Cloakerpoked's 40 Breeder

[cloakerpoked]

In teaching, they always tell us to start with the end in mind, so here is where I would like to end up:

 

This is a FTS from my 60 gallon cube that I had about 5 years ago. I moved from the Pittsburgh area with my wife, dog, and cat to take a teaching job in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School system. Since I was living with my in-laws for a month before the rest of the family moved down with me, and we didn't have anywhere to go and it was such a big move, I made the painful decision to tear down my tank and start over. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed. If I could get my aquarium back to this, I'd be a happy camper.

[davidanthony921]

I have a 40b in mind as well. Following along. What are your equipment and stocking plans?

[cloakerpoked]

So here we are, 5 years in the future, and I'm finally starting back up my aquarium. It started when my well-intentioned mother (vlangel) offered me her 30 high that she had taken down. She had a 24" light for it, some koralias, a stand, and some dried out rock. Add sand and salt, and I'm back in business. So we brought it back with us over Thanksgiving and it sat in the garage until I could actually build a stand for it and set it up. Fast forward 2 more months to the end of January, 2016.

 

So I'm cruising on craigslist, looking for some live rock. It can't hurt right? I see this guy is selling about 40 pounds, which fits perfectly with what I need. "Do you have anything else you're selling" I ask. He tells me he's tearing down his tank, and trying to get rid of all of it. I agree to bring some extra money, and the next thing my wife knows, here I come with a 40 breeder and homemade (and not very pretty) stand, Tunze skimmer, rock, salt, refractometer, eheim return pump, the works, for around $150. Can life get any better?

 

So I tore apart the custom stand, and built my own. Carpentry is a bit of a hobby for me, and I take pride in my work, so I wanted this tank to look nice. The old job was a custom built 2x4 skinned out with some decent (but not great) plywood. The doors and trim were oak, and definitely worth saving, which I gladly did. Now we have a new stand:

 

[cloakerpoked]

Next comes the tank itself. The previous owner had painted the back of the tank black (way to go) and drilled the tank for a 1" bulkhead. He had a piece of white PVC sticking into the tank. It wasn't even painted black..."oh no no no no no no" I thought to myself.

 

#1, this is a disaster waiting to happen. I much prefer 2 drains, just in case.

#2, this is an eyesore

 

Long story short, I ordered this fantastic kit from glassholes which includes a beautiful and very well-designed internal box, all of black acrylic. I ordered one. The kit included the bulkheads, diamond hole-saws, everything. I drilled the tank in 3 more places (2 drains and 2 returns), attached the overflow box, which is held in place by the bulkheads themselves, so no silicone in the tank, and installed the bulkheads

 

 

I decided to do a hybrid soft to hard plumbing system to allow for greater flexibility and easier dismantling, not to mention to keep the space to the wall as small as possible. Had one issue trying to recycle the old plumbing I got from the guy with the tank, but scrapped his manifold system and everything worked great.

 

[cloakerpoked]

Finally, we swap out the downstream outlet to a GFCI (can never be too careful with these things) and put silicone around all of the barb fittings (I don't trust the pipe clamps by themselves). I had actually built the wall for this particular house, and installed the electrical specifically so that I'd have two outlets. By only GFCI protecting the 2nd outlet, I make it so that I can run a very low current fixture (like a small koralia) on a non-protected outlet. The concept here is the same as not putting a refigerator on a GFCI circuit.

 

Now it's time for the rockwork.

 

I love (love is maybe not strong enough of a word for them) leopard wrasses and blue spot jawfish. Both being burrowers, I needed a 2-3" sand bed (went with 3"+) I also put the sand around the rockwork, rather than resting the rock on top of the sand. This will ensure that nothing topples if the jawfish wants to make a tunnel under the rockwork itself. I'd read about artificial burrows, but ultimately decided against that. I wanted an a-symmetrical look, and didn't want a single arch. I've always liked the bonsai look in tanks, but went with something different. I'm not really sure that I can define this particular system any other way than "I like that!"

