Starting a 40g Breeder Reef Tank

[Marco333]

Hi - Over 10 years ago I had 10 gallon salt water tank. I am looking to get back into the hobby now that I finally have my own house. I have a few questions below regarding how I should plan for this tank.

1. I have a 40g breeder that has been sitting around empty for about 10 years. It hold water but I am worried the seal may be old. Do you think this is safe to use or do you recommend I buy a new 40g breeder tank?

2. My new house is currently being built. I plan to keep this tank on the second floor landing (in the hallway). Will the weight of a fully stocked 40g reef tank cause any issues? Do I need to have the builder add beam support?

3. I would like to keep reef safe fish with assorted corals. From what I have read, LED lights are the way to go. I did some research and this seems like a good option for my tank. https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/aquasanrise-plus-r60/. Does anyone have any experience with this light or have a better recommendation?


4. Sand..what is recommended. No sand bed, 1 inch sand bed, DSB? I plan to have live rock.

5. I plan to use a HOB filter and possibly a HOB skimmer. Will this work or do I need to explore a sump/ref?

6. How do you get good water to fill your tank/perform water changes. I am going to look into installing a R/O system. From previous experience I only kept a 10g and I would just purchase gallon distilled water from the local super market. I am trying to figure out how I am going to manage the water for this tank.


Thank you for any help! Sorry for so many questions.

 

[mcgyvr]

#1- Buy a new one.. $40 at Petco during $1/gallon sales which happen quite often.
#2-No problems at all with the weight.. Its like having 2 heavy people (~400+ lbs total) standing in the hallway.. all houses can take that..
#3-Yes.. reefbreeders has good stuff..
#4-Personal preference (kind of).. some fish may want sand (goby)..
#5-In general a HOB filter is not needed for saltwater and tends to just become a place for crap to rot... skimmer is great though..
#6-RO/DI water.. But a RO/DI filter from Bulkreefsupply or airwaterice.. or similar
Well worth the investment..

 

[schnebbles]

I'm new as well, embarking on the same thing! I had someone say to use crushed coral - would that be ok? If I get a goby, he will not like it? I'm not sure why he said crushed coral vs sand, I didn't ask at that point. Maybe for the pH? Not trying to hijack! but I saw about the goby liking sand and I'm trying to learn as well and my tank is also a 40b

 

[Marco333]

Thank you for the feedback. If a HOB filter is not recommended, will the tank be fine with just a skimmer and power heads for water flow?

I think some goby's that like to bury in the sand and CC is too large/heavy for them.

 

[Rubasu]

I would go with sand (not live sand...waste of money) - CC, depending on how course it is, can collect gunk that will just rot away in your tank. Having sand lessens that.

 

[mcgyvr]

Thank you for the feedback. If a HOB filter is not recommended, will the tank be fine with just a skimmer and power heads for water flow?

Absolutely yes..

Many get buy on smaller tanks with water changes and power heads alone..

Adding a skimmer not only removes proteins but also helps to oxygenate the water.. (getting some surface turbulence with a power head will help with that too..)

FWIW.. My tank is a 40G breeder with only a HOB skimmer (Eshopps PSK75H) and 2 powerheads (Jebao PP4 and CP25) and is filled with (Softies/LPS/SPS) and thriving.. I do 5G weekly water changes.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Just so you all know a 40b is not 40 gallons. It's actually 47.5 gallons.

 

[MiataRacer]

I have a 40B reef that has softies with one LPS (a candy cane), and I have one powerhead (a Koralia 3rd gen) that has 40 gallons as its minimum rating. You don't need a sump; they're helpful, but I don't have one because my tank stand won't accommodate one. I use an AquaC Remora Pro on my tank and it works great. I have a sand bed that is probably only about 1.5 to 2 inches deep; it's the CaribSea Arag-Alive sand. I don't know for sure if live sand is a ripoff or not (I went with it just to be safe), but it seems to work well for me. I'd recommend going with the best quality water possible, I use RODI and premixed saltwater from my LFS. They sell it cheap enough that it saves me a lot of hassle trying to make my own water.