Need advice - 40B metal stand and a couple other things

mdpitts · Apr 2, 2024

I'm already outgrowing my Evo 13 and am trying to put together a 40B on a budget. I'm an Amazon Vine reviewer and I keep getting these metal stands. I have about 5 of them right now and luckily I was sent one for a 40 gallon tank. The tank fits perfectly on the frame but there is a gap under the glass of the tank that my fingers can poke through as you can see in the picture. Is this ok or should I buy some plywood at Home Depot. That means another delay to paint the wood black. If I get the word to buy wood is there anything I need to do to it for water proofing. I'll probably have it overhang by 2 inches all the way around - I'm really short of room there.

I'm piggybacking in another question - I have some rock already as you can see. I want to go south seas / marco rock instead of the purple stuff that is in the Evo tank. Do I HAVE to put in 40lb's of rock? I saw a video that said you should put in a pound or two per gallon. I'm thinking rock on each end and a big open space in the middle.

I can't stop with the questions. Please don't feel obligate to answer all but I hope I get an answer to all - does anyone know a good blog or video or post about what I really need. and what I can add down the road. I'm going with a Seachem/Sicce Tidal 110, I just bought an Orbit Marine 36"-48" inch reef light that rests on the rim and stretches across the tank, also from the Amazon Vine review program I have a Staygrow

Atlantic Series WP-10000 Wave Maker for Aquarium, DC 24V 20W 2642 GPH (10000 L/H) Powerhead, Powerful yet Silent Sine Wave Controllable Wave Pump

(I copied that name from Amazon and the formatting went berserk)

I'm putting in 20 lbs Aragonite coarse sand and 20 pounds of Caribsea Live Sand as well as a rock and a filter sponge from my Evo tank. Whaddaya think? Am I on the right track?

JC1977 · Apr 2, 2024

For a budget build you should be fine with that equipment. No need to add wood under the tank because it’s a rimmed tank so the weight is supported by that unlike rimless tanks. A pound of rock per gallon is a good rule of thumb but not always necessary. It was more of a guideline set many years ago when people were using almost all live rock. Now days with all the bio media’s available you could do less rock and throw some bio media in your seachem power filter. Good luck with the build!

mdpitts · Apr 3, 2024

JC1977 said:
For a budget build you should be fine with that equipment. No need to add wood under the tank because it’s a rimmed tank so the weight is supported by that unlike rimless tanks. A pound of rock per gallon is a good rule of thumb but not always necessary. It was more of a guideline set many years ago when people were using almost all live rock. Now days with all the bio media’s available you could do less rock and throw some bio media in your seachem power filter. Good luck with the build!

Thank you that’s good info and a big relief.