 

I used the reef-safe epoxy that smells like rotten garbage on your hands and makes your skimmer go nuts to hold the rockwork together.

 

 

 

I want the rockwork to be minimal enough to allow fairly large acro colonies, but also to have some caves and overhangs. I'm concerned (especially with the deep sand bed) that lower light LPS like Acans wouldn't do as well that close to the lights. Having the overhangs will help shield them at least part-way from lighting that is too intense.

[cloakerpoked]

The rock has been curing for over a month, including about 10 pounds of BRS dry rock that I got to add to what I already had. The rest of it went into the first compartment of my sump. I've never been a big fan of the "toss a damsel in there to cycle your tank, then shoot the little sucker with a shotgun when you can't catch him in your little plastic walmart net method doesn't work.

 

I think it's cruel to take a fish that is hardy (and cheap), have him poison himself halfway to death, then bring him back, only to return him because he's big, nasty, and not that attractive. Rock that's been moved will cure itself, since there's already die-off in the rock. You can also jump start the system with cocktail shrimp or mysis shrimp even. I take my responsibility for the animals that I'm taking care of very seriously, so that's just not my way of doing things.

 

Prior to final install of the plumbing, I did install a DJ powerstrip (8 outlet) and a shelf in the stand. Since this system is designed (deliberately) to be low-key compared to my old reefing habits (you should ask my mom about my monstrosity that I had in their basement for a while...you mean you shouldn't link 3 75+ gallon tanks together just because you can?) Quick side-bar. The worst thing you can ever do is use 4" PVC, maxijet powerheads, aqualifters, mechanical timers, and 12 gallon garbage cans to make your own cute little DIY kalkwasser reactor. Now I say this: It worked. The problem was that my mechanical timer toggles got bumped to all be on, and dumped a full 12 gallons of water through my kalkwasser reactor. This is the best and worst thing about having such a huge system (I had a 120, 40 long sump, 72 bowfront, 30 breeder frag tank all linked together at the time). The draw on the tank was unbelievable for calcium and carbonate. The size of the system and fact that I could quickly unhook the bowfront and use it as a rescue tank probably saved all of my softies, anemones, clams, and LPS due to the fact that I very rapidly pulled them out of pH 10.5 display tank and into the 72 bowfront (which was going to be a display frag tank and already had the PVC/eggcrate shelving all ready to go.) Bottom line, don't ever trust a mechanical timer with something that can nuke your tank. Unless you want to lose this:

 

It's been 7 years since that fateful April morning, and this picture still stings a little bit.

 

I digress...

 

If you've never used them before, the DJ powerstrips are a great way to be able to turn pumps or other accessories on and off without using your fingers slick with a highly conductive (and fluid) material and using those same fingers to grab surge protectors that are presumably "well mounted" onto a stand but could easily fall or break their little drilled mountings and fall into a lot more of that same liquid. They also look nice, and although it matters not to anybody but me, I like to keep my cabinets orderly.

 

[cloakerpoked]

And so finally here we are at today. The canopy is being finished in the garage with its second coat of polyeurothane. Once it's dried and smoothed out we'll be ready for a few more fish. I did put 2 bangai cardinals in yesterday ("That's it?" says my 4-year old....and my 12 year old). You try to explain to them that nothing good ever happens quickly in a reef tank (see above referenced kalkwasser disaster...that was 6 hours and quite a dramatic change) but in their little twitter universe, I think a 6 month-3 year vision for a tank is just about incomprehensible.

 

Will definitely keep this thread going, if for no other reason so that when I do something incredibly stupid to it, I can be sitting in my bedroom at midnight with small tears collecting in my eyes, remembering how beautiful that tank was and how totally STUPID it was to be using a mechanical timer with easily bumped toggles on a potentially deadly, homemade contraption that even looked like a homeless, mentally deranged, city dump dweller's PVC and plastic version of the Little Boy atomic bomb.

