40 Gallon Breeder reef tank build...
- Thread starter mmittlesteadt
- Start date
ZeeSparrow
New member
Just photoshop some fish and coral and you'll be good to go!
Lol I was thinking about doing that with coral just this morning. Although I probably still will do so ....
mmittlesteadt
New member
Don't think I hadn't considered that! 
I photoshopped everything else I was envisioning. Part of me being an artist, designer and engineer I guess.
I'm actually quite content to just let the tank sit now. My only concern for the next 4 weeks is stability. Stable water levels, salinity and temps. Making sure my ATO works precisely as intended.
I'm not even that concerned about cycling right now. I'm going to probably just ghost feed and not even measure anything at all for a while. I'm in no rush to put living things into it, and I know that if I put food into it, it has to break down and go through the nitrogen cycle, whether I'm aware of where it's at in it's cycle or not. I've decided that testing it over the first few weeks is really only for my own impatient reasons. At some point I'll test it and see how it's coming along.
So for now, it's just maintain stability. That's my goal. Just make sure there are no swings with the parameters and my ATO functions properly to help with that. I just added another cup of IO Reef Crystals in my sump and I'll test it again tonight to see how close I am to 1.026. I was still a tad low earlier today.
But my water level is constant (even though my overflow level fluctuates slightly throughout the day between my main drain and emergency). Temps are staying at 78 degrees. ATO functions properly. Skimmer works (but still needs to break in and there is nothing to skim yet). Circulation pump is keeping the water in the refugium moving very well in a circular pattern (for the eventual chaeto to keep it tumbled). Circulation pumps in the 40 display tank seem to keep the water flowing as I wanted.
My lights are on a timer and work as expected. Just really cheap Aquatop 24" LED strip lights. Two actinic, one daylight. The same setup over our coral frag tanks where I work is making those corals quite happy, thriving and growing. Eventually I'm going to upgrade to Kessils. Could have bought one Kessil at cost for what I spent on these three strip lights. Oh well. These will work for quite a while...only going for softies anyway.
All in all a very successful weekend with the system.
I photoshopped everything else I was envisioning. Part of me being an artist, designer and engineer I guess.I'm actually quite content to just let the tank sit now. My only concern for the next 4 weeks is stability. Stable water levels, salinity and temps. Making sure my ATO works precisely as intended.
I'm not even that concerned about cycling right now. I'm going to probably just ghost feed and not even measure anything at all for a while. I'm in no rush to put living things into it, and I know that if I put food into it, it has to break down and go through the nitrogen cycle, whether I'm aware of where it's at in it's cycle or not. I've decided that testing it over the first few weeks is really only for my own impatient reasons. At some point I'll test it and see how it's coming along.
So for now, it's just maintain stability. That's my goal. Just make sure there are no swings with the parameters and my ATO functions properly to help with that. I just added another cup of IO Reef Crystals in my sump and I'll test it again tonight to see how close I am to 1.026. I was still a tad low earlier today.
But my water level is constant (even though my overflow level fluctuates slightly throughout the day between my main drain and emergency). Temps are staying at 78 degrees. ATO functions properly. Skimmer works (but still needs to break in and there is nothing to skim yet). Circulation pump is keeping the water in the refugium moving very well in a circular pattern (for the eventual chaeto to keep it tumbled). Circulation pumps in the 40 display tank seem to keep the water flowing as I wanted.
My lights are on a timer and work as expected. Just really cheap Aquatop 24" LED strip lights. Two actinic, one daylight. The same setup over our coral frag tanks where I work is making those corals quite happy, thriving and growing. Eventually I'm going to upgrade to Kessils. Could have bought one Kessil at cost for what I spent on these three strip lights. Oh well. These will work for quite a while...only going for softies anyway.
All in all a very successful weekend with the system.
Last edited:
RichJohnston83
New member
love the aquascaping!!
mmittlesteadt
New member
Thanks!
mmittlesteadt
New member
Updated pic of my operational sump and ATO setup. Tank is cycling now.
mmittlesteadt
New member
A 5 gallon bucket and an Eshopps float valve. That's it. Cost me about $25 total. I have a shut off valve on the bucket which I have dialed way back so it only trickles to the float valve. It is completely failsafe. Gravity fed. No pump or switch, so no electronics to fail.
