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ScubaJ's 40 Breeder


ScubaJ

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So I had a 12g Nano Cube set up in my office, I quickly wanted a bigger tank... and in the future an anemone for my clownfish.

 

 

FTS - 11/11/10 (Revised scape + new corals)

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FTS - 10/25/10 (New Light, Fishneedit T5HO and new corals!)

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Here is a somewhat dated shot of my NC12.

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So after rushing into my 55g and learning many things a long the way I wanted to do this one slow and as "right" as I could make it.

 

Equipment -

40B Aqueon Tank (Have)

20L Sump with 12x12 refugium section. (Have)

Glass-Holes 700 Kit with (2) 3/4" return lines with a SCWD. (Have)

ViaAqua2600 or Quietone 3000 Return Pump, still looking at pumps though.

AquaEuro 55 Skimmer (Have)

SpectraPure 4-Stage 90 GPD RO/DI

MP10, when funds are abundant where my wife won't know I spent $200 on a powerhead. :o

36" Fishneedit 4-Bulb and planning to retrofit LED's into it at a future, undetermined date.

 

Not decided on lighting. Planning on T5HO. The 6 bulb Tek is looking nice, even though 6 bulbs is over kill I think I just might run 4-5 as it is only a few bucks more than the 4-bulb unit and I have the added flexibility. Current Nova Extreme Pro is also a much cheaper option.

 

Planned Livestock -

True Percula Clownfish, Pair

Yellow Watchman Goby

Purple Firefish

(Fish 5) - Mandarin *Pending Training* / Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish

 

Misc Inverts

Sexy Shrimp

Emerald Crab

Porcelain Crab

Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

RBTA

 

Corals

I am mainly going to go LPS and softies for this tank. Stocking list so far, broad for now.

Acans

Frogspawn

Torch

Hammer

Blastos

Duncans

GSP

Zoas

Shrooms

Pulsing Xenia

 

Pictures so far...(Forgive the quality, iPhone 3GS for these...)

 

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Drilling the tank was one of the most nerve racking experiences UNTIL the I started, was so easy... just need a steady hand and patience to go sloooowwww.

 

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Tank with holes drilled and back painted black with Krylon Fusion.

 

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Glass-Holes Box installed, very sleek looking. I was very pleased.

 

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Side shot to show returns and rear connections.

 

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Sloppy but water tight and tested DIY sump.

 

|Return||| Refugium ||| Drain/Skimmer|

 

I will update when the stand is complete and plumbing in place. The stand will be welded 2" square tubing, 38" tall. I plan to skin the base & legs with wood and attach them with velcro so I can easily remove and add/remove equipment, water changes, etc. I want to have water in it by the end of the month although with how busy work is right now, I might not meet that deadline.

 

Any and all suggestions are welcome!

 

[Edit] Pictures didn't show up...

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Sounds good. It reminds me a lot of my 40. I'd like to see the stand. 4 bulbs would probably be enough for an LPS/Soft tank. A 6 bulb would be a good choice too if you ever see yourself moving into SPS. I'm looking forward to watching your progress.

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I do not need 4' of boost, I have my sump elevated so I can also get by with less pump.

 

It's going to be roughly 3' which the the 3300 would of given me right at 700 GPH. I did want some safety room though since the kit is rated for a MAX of 700, should snails or anything crawl into it when I am not arround... that would be a mess. I plan to get the rest of my flow from a MP10... hopefully my wife will get it for me for Christmas.

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I have a 40B as well. I am using the 36" current usa nova extreme pro 6x39w t5. It's very nice even with the stock bulbs. I got the 6 bulb b/c thats all nova makes and I want my tank to be 80% SPS dominated. I would reccomend it over TEK b/c it comes with a shield, bulbs, legs, and fans cheaper than than the TEK with no legs/hanging kit, shield, bulbs, or fans.

 

I also have the 700gph overflow kit and I am running 2 return lines. I am going to use a Sycce Syncra 2.0 return. Check them out on aquacave.com. They look nice, and they're are cheap.

 

GL with your build. Nice job drilling!

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Looking good so far!! I too am in the process of building a 40 breeder. I also have a 1.5 square stand and I;m almost finished skinning it. I left one side removable with velcro also for easy access to the sump.Looking forward to more updates

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  • 1 month later...

Update!

 

Here is the stand. I welded the top portion while I had a worker weld on the rest. I am a newbie at welding and did not want to screw up the level/straightness.

 

IMG_2212.jpg

 

Stand was painted metallic black. Came out very nice but too easily scratchable.... but only found this out later. Painted + piping everything in place to get lengths right.

 

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Slid back in place. TIGHT fit.

 

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My iPhone died and had to get repaired so the transition isn't covered. Here is the tank as it sits now with the contents of my NC12 adjusting. Light is coming in Tuesday, 70w MH above them now.

 

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Here is a shot from my desk at eye level... Now I can watch it all day at work.

 

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My original plan on skinning it is not going to work out so I am for now its going to remain skinless.

 

 

Side Notes:

1. I am so far pleased with the ViaAqua 3300 pump. Was VERY noisey the first 24 hours and then quieted down ALOT. Hopefully it's reliable.

2. Glass Holes kit is nice but the bulk heads will leak out of the threaded portions through teflon tape. Had to seal the exterior with silicone.

3. SCWD is fun. I like it. I get a constant switch every ~6 seconds even with no additional powerheads get a good circulation so throughout the tank.

