40G Breeder Reef Drop Off NEW LED FIXTURE!!

[adolph_09]

ok so i just traded my 28g Nano cube for this 40G Breeder and im gonna start up this thread to track its progression. I will try and take as many pics as possible but sometimes when im in the zone it tends to slip my mind till im done haha
heres my old Nano cube the day before i broke it down to trade
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/IMG_0912.jpg

and here the 40G breeder and Skimmer
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/IMG_0932.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/IMG_0933.jpg

[adolph_09]

I was thinking of buying a stand for it but decided to just build one instead so that it's exactly what I need and looks how I want it to look.
It's also alot cheaper :thumbs_up:
I spent about $80 on everything it could have been cheaper but i had to redo a couple things
Here's the stand before being painted
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/IMG_0923.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/IMG_0924.jpg

[Big_Pun]

nice build! hey is that a "duck" hiding in the back ground under the tarp?? tire looks a little slick

[Scream311]

Stand lloks TUFF. What color Stain are you gonna Use ?

[Zack]

Where did you buy that overflow from?

[adolph_09]

@ stangchris
Haha yeah that's my 998 Ducati and yeah the tires are really slick already which is why I havnt been using it much which is why it's covered ha. It's has really soft compound tires. Great for leaning at high speeds but wear out really fast

@ Scream311
I was thinking of staining it but I ended up just painting it black because it matched more with the trim from the tank I'll post some pics of the stand painted black later

@ nanoreefer11
I'm not to sure where it's from. It came with the tank already when me and Lakers10 traded tanks

[Gseclipse02]

nice bikE!!! oh yea cool tank lol

[ErikH]

Personally, I like the Budweiser can. :)

That stand looks nice and clean. I recommend using KILLZ on the inside to prevent any mold or mildew. You may also want to get some shower lining for the inside just in case.

[adolph_09]

@ Gseaclipse02
Haha thanks JT maybe I'll put some pics of the bike up too ha

@ ErikH
There's alot more of those behind the picture ha maybe too many though:hypnotyized:
And I was thinking about using that paint but ended up just going with some regular semi gloss paint. I am gonna put some liener on the inside for extra protection

[adolph_09]

Here is stand already painted with the tank sitting on it
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/b8da51ce.jpg
Side view
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/d123a4d2.jpg
I also decided to add this fan into the stand just to help out a little with heat
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/4c5a1779.jpg
Also added some shelfs in the stand just for storage
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/9ba8759d.jpg

[adolph_09]

Ok so this is the sump I got in the trade but iv been thinking of adding a couple baffles so I can have a refugium. Do yall think this is a good idea or should I just leave it as it is?
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/9596a75a.jpg

[adolph_09]

Alright so I got some stuff done last night
I got all the plumbing done
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/f6fb3226.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/d18ffc4a.jpg
I painted the spray bar black so that it goes more with the tank and is less of an eye sore I also lowered it a bit so it isnt sticking out much
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/898259d3.jpg
I also cut the return drain pipe to lower it because it was sticking out to much
Here it is Before with spray bar already mounted
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/52500776.jpg
After
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/c9b0317d.jpg

[lakers10]

looking nice : )

[Zack]

Very nice man! I'm upgrading to a 40 breeder within the next year! Look forward to seeing your progress.

[adolph_09]

@ Lakers10
Hey man have you set up the 28G yet? Post some pics up

@ Nanoreefer11
Thanks!! :) I like the dimensions of this tank. Lots of room to aquascape!! And nice 10g Pico iv been wanting to start up something that small. Is it really alot more up keep though?

[Zack]

Well, I am doing bare bottom, so everyday I'm usually use a turkey baster and get all the detritus off the bottom. Other than that, I do 2x 2 gallon water changes weekly and dose with a product called aragamight in my top off, and everything seems to be doing great!

And yes, I Love the dimensions! So much you can do with it!

Have you got a stocking list yet?

[adolph_09]

Well, I am doing bare bottom, so everyday I'm usually use a turkey baster and get all the detritus off the bottom. Other than that, I do 2x 2 gallon water changes weekly and dose with a product called aragamight in my top off, and everything seems to be doing great!

And yes, I Love the dimensions! So much you can do with it!

Have you got a stocking list yet?

