao rw series, 2-3 should be fine for most application in a 40 gallon system.

 

4. lighting is debateable, some like me prefer LED which i would say look at reefbreeders lights, that T5 fixture should be enough for most corals and nems.

[seabass]

to N-R.com.

 

1. Done some research between Herbie overflow and the Durso overflow but cannot decide. I will be drilling my tank, and installing a overflow box, but also need help on deciding which size of overflow box. Along with this i don't know what size of piping to go with for the overflow and the return. Also the size of my return pump (My sump will be right under my tank in stand).

Consider using a 20 long instead of a 10 gallon sump. I'd probably go with a Glass-Holes.com 700 gph overflow (which is actually 200 to 500 gph). http://www.glass-holes.com/700-gph-Overflow-Box-Complete-Kit-gh700kit.htm

 

2. I plan to cycle my tank with LR and will also have live sand. Should i rinse off my LR before beginning to aqua-scape my tank.

No need to, but you could rinse it in saltwater if you want.

 

3. How much water flow in the tank should i have, i am fairly limited for money as i am a high school student so will most likely be going with cheaper powerheads so i can my start up. Just curious on the GPH i should have in the tank, and how many powerheads. Maybe a few smaller ones, or just a couple or one more powerful powerhead.

One or two powerheads is plenty. Flow depends on what you are keeping (anywhere from 800 to 2,000+ gph). I'd probably go with about 1,000 gph total flow (two powerheads, plus the return minus head loss).

 

4. Also found a 36" Tek light 6×39w T5 fixture on craigslist for $120 just curious if this will suffice for lighting in my tank. Long term down the road 8+ months would like to get a anemone and heard they need good lighting and don't want to be super tied down on what my lighting will support. Also have read that lighting is very important for reef tanks so i dont want to purchase something that wont work long term.

That fixture is plenty good for just about anything you might wish to keep.

[Bowen1022]

I don't know a lot about plumbing as I haven't drilled a tank but...

 

Live Rock:

You might want to rinse it in some fresh saltwater and inspect it for pests/algae.

 

Powerhead:

I would go with two higher flow powerheads to assure you don't have any dead spots. As for GPH it will all have to do with what size return you have but honestly if you don't have dead spots powerhead GPH doesn't matter too much.

 

Lighting:

That light should be just fine for growing what you want. I would replace the bulbs once you get it though.

 

Hope this helps. Cheers!

[Got Corals]

I am all for young adults getting into the hobby!

 

Whenever you get your tank cycled, send me an email and I will donate a rock flower anemone- we can go half on the shipping.

 

gotcorals@gmail.com

 

Good Luck!

 

Sandy

[RIP Sebastian]

 

I was in the same boat as you a few months ago. I'm a high school reefer too. Let me tell you, you get what you pay for. It will be cheaper on the long run to buy the more expensive item.

 

As for plumbing, I can't help you. I have an AIO. I do recommend the Red Sea Reefer Series if you want a sump. It comes with a tank, stand, sump, and ATO.

 

For Live Rock, it depends on if it is dry or not. If it is dry rock, just put it in. You Should rinse off the Live rock, though.

 

As for flow, it depends on your love stock. Since you're a beginner, I would say have medium flow. LPS and softies like that type of flow.

 

Honestly, since it sounds like you're on a budget, don't go t5. You'll have to replace them. You should go LED. Check out a Nanobox Quad. Dave, the owner, is a great guy. His lights are awesome, and are made in America. They can support any livestock at all. Plus, the new ones have wireless control. They are pricey, so see if you can find one on the classifieds.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Nick

 

For

[ajmckay]

Along with this being my first post on this forum i am also starting my first SW tank. I've done plenty of research so far, but have a few questions. I plan on doing a 40 gallon breeder set up, i've checked out the "40 Gallon Breeder Club" which has helped me with many ideas. Anyways i want my 40 Gallon breeder as my display tank with a DIY 10 gallon sump. But got my questions.