[cloakerpoked]

I have a 40b in mind as well. Following along. What are your equipment and stocking plans?

 

I have a Tunze 9410 protein skimmer, Eheim 1260 (mod to 1262) return pump, and will be using 4x24" T-5 lights in a coralife fixture for now. One of my first upgrades will be to a 4x36" or 6x36" retrofit T-5 kit with individual reflectors. I'd love to go with metal halide, since I love the shimmer and just trust it more than LED (boy am I sounding old-fashioned now....) As far as in-tank circulation, I'll use a few Koralias as necessary, although I can always adjust my dual returns from the main pump, or increase the pump size rather than put more powerheads in the tank.

 

The upgrades I want/need:

1. Lighting upgrade. This is the first priority, and is addressed directly above.

2. ReefKeeper controller (failsafe for temp. pH monitoring, etc.)

3. ATO

4. 2 part dosing system.

 

Stocking Plans:

Fish:

Leopard Wrasse (someday...need a massive pod population first though)

Bluespot Jawfish

Helfrichi's Firefish (several)

Pair specialty clowns (haven't decided yet on what exactly, I really like snowflakes and midnights though)

 

Corals:

SPS (I love 'em all, except for brown digi's. I have several of my favorites from ORA and ATL that I'm hoping are still around. I haven't been around the hobby for a while, but I loved the pink sanddollar, pink lemonade, red planet, 20k lokani, birds of paradise, blue bottlebrush)

LPS (Acans, war corals, duncans, blastos, hammer--esp. aussie, frogspawn)

Softies (Always liked tubbs blue zoas, GSP!)

Clam(s)

[vlangel]

Way to go Nate! I am excited to follow your thread, and I got a chuckle out of your description of what you built in our basement.

[ReefWeeds]

This was really fun to read! Your mom is an inspiration to me and I'm looking forward to following this thread

[cloakerpoked]

This was really fun to read! Your mom is an inspiration to me and I'm looking forward to following this thread

 

It's funny, because we sort of took turns inspiring one another I think. She was the first one with a fish tank (a 40 high in-wall fresh water tank as I remember it) with angel fish. I remember several branches out into other tanks as well, but saltwater was always off in the horizon.

 

I got a 10 gallon freshwater tank one year for Christmas, and we forgot to dechlorinate the water and all my new fish I was so excited to get died. (I was probably in 5th or 6th grade at that time.) I remember having African ciclids, when mom set up her 90 gallon FOWLR tank. Then I kept a Mantis Shrimp for about a year, and that was the beginning of my saltwater endeavors. (After all, if mom can do it, so can I.)

 

Then comes my foray into saltwater reef tanks, inspired by another reef forum, and my belief that it couldn't be that hard. I eventually convinced her to try a few softie frags, and off we went from there. Now, the reef forum addict for about 2-3 years is being moderated by his mom, who in all likelihood knows more about this forum and how it operates than the 32 year old who grew up with the internet and had to spend 45 minutes just to post a picture.

 

Then she's tank of the month! Not sure if I'll ever fill those shoes.

 

Reef tanks, fish tanks, gardening, and nature in general is something that I've always connected with my mom over, so I'm excited to get back into the hobby, just because I missed the talks about tanks that we used to enjoy

[vlangel]

It's funny, because we sort of took turns inspiring one another I think. She was the first one with a fish tank (a 40 high in-wall fresh water tank as I remember it) with angel fish. I remember several branches out into other tanks as well, but saltwater was always off in the horizon.

 

I got a 10 gallon freshwater tank one year for Christmas, and we forgot to dechlorinate the water and all my new fish I was so excited to get died. (I was probably in 5th or 6th grade at that time.) I remember having African ciclids, when mom set up her 90 gallon FOWLR tank. Then I kept a Mantis Shrimp for about a year, and that was the beginning of my saltwater endeavors. (After all, if mom can do it, so can I.)