That doesnt sound to bad I tought it would be a little more work

And I don't really have a stockin list yet. I know I wanna try keeping some
SPS and maybe even a jelly fish haha but I'm still not sure:confused:

[Zack]

I don't think think jelly's can be in an sps tank. Especially with all the flow. Jelly fish tanks usually are circular in shape with no decor. The jelly's just drift in a circle lol :P

[adolph_09]

I don't think think jelly's can be in an sps tank. Especially with all the flow. Jelly fish tanks usually are circular in shape with no decor. The jelly's just drift in a circle lol :P

Ha yeah I know that blows what about those upside down jelly fish? Do you anything about those


I already have the tank up and running. There is no leaks and everything seems to be going fine. Only thing I see wrong is that I might need to get a bigger pump. Right now I have a Rio 2100 on it and I don't think it is gonna cut it.
But for now I am gonna start mounting the light. I'll post pics once the light is up and running

[Zack]

No, I haven't heard anything about those.

Can't wait to see more pics!

[adolph_09]

Ok so I finally got around to mounting the light. It took a little longer then expected because I decided to paint the light black. It used to be white and that just wasn't gonna work out with everything else being black.
Here it is before and being gutted out
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/429e883b.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/628fd306.jpg
And here it is painted black already and putting everything back in
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/639dea3b.jpg
And then finally hanging over the tank
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/e2370e2e.jpg
I just used some cable I got from walmart I think it's orinally ment to be used for clothes line. I also can't adjust the hieght right now but will most likely change that later.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/81c8b687.jpg
I think the light is a little overkill and there is alot of light bleed but it was the best deal I could find and if I ever wanna upgrade I will already have the light. It is a Sun Systems Sun Blaze 48 which is the same company that makes Tek fixtures. It has the same reflector as the Tek lights but I think the ballast are cheaper and it has a different housing

[adolph_09]

Ok so the tank is up and running and going thru the cycling process. It has sand a little live rock. So now I'm trying to decide which bulb combination would be good for my light fixture. I'm still kinda new to the whole T5 thing so I'm not sure what colors would look best. And also what brand is best. I want to get a color that is not to blue and is more On the white side..... If that makes any sense ha
So if any has any suggestions let me know

[adolph_09]

Alright I just got this Iwaki pump today and am about to hook it up. This things should give me plenty of flow in my tank. The pump puts out about 840 GPH at 0ft
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/b8f3a29a.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/6611d635.jpg
I'll put some pics up once the pump is all plumped

[StevenSeas]

The build is looking good Good Job. Did you figure your lighting combo out yet? And I love the dimensions on those breeder tanks, they make great coral tanks.

[hobogato]

wow, dont know how i missed this earlier...

great job on this build and thanks for documenting so well. this is one clean looking setup, i cant wait to see what you do with it in terms of livestock.

[adolph_09]

@ aggiereefer12
No I havnt figured out what combo I wanna use yet. Do you know a combo that would look good?

@ hobogato
Thanks
I'm not to sure what livestock I wanna keep the only thing I know is that I wanna try keeping some SPS. Iv never kept SPS before so I wanna try that for sure

[adolph_09]

I got the pump up and running and every thing seems to be going good
When I took off the drain pipe some how the bulk head came loose and all the water from the over flow was spilling into the stand so I had to take out the sump and dry everything. It ended up being a good thing because it made the pump installation alot easier
Here are some pics of it
The pump is actually floating it is not touching the floor or anything I did it this way because I know most the noise pumps make comes from the vibration
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/7d21ff7a.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/ccfab20c.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/92822312.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/a6c68af8.jpg

[adolph_09]

I also picked up some pukani live rock today and drilled some wooden sticks usally used for shish kabobs to hold up the rock the way I wanted
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/eef88e8c.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/fd3fc711.jpg

I wanted to have the least amount of rock touching the sand to prevent dead spots
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/e766c3e2.jpg

And finally the FTS
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/b42aa40f.jpg

[hobogato]

great idea on the rock! you may want to take it out and redo it with plastic or acrylic tho, as i dont know how well that wood will hold up long term. you can use the staight parts of plastic clothes hangers - they arent too much bigger in diameter.

[Texreefer]

I'm not sure i follow the plumbing of your pump... I don't see any ball valves.. how will you remove the pump for maintenance? also.. I know you said your pump is suspended so it is quite... I would take caution that those Volutes are not the strongest and all the pressure and vibration on such a concentrated area could cause a disaster down the road...