1. Done some research between Herbie overflow and the Durso overflow but cannot decide. I will be drilling my tank, and installing a overflow box, but also need help on deciding which size of overflow box. Along with this i don't know what size of piping to go with for the overflow and the return. Also the size of my return pump (My sump will be right under my tank in stand).

 

2. I plan to cycle my tank with LR and will also have live sand. Should i rinse off my LR before beginning to aqua-scape my tank.

 

3. How much water flow in the tank should i have, i am fairly limited for money as i am a high school student so will most likely be going with cheaper powerheads so i can my start up. Just curious on the GPH i should have in the tank, and how many powerheads. Maybe a few smaller ones, or just a couple or one more powerful powerhead.

 

4. Also found a 36" Tek light 6×39w T5 fixture on craigslist for $120 just curious if this will suffice for lighting in my tank. Long term down the road 8+ months would like to get a anemone and heard they need good lighting and don't want to be super tied down on what my lighting will support. Also have read that lighting is very important for reef tanks so i dont want to purchase something that wont work long term.

 

Many thanks in advance

 

1) For simplicity the glass-holes.com kit is hard to beat. It comes with pretty much everything you need and it's a good price. You could design your own setup, but we can't just give you a list of stuff to do with that - you need to research until you feel comfortable either copying someone else's design or can understand the physics enough to make your own. It's not really that difficult - just about following a few simple rules about flow rates, hole placement, return sizing, and equipment selection.

 

2) You can rinse live rock, but ONLY in saltwater. If you rinse in freshwater it will kill off some of the bacteria on the rock thus defeating the purpose of buying live rock. Dry rock can be rinsed in whatever. Live sand can be rinsed. Benefits of rinsing is less dust but then you would be better off just buying dry sand.

 

3) A 40br would be okay with between 200-500 gph flow after head loss through the return pump and 2 internal small to medium sized circulation pumps (Koralia 425 for example). Alternatively 1 higher flow pump like an RW-8. From my experience you could also use an RW-4 (Jebao brand) at a higher % power. This is assuming a typical mixed reef. Flow is one of the most important items

 

4) IMO a 6 bulb T-5 is a lot of light... I'm not 100% positive about this but you may be able to just run 4 bulbs in it. LEDs are awesome - but you're going to spend quite a bit more initially unless you're into tackling a DIY fixture - which you could probably build for average $250-500. Figure $80/yr for bulb replacement puts your break even on the T5 fixture a few years out. There are cheaper LED alternatives such as you "black box" Chinese fixtures you can get on Amazon and EBay. Obviously a nano-box or radion are going to be super awesome but it's going to cost a lot more. Summary: Lighting is very important and T5 or LED both work fine. A LED fixture lasts ~6-10 years where a T5 you just replace bulbs every year or so. Try not to run into the issue of getting too cheap a LED fixture which will is either not enough power, not enough coverage, or so low quality that it fails quickly.

 

Good luck - the 40br is an excellent choice.

 

If you haven't already, try to get a solid list of livestock you want to keep and make sure it fits with your plans. You would be surprised at how many people buy a tank and then ask what kinds of livestock they can keep - or even worse buy animals that are not appropriate for the tank size and get all pissed off when it's brought to their attention that they shouldn't keep it long term.

[Mojado]

Great responses here. Glass-holes 700 gph box is good. Sicce 3.0 is good match for return pump. 20L for a sump is what most folks do for 40b.

[Cencalfishguy56]

I am all for young adults getting into the hobby!

 

Whenever you get your tank cycled, send me an email and I will donate a rock flower anemone- we can go half on the shipping.

 

gotcorals@gmail.com

 

Good Luck!

 

Sandy

woow! Talk about a great vendor!

[Astinus]

woow! Talk about a great vendor!

GotCorals is Awesome. I have yet to order from her, but when I set up my 75 (Way down the road) I plan on placing my order with her.

[Liame124]

Okay sweet thanks for all the super help, and an amazing offers that i will one day have to hit her up with. Been a very super helpful first post. Gonna have to go back and do some more research, once everything gets purchased i play on doing a build series. Thanks!!