 

Then comes my foray into saltwater reef tanks, inspired by another reef forum, and my belief that it couldn't be that hard. I eventually convinced her to try a few softie frags, and off we went from there. Now, the reef forum addict for about 2-3 years is being moderated by his mom, who in all likelihood knows more about this forum and how it operates than the 32 year old who grew up with the internet and had to spend 45 minutes just to post a picture.

 

Then she's tank of the month! Not sure if I'll ever fill those shoes.

 

Reef tanks, fish tanks, gardening, and nature in general is something that I've always connected with my mom over, so I'm excited to get back into the hobby, just because I missed the talks about tanks that we used to enjoy

I am a moderator on fusejaw.com not nano-reef. I am however also a reef/seahorse forum junkie! With aquariums, gardens and nature I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

[cloakerpoked]

The canopy and lights are now mounted. The canopy has a 4x24w fixture in there right now. It will eventually be upfitted to something else. I'm looking at the lights in there now, and thinking that 4x39w should give more than enough umph to the tank. As stated earlier, I want to keep clams on the sand bed, but also not have such an overpowering amount of light that it bleaches LPS. I'll most likely be playing with this for a bit.

 

The canopy has a nylon screen in the back to keep any potential jumpers off the floor. I cut small strips in the back for the powerhead cords. The screen should allow a decent amount of air exchange. I'm hoping to be able to avoid fans, but this would give me the option of mounting them in the back of the canopy as well if I needed to. I was worried the light wouldn't allow enough room to work in the tank, but that won't be an issue. The mantle may need to be moved (again) and replaced by something else.

 

Anyway, here's the tank shots for the night, and then I'm probably done with tank shots for a while.

 

 

 

 

[gena]

Welcome, Nate! That is a sharp looking setup and that scape is amazing!!!!! Looking forward to watching your progress .

[ajmckay]

Nice score on the 40B and nice thread detailing the build - deconstructing the old stand to build a new one is a particularly neat aspect.

 

Also liking the scape and stocking plans. Thanks for the pics I'm looking forward to following the build.

[vlangel]

Hey Nate, how did the cardinels do? Any mini cycle? I guess you might go through a little bit of diatoms since your sand is new?

[NewbReefer316]

Following, in the process of doing a 40B and was just working on a DIY drain and return. I'm headed over to glassholes now to check out their kits.

[Felicia]

Very nice build! You did an awesome job cleaning up and improving on that used tank and stand. The glass holes overflow kit was a great choice. That's what I used on my 40B. Also, its pretty awesome that you and your mom both share this hobby. My dad and I set up a FW tank together when I was young, which started my addiction. While my parents still appreciate my tanks and love to see them, they aren't into the hobby enough to keep tanks themselves.

[cloakerpoked]

Nice score on the 40B and nice thread detailing the build - deconstructing the old stand to build a new one is a particularly neat aspect.

 

Also liking the scape and stocking plans. Thanks for the pics I'm looking forward to following the build.

 

Thanks. The stand was just built in such a sloppy way that I couldn't really use it.

 

I was actually over with a guy at the Inland Reef and he told me that Bluespot Jawfish are really best suited for colder tanks (72-76) than acro tanks. He's kept 3 and basically talked me out of them based on that conversation. I'm thinking about a blenny or watchman instead now. He also said that other jawfish don't need as cold of temperatures.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of people who could anecdotally tell me that they kept a BSJ for 2 or 3 years, but I prefer fish that will make it longer, like close-ish to their natural lifespans.

Hey Nate, how did the cardinels do? Any mini cycle? I guess you might go through a little bit of diatoms since your sand is new?

 

No, no diatoms. I'm keeping the lights off for the most part to allow the rock to establish itself. Some days the blue LED moonlight is the only tank light. The sand was still damp, so it was actually live sand when I got it.