[StevenSeas]

I agree with BOTH Mike and Ace. Was actually thinking what they were saying when reading through this post. As far as the pump you could get some rubber/foam padding and put it under the pump and then a piece of wood or something. That way the rubber absorbs the vibrations and not your plumbing potentially causing something horrible to happen that would otherwise have been preventable.

[adolph_09]

great idea on the rock! you may want to take it out and redo it with plastic or acrylic tho, as i dont know how well that wood will hold up long term. you can use the staight parts of plastic clothes hangers - they arent too much bigger in diameter.

Yeah I don't think they would last to long either I originally wanted to use some acrylic rods but I'm not to sure where they sale those? Do you know any where that sales them?

[ismvel]

You can get acrylic rods at Regal Plastic. They sell them by 6ft peices in different diameters. They are located off of Rittiman on the northeast side of town.

[adolph_09]

I kinda thought the same things when I was installing the pump but it was like 2AM and I just wanted to get it done so I used what I had on hand ha. I will most likely change it up to make it easier to take out. And right now I just stuffed alot of filter floss under the pump to hold it up a little but will most likley change that out for some rubber or foam. I can still take the pump off but it's a little tricky
Installing the pump was more of an impulsive move instead of a well thought plan

Appreciate all the comments guys :thumbs_up: help me make my tank a better place :bigsmile:

[adolph_09]

You can get acrylic rods at Regal Plastic. They sell them by 6ft peices in different diameters. They are located off of Rittiman on the northeast side of town.

Thanks for the info :)
Will most definitely be going by to get some hopefully today
Do you by any chance know the hours and maybe some pricing?

[adolph_09]

I just Picked up this Reef Octopus NM 110 today and was wondering if anyone knew if these skimmers are really affected by water level in the sump? In order to put the skimmer in the part of the sump where the water drains into and water level is always at the same point I would have do a little modding to the skimmer and sump would this be worth it? Or does it work the same in the section where water fluctuates because of evaporation?
This is the skimmer
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/fed694de.jpg

[Gseclipse02]

dont you have an ATO ???it should stay pretty close to that level so you wont have to worry about it to much

[adolph_09]

dont you have an ATO ???it should stay pretty close to that level so you wont have to worry about it to much

Yeah I do have an ATO but I know the water level still has to drop about an inch or so before water gets added. I wasn't sure if that inch or so would affect it and not let it skim to it's full capacity or something?

[adolph_09]

Alright so I got the skimmer in last night I decided to put it in the first chamber because it fit perfectly in there and I'll probably end up adding a refugium in the next chamber so I want to keep that space open
Here is the skimmer in it's final resting place ha
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/38a5fca8.jpg

I also added this into the pump line just to be able to take it out easier later on when needed
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/6f602fdf.jpg

This seems to work real good it creates lot bubble in it's chamber
Here are some more pics
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/462d9ede.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/73bdabb0.jpg

It is still breaking in and hasn't produced any skim yet but I'll let yall know how it works out once it kicks in

[StevenSeas]

Looking good still. Love all the documentation. And I love the reef octopus skimmers, they tend to work amazing. As far as a T5 lighting combo I dont have a particular one that I like especially for an 8 bulb fixture like that. But I do like the UVL bulbs that I have used.

[adolph_09]

Looking good still. Love all the documentation. And I love the reef octopus skimmers, they tend to work amazing. As far as a T5 lighting combo I dont have a particular one that I like especially for an 8 bulb fixture like that. But I do like the UVL bulbs that I have used.

Thanks. The skimmer still hasn't started skimming. Does anyone know if a skimmer will work on a tank that hasn't cycled yet? I think I heard somewhere that it won't start skimming till the tank is done cycling.
The tanks coming along good though. I can already see some little pods crawling around on the glass and there is also some green algae starting to grow on the sand.
I'm probably gonna go later this week to buy some bulbs for my light. I also havnt had the chance to go to Regal Plastics to buy some acrylic rods, I havnt been able to leave work early enough to make it before they close

[StevenSeas]

What is the depth of the water in the skimmer compartment of the sump? And ya unfortunately thats what is hard about getting the acrylic rods from them. Make sure that you have cash because I dont think they take credit cards under $20. But I had used the cheap plastic hangers from walmart that are like 10 for a buck. I just used the straight sides of them. Might be easier for you to get them.

