40g breeder tank,ideas?

cubanheat1

cubanheat1

New member
Does anyone have pics or info on a sps and clam dominated 40g breeder?im planning on building one and i want ideas on lighting,filtration,and flow.
 
I have 400 watt 14k + 96 watt pc the sps grow like weeds . send me a pm with your email adress and i will send you a picture
 
hey wavefreak33 nice tank i like the aquascaping cause you spread out your rock,and god swiming room for fish.What MH are you using? adn how much LR you used? I was thinking a 250w 10,000k MH,2x96w actinics and about 50lbs-60lbs of LR.I wanna keep mostly acros like green slimmers,Montis,digi's,porite colonies and an assotment of colorful croceas,squamosas and maximas.Also how much flow do you have,and what pump?
 
The tank has 2 x 250w 10,000k reeflux bulbs. There is probably only 30 lbs of rock or so, not sure. The tank has a mag12 return and a wave2k center unit. Supposedly the wave2k is 4,000gph and I would bet I am getting 700 out of the mag after going through the sqwd and plumbing
 
So should i do the 250w wit the pc actinics or 2 175'ers and the pc actinics. im planning to build a Pvc frame around the tank with about but 6 T-fittings(2 on each side) blowing out water in every direction covering the whole tank.I was planning a large mag or quiet one pump likea 1800 or 2200 to be run externally.Hows your heat issue are you running alot of fans?
 
If I could do it over I'd go with 2x 175w Iwasaki 14k and maybe actinics. 2 MH is definitely better than one. T-5's would also work well on the shallow tank.

Flow is the hardest part for me. Drill for a closed loop!
 
I like the two bulbs much better. I dont have a heat problem. I have 2 4" fans run by my aquacontroller and they hold the tank temp steady.
 
do u like ur wave2k?? i was thinking about getting one. is it worth it? or should i get a tunze stream???
 
The flow is amazing and the customer service is second to none.

I have had a bout of problems with mine, kept getting calcium depostits on the shaft and it would wear some of the plastic pieces down. They took care of it every time and eventually made a stainless part to replace the plastic so I have had no more issues.

Overall, I would say it is worth doing, especially on your 55, it will be plenty. Plus it is much cheaper then getting a stream system and will leave you more money for other toys. If you do get one, ask them for the belt upgrade.
 
So far im gettin the raw materials to build the cap.im either goin with 2x175 10,000ks or 1 250w 10,000k with pc actinics.which one will be more attractive.if i run the tank with only the 2-175w 10,000ks is that ok with no actinic?will it look attractive.I think the 10,000k will promote more growth but not show to much coloration without actinic or a higher kelvin bulb,what do guys think?im applying 2-4in fans,and ballast will be out in the open outside to lessen heat factors.Thanks for the info so far and i love the tank wakefreak33,wanna build something similar to yours,nice job.
 
10,000k by them self are normally too yellow in my opinion. The only 10,000k I somewhat like by itself is the reeflux. Otherwise I would run actinics. The corals flouresce better under actinics as well.
 
Check out some of the 50, 58g tanks [lunchbucket, many others] as they're the same dimensions as yours, just a few inches taller.

Personally, I'd go for a pair of MH's ... 175's would probably work fine, 250's if you love the blue bulbs. VHO actinic ... the PC -> VHO actinic was one of my better choices, IMO. So much better `pop' to the actinic, where the PC just made things look less yellow - now flourescence IMO.

Flow? Lots of solutions. I don't mind cords, but some hate them and think closed loops are better. Then you've got the wave2k folks :)
Lots of options ...
 
How about a 250w 14,000k reeflux bulbs and 10,000k and actinic combo pc bulbs,or 2-175w 14,000k bulbs, will it be to"blue" just want to have the most natural setting.since i have 2x96w pcs already i want to use them.i dont wanna go n buy vhos if i have the pcs already.and i got the option 2 run a 250w mh,or 2-175w'ers.thanks gfor the input. i think i might buy tank,and cap materials next week.I'll let you kno wat im gunna do.
 
The 250 14,000k would probably be a really nice set-up. I just really like having two bulbs on mine and I didnt like 175s on mine. I guess it is not fair to say that because back then my system wasnt as tuned in as it is now, but I am happy with my 2 x 250s. Some corals it is to bright for and I have to put them at the bottom, but most do great and some absolutlely love it right up high under the light.
 
i think i might just do the 250w mh 14,000k.im gunna go to my LFS tommorow and check out there bulbs and lighting set-ups.who makes good bulbs?I heard of XM,reeflux,and ushio any others?I already have the 250w ballast,and socket modul,i need a nice reflector and the materials for the cap.Gotta hit up Home depot or Lowes,lol.
 
What kind of reflector are you going to run?

Makes a huge difference ...

Seriously consider the MH reflector as part of the purchase. What it does for spread, avoiding `hotspots', and visual impact of looking at the tank is often missed ... and IMO is worth paying attention to [and money for].

As for the PC supplimentals ... I wouldn't bother with anything other than actinic. The 10k will be insignificant IMO in comparison to the 250 ... the actinic IMO was almost invisible next to 2 250's on my 3' tank. I dunno, maybe I just was frustrated with my PC actinics for two too many years :lmao:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6867752#post6867752 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wakefreak33
The 250 14,000k would probably be a really nice set-up. I just really like having two bulbs on mine and I didnt like 175s on mine. I guess it is not fair to say that because back then my system wasnt as tuned in as it is now, but I am happy with my 2 x 250s. Some corals it is to bright for and I have to put them at the bottom, but most do great and some absolutlely love it right up high under the light.
Click to expand...
Wavefreak - that sounds a LOT like my experience [though another 4" taller tank].

Honestly, I've been seriously thinking about running 1 `blue' 250 + 1 `white' 175 on my 58 ... as I think my skills as an aquarist are much better now + that probably would make 175's just fine.

I feel like I was a SPS newbie when running 175's - and after upgrading the skimmer [largest improvement of them all] and adding the VHO actinics [IMO `popped' color] ---- I figure the biggest difference between when I ran 175's + 250's is my skills and ability to keep the tank well. That plus having everything now tweaked for flow/skimming/etc ... like you mention.
 
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