 

One of the cardinals didn't do well. He was eating at the LFS, but I never saw him eat at home, and disappeared about a week ago. I'd never misplaced a fish in an empty tank before, but I can't for the life of me find him. The other is eating like a champ but absent a school, is very shy. I can't make up my mind about whether to try to add 3-4 more to get a school, or to just keep the one.

Following, in the process of doing a 40B and was just working on a DIY drain and return. I'm headed over to glassholes now to check out their kits.

 

 

Was definitely worth it. So much easier than trying to silicone the bulkhead to the tank. I also like that it doesn't go all the way to the bottom of the tank. Really minimizes its presence in the tank, which is what I want visually.

[Felicia]

Yeah the BSJ's seem to be really hard to keep healthy long term. However, I think the yellow headed jawfish are just as awesome and they're tropical species from the Caribbean. I had a mated pair that was so much fun to watch. I definitely recommend those because they have so much personality.

[cloakerpoked]

Very nice build! You did an awesome job cleaning up and improving on that used tank and stand. The glass holes overflow kit was a great choice. That's what I used on my 40B. Also, its pretty awesome that you and your mom both share this hobby. My dad and I set up a FW tank together when I was young, which started my addiction. While my parents still appreciate my tanks and love to see them, they aren't into the hobby enough to keep tanks themselves.

 

Thanks. I'm seeing scratches on the glass now that I have it all cleaned up. Most are shallow and difficult to see, so nothing worth doing anything about.

 

I used a much larger kit than required for my flow rate to be safe. I also just installed a one-way check valve on the pump to avoid backsiphoning from my return lines, since they're pretty submerged in the tank.

 

I also had to add a fan to the sump to bring the temps down. It was running around 81 degrees with no lights and 83 with the lights on for a few hours. (no heater at all). Obviously, this was unacceptable for me since I'm shooting for around 79-81 degrees. The fan has brought the temps down. I also ordered a fan to mount in the canopy. There's a lot of surface movement in the display, but due to the canopy, there's a lot of condensation in there that I'd like to clear out.

Welcome, Nate! That is a sharp looking setup and that scape is amazing!!!!! Looking forward to watching your progress .

 

Thanks. I'm liking it a lot. Of course, with some colored sticks on it it would look much nicer

[Felicia]

I cleaned up an old tank a while back and it still had some small scratched that really bothered me at first, but once the tank was all up and running, I really didn't notice them hardly at all. Its just easy to obsess over those things when you don't have any fish or coral to distract you yet.

 

Seems like a good plan with the fans! Having a canopy definitely traps the heat if you don't have fans going. I've got the top of my tank completely open with a screen lid, so I was able to avoid the use of fans, but a canopy can definitely look really sleek!

[vlangel]

I cleaned up an old tank a while back and it still had some small scratched that really bothered me at first, but once the tank was all up and running, I really didn't notice them hardly at all. Its just easy to obsess over those things when you don't have any fish or coral to distract you yet.

 

I bought my tank new and i am a fuss budget about not scratching a tank and yet i managed to get a few scratches. They happen!

[cloakerpoked]

I cleaned up an old tank a while back and it still had some small scratched that really bothered me at first, but once the tank was all up and running, I really didn't notice them hardly at all. Its just easy to obsess over those things when you don't have any fish or coral to distract you yet.

 

Seems like a good plan with the fans! Having a canopy definitely traps the heat if you don't have fans going. I've got the top of my tank completely open with a screen lid, so I was able to avoid the use of fans, but a canopy can definitely look really sleek!

 

The only issue I have is that the humidity has caused the lid to swell so now my miter joints for the front don't line up like I'd like. I think if I re-mount the hinges now that it has swollen it will be ok. It's a small priority right now.

[gavinsepanik]

Sorry to hear about your old tank, it was beautiful. That 60 cube looks like a 10 because of the awesome colonies! Ill be following this thread!