What would you do?

[Arizonah13]

Hi Guys,

I had so much fun at the auction yesterday - got a ton of awesome little frags :inlove:

I currently have my 5 year old BC 29 tank - we JUST recently upgraded the lights to RapidLED aurora puck so I definitely want to keep using it, buuuuuut.... I hate the rock scape & want to get rid of the old, cootie-filled sand (replace with a thinner layer of new/dry sand). Also, my female clown is SO territorial. She abuses the living daylights out of my hand when its in there (even with gloves, I end up squealing at least once). She seriously makes it so I can't play around/adjust stuff in my tank in peace. And forget about adding any new tankmates - I'm sure she'd end up killing them.

I also have an empty 20L.... do you think it would be worth my while to set it up as a new home for the clowns and some softies? Something that I can set up to my liking, then plop her and her boyfriend in where they can live happily ever after & I'll only have to do cleaning and water changes? (as opposed to adding new corals/rearranging stuff all the time) I would totally just give the clowns away, but I've had the little buggers for so many years & I'm just too darn sentimental. With this route, I'd have to figure out lighting & filtration.

OOOOOR, my other (more expensive thought), is set up a 40B, leave the clowns in the biocube, but add in some anemones since the tank is so well established/good lighting. I'd transfer all of my current LPS/softies to the 40B. But then I'd have to buy EVERYTHING for a 40B set up... and have to figure out how sumps/plumbing work - not to mention lighting.

Darn. I'm torn.

 

[Sinekal]

My thought, if your already thinking 40b, you will end up there, so it may make sense to jump there now. Keep your fish and frags in your current set up while you read up and get a plan for your 40b, then take your time setting it up. You have to deal with your current setup a bit longer that way, but you get what you really want and you get the luxury to take your time and do it right.

 

[Arizonah13]

My thought, if your already thinking 40b, you will end up there, so it may make sense to jump there now. Keep your fish and frags in your current set up while you read up and get a plan for your 40b, then take your time setting it up. You have to deal with your current setup a bit longer that way, but you get what you really want and you get the luxury to take your time and do it right.

So true. So very very true. BUT (!!) what about my mean clowns that make playing in my tank more of torture rather than fun? Keep 'em in the cube?

Also, do you have any recommendations on lighting for a 40B? Realistically, I'm an LPS/softie lover - I MIGHT want to try my hand at a hardier SPS in the future (montis/birdnests) which I would keep higher in the tank.

Thanks!

 

[SkullV]

Rumor has it the Petco $/g sale will be back around Sept 27 for that 40br.

 

[Arizonah13]

Rumor has it the Petco $/g sale will be back around Sept 27 for that 40br.

I like those kinds of rumors. :dance:

 

[JOSHUAB]

Or get a 55long, for everything including the clowns, and use your current tank as the sump....just a thought...

 

[kjonulak]

Post on the site to see if someone has a sump setup that they want to part with. Sump setups are not that hard to setup. Just need to decide if you want to drill the main tank or use a hang on overflow. I would go with a drilled tank if possible. With that said I have used a lot of hang on overflows without any issues. You can build a silencer like a Durso, to quiet the sound of the overflow.

Think about what equipment you want to have in the sump, so that you can make sure it is large enough to hold everything. I took an Ehsopps sump that I had and turned it into a fuge. The left side has a DSB and some rock with Macro Algae. The right side holds my return pump, skimmer, ATO, pH probe and heater.

 

[Arizonah13]

Or get a 55long, for everything including the clowns, and use your current tank as the sump....just a thought...

So true, except I'm really partial to the 40B dimensions.

Post on the site to see if someone has a sump setup that they want to part with. Sump setups are not that hard to setup. Just need to decide if you want to drill the main tank or use a hang on overflow. I would go with a drilled tank if possible. With that said I have used a lot of hang on overflows without any issues. You can build a silencer like a Durso, to quiet the sound of the overflow.

Think about what equipment you want to have in the sump, so that you can make sure it is large enough to hold everything. I took an Ehsopps sump that I had and turned it into a fuge. The left side has a DSB and some rock with Macro Algae. The right side holds my return pump, skimmer, ATO, pH probe and heater.