[adolph_09]

What is the depth of the water in the skimmer compartment of the sump? And ya unfortunately thats what is hard about getting the acrylic rods from them. Make sure that you have cash because I dont think they take credit cards under $20. But I had used the cheap plastic hangers from walmart that are like 10 for a buck. I just used the straight sides of them. Might be easier for you to get them.

I think it's about 9-10in deep. If anything I thought it was to deep and I was gonna have to raise it up but no bubbles have even reached the collection cup.
And I'm gonna try and get out early today but if not I might just go to walmart later today and use hangers instead

[StevenSeas]

I would try running the skimmer in a bath of vinager and water solution, cleaning the pump etc. But you probably be getting too much skimmate yet...

[adolph_09]

The skimmer kicked in!!!!!! :) when I woke up this morning I checked to see how it was doing and it had already started skimming. I also added some pulsing Xenia into the tank last night to see how it does before adding more stuff.
Here's an updated pic takin today
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/90042f19.jpg

[adolph_09]

Here's a picture of the Xenia close up
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/acb939a5.jpg

[adolph_09]

So the tank is already done cycling ammonia is 0, nitrite 0, and nitrates below 10 so I added a sixline to see how he does and he seems to be having a feast on all the little pods that been growing. I also added a little more live rock and built a litte canyon type thing
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/88b5a2e1.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/11a2d7f1.jpg

I'm thinking of changing it all up though. I thinking of making to different levels. On the right the sand will be about 5-6in from the top then a drop off and an open sand field down below but not to sure yet

[adolph_09]

I finally got around to working on my tank yesterday. It had been a while because my baby boy was born Friday :) so everything had to be put on hold.
I ended up going with the reef drop off style hopefully it comes out the way I'm picturing it
Here is how it looks as of today.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/56fc6b9b.jpg
Upper level
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/9f41edeb.jpg
Lower level
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/c058c082.jpg
And the drop off
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/4400dd03.jpg
I'm aslo finally becoming a charter member:thumbs_up:

[Gseclipse02]

I finally got around to working on my tank yesterday. It had been a while because my baby boy was born Friday :) so everything had to be put on hold. p:



congrats man !!!

JT-

[FireWater]

Congrats on the new kiddo. Hope all is good.

Cool idea on the tank, I have not seen too many done like that before.

[adolph_09]

Thanks JT and FireWater!! Everything seems to be going goodwith him right let's hope it stays that way.

And I know iv searched up and down trying to find people running tanks like this but can only find a couple. I wonder why?:confused:

[adolph_09]

Just an update On the tank. Everything seems to be going good I added a little more livestock including some SPS, and a Pom Pom Crab. It's my first time keeping SPS so hopefully everything goes good
FTS
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/501f7793.jpg

I'm also trying to decide if I should run bio pellets or GFO. Anybody have any suggestions?

[justahobby]

Cant' believe I missed these pics. You reef drop looks great! Definitely unique.

As for pellets or GFO, it's really a matter of which are you having problems with... Nitrates or phosphates. GFO will reduce phosphates while Pellets will reduce nitrates (and slightly decreasing phosphates).

[adolph_09]

Cant' believe I missed these pics. You reef drop looks great! Definitely unique.

As for pellets or GFO, it's really a matter of which are you having problems with... Nitrates or phosphates. GFO will reduce phosphates while Pellets will reduce nitrates (and slightly decreasing phosphates).

Thanks :)
And right now I don't really have a problem with either. nitrates are below .05ppm and phosphates are nearly undetectable it's gonna be more for preventing them. Maybe I'll go with bio pellets since it will help out with both and just one right?

[adolph_09]

just another update on the tank everything seems to be going good. There has been lots of growth mainly in zoas and the pipe organ but i can also see some new branches coming off the SPS. There has also been lots sponges growing (or at least i think they are sponges) in the sump so im probabaly going to go ahead do the the cryptic fuge thing for a while and see how that works out. but now for the pics
FTS
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/963ee088.jpg
left side view
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/0bc3607d.jpg
just a pic that i thought looked pretty cool
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/1eeac9b8.jpg
and heres the sump with live rock and lots of sponges
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/67805652.jpg

[adolph_09]

Well it's been a while since I did an updat and plus I'm bored at work ha so I'll do one now.

