RAdkins' 40B Mixed Reef

[RAdkins]

My journey on my first LPS dominate mixed reef tank.

Current Front Tank Shot (10/12/13)


RAdkins' 40B Photobucket Album (This has all of my photos of the tank and its progress)

Equipment

• Standard 40 Breeder Aquarium w/ metal stand
• BRS Clear Screen Top
• Maxspect R420r 27" 1600k LED
• EcoTech Vortech MP10w ES x2
• Neptune Apex Lite w/ WXM module & pH probe
• Acrylic Sump
• Cadlights PLS-100 gen3 skimmer (On the way)
• Catalina 200 watt Titanium Heater
• Mag 3 Return Pump
• BRS Deluxe Media Reactor - Carbon/GFO mix

Livestock

• 30lbs BRS Reef Saver Rock
• Caribsea Araga-Alive Fiji Pink & Reef Sand mixed 50/50

Fish

• Firefish x2
• Ocellaris Clownfish (Paired)
• Pink Streak Wrasse
• Royal Gramma
• Fathead Sunburst Anthias (on hold at lfs)

Clean Up Crew

• Turbo Snails x4 + babies
• Margarita Snails x4
• Astrea Snail
• Nassarius Snail x2
• Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
• Peppermint Shrimp x2 (Banished to the SUMP)
• Fire Shrimp

Coral

 

Small Polyp Stony (SPS)

• Montipora Confusa
• Montipora Capricornis (Red/Orange, Green, & Purple)
• Montipora Setosa Pink
• Mystery Acropora (Green with red polyps)
• Garf Bonsai Acropora

Large Polyp Stony (LPS)

• Duncan Coral - Green with light skirt
• Duncan Coral - Green with dark skirt
• Purple Tipped Frogspawn
• Purple Tipped Hammer
• Pink Tipped Torch
• Acan - Red
• Acan Echinata - Agent Orange
• Favia (Blue/Green)
• Favia (Prism)
• Chalice (Firefly)

Zoanthids

• Eagle Eyes
• Greenbay Packers
• Radioactive Dragon eyes
• Wammin Watermelon and a few with green mouths
• Sunny D's
• Rastas
• Mystery Zoas (????)
• Mystery Zoas (????)
• Mystery Zoas (????)

I bought the tank, stand and sump as a setup from Alaska Coral and Fish in February. Two months later, I am just now putting the equipment together and getting it wet. But I bought a used ro/di and the thing is crazy slow. So the tank is currently sitting with about 10 gallons of water in it till the new upgraded membrane gets here. After reading for the last few years. I can see why patience is key in this hobby. The wait will be worth it.

I will be posting more details as I finish up the setup.

[BeardedReeferLLC]

I am also setting up a 40G breeder atm. I will be following your thread. Keep up the good work and progress.

[BoCoMo]

That looks like a familiar setup! Love it! & subscribed

[Paandemonium]

This looks like its gonna be awesome!

[fattail95]

Definitely will be watching this!!

[RAdkins]

Thanks for all the kind words. I have lurked on this site for a while now and have taken inspiration from alot of different builds. I am really looking forward to getting this cycled so I can start the coral collection that I have had in my head for the last few years. I love the footprint of the 40 breeder. I wish it was rimless, but you have to take what you can get up here in Alaska. Unless you want to pay ungodly shipping prices.

[RAdkins]

The system is up and running with a few peices of raw shrimp to kick start the cycle.

[RAdkins]

Got the Diatoms about a week ago. Just added my CUC tonight.

 

Snails

• 2 Turbos
• 4 Margarita
• 4 Astra
• 2 Nassirius

[RAdkins]

CUC has cleared up the diatoms. I have added some livestock to the system as well. Everybody looks to be doing well. Still waiting on my Apex go get to the LFS.

[BeardedReeferLLC]

Which Apex did you order?

[RAdkins]

Apex lite, with wxm module.

[RAdkins]

The tank is doing pretty good so far. Starting to get some color on the dry rock. I have added a few corals here and there. Check out my photobucket link in the original post for photos. Only one nuscience aptisa. I tried melting it with pickling lime but I guess I didnt get all of him, and also partially melted a few zoas.

[RAdkins]

Tanks coming along niclely. Picked up a few shrimp to get rid of my aptisa problem. They have done a great job. Unfortunelly, I have a small bubble alge problem now. So, I will probaby pick up a emerald crab to tackle that issue. The rocks are coloring up nicely. I am doing weekly 10 gallon water changes. Everything seems to be happy no real issues that I can speak of beside the cost of visiting the lfs evey paycheck. I am super happy with my equipment choices. Looking forward filling out the corals and adding the last few fish to the system.

[RAdkins]

Added some more sps to the tank today. A nice mix of colors and species. That will probably be it as far as sps goes. I want to give them enough room to grow in. I also picked up a a frag of favia. it was a litle washed out in color, but I think it will color up nicely where I am putting it. Add corals added to the op.

[RAdkins]

Nov. 2013 Update - Most of the SPS in the tank has unfortunatly died around the end of October. Not sure of the cause, think it might have something to do with the addition of the carbon/gfo reactor I added. Still have some cyano on the sandbed ever week. Just purchased a Cadlights PLS100 Gen 3 Skimmer to see if that will be better than the current skimmer. On a better note I am finally starting to see coraline alge on the back glass.

 

OP updated and additional photos added to the photobucket album.

[BattleAthletics]

Probably added to much gfo?

[RAdkins]

Sorry for the late reply. The GFO could have been the problem. Since this is my first tank, I will learn a few of these lessons along the way.

 

Based on the BRS calculators I added 6 tbsp of carbon and 4 tbsp of GFO the first time I ran it. BRS suggests 6 tbsp of carbon and 16 tbsp of GFO for a 65 gallon system. So I was using 1/4 of the GFO they suggest.

 

I dont test my water nor dose anything yet. That is something that I am planning on doing in the near future.