Oregon Grown Reef
Valuable Member
- Review score
- +0 /0 /-0
Pacific Northwest Reefers
Build Thread Contributor
I have been putting off my build thread for my 40 breeder for some time. Not because of lack of time or interest, but because I'm self-conscious about my tanks and only post photos of them when they look nice.
This tank has been through a few different iterations. None of them have succeeded due to my lack of knowledge and wanting to try new things. Finally, after 1.5 years, I'm sticking with 1 method and I believe it will work. I've done my research and I'm no longer afraid to ask questions in fear of looking like an idiot. Now I know I'm an idiot and I'm okay with that.
Tank:
I have a simple Aqueon 40 breeder with an Aqueon 29 gallon DIY sump for a total of 50 gallons of net water. The stand is the petco special. I used Marco dry rock for the scape along with mortar to make the shapes I wanted. Initially it was supposed to be 1 solid piece, but it broke in 2 (thankfully not in the tank). It just so happened that it broke in a perfect spot where I can easily remove them if I need to deal with any bubble algae (blech). Looking at it now, I wish I would have made it a couple of inches shorter, but alas here we are.
Sump:
Filtration consists of a Clarisea SK-5000, a Bubble Magus NAC 3.5 skimmer, live rock in the sump (will be adding more at some point), and a BRS Deluxe media reactor for ROX carbon as needed. I have low phosphate, but I have the option of using gfo in it as well if need be. The skimmer is actually a beast and an amazing option for smaller tanks with sumps. I would highly recommend it. I have been utilizing carbon dosing for the last 3 weeks (distilled white vinegar) to help control nitrate. I'll be adding a 2nd Kamoer X1 Pro so I don't have to manually dose. That will be my main nutrient export moving forward, but I'll still utilize biweekly water changes to get any unwanted nasties out of the tank. I have the return pump and skimmer plugged into wifi outlets so I can easily shut them off for maintenance. The heater is an Eheim Jager plugged into an Inkbird controller. I have the XP Aqua Duetto for the auto top off.
Flow:
Flow is provided by 2 AI Nero 5 powerheads that are mounted near the bottom of the tank underneath the overflow box, as well as a Chinese return pump rated for 700 gph. It is a barebottom tank, so the flow is ripping. The flow keeps detritus suspended so it can be removed by the clarisea. This tank was originally supposed to be a peninsula, and may well still be down the road, but my current living setup doesn't allow for that.
Lighting:
I currently have 3 AI Prime HD's, but that will be changing in a couple of days. I have some Hydra 32 HDs (meant for another tank that's not yet running) that I'm going to be mounting on a tslot light rack I'm getting from Framing Tech. I'll throw on 4 of my Prime HDs with upgraded "Gold" clusters from @luxdium ; 2 on the front and 2 on the back to eliminate shadowing.
Fish:
I have 4 fish in the tank. 1 (small) yellow eye Kole tang for algae, 1 Molly Miller for aiptasia (seriously worked wonders in the display), 1 six-line wrasse for any potential coral pests, and 1 black cap basslet because it's purple and that's my wife's favorite color.
CUC:
Clean up crew consists of various snails in the main display and sump, as well as some hermit crabs in the sump. I added some berghia in the sump for aiptasia, which was an awesome idea. They used to be everywhere, but now I can only see a couple. I'll be adding some more because I think they've all died. That or I just never see them. Either way, I'd like some more to encourage breeding if they're there and to eradicate the remaining aiptasia. I add pods every once in awhile, but only to bolster the population and add in some fresh genetics. I'm also going to get an emerald crab for the bubble algae (blech again) and will throw it the sump after it has done its job.
Testing:
I monitor alk with the Hanna dKh checker, phosphate with the Hanna ULR Phosphorus checker, nitrate with the Hanna HR checker, calcium/magnesium with the Red Sea tests, and salinity with the Misco Seawater refractometer.
Dosing:
I use kalkwasser for calcium/alkalinity and have a Kamoer X1 Pro for that. Magnesium is kept up with water changes, but I have BRS supplements for corrections.
Salt Mixes:
I use Brightwell Neomarine and Instant Ocean, depending on price at the time. My preference is Neomarine since I like to keep alk around 8.5-9, but both salts work well.
I think that pretty much covers it. I'll try to keep this updated as time goes on. Since carbon dosing is new to me, this is where I'll be documenting my experience with it and hopefully have some awesome corals to show for it soon. I'm getting some acros in from @Battlecorals on Thursday, which I'm incredibly excited for. If you have any advice for me or any questions, please don't hesitate to post!