The float really can't stick either open or closed, but even if it did stick open the valve on the bucket is set to trickle water at a rate where it would take almost two days to drain the 5 gallons into my sump (and I have about 70 gallons total water volume between the display tank and sump) so the SG would take a while to change. Also, if it were to stick closed, my evaporation is showing about a 3 gallon loss per 6 days. Again not a deadly change in SG.
It would take an 2 extra gallons of pure ATO RO/DI water to drain before it would top off my return chamber, and about 5 gallons to evaporate down to where my pump would start running dry.
I've read over and over again about people not trusting mechanical float valves and instead using electronic switches, pumps and what not. THAT I do not trust. I spent a lot of time calculating this ATO system.
Isaacs55
New member
Hey do you have gate valves or ball valves? I have ball valves on my system right now. I got it tuned and everything in about 5 min...but then I accidentally nudged on the return ball valve and have been trying to fine tune it back and forth to get it even again ever since....gah I may add a gate valve to my drain line and return line. Hopefully it helps. Last night I was literally trying to fine tune it for 2 hours straight, I didn't even realize how long it was until I looked at the clock! Trying to match my drain and then trying to match my return....blah blah process..I'm not about that life lol
mmittlesteadt
New member
I'm using ball valves. What a b^tch to fine tune!!! I'd get it ever so close to perfect and "click"...I'd shoot past where I wanted it and have to start over. Yeah, I should have just gotten gate valves, but nobody around here has them in anything larger than 3/4" and I didn't want to buy them online AND pay shipping (which was half the cost of the valves!).
I hear you...I spent an entire day of trying to fine tune it. I got it close and then just went and did other things until the system settled down a bit and then made more "fine" adjustments (which is an oxymoron with ball valves). Ugh! But my system is stable and fine now.
I hear you...I spent an entire day of trying to fine tune it. I got it close and then just went and did other things until the system settled down a bit and then made more "fine" adjustments (which is an oxymoron with ball valves). Ugh! But my system is stable and fine now.
mmittlesteadt
New member
Everything is running smoothly. One week into it and SG is stable, as are the temps. Water levels are stable. ATO is running smoothly. Takes 6 days to lose 5 gallons due to evaporation, which my ATO handled flawlessly. Only takes a little over an hour to refill the ATO Reservoir with fresh RO/DI.
I could easily take a two week vacation and have someone come by and do nothing more than take my extra 5 gallon pail (that I would already have filled with RO/DI) and fill my ATO reservoir with it. All I really need once I have livestock is an auto feeder.
Really I never go anywhere where I'm gone longer than a few days. This year will be the first time we'll be taking a vacation and be gone for five days. Won't even need a tank sitter for that.
I could easily take a two week vacation and have someone come by and do nothing more than take my extra 5 gallon pail (that I would already have filled with RO/DI) and fill my ATO reservoir with it. All I really need once I have livestock is an auto feeder.
Really I never go anywhere where I'm gone longer than a few days. This year will be the first time we'll be taking a vacation and be gone for five days. Won't even need a tank sitter for that.
mmittlesteadt
New member
Well...it appears that my main drain has a mind of its own and I was getting a little too much flow down my emergency. I tried to make a small adjustment and of course, with a ball valve, there is no such thing as a small adjustment.
Out went the ball valve and in went a brand new gate valve. So easy to adjust. Still tweaking it a bit, but at least I can make micro adjustments. Should have put a gate valve in on the main drain from the get go. Lesson learned.
Out went the ball valve and in went a brand new gate valve. So easy to adjust. Still tweaking it a bit, but at least I can make micro adjustments. Should have put a gate valve in on the main drain from the get go. Lesson learned.
ZeeSparrow
New member
Hey at least you got that changed before too long. I am still messing with mine rather regularly, trying to get it where I don't hear the waterfall but the emergency is dry. I'd even be happy with a trickle at this point, as I know my main drain is closed up pretty well. I knew I would have these issues though, as long as I am running GFO off the main pump. And I am just now starting to dial in my skimmer.
