New Build: 40 Gallon Breeder Mixed Reef

[ReeferRN]

So what do you when you're forced to put your 120 gallon reef tank in the garage because your new place was built in 1932 with the living space all on the 2nd level and you have concerns about the floor's weight bearing ability? Well, you just build another tank! Though smaller this time. After a year of having my reef tank relegated to the garage, it's time to bring some of the ocean's beauty back into my living area.

Presently I'm in the process of putting together a 40 breeder as a mixed reef. I picked up a couple tanks at Petco's $1 per gallon sale several months back and somehow scraped together the time to get this project moving forward. I would have loved the clean lines of a euro-braced custom aquarium, yet the quotes I got of $700+ put that idea outside my budget. $40 sounds pretty good to me.

I first planned out the tank and stand in SketchUp, opting to go the 3/4 plywood route for the stand. I used the same construction as I did with my extremely solid 120 gallon stand using 3/4" plywood, pocket holes and wood glue. I added a piece of Bocote exotic hardwood trim to the stand, not sure if I like it yet but it is different than most stands and makes it really "stand out", which I guess it should anyways. I picked up a low profile overflow on ebay from modular marine and drilled the tank. For the sump I came up with a design utilizing a 20 gallon glass tank and with some acrylic, a skillsaw, silcone and Weld-On 16, put together a passable sump.

At the moment I'm 2 weeks into my cycle and so far so good. My shipment of livestock arrived yesterday in great shape from LiveAquaria and is presently happy in my quarantine setup (Dual 20 gallon tanks connected). I'm going to try my luck with a flame angel this time around, hope he doesn't have a taste for corals, but that's a whole other issue.

I still have a few decisions to make and would appreciate any input from the Reef Central community.

Lights!!! I'm having difficulty making a decision factoring in cost and what is truly needed to adequately light a 36" tank. I'm set on LEDs. Being a mixed reef, I would like to consider SPS at some point in the future, which will undoubtedly affect my choice of illumination. And so my criteria for lights are: 1) Less than $600 2) Adequately cover the 36" tank 3) LED 4) Support SPS 5) Full spectrum 6) Programmable. With that in mind, I have come up with a few contenders:

AI Hydra Fifty-Two HD "“ Will this cover a 36" tank? Overkill for a 16" deep tank, as I just may find scorch marks on the sand bed? $600 is a stretch, but it is a cool light.

AI Prime x 2 "“ Price is in the budget @ $200 a piece but will it be enough light?

Reef Breeders "“ I have a 48" on my 120 gallon and it's a great light but for the price of the Photon 32" version, I think there are better options.

Kessel AP700 "“ Looks to be an awesome light but for $895, outside my budget . Hoping for a price drop...

Kessel A160/A360 "“ Not sure what I would need but I think it will be pricey for adequate coverage and full spectrum.

Euroaquatics Angel A1 or A1P "“ Price is right but will it cover a 36" tank?

Other options?​

Recommendations on a skimmer? Presently I'm considering either a Reef Octopus Classic 110 Space Saver or the Classic 110 4" internal. The price is right at right around ~$200. Any suggestions?

I currently have the single Jebao RW-4 with plans for a 2nd pump for circulation. Is another RW-4 the way to go, or would an RW-8 be a better choice?

Any input on these questions is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time!

Sump:
Aqueon 20 gallon glass tank
Dual 4" filter socks
Herbie overflow with 1" drains and gate valve
Jebao DCT 4000 with 1" return
BRS GFO & Carbon Mini Reactor (Still needs to be connected)
** Skimmer Needed ** Suggestion?
** Algae Scrubber ** Presently designing a small waterfall style ATS similar to Turbo's
** ATO ** Will likely go with the Hydor ATO, have had a great experience with my 120 gallon tank with it.
** ATO Reservoir ** Not much space left for the reservoir. Debating whether to DIY or get one from advanced acrylics.

Stand:
3/4 plywood
42" tall (I don't like to get on my hands and knees to look into aquariums)
Custom exotic Bocote hardwood trim (I haven't decided if I like it yet, but it is unique)
** Door handles ** Would be nice... All in due time.

Display:
Aqueon 40 gallon breeder (~36x18x16)
1 Jebao RW-4 (*Will likely add a 2nd RW-4, or would a RW-8 be more appropriate?)
Modular Marine 800 gph low profile overflow, herbie method
** Lights **

Livestock:
Presently in quarantine
Flame Angel (Please be a good one and kind to my corals!)
Kole Yellow Eye tang
Midas Blenny
Ruby Head Fairy Wrasse

*Indicates items still needed

SketchUp is an amazing tool for designing all sorts of projects


The sump is a unique design utilizing dual 4" filter socks. Water from the overflow drains first into a small chamber and then goes up and over through the filter socks which are tightly fit. I chose this design as I can easily reach in and change out the filter socks without manipulating any plumbing or stopping flow.


Dry fitting my bare stand and checking for level.