[Liame124]

Been looking at LED fixtures, could anybody suggest a fixture that would not leave me being to held back on what it could support. Remember end game really would like to get an anemone and i know they require quite pristine lighting.

[Mojado]

Been looking at LED fixtures, could anybody suggest a fixture that would not leave me being to held back on what it could support. Remember end game really would like to get an anemone and i know they require quite pristine lighting.

What's your budget?

[Liame124]

Around 400 most likely. Will be looking for items second hand if available

[ajmckay]

6x24 would probably be fine - but may leave the outer edges a bit dim. Here's the closest example I could find: http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/threads/40-gallon-breeder-progression.62789/

 

What do you need to buy with your $400? Is that just for the light? If so you could get something like this: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/maxspect-r420r-razor-led-lighting-fixture-10000k.html

[Drew Shark]

Around 400 most likely. Will be looking for items second hand if available

$400 USD total or for just lighting?

[Sunstar]

If you want to explore some possible cheaper alternatives, you might want to look into DIY projects. Some are quite inexpensive that would work as a makedo until such time as you can scrounge up money for something better.

 

I was much disliking Hydor for a while, had some problems, but their superior customer service and difficult customer handling won my respect and continuation with their products. They make a lovely little power head (although somewhat large) which does the job very well.

 

Lights is going to be the expensive part for sure - Even my DIY array was costly when I built it - however you can get arrays with multiple LED's for a fraction of the cost of what I initially paid per LED 5 years ago. Evil666 (I think is his name) would be a go to guy for it. Nanobox has some good lights, albeit thsoe are quite expensive and some lovely hybrids

 

Skimmers - Oceanic has/had an air stone driven system, which you just need to replace the stones (wood) every month.

[Liame124]

sorry for the confusion would most likely be around 400ish for the lighting, think that 700gph glass-holes overflow kit will work nicely as well for when i drill the tank. Was thinking the 24 inch fixture might do good with leaving the edges dimmer for corals that dont like as intense lighting

6x24 would probably be fine - but may leave the outer edges a bit dim. Here's the closest example I could find: http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/threads/40-gallon-breeder-progression.62789/

 

What do you need to buy with your $400? Is that just for the light? If so you could get something like this: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/maxspect-r420r-razor-led-lighting-fixture-10000k.html

LIke the LED fixture. how would that do with supporting corals and a nem

[ajmckay]

sorry for the confusion would most likely be around 400ish for the lighting, think that 700gph glass-holes overflow kit will work nicely as well for when i drill the tank. Was thinking the 24 inch fixture might do good with leaving the edges dimmer for corals that dont like as intense lighting

LIke the LED fixture. how would that do with supporting corals and a nem

 

Leaving the edges dimmer is fine, but generally the light requirements for corals aren't so wide. In other words most people light the entire tank and put high light corals up high in the tank and lower light corals low in the tank and possibly near a rock or something.

 

If you're sure you will like the look of it feel free to do that but most prefer the look of an evenly lit tank - or if not evenly lit "dramatically" lit (such as with spotlights).

 

As for the Maxspect razor - google some pictures. It's a pretty popular light and is pretty capable. $400 isn't a horrible budget for lighting (assuming you've left enough for good flow and other things) so you have a few options for a decent LED. For example you could get 2 A160 Kessil pendants, or 2 other nano pendants like the AI nano. The maxspect is a decent choice as far as using a single fixture to get coverage over a 36" wide tank though. Keep exploring there are a lot of ways you could do it. I went DIY over my 40b and I have a 24" heatsink with 2 LED clusters about 16" on center.

[Hammerstone]

woow! Talk about a great vendor!

that is awesome. I just looked at that site and those rock flower anenomies are to die for! I will be buying from you guys!

[Liame124]

Been looking more in depth into overflows for the tank. How would the 16" inch synergy reef overflow do with a bean animal overflow do??