Great idea. Right now, I'm still at wish-list-making stage. I've been working with my AIO for so long, I truly know zip about plumbing, sumps, skimmers, etc... I have a lot of research ahead of me. Thankfully it's fun research (except for the plumbing... that doesn't appeal to me at all)

Thanks again, guys!

 

[TangingOut]

Keep an eye on craigslist. There are always people getting out of the hobby and you can get a complete system on the cheap. Plus all the homework and plumbing has already been done for you.

If you go this route just post the link here for everyone's opinion on the set-up. When I was new I did this, but didn't know any better and ended up buying a lot of better equipment when I did more homework on the stuff I bought. So my great deal ended up being just an OK deal.

 

[azjohnny]

Also, do you have any recommendations on lighting for a 40B?

Do you have a budget?

I would look into Reef Breeder LED's

you could go with 2 Super Lux or 1 Photon 32

Super Lux
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/superlux/

Photon 32
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-32/

 

[tcamos]

For me the answer is always either a larger or second tank. This isn't just to have another (though that's reason enough) but it really allows you do create two different environments and play around with new stuff.

 

[evolved]

I knew someone who had an aggressive female clown; they would catch and remove her every time they need to work in the tank :spin2:

Regardless of what upgrade path you choose, I'd makes sure the clowns were not a part of it and leave them in a separate tank.

 

[Arizonah13]

Keep an eye on craigslist. There are always people getting out of the hobby and you can get a complete system on the cheap. Plus all the homework and plumbing has already been done for you.

If you go this route just post the link here for everyone's opinion on the set-up. When I was new I did this, but didn't know any better and ended up buying a lot of better equipment when I did more homework on the stuff I bought. So my great deal ended up being just an OK deal.

I've been checking craigslist daily I will definitely post here if I find something that looks promising!

Do you have a budget?

I would look into Reef Breeder LED's

you could go with 2 Super Lux or 1 Photon 32

Super Lux
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/superlux/

Photon 32
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-32/

I was actually looking at those last night! I definitely do have to keep the cost in mind, but still want to get the best I can for the money. Around $400 would probably be the cap - luckily I'm not in an enormous rush, so I can keep an eye on prices and wait for possible Black Friday sales

Do you have any personal experience with those fixtures? Also, am I mistaken, or can those be programmed (dimming & timer) on the actual fixture? Without having to hook it up to an Apex/RK-type controller?

For me the answer is always either a larger or second tank. This isn't just to have another (though that's reason enough) but it really allows you do create two different environments and play around with new stuff.

So true. I know I'd LOVE to get a big fowlr tank in the future to dedicate to my favorite fish - dogface puffer :inlove:

I knew someone who had an aggressive female clown; they would catch and remove her every time they need to work in the tank :spin2:

Regardless of what upgrade path you choose, I'd makes sure the clowns were not a part of it and leave them in a separate tank.

THANK YOU for saying that! My hubby thinks I'm such a weenie about that darn fish, so I'm glad to see I'm not alone in wanting to get her out of my hair (even if just temporarily). Not to mention, I'm sure she'd probably tear any newbies to shreds.

 

[zibba]

We had a similar issue with our clowns. They were in our softie/LPS dominant 36x18x18 tank and would bully new tankmates. The best thing we did was catch them and rehome them to our frag tank where we added a few bubble-tipped anemones for them to play in.

The tank is so much more peaceful now and we've added some interesting wrasses (pink streak, tanaka's and a female pintail, which we plan to move to our larger tank when it gets bigger) that would have never done well with the clowns.

Anyway, my recommendations:

- Set up the 40br. It's a great size tank for a reef and there are plenty of people in this group that will help you with plumbing or whatever else you need.

- Keep the 29 for the clowns only if you really, REALLY want to maintain two tanks. It's manageable but can be a drag on the hobby if you don't streamline things.

On the 40br: we've been running a 27" MaxSpect Razor 15k (17k?, I forget exactly but it's the more blue model) for a long time. The light works really well for this size tank and for the corals you want to keep. It maintains its own program so just plug-n-play.

