NaughtyCashew's Money Pit

[Coville]

I love your tank. It is so simple, yet so great. Really digging it!

[pimpndistress]

yea awesome tank Im going to get a 40 gal breeder

[Cam barr]

ank looks great. Is your tank a 40 R or a 40 breeder? How do you like your TEK light is it sustaining your sps coloration. Also your heat issue is probably coming from your mag in the sump if you pull it out and run it externally it might help keep the heat down.

 

Sweet tank

post a fts

[gjones]

That tank looks great, I'm upgrading to a 40BR in a month or two, love the size. Keep us updated on how the SPS do under the 4 bulb T5, I'm debating wether I can afford the 6-bulb or if the 4 bulb will be enough for me.

[NaughtyCashew]

Thanks guys!

 

My tank is a regular 40, not a 40 breeder. If I had the chance I would probably go for the 40 breeder for its dimensions

 

I think my lighting right now is adequate for most med-high light SPS, but I think I might get better coloration w/ a 6 bulb set-up. That said, my LPS love the darker parts of my tank, so even a 4 bulb set-up might be much for them! When I replace my bulbs in 8 months or so, I plan on upgrading to a 6 bulb unit.

 

I've been busy setting up a closed loop that I am not totally happy with. Its kind of a nice idea, but it totally messes up the simplicity I had before. Here's some pics:

 

 

Heres a full tank shot. You can see the closed loop returns on either side of the tank (or maybe you can't, they are black)

 

Finally, some new corals!

 

Echino & Echinata

 

Fungia Plate

 

Micromussa

[Cam barr]

Thanks for the update does your sps hold it color with the 4 bulb I too have a 40r and I am contemplating the 4 vs. the 5 bulb unit????

[NaughtyCashew]

If you are going T5, then I would really go with a high quality unit w/ parabolic reflectors. I think the 4 bulb unit is adequate, and a 6 bulb unit is a bit overkill.

 

That said, I like overkill!

 

If I could do it again I would get the 6 bulber, it costs maybe $100 more initially, but it gives you more flexibility regarding color.

 

If you really wanted to, you could go w/ a 4 bulb unit and use 2 daylight bulbs to up your PAR. Unfortunately that would also make your tank a bit yellow.

 

I guess w/ all things in this hobby there is no such thing as saving money, especially if you are just going to upgrade it later

 

My SPS is holding its color just fine, so no issues there. One note of caution, I am only keeping medium-high light species. I would guess that for acroporids that are more light demanding it may not be enough. My yellow leather (S. Elegans) might not be getting enough light.

[Cam barr]

thanks for the info.

 

keep up the good work

[Cam barr]

can you post an updated fts

 

CB

[Mini_GBR]

I just read the entire thread from start to finish. What a great read, and the tank is coming along slowly but surely, a good way to do it. I'm in the same boat, slowly adding a few corals at a time. It looks great though, keep it up.

[NaughtyCashew]

Thanks for the comments!

 

I ended up removing the closed loop. It was kind of a liability with all the joints and unions. It also added a bit to the sound level of the tank.

 

Instead, I replaced it with acoustic foam which really brings down the noise level from the tank. Here is some pics:

 

 

In other news, I got rid of the yellow leather that wasn't doing too hot and got some new montiporas and acroporas from a local frag swap. I'd like to post some pics of them, but I want to make sure they survive a couple weeks before showing them off.

 

I also would like to recant my "4 bulbs is not enough" rant (even though my yellow leather didn't do too well - I suspect other reasons). The light intensity seems to irritate my LPS, and my SPS seem to be doing great.

[Cam barr]

Sweet thanks for the update I’m going to be adding a 4 bulb unit to my 40 R and I think the 6 would be over kill if your tank is yellow why not try using different bulbs. I think if using GE bulbs you need to add 2 actinic or blue+ bulbs to override the yellow

 

What bulbs are you using???

 

cb

[NaughtyCashew]

I run (from front to back)

 

Giesemann Blue+

Giesemann Aquablue

Giesemann Midday

Giesemann Blue+

 

My tank definately runs on the bluer side of things. Adding another midday would increase PAR but make the tank a bit yellower. I think I am happy w/ the setup for now as it really makes things flouresce.

[Cam barr]

yea but you should still have enough PAR to still have some good growth

 

Cam Barr

[wwildcats04]

Hey, just wanted to say thanks for this outstanding thread everyone, I moddled my 40 breeder much like naughty cashews for and am very satisfied with it thus far, grant it I still dont have water in the tank but that is the least of my problems right now... check it out and thank you nc

[itswayner]

i was thinking about acoustic foam as well, where did you get yours?

[sea man dan]

Yeah i really like your tank , soon i will be setting up one very similar to it , but serveral questions

 

Your running the 4 lamp t-5 fixture right?

 

Is that the coral-life super skimmer , do you like it?

 

What pumps are you running?

