My Big Beautiful Budget Breeder Build

[Retro Reefer]

following along

Thanks!

 

[Retro Reefer]

Their new series, OW has been amazing for me. They are super small, efficient, and their new motors are dead silent noise wise it is even less than vortechs I cant hear a thing. They also hold up well, mine have not lost any power over time.

Thanks for pointing out the OW, I didn’t even know jebao was making this newer model.. found them for like $60 each on eBay which will save me $30 vs the RW’s I had originally planned on purchasing.

 

[NewbieReefer11]

CoralBox D300 plus skimmer.. if this thing works as good as it looks I’ll be all set, 10 speed DCA pump, 4 feed modes, additive mode, 3D diffuser, gate value and auto shut off if collection cup over fills. These retail for $245 I found someone on eBay with the standard 300 model on sale for $169 I was able to apply a coupon that took another $34 off and to make a sweet deal even better they sent me the new upgraded 300 plus model. I absolutely stole this thing at $135 There was a 10 dollar shipping charge but I can live with that...

I have the CoralBox D500 plus and am really happy with it[emoji16]

 

[Retro Reefer]

Picked up my power strip today, 10 wide spaced outlets for all my DC power supplies. Heater will be the only AC powered device in my tank so it will be on a separate GFI outlet.

note* these are available at Lowes’s

 

[Retro Reefer]

Black Silicon to seal seams on stand after assembly and also a few welds that are not completely solid, I don’t want saltwater to get inside the stand.. also picked up black paint for the Aquariums back

 

[Retro Reefer]

Well I’m getting closer to getting wet.. got the stand sealed, foam under tank, the back glass painted black and plumbing done except pump.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Cleaning and pre break in of my CoralBox skimmer... this thing is dead silent, you can hear the water fizzing if the collection cup lid is removed that’s it!

 

[buddy.]

Great looking build so far and I am really impressed with those bargains!

 

[Retro Reefer]

Great looking build so far and I am really impressed with those bargains!

Thanks! I’m retired living on a modest pension so have to make every penny count.. Once I had decided on my equipment choices I just watched and waited for sales. I have always advocated going slow in this hobby once a tank is wet but had never actually applied it to setting up a tank.. the slow planning and execution of this build has so far saved me hundreds of dollars and a lot of headaches. This thing should be wet with live rock in a few weeks, probably introduce first fish late October or November.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Finally got my pump.. hopefully this little guy can push 250-270 gph up to my tank, couldn’t find much info on head loss but It’s rated at up to 538 gph, not enough room in my sump for anything much bigger

 

[Retro Reefer]

To improve performance and expedite filling my new tank I ordered a booster pump for my RO system.. another 20% off flash sale deal!

 

[Retro Reefer]

Picked up IO for the initial filling of tank then I’ll switch to RC for water changes and tank maintenance. also purchased a GFCI for my heater which will be the only a/c device in the tank..

 

[Pntbll687]

Looking good!!

Are you planning any sps coral? If not just stick with io the whole time.

I didn't see any significant difference between the regular and reef crystals, so no need to spend the extra $$ in my opinion.

 

[Alexcus simon]

Nice setup but I also did a budget 40b build. Diy sump, drilled and plumbed dual 1inch drains, 3/4" return with a Jebao dct 8000, diy 20g long sump, sca 301 skimmer, finnex 300w heater, diy stand, jebao pp4 wm, radion xr30w pro gen 4, phosban media reactor, eggcrate lid. Majority of stuff was second hand, grand total roughly 1000-1200 been up for about 8 months, check out mt youtube channel and instagram @budgetaquatics

 

[Alexcus simon]

Well maybe not so big...

My goal is to set up the best reef possible for the least amount of money and effort, I want something that will be easy to maintain and that checks all my boxes while staying within my budget, I’ll be sourcing the cheapest possible equipment while simultaneously not completely sacrificing quality or functionality and I will also try to incorporate some of the newer technologies where possible and I’ll also be doing a few DIY components as well..


I have been planning this build for over a year and have considered every possible tank, stand, filtration system, lighting and other potential equipment choices, there cost and how everything would work together.. because of limited budget and room I decided on a tank somewhere around 50 gallons and after much thought I’m going with a 40 breeder because of its perfect dimensions and super low cost, for lighting I’m Going with a t5 / LED hybrid, I have been very happy with my nano box LED’s on my current tanks but I miss my old t5’s so I decided this tank will have the best of both worlds in lighting and for filtration I’m going with a simple Berlin style sump, skimmer ..


Some of my methods or outdated equipment choices may raise some eye brows but for the most part my choices will revolve around cost, ease of set up and maintenance or because it’s just what I have become comfortable with over the last 35 years of reefing..


One of the great benefits of extended planning is that I’ve been catching sales and discounts on equipment and in some cases I have been able to substantially upgrade from my original plans, so far everything I have purchased has been on sale or discounted, some of it ridiculously!


Tank 40 gallon breeder < petco sale $60

Steel im Stand < sale $49

eshopps rs-75 sump < sale $138

eshopps pf-300 overflow < sale $48

Coral Box d300 dc skimmer < sale $135 + they sent me upgraded $250 new + model

aquatic life 36” t5 fixture with Kessiel w360 LED supplement < $700 *still need

Power strip < $29

2 Jebao rw8 wave makers < $150 * still need, may go with something else

AUQA Gadget MightyJet 538 gph DC Return pump < $99

Tunze ATO < $200 *still need & may go with the $99 nano version

150W Cobalt neo therm heater < $70 *still need watching for sale

Ink bird temp controller < $35 *love these I get them on eBay

DIY 12v dc cooling fan < $6

DIY ATO container < $5

Black Paint for back wall of tank and black silicon for sealing stand. < $10

Plumbing supplies < $20


APPROXIMATE TOTAL PROJECTED COST $1,750 or less

The rw8 will be too powerful let alone 2 i had a pp8 and had to replace it with a pp4.

 

[Alexcus simon]

Looking good!!

Are you planning any spare coral? If not just stick with io the whole time.

I didn't see any significant difference between the regular and reef crystals, so no need to spend the extra $$ in my opinion.

The reef crystals are supposed to be more stable and optimized for coral growth.

 

[Pntbll687]

I meant sps coral, dang autocorrect got me.

I have a 200g and have seen zero difference between using regular and reef crystals.

I have mainly soft and lps coral so demand for calcium isn't that great.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Looking good!!

Are you planning any sps coral? If not just stick with io the whole time.

I didn't see any significant difference between the regular and reef crystals, so no need to spend the extra $$ in my opinion.

Thanks.. it will be a heavily stocked mixed reef, I have been happy with RC, been using it since they first released it many years ago so sticking with what has worked for me..

 

[Retro Reefer]

Nice setup but I also did a budget 40b build. Diy sump, drilled and plumbed dual 1inch drains, 3/4" return with a Jebao dct 8000, diy 20g long sump, sca 301 skimmer, finnex 300w heater, diy stand, jebao pp4 wm, radion xr30w pro gen 4, phosban media reactor, eggcrate lid. Majority of stuff was second hand, grand total roughly 1000-1200 been up for about 8 months, check out mt youtube channel and instagram @budgetaquatics

Thanks.. I’ll have to check out your build, my build theme on this tank is cheap and easy with the emphases on easy building a stand and the drilling and plumbing didn’t fit into my plan, to expensive and time consuming.. I haven’t updated my totals yet but I’ll probably be closer to about $1400

 

[Retro Reefer]

Making water.. new pump really pushes some water through my RO