How's the cycle coming?
How's the cycle coming?
Isaacs55
New member
Nice!!! Yea I'm adding gates to mine in a few weeks. I'm leaving my ball valves for on/off use. Especially cuz I'm adding a line for easy water changes so all I have to do is put a bucket down and turn on/off and then rotate it back. I'm trying not to do too much work every week cuz I'm working on finding time to hang out with my wife and son lol its hard to balance both.
Isaacs55
New member
A solution to your overflow could be to change to 1 1/2 inch drains and then slowly close them? You would Get more flow but still would be able to fine tune your drain to where there's no noise.
mmittlesteadt
New member
I don't think it matters how large the drain pipes are. After a certain point, only so much is going "down the drain" to match what is coming in from the return pump. Either the pipes can handle it or they can't.
Based on how far my main drain was closed off with the ball valve, I could probably have gotten by with a 3/4" drain (even if I left my emergency a 1" pipe) and I'd still probably have to close that off a bit. A larger pipe (like 1.5") would just need to be closed further still.
One interesting thing about switching to a gate valve on my main drain is that I no longer have to also use the valve on my return pipe. The ball valve on my main drain was so hard to turn that I had to slow my pump down a bit as well with that line's ball valve. Now my pump (and return line) is wide open (increasing flow) and the only thing controlling all flow now is the gate valve on my main drain line.
I have it adjusted perfectly now. Its staying put at the water mark I taped on my tank (for checking my overflow level).
I purposely drilled for bulkheads on the back of the tank for using the Herbie. My overflow is on the left and return on the right. I put my main drain line about 4" from the bottom (with the 90 degree elbow and strainer turned down to where the bottom of the strainer is just off the bottom of the tank) and the emergency is about 7" above that (with the 90 degree elbow turned up). The top of the emergency elbow is about 1" below the weir of my overflow and the water level in my overflow is about at the bottom of the emergency elbow now. I have about 7" of water level to adjust in between, though I prefer it remain somewhat of a constant.
I should note that I siliconed my glass overflow into the corner at a slight angle (as I did with the baffles in my sump) so that no water falling over the edge splashes. It only gently cascades over it in total silence. The water doesn't really "fall". It just gently runs down the glass because of the slight angle. My system (both the display tank and the sump) is so quiet that if you closed your eyes you would think it was not functioning.
I split my return on the right side of the display tank from the 1" return line into two 3/4" pipe fittings using a reducer. It goes from the reducer down to a 3/4" "T" which is pointed down (causing water flow behind my rockwork down by the sandbed) and then I added a 3/4" 45 degree elbow onto the end of that (which is pointed up causing gentle turbulence on the display water surface, but also directs it towards the middle of the tank glass and then reflected back to the other side of the tank towards my weir).
In my sump, my drain chamber has the skimmer churning up the water, and both my refugium and return chambers have circulation pumps in them keeping the surface moving. Of course the refugium has the larger pump (for tumbling chaeto).
Lots of water movement (both in the water column and the surfaces), but no splashing or gurgling anywhere in the system. It is dead silent.
I have yet to test my ammonia. It has been a little over a week since I dosed it to 3 ppm and added the SeaChem Stability daily. Added the last of that today. I'll test my ammonia tomorrow and see where it's at. I only added the Stability to kick start the biofilter, not in order to rush things along, but because I am using all dry rock at this point. I would guess the ammonia level has dropped some, but I'm in no rush. Well, I am but nature has its own schedule.
Based on how far my main drain was closed off with the ball valve, I could probably have gotten by with a 3/4" drain (even if I left my emergency a 1" pipe) and I'd still probably have to close that off a bit. A larger pipe (like 1.5") would just need to be closed further still.
One interesting thing about switching to a gate valve on my main drain is that I no longer have to also use the valve on my return pipe. The ball valve on my main drain was so hard to turn that I had to slow my pump down a bit as well with that line's ball valve. Now my pump (and return line) is wide open (increasing flow) and the only thing controlling all flow now is the gate valve on my main drain line.