 

I am settnig up a tank like yours (stated earlier) but i was just wondering are you satisfied with the 4 bulb fixture ? Becuase i was thinking on going with the 6 bulb fixture and DIY it into a hood and have it 3-4 inches off the water. I am thinking of doing a 5 mag on a return from sump and a 7 mag , closed loop .

[NaughtyCashew]

i was thinking about acoustic foam as well, where did you get yours?

 

eBay as scraps. Just make sure that the foam you are buying hasn't been treated with anything to make it more resistant to mold and/or fungus.

 

Your running the 4 lamp t-5 fixture right?

Yep - it works great. I had been toying w/ the idea of going for the 6 bulb unit but honestly 4 bulbs is probably more than enough. I've had to shelter many of my lps's on the sand due to bleaching.

 

Is that the coral-life super skimmer , do you like it?

I like the price, but its not terribly efficient. If you can afford to get something else I would do it.

 

What pumps are you running?

Forget the closed loop. I built one w/ a 9.5 and tore it down in the same week. I just use a Mag 18 in my sump and it provides a lot of flow. Eventually I may add a powerhead or two. Note that if you use such a powerful return pump you will suck in more air bubbles unless you have enough mechanisms in place to prevent it. If I could do it again I would position my pumps outside of my sump, those Mags put out a lot of heat.

 

If you are hell bent on using a manifold then I would suggest t-ing it off your return pump and using something to alternate current between outlets.

 

Finally, use flexible tubing where possible and limit your usage of loc-lines. I replumbed my entire system and the difference in flow was unbelievable.

[sea man dan]

Well see , i would really like a closed loop because , it doesnt put as much stress on my sump , cause the faster the water comes back up the faster it comes back down , i would like everything to process nicely before it comes back up... get my flow?

 

And i am dumping my plans for the 6-lamp t5 fixture , my bosss says t-5 suck , they arent much better than NO bulbs , just in a skinneir tube.... I am just gunna go with 2-150s MH's I think they would do just as good , if not better, and i wouldnt really be spending any more money than planned with the t-5 fixture

 

For skimmer , i always want to go with a ASM gx1 or 2 but they are just so f***ing expensive , compared to your standard coral-life and i havent really gotten good comments from the coral-lifes , so i think if your going to spend a grand on a system , might as well make it nice right?

 

Well i really like your tank , i think it has a lot of potiential. But do you think you can put a better picture of your sump , so i can see what really happens?

 

Thanks , Dan

[nUgZ]

Sounds like your boss may not be the best person to listen to when it comes to advice on your reef. Regular t5's aren't very good, but when people on here refer to t5's, they generally mean the HO version. T5 HO's are very bright and powerful lights that rival MH in many setups.

[NaughtyCashew]

Well see , i would really like a closed loop because , it doesnt put as much stress on my sump , cause the faster the water comes back up the faster it comes back down , i would like everything to process nicely before it comes back up... get my flow?

 

Sure, but remember that close loops will add significantly more complexity to your plumbing and will be a pain to maintain.

 

my bosss says t-5 suck , they arent much better than NO bulbs , just in a skinneir tube

 

Your boss is wrong about that! T5's put out high quality light, give you more options regarding PAR, and run much cooler than MH units. With T5 it is all about the quality of the reflector (anything w/o individual parabolic reflectors is junk). I have three new Acropora's that are doing great under the T5's.

 

I think MH vs T5 is more a matter of preference. You can get more light for less money if you go the MH route and DIY. I personally like the clean look of my open tank and the sleek T5 fixture mounted on top. You should take a look at some of the 40breeders in this forum. Many of them run only T5.

 

For skimmer , i always want to go with a ASM gx1 or 2 but they are just so f***ing expensive , compared to your standard coral-life and i havent really gotten good comments from the coral-lifes, so i think if your going to spend a grand on a system , might as well make it nice right?

 

I hear you there, but Coral-Lifes do work relatively well. If your budget is tapped out you may want to give it a try. I'm eventually going to upgrade mine some day.

 

Sounds like your boss may not be the best person to listen to when it comes to advice on your reef. Regular t5's aren't very good, but when people on here refer to t5's, they generally mean the HO version. T5 HO's are very bright and powerful lights that rival MH in many setups.

 

Right on! Whever I mention T5, I am talking about T5 HO.

[nUgZ]

Thanks for backing me up on the t5's Cashew.

[sea man dan]

Thats probably why he said they sucked , but i mean i was thinking about it too , i would rather go with the MH lights , just because later on down the road i can do so much more with them than i could t-5's . But thank you for your advice and support Naught cash , i really do apprieciate it.

 

Thanks for everything , love the tank - Daniel

[NaughtyCashew]

It's been a while, and lots of things are happening. I am relocating to Northern California for work and will need to dismantle my tank for the move. Before I stress everything out and potentially lose a coral or fish, I thought I would take a few pictures for posterity sake:

 

Full Tank Shot

 

Left Side

 

Acans & Micros

 

Right Side

 

Right Side - Closeup

[BoBoSkater]

WOW. Love the last pic. Such pretty SPS. I just got done reading through this whole theard and I must say this is probably the best thread I have read. Again great tank.