Everything has been going good and growing well. I only had one incident where we had family and lots of little kids over and I'm not to sure but guessing that one of them put something in the tank because after that day I lost a Cooper Band Buutterfly, Harp Tail Blenny, Cleaner Shrimp, and Emerald Crab. I know it was something someone did because before that day everybody was eating frozen, flake and live food and getting along with each other.
Well here are some pics these were taken a couple weeks back but it all I have right now I will take more up to date ones when I get home

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/c3587c78.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/b9382b53.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/cea0bb8e.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/8af1e0d3.jpg

this emerald survived he is always uprooting my macro and eating the roots
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/5971424e.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/8e68b6a2.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/b682f5cd.jpg

[justahobby]

Sorry about your losses. This is such a cool tank.

[adolph_09]

Sorry about your losses. This is such a cool tank.

Thanks. :thumbs_up:
And I hate that they had to go that way but you have to be expecting losses sooner or later in this hobby

Here's a couple more recent pics I just took today

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/5fa1732a.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/643ff028.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/9521cbd3.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/91db0970.jpg

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s251/adolph-09/5e543f3f.jpg

[adolph_09]

havent done any updates in a while so what better time to do one then when im bored at work hamost things have been growing good. the softies seem to have stopped growing ever since i added biopellets to the tank especially the toadstool he didnt open for about 2 months until only about last week it decided to extend its polyps again. most of the corals did get better color with the biopellets like my pipe organ which went from brown to almost a blueish green. fish have also grown and they all seem to be healthy Stocklist:Blue Hippo TangYellow TangTailspot BlennyScooter Blenny (Dragonet) Purple Fire Fishand a pair of ClownfishInverts: Candycane Pistol ShrimpPom Pom CrabFire ShrimpFlorida Fighting ConchEmeralds pretty sure im forgetting stuff but anyways here are the updated pics!! let me know what you think

1456614565145671456914568

[adolph_09]

a couple more

1457314574

[reefreak]

Do your tangs eat on your caulerpa prolifa

[adolph_09]

Do your tangs eat on your caulerpa prolifa

They do graze on it every once in a while but I usually have some nori on a clip for them and they much rather eat that

[reefreak]

oh

[adolph_09]

big changes have taken take place in my tank mainly with equipment. I finally got my LED Fixture in and running and all can say is this thing is awesome!!! It is a Maxspect Mazzara P- Series with 2 modules. I dont see why so many people give them bad reviews about the mounts, they are pretty sturdy aluminum and look really sleek only thing that is a little flimsy is some plastic screws but theres only about 3 of them and they are not major parts and easily can be replaced.

I also added a Bubble Magus dosing pump to keep my levels alot more stable. so things are looking good corals are still acclimating to the light it peaks at 40% power in the evening right now but will slowy be raising that percentage.

here are some pics of how i mounted it
14927149281492914930

i also have the lights setup to simulate the sunrise and sunset by having the LEDs turn on from left to right then turning off from left to right. so the left LEDs turn on first and right LEDs turn off last at night as soon in the last picture. it creates a cool shadow effect going down the drop off. Ijust wish i had a batter camera then my phone to take decent picks

[350gt]

Looks good......

[reefreak]

Nice

[ErikH]

Ace told me about some great foam which I use all the time. It's play foam, sold in sheets the size of regular (letter) paper. It's about 1/8" thick, but it's easy to cut to size and use.

[adolph_09]

Ace told me about some great foam which I use all the time. It's play foam, sold in sheets the size of regular (letter) paper. It's about 1/8" thick, but it's easy to cut to size and use.

Ha I'm a little lost here what exactly do you use the foam for?

[adolph_09]

Anybody have any suggestions as to how long I should span the light acclimation?
I was thinking about 2 weeks? Would that be ok?

[Tim Marvin]

Nice stand work!

[Mr Cob]

how is this tank doing.. any updated FTS? I love the scape on it.

[350gt]

Think I saw this on CL

[reefreak]

Thought i seen it for sale on c list

[adolph_09]

Yeah i regretfully took the tank apart and sold just the stand, tank, and most of the live rock because we moved houses and did not want to have to take down and then set up 3 tanks haha so this being the most complicated one had to go.
I still have most my livestock and corals in a 20 gallon till i can get ahold of a bigger tank. just have to save a little more cash because all this moving has eatin up most of my funds!!

Im really trying to get that 215G thats up for sale before someone else nabs it