Here are a couple iterations of our smaller tank (nearly identical dimensions as a 40br) with the MaxSpect over it for reference:
ADA 11.29.2013 by E Z, on Flickr

4.26.15 FTS by E Z, on Flickr

Sump: use your 20L and DIY some baffles. There are people in the group, including myself, who will help you with this if you want. I took pictures of my DIY 40br sump from my old system: Check out psots #23 & #24 http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2151747

FRAG has hole-saws to drill through a 40br if you end up getting one from the PetCo $1/gal sale.

Skimmer: keep an eye out on this forum because occasionally members are unloading perfect little skimmers for that size tank. We're running a little Bubble Magnus Curve 5 on our ~50g frag tank and it works just fine. It's about $200.

And, keep asking questions!

 

[Arizonah13]

We had a similar issue with our clowns. They were in our softie/LPS dominant 36x18x18 tank and would bully new tankmates. The best thing we did was catch them and rehome them to our frag tank where we added a few bubble-tipped anemones for them to play in.

The tank is so much more peaceful now and we've added some interesting wrasses (pink streak, tanaka's and a female pintail, which we plan to move to our larger tank when it gets bigger) that would have never done well with the clowns.

Anyway, my recommendations:

- Set up the 40br. It's a great size tank for a reef and there are plenty of people in this group that will help you with plumbing or whatever else you need.

- Keep the 29 for the clowns only if you really, REALLY want to maintain two tanks. It's manageable but can be a drag on the hobby if you don't streamline things.

On the 40br: we've been running a 27" MaxSpect Razor 15k (17k?, I forget exactly but it's the more blue model) for a long time. The light works really well for this size tank and for the corals you want to keep. It maintains its own program so just plug-n-play.

Here are a couple iterations of our smaller tank (nearly identical dimensions as a 40br) with the MaxSpect over it for reference:


Sump: use your 20L and DIY some baffles. There are people in the group, including myself, who will help you with this if you want. I took pictures of my DIY 40br sump from my old system: Check out psots #23 & #24 http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2151747

FRAG has hole-saws to drill through a 40br if you end up getting one from the PetCo $1/gal sale.

Skimmer: keep an eye out on this forum because occasionally members are unloading perfect little skimmers for that size tank. We're running a little Bubble Magnus Curve 5 on our ~50g frag tank and it works just fine. It's about $200.

And, keep asking questions!

Holy mama, that's a gorgeous tank! :inlove:

I just keep flipping and flopping with what I want to do. My clowns really do make what SHOULD be a pleasant experience playing around in my tank into a nerve wracking one. :worried:

For this precise moment, I'm thinking of setting up my 20L as a tank for them with some softies & LPS (making sure everything is arranged exactly how I want so I'm not as apt to change stuff), then putting them in there to live out their days.

SIGH.

I've also been scouring around the web for lights - I like my RapidLED aurora puck - and they currently have a refurb Onyx light that would probably be overkill for the 20L (but I'd dim &/or raise them), THEN when I move up to a 40B, I can transfer that light. Might be a little dark in the corners, but I'm not opposed to making that my mushroom-y areas.

At least that would give me time to save up for the other equipment... when I'm ready for a larger tank, I could then move the clowns back to the cube with some nems and leave them be.

I think I could handle 2 tanks, but definitely not 3.

I've already had about 20 different scenarios going through my head all day (for weeks, actually).

Maybe I'll just get one of those fancy, white Red Sea Max/Reefers. :inlove: :inlove: :inlove: That price tag though!

 

[Dave_J]

RapidLED puck in BC

RapidLED puck in BC

Hi Guys,

I currently have my 5 year old BC 29 tank - we JUST recently upgraded the lights to RapidLED aurora puck so I definitely want to keep using it,...

I have a BC and am thinking about LEDs. The Rapid conversion kit appears to be only two channels and no mention of the puck.

I'm hoping that you might share how you installed a puck.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Arizonah13]

I have a BC and am thinking about LEDs. The Rapid conversion kit appears to be only two channels and no mention of the puck.

I'm hoping that you might share how you installed a puck.

Thanks,
Dave

Hi Dave,

This is the kit we got http://www.rapidled.com/biocube-29/ (Oceanic, dimmable). We use 4 channels (white, blue, color & uv) - I can adjust them all separately using an Apex Jr and VDM.

My husband did the actual install for me, but if you have any specific questions, I'd be glad to ask him.