I have it adjusted perfectly now. Its staying put at the water mark I taped on my tank (for checking my overflow level).
I purposely drilled for bulkheads on the back of the tank for using the Herbie. My overflow is on the left and return on the right. I put my main drain line about 4" from the bottom (with the 90 degree elbow and strainer turned down to where the bottom of the strainer is just off the bottom of the tank) and the emergency is about 7" above that (with the 90 degree elbow turned up). The top of the emergency elbow is about 1" below the weir of my overflow and the water level in my overflow is about at the bottom of the emergency elbow now. I have about 7" of water level to adjust in between, though I prefer it remain somewhat of a constant.
I should note that I siliconed my glass overflow into the corner at a slight angle (as I did with the baffles in my sump) so that no water falling over the edge splashes. It only gently cascades over it in total silence. The water doesn't really "fall". It just gently runs down the glass because of the slight angle. My system (both the display tank and the sump) is so quiet that if you closed your eyes you would think it was not functioning.
I split my return on the right side of the display tank from the 1" return line into two 3/4" pipe fittings using a reducer. It goes from the reducer down to a 3/4" "T" which is pointed down (causing water flow behind my rockwork down by the sandbed) and then I added a 3/4" 45 degree elbow onto the end of that (which is pointed up causing gentle turbulence on the display water surface, but also directs it towards the middle of the tank glass and then reflected back to the other side of the tank towards my weir).
In my sump, my drain chamber has the skimmer churning up the water, and both my refugium and return chambers have circulation pumps in them keeping the surface moving. Of course the refugium has the larger pump (for tumbling chaeto).
Lots of water movement (both in the water column and the surfaces), but no splashing or gurgling anywhere in the system. It is dead silent.
I have yet to test my ammonia. It has been a little over a week since I dosed it to 3 ppm and added the SeaChem Stability daily. Added the last of that today. I'll test my ammonia tomorrow and see where it's at. I only added the Stability to kick start the biofilter, not in order to rush things along, but because I am using all dry rock at this point. I would guess the ammonia level has dropped some, but I'm in no rush. Well, I am but nature has its own schedule.
Last edited:
mmittlesteadt
New member
Water level has remained stable and dialing it in was a breeze with the gate valve.
mmittlesteadt
New member
While my tank is cycling, I decided to revisit my display tank, lighting and canopy.
Even with the eggcrate under the glass top, with the heat wave we had there was still condensation under the glass. I DO NOT want that, and I want to keep salt creep at a minimum.
So...I decided to forego a glass top altogether. I thought about "jumpers" and how to prevent possible escapes. My canopy fits tight around the front and sides so there is no jumping out through that, but the back is wide open. So I'm removing the glass top and the egg crate.
But I still had to have some way of having my light strips over the top of my tank and have them protected. I run the frame shop at Ace Hardware and having access to acrylic and a professional cutter, I brought in my 1/4" thick piece of acrylic that I was originally going to use for a top and cut it down and glued it together to make a strip light holder that easily mounts onto the inside of the rim.
And here it is...
I'm going to add just a small strip of eggcrate behind this along the back rim, just to prevent anything from jumping out the back. My removable canopy fits over all of this.
Even with the eggcrate under the glass top, with the heat wave we had there was still condensation under the glass. I DO NOT want that, and I want to keep salt creep at a minimum.
So...I decided to forego a glass top altogether. I thought about "jumpers" and how to prevent possible escapes. My canopy fits tight around the front and sides so there is no jumping out through that, but the back is wide open. So I'm removing the glass top and the egg crate.
But I still had to have some way of having my light strips over the top of my tank and have them protected. I run the frame shop at Ace Hardware and having access to acrylic and a professional cutter, I brought in my 1/4" thick piece of acrylic that I was originally going to use for a top and cut it down and glued it together to make a strip light holder that easily mounts onto the inside of the rim.
And here it is...
I'm going to add just a small strip of eggcrate behind this along the back rim, just to prevent anything from jumping out the back. My removable canopy fits over all of this.