Joining the 40g club: Lee's build

CoralCrazy

CoralCrazy

After having a 12 / 29 / a 55 / and 90 gallon. I have finally decided to do a 40 gallon breeder. I originally was going to do a 58 but the tank I bought from another member was in terrible shape so I kept the stand and canopy ,and the 58 is now sitting collecting dust :sad:

My equipment follows:

Tank & Stand:

-40 gallon AGA aquarium
which I had to make several trips to different Petcos due to them not handling them properly :roll: , every tank I found had huge chips out of the corner or defects . So after 4 trips I finally found the perfect 1.

-Black Oceanic Stand and Canopy-that I am very pleased with.

-29 gallon custom made Sump that includes prop section, refugium, and return section. If your wondering how I am going to fit the prop section. I am using a HOB Remora Pro which will tuck out of the way in the back.

Lighting:

- 1 Reef Optix III with 250 watt 14k DE metal halide bulb,(the bulb is a cheap one from a to t untill I can afford a better brand.

-Sunlight Supply Bluewave 250 watt Electronic Ballast

-24" Sunlight supply T-5 retro kit with dual actinic bulbs that are alot brighter than I expected (thanks FishGarza)

-For the sump/prop/refugium I bought a 30" Coralife T-5 aqualight fixture off ebay for $25 , plan on adding another one though.

-2 Coralife retro fan kits , the larger size. and 2 coralife Lunar lights 3/4 watt blue. (Thanks MS71171)

The lighting is very simple , the T-5's are mounted in the canopy, while the MH sits on top over a cut-out , that should help with the heat a bit.



Pumps, Skimmer etc..:

-Remora Pro with Mag 3 pump

-Mag 7 return

-Seio 1100 with Sure Grip 100 (thank you Reefmike)

-200 watt sub. heater

-HOB overflow , which I wish I didnt have to use :sad: , but I know nothing on drilling tanks . So... Im gonna bite the bullet on this one.

-Kent Marine Hi-S RO/DI unit with in/out tds meter

I am using Carrib Sea Aragamax select .5-1.0 mm sand that is a very fine grade. I have used it before and very happy with it, not cheap tho..


This is all I currently have and am in the slow process of collecting the rest. With Christmas a wife and child things are very tight right now. So I am thinking it will be ready to go shortly after the new year. I am planning on a SPS ,Ricordea and Zoa tank, w/ a few small fish.

Things I do need-

-Renew my membership :lol: MOST IMPORTANT!
-Extra Sand
-Salt
-Plumbing (advice is welcome)
-Faucet adapter for Ro unit
-new Filters for the RO
-Refractometer
-testkits
-New MH bulb
-LIVESTOCK :shock: (cant wait)
-phosban
-some sort of calcium doser or possible reactor

I will be following the other 40 gallon threads to see what everyone else is doing with their tanks. I will add some pics as soon as I can . Any advice is mos def. welcome.

Thanks for looking guys.
 
Yeah, Stan (Flemenco -T) told me about the T splitter when I bought the mag from him. He ran a mag 7 on his 40 gallon, I thought it would be to much too as I ran a 7 on a AGA 90 RR and it was too much for the overflow.

I might end up trading it for a mag 5 to save the trouble. That may not be a bad idea to get the extra MJ,s for the dead spots.. Thanks for the advice Matt, here are the pics of what I have so far.
 
You could tee if off for Phosbans and also leave open ends so that you can have options for future upgrades.
 
@Matt wrote:
Not sure if it is worth the trouble at this point but one other thing you could do is stager your T5 bulbs from each other so you get more light on the ends of the tank from them. said:
I too thought of that, but tried it out and with the MH its more than bright enough, well I guess I wont be able to tell untill I add som frick'in water LOL! :lol: at that point I may be kicking myself.

Here are some pics with the MH and T-5's and with just the T-5's.
Click to expand...
 
@david540i wrote:
You could tee if off for Phosbans and also leave open ends so that you can have options for future upgrades. said:
Thats not a bad idea, I really appreciate the constructive criticism guys.

Thanks Matt & David
Click to expand...
 
Hey,

If there is anyway I can talk you into getting your tank drilled I'd highly reccomend it. I had a CPR overflow on my last tank. It worked well, but the thought of a flood was ALWAYS on my mind.

My new 40B is the first tank I've ever drilled and it was MUCH easier than you'd think.

How do you like the look with the 14K halide and the atinic T5's? I'd like to get to a higher Kevlin bulb because I'm worried about having too much light on a 40B, but I'm worried it would be too blue in addition to the atinics (I've currenlty got a Reeflux 10K).

What atinic bulbs are you running? Are they both pure atinic or do you have a Blue + in there too?

Ben
 
@bdare wrote:
Hey said:
Ben,

I would love too, I may end up drilling it, I hate the idea of the HOB overflow. I have painted the back side, would that be a problem? Im guessing not but not sure. I was told by Reefmike that the HOB will hold a siphon as long as both ends of the u-tube were submerged in the event of a power failure.

I like the idea Matt has with the black overflow in the top corner , that would be cool however if Marc would be willing to build me one for a fee I may just be convinced.

On the lighting: Its much brighter than the pictures look. I favor the look cause its not too blue but not to yellow/white. Perfect White/Blue balance.

The T-5 bulbs are the HO 620 actinic and very very blue without the MH on.

If anyone is willing to help me drill this tank , even for a fee I would so do it.. I cant get that flood fear out of my head, my wife might just make me sleep in the doghouse for a year if that was to happen.

Thanks for the input Ben,

Lee
Click to expand...
 
Hey Lee,

Marc built my overflow. I can tell you it was VERY reasonalbly priced and very well made. I love it.

As far as drilling the tank, you should check out RC. There is one thread (I believe in the DIY section) called "Step by Step.. how to drill a hole". That's what gave me the guts to try it myself. I also went to another members house to watch him drill one before I did mine.

BELIEVE me when I say I understand how nerve racking it is putting a metal drill to a glass fishtank. I was JUST as nervous as you and it wasn't too long ago I did mine. But also believe me when I say, It's a piece of cake!

I got my drill bits from the seller "Lau" on ebay. They come from Hong Kong so they take about a week to get here, but they are inexpensive and work very well. I bought 3 bits for $25 (considering locals charge $35/hole this is GREAT). I got a kit that came with bits for a 3/4", 1", and 1.5" bulkhead. I'd imagine you could buy one for much less.

Once you get the bits, I'll be happy to help you.

Oh... and no problem drilling through the paint...

Ben
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top