4. My clown fish have even seemed to pair up upon the transfer. Hopefully it is not temporary as the female was kicking the males ass in the NC12, which was too small for them anyways.

5. Nothing died from the transfer. Everything is out and opened up and my xenia was even pulsing within 30 minutes.

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Updated.

 

New light and corals in.

 

IMG_2294.jpg

 

Candy Cane, ~19 heads for $40. Didn't think that was bad.

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Blasto & Favia.

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Not seen. Got a small piece of your average red monticap. I also picked up a Purple Firefish for $20 which I also thought was a GREAT price. Every LFS has them for $35-40.

 

First impression of the Fishneedit T5HO is very good. Cords are not long enough but that is easily fixed. Very good light, like the color even with stock bulbs. Pleased with the construction and mounting legs. Came VERY well packed and in one piece, no broken bulbs.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Very nice tank! I like your rock formations.

 

I'm in the planing of a 40B myself, but it will have HOB equipment only.

 

Any updates, how your parameters have been so far, any complications after initial setup?

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Everything has been perfect still, no die off, no ammonia, trites, trates, or phosphates or at least any detectable levels. Had a fairly large diatom bloom and a little cyano but its dying off. The new light actually killed off a lot of the coraline in the top half of the tank due to too much intensity. Didn't use any mesh or anything to protect it.

 

My HOB eshopps 300 on my 55 sure is a lot quieter than my GH 700 kit. Given its only pushing half the flow, its almost unnoticeable.

 

And will be updating today/tomorrow with some better pictures but here is a small glimpse of the update.

 

IMG_2451.jpg

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I had to try out mrcoral's $10 section. Everything looks to be alive. Most of the zoas are already opening up. The acans look in good shape and very colorful, I would buy nothing but their acans but they do have limits. I knew they were going to be small but they are TINY. Even then, its a nice choice to get a lot of variety.

 

Update: I'll get a better camera tomorrow. I cannot do macro with either of the two with me.

 

FTS. Added a new rock and moved some things around.

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A poor shot, gently tweaked to capture a portion of the color.

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Ill wait to post more until I can get a half decent camera. New shipment included, 5 acans, 5 zoas, yellow clover polps (not staying in this tank), 2 acros, 2 favias.

 

Digging through, was able to capture an OK shot of the very shy Purple Firefish...

IMG_7652.jpg

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Hey scub, tank looks great. my build is almost identical down to the scwd. Im mocking up my system now and having issues with my tubing. what kind of tubing did u use and where did you get it

 

Thanks

gg

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If the bulk heads leaked you did something wrong. Good job otherwise

 

What it came down to is not enough Teflon. That's where it leaked past.

 

Hey scub, tank looks great. my build is almost identical down to the scwd. Im mocking up my system now and having issues with my tubing. what kind of tubing did u use and where did you get it

 

At Home Depot there was 3/4" black nylon tubing, worked out great. I didn't want to see ugly algae covered clear tubes. Same aisle as all the other nylon tubing.

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As you can see I hardly had enough room as it is! The space from the trim to the desk is around 34"... so I had to improvise a bit.

 

I actually removed the glass top. The worst purchase so far... The glass is split in half, meaning the side to open weighs a TON and not easily lifted (especially if you have wet hands.) On top of that, the legs on the light are bent inwards so I could only lift it about 2".... I will still keep it for periods I go out of town for a few days to control evaporation but other than that, bleh. Oh and yes, it did block a good bit of light to, but I only noticed that when I removed it...

 

Thanks for the compliments!

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Sugar sized. Love the look but its a pain in the ass. I am temporarily using a Koralia 750 for my additional flow. (Probably going to get two 425's or one MP10 if I have the money) The 750 kicks up a lot of sand on the opposite side of the tank and is creating a dead spot. Even without the 750 in there, the returns on the SCWD would create bald spots if they were not aimed toward the top.

 

I also added a few more from my 55g since I am downsizing that. All pics are within hours of introducing to new tank.

 

FTS

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Eagle Eye Zoas

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Ring of Fire Zoas, moved to new home...

 

Torch or Frogspawn, dark green with lots of purple tips.

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Red Shrooms moved to new home...

 

Frogspawn

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Candy Canes

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Acans

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All parameters are normal as of yesterday. Going to let these corals grow out for a bit and finish my downsizing. New Mr Aqua 25 Cube should be here today, GH kit hopefully next week.

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[Torch, dark green with lots of purple tips.

IMG_0006.jpg

 

I don't know... maybe you didn't post the right picture. But that doesn't look like a torch. That coral is a green with purple tip Frogspawn

 

In other notes...Your tank looks terrific!

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I don't know... maybe you didn't post the right picture. But that doesn't look like a torch. That coral is a green with purple tip Frogspawn

 

I thought the same thing after I bought it. I bought it as a Torch, per the LFS. Over the following months, its grown more and more tips all over it's tentacles. It's tentacles are also much much longer than any Frogspawn I have seen... So I don't know what to really call it. They sold me a Torch so I call it a torch. :happy:

 

Thanks for the compliment!

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Hey scubaj, love those eagle eye, and that hammer/frogspawn looks just like the one i have in my bc29, the tips are not round but dont look like a typical hammer either.

 

Also since are systems are similar, are you running any kind of filter sock on your drain line or any plans of putting any kind of media some where in the sump (chem pure, filter floss). I plan on going with a dual reactor eventually but trying to see what other people are doing

 

Thanks

gg

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