The sump turned out better than I expected. Were I to do it again, I would enlarge the initial drain compartment as with my current level of flow it is somewhat turbulent which increases water noise. I incorporated a spot for filter media after the refugium area to catch any stray macro algae. I still need to connect the the BRS mini GFO and carbon reactor. Just need a skimmer...


Modular Marine low profile acrylic overflow



I still need to install some door handles. The doors are a bit difficult to open without them... Rockscape is a work in progress, long way to go.


Trying a new idea with some of my rocks. I had a larger kind of bland piece of Pukani from BRS what I cut into several layers to create a tiered effect. No epoxy at this time, though it will likely be needed. May expand this concept further with a few other rocks.


Bocote exotic hardwood trim. The grain pattern reminds me of a topographical map of the sea floor.


These guys are already becoming fast friends, day 2 in quarantine.

 

[whosurcaddie]

Love what you did with the rock. I would spread it out even more if possible, maybe use some epoxy putty to get an even more staggered look to it.

The kole tang may not be happy in that size tank. In the end its your tank your decisions. I just wanted to make sure you know that it may become aggressive.

Is this your first build? If it is you've done a great job I can tell you did a lot of research.

If you get another rw-4 with both pumps at max flow its gonna put you at 50X turnover. That's pretty ideal depending on what you want to keep.

As far as lighting I really like the aquatic life halo for a 40 breeder you need the master and a slave unit.http://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Life-Halo-Deluxe-Fixture/dp/B00T6FGE3M/ref=sr_1_42?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1444900468&sr=1-42&keywords=reef+led

You could also save some money and get 2 kessil a350's in your budget. 480$ for two new kessil 350's... not bad.http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B008024TPC/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all

 

[ReeferRN]

Yeah, this will be my third Kole tang. On two separate occasions months apart the Kole tangs were the only ones to get some spontaneous illness and die within a few days. No others were affected in my 120 gallon tank. Third times a charm? As far as compatibility, I have concerns over both the Kole tang and Flame angel. For one, a 40 breeder is on the small side and there may be some crowding issues down the line, leading to aggression. Also, the angel may just decide to massacre my coral population, taking a risk with him, though he is gorgeous. Fortunately I will continue to have my 120 gallon reef running in my garage as a potential future home alternative.

This is my 2nd build. I've been dabbling in reefing for a few years now as budget and time allows. I work full time and go to school full time as well working on a masters degree, so I definitely have time constraints and this project has already taken much longer than I would have liked.

I am leaning toward a 2nd RW-4 as compared to adding in a RW-8. Just looking for a bit of confirmation that two RW-4s will provide sufficient flow.

The Kessils are nice but I currently don't have a controller such as an apex (likely down the line I will), as well I have concerns buying used when it comes to pricey electronic components. I hadn't considered the aquatic life fixtures, I will look into them.

Thanks for your input!

 

[shermanator]

I love 40-Bs. My wife says no big tanks in the house, so I just have about 8 40-Bs and a common sump... haha.

Two RW-4s will be enough flow. It would up your budget quite a bit, but I like a Gyre (130 one) + an RW-4 for flow.

For lighting, I like 1 BML LED strip (20K MC) + 4 T5 bulbs (2 blue+, 1 purple, 1 coral+). Looks great and great for coral growth.

What did you use to cut the pukani? I really like the idea! It looks good now, but will look amazing with coral growing on it. I have a table saw, but what blade would work best for cutting it? Thanks!

 

[ReeferRN]

Thanks for your input Shermanator. The dimensions of the 40 Breeder provides a great layout. The only thing I would have preferred would have been a 50 gallon with the dimensions of ~ 30x24x16.

In order to cut the Pukani I just used a compass saw I picked up from Amazon a while back. Took a little time and inevitably broke off several small fragments in the process, but overall satisfied with the results. Because Pukani is so "holey", I'll probably just slide an acrylic rod through the layers and maybe add a little reef safe epoxy to hold it together. I think it will provide an excellent platform for corals. Better yet, I had it laying around so no need to purchase shelf rock for a similar setup.

 

[jerzeedevl]

For both of my 40 breeders I've used Maxspect razors. The 160 and 180 watt version. I can grow anything and everything anywhere in my tank. They look cool too.

 

[stingeragent]

Two R4's will work. I had a single RW8 in my 40, and I had to keep it under 40% or it looked like a hurricane rolling through. As for lights , 2 Kessil 160we's would work fine. I also ran that on the 40. Your looking right around 600 for the 2 lights, controller, 2 goose necks. You could knock that price down by about 70, if you can make your own mount to hang them from, or hang from ceiling. I too had thought about primes, and from what it looked like, they aren't up to par (pun intended). Not sure what size sump you had before, but if you go with hydro for the ATO, make sure your outpost hose on the ato pump is small. Mine is a bit too big and it always fills it up to alarm before it shuts off, and then it beeps forever unless you turn it off or move the sensor up. You could also look into getting the JBwave controller for your rw pumps. Lets you program them via your phone or computer, and there is a whole lot more wave options. You can also create your own flow pattern duration from scratch.