MidwestReefa
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The paint job on the stand turned out great!
40 Gallon Breeder reef tank build...
- Thread starter mmittlesteadt
- Start date
mmittlesteadt
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Here's a new pic with the new mushrooms and macroalgae. I'm trying to find some nice angles to take photos in sections and playing with lighting, spectrum and a little digital enhancement. Pic turned out a bit blurry though.
mmittlesteadt
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Thanks. It looks better in person.
mmittlesteadt
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My Green Kenya Tree really looks like a tree. And it's considerably bigger than when I got it. It's a nice compliment to the Red Kenya tree (right next to it).
mmittlesteadt
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uncleL
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Thanks. I'm going to be running an Eshopps HOB PSK100 skimmer, a HOB power filter (circulation only and if necessary act. carbon, phosphate removal, etc.), a 1000gph circulation pump.
I also will not be adding very many fish to this. I'm more interested in all the other creatures. This will not be a tank packed with too much of anything. I want it to look like a huge tank by maximizing positive and negative space, rather than overstocking it.
This is a quick sketch of my aquascaping idea thus far...lots of shelves in kind of a spiral staircase, which will add more hiding spots and places to put coral without crowding the tank with lots of rock that would create dead spaces. Of course it will change once I get the rock and see what I have to work with. Realistically, there won't be that many shelves...this is just an idea in progress with this sketch being the first one that came to mind. I won't even put the rockwork in my tank until I have it planned out very well. My idea is to provide maximum filtration and circulation, but a minimum of life requiring it.
Welcome to your addiction I do like that rock work I want to do something like that for my hundred and fifty gallon.
mmittlesteadt
New member
Thanks. The actual rockwork turned out a bit different than planned, but the effect is the same as what I was going for.
Here is, by far the best Full Tank Shot I've taken to date. I finally got my exposure figured out on my cheapo camera.
Here is, by far the best Full Tank Shot I've taken to date. I finally got my exposure figured out on my cheapo camera.
mmittlesteadt
New member
Thanks. Yeah, photographing our reefs with lighting, while conducive to coral growth, are not so camera friendly. I only have a cheap, point and shoot camera with lots of "auto" settings, but few other options. I did find an exposure setting that allows me to cut down the intense glare of the overly bright spots in the tank while still allowing the darker areas to be lit better.
I still have to use Photoshop to adjust my pics after the fact just to get them to look like my tank does in person.
I can't wait to get the Blue Xenia. It's a pretty big bunch of it on a somewhat larger rock that will fill in the left side really well. That will only leave small pockets for small plugs of frags to fill in. Then it's just a matter of letting it all grow out. I can't wait to see what this tank will look like, yet another year into it.
In case you missed my video (on another page), I'll add it again here. It really shows my new Diamond Watchman Goby rearranging the sandbed and thereby cleaning it up nicely.
mmittlesteadt
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Thanks...and you're welcome.
ChitownBrickie
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Another angle. This is the view I get of my tank from my recliner about 3 feet away.
that is a spectacular view, nice tank!
mmittlesteadt
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Thanks. Yeah, there is almost nothing quite as relaxing as ending my day chilling out in front of it. Especially because it takes almost no work to maintain it.
mmittlesteadt
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I have pics and descriptions detailing the whole setup earlier in this thread...page 4 or so? Can't remember. Check it out and I'll answer any questions about it.
Rubasu
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I see those, I just can't tell if you have anything inside of the overflow in the tank. Durso or anything. Or do they just drain straight out into the pipes through a bulkhead?
I tried looking at everything closely, but it looks like you have one hole towards the top, and one towards the bottom. Just can't see inside of it. :rollface:
mmittlesteadt
New member
It's a Herbie. Yes...just one hole near the bottom which is the main drain line. The one higher up is the emergency drain line.
The bottom main drain line has a 90 degree elbow inserted (but not glued) into the bulkhead, pointing down, with a strainer inserted into that. The top one also has a 90 degree elbow inserted into the bulkhead, pointing up. this gives me about 9 inches between the two and I use a gate valve on the main drain line (down next to my sump in the basement) to adjust the level between the two. As the main drain line gets clogged (or if it gets clogged completely), water will rise in the overflow until it spills over into the emergency drain.
Does that help?
You can see my overflow glass on the left in the first pic, and barely see the top black bulkhead behind it. The bottom one is behind that glass overflow as well. You can also see my return bulkhead on the right.
This pic below shows my return, which is a PVC "T" (again loosely inserted into the bulkhead), with the first part pointing down (behind my rockwork) and the other is a 45 degree elbow pointing up at the surface of the water.
I'll see if I can get a good photo of the plumbing behind my overflow tonight for you.
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mmittlesteadt
New member
As promised, here is a pic of my corner overflow in action (although there is no action to see 
)...
This is after one year of being in use. The top, upturned PVC elbow is just right at the water surface in the overflow (about an inch lower than the main tank water level on the other side of the overflow weir). I have it adjusted so that it just barely trickles over that top emergency drain elbow. The bottom (downturned 90 degree elbow) drain is full siphon. You can see the black strainer pushed into that elbow.
You can see the 90 degree PVC elbows coming out the back of the tank. They are glued into the bulkheads. The inside PVC elbows are just push-fitted into the bulkheads for easy removal if necessary (like to clean or whatever).
)...This is after one year of being in use. The top, upturned PVC elbow is just right at the water surface in the overflow (about an inch lower than the main tank water level on the other side of the overflow weir). I have it adjusted so that it just barely trickles over that top emergency drain elbow. The bottom (downturned 90 degree elbow) drain is full siphon. You can see the black strainer pushed into that elbow.
You can see the 90 degree PVC elbows coming out the back of the tank. They are glued into the bulkheads. The inside PVC elbows are just push-fitted into the bulkheads for easy removal if necessary (like to clean or whatever).
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