This tank has been through a few different iterations. None of them have succeeded due to my lack of knowledge and wanting to try new things. Finally, after 1.5 years, I'm sticking with 1 method and I believe it will work. I've done my research and I'm no longer afraid to ask questions in fear of looking like an idiot. Now I know I'm an idiot and I'm okay with that.
Tank:
I have a simple Aqueon 40 breeder with an Aqueon 29 gallon DIY sump for a total of 50 gallons of net water. The stand is the petco special. I used Marco dry rock for the scape along with mortar to make the shapes I wanted. Initially it was supposed to be 1 solid piece, but it broke in 2 (thankfully not in the tank). It just so happened that it broke in a perfect spot where I can easily remove them if I need to deal with any bubble algae (blech). Looking at it now, I wish I would have made it a couple of inches shorter, but alas here we are.
Sump:
Filtration consists of a Clarisea SK-5000, a Bubble Magus NAC 3.5 skimmer, live rock in the sump (will be adding more at some point), and a BRS Deluxe media reactor for ROX carbon as needed. I have low phosphate, but I have the option of using gfo in it as well if need be. The skimmer is actually a beast and an amazing option for smaller tanks with sumps. I would highly recommend it. I have been utilizing carbon dosing for the last 3 weeks (distilled white vinegar) to help control nitrate. I'll be adding a 2nd Kamoer X1 Pro so I don't have to manually dose. That will be my main nutrient export moving forward, but I'll still utilize biweekly water changes to get any unwanted nasties out of the tank. I have the return pump and skimmer plugged into wifi outlets so I can easily shut them off for maintenance. The heater is an Eheim Jager plugged into an Inkbird controller. I have the XP Aqua Duetto for the auto top off.
Flow:
Flow is provided by 2 AI Nero 5 powerheads that are mounted near the bottom of the tank underneath the overflow box, as well as a Chinese return pump rated for 700 gph. It is a barebottom tank, so the flow is ripping. The flow keeps detritus suspended so it can be removed by the clarisea. This tank was originally supposed to be a peninsula, and may well still be down the road, but my current living setup doesn't allow for that.
Lighting:
I currently have 3 AI Prime HD's, but that will be changing in a couple of days. I have some Hydra 32 HDs (meant for another tank that's not yet running) that I'm going to be mounting on a tslot light rack I'm getting from Framing Tech. I'll throw on 4 of my Prime HDs with upgraded "Gold" clusters from @luxdium ; 2 on the front and 2 on the back to eliminate shadowing.
Fish:
I have 4 fish in the tank. 1 (small) yellow eye Kole tang for algae, 1 Molly Miller for aiptasia (seriously worked wonders in the display), 1 six-line wrasse for any potential coral pests, and 1 black cap basslet because it's purple and that's my wife's favorite color.
CUC:
Clean up crew consists of various snails in the main display and sump, as well as some hermit crabs in the sump. I added some berghia in the sump for aiptasia, which was an awesome idea. They used to be everywhere, but now I can only see a couple. I'll be adding some more because I think they've all died. That or I just never see them. Either way, I'd like some more to encourage breeding if they're there and to eradicate the remaining aiptasia. I add pods every once in awhile, but only to bolster the population and add in some fresh genetics. I'm also going to get an emerald crab for the bubble algae (blech again) and will throw it the sump after it has done its job.
Testing:
I monitor alk with the Hanna dKh checker, phosphate with the Hanna ULR Phosphorus checker, nitrate with the Hanna HR checker, calcium/magnesium with the Red Sea tests, and salinity with the Misco Seawater refractometer.
Dosing:
I use kalkwasser for calcium/alkalinity and have a Kamoer X1 Pro for that. Magnesium is kept up with water changes, but I have BRS supplements for corrections.
Salt Mixes:
I use Brightwell Neomarine and Instant Ocean, depending on price at the time. My preference is Neomarine since I like to keep alk around 8.5-9, but both salts work well.
I think that pretty much covers it. I'll try to keep this updated as time goes on. Since carbon dosing is new to me, this is where I'll be documenting my experience with it and hopefully have some awesome corals to show for it soon. I'm getting some acros in from @Battlecorals on Thursday, which I'm incredibly excited for. If you have any advice for me or any questions, please don't hesitate to post!