gbru316
Well-Known Member
Not going to ramble on too much here -- but if you're curious about my reefing past and current motivation, it's in my bio.
This tank has 3 main goals:
1. Satisfy my desire for an SPS garden
2. Entertain and educate my young children
3. Provide leverage for a (much) larger tank utilizing point #2 above (because I'm convinced that besides sharing a mutual interest, the best way to gain a spouses approval is kids)
I lied a bit. Here's a slight ramble. We moved cross country from Central PA to the Space Coast of Florida (just like everyone else, it seems) and purchased our "forever" home here. Finally with some extra time, extra space, and extra income, I'm back in the game.
To start with, I found an old 40 breeder setup on FB marketplace for $400. Tank, stand, 20L sump, CPR external overflow, Gen 1 Radion XR30, OG Vortech MP40 (non-W), heater, return pump, Reef Octo Classic 110INT (sans pump), and misc aquarium odds and ends (net, tubing, some fittings, etc). I thought it was a pretty good deal, all things considered. I'm fairly handy, so as long as everything was in mostly working order, I figured I'd fix it and upgrade when it breaks for good.
Turns out, the XR30 fan was inoperable. At least partially a result of the decade or so of caked dust and detritus on the heat sink and fan blades. No biggie, $15, a soldering iron, some Q-tips, brushes, and rubbing alcohol, and 30 minutes of my time, it's near good-as-new. But it's in a room with 14' ceilings, so hanging wasn't an option. The LFS owner -- who is pretty awesome in most ways -- said that there's no way a Gen 5 RMS would work for a Gen 1 XR30. Crap. I bought it anyway and figured I'd just have to 3D print an adapter bracket. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the Radion XR30 mounting config hasn't changed since the mid 00's.
I've typed too much without a photo and probably lost half of you already. If you're still reading, here's my daughter "using" a 10x loupe to check out "bugs" in the temporary 20L (set up to start cycle while the 40b was coming together):
The skimmer pump was easy to procure, since the company still exists. Though my first attempt at ordering it failed because I totally guessed on skimmer model and ordered an Aquatrance 2000S instead of 1000S, and didn't realize it was too large until many months past the return date. Oh well, no one ever complained about having a spare pump, right?
Next was aesthetics. While the stand is a very nice custom piece built by someone who obviously knows their way around basic woodworking tools, the stained wood just didn't go with our "country coastal (maybe? I don't even know, that's my wife's thing). I really couldn't care less, but my wife... well... you all know how that goes. So I hit it with a TSP solution, scuffed it up a bit, and coated it with white semi-gloss. She's still not 100% thrilled with it, but it's acceptable to her. I'd like to take credit for making it palatable but given the interest of my kids in the project, I'm pretty sure she'd have accepted some 2x4's laid on top of cinder blocks if it got the kids excited.
Next, the sump. What I purchased as a sump was an empty 20L. No baffles, no inserts, nothing (unless the permanent marker lines drawn on the side by one of the previous owners showing target water height count). Well, that wouldn't do. So a trip to Home Depot (ok, 3, because that's how DIY projects go), and an evening later and I've got a basic sump with glass baffles. So now I can keep skimmer level constant and use an ATO.
Not it's final iteration, but good enough for now. I'll overhaul it when I get around to buying and setting up an Apex. Pay no attention to that misaligned right glass baffle. And for the safety nuts -- all power strips are secured with both velcro AND zip ties to screweyes sunk into the cabinet. Drip loops have been implemented where needed, and I've got both homeowners and life insurance so we're all good.
Do take note of the 2x BRS basic media reactors: 1 for GFO (BRS bulk) and 1 for GAC (BRS Rox 0.8). Both are Tee'd off the return pump line to minimize unnecessary "stuff." You might also notice 3 drain pipes -- I'm running a beananimal in a Modular Marine 800 GPH internal overflow -- because who uses external these days? Blasphemers and heathens, that's who.
I fully expect that thermometer to fail within 3 weeks. I've used them off and on for 2 decades now. I refuse to buy a decent thermometer, and at this point, it's purely on principal. I'll make Coralife rich off my thermometer purchases and I just don't GAF anymore.
So, to formalize an equipment list:
1. 40g Breeder
2. Ecotech XR30 - Gen 1 on natural lighting schedule
3. Aqueon 2400ish LPH return pump (??? came with the tank and still works)
4. Reef Octopus Classic 110INT skimmer
5. Ecotech MP40
6. Ecotech MP10 (had this left over from previous tanks)
7. Unbranded basic heater
8. 2x BRS basic media reactors
9. Modular Marine 800 GPH overflow box
10. JBJ ATO w/aqualifter
11. Top-of-the-line thermometer
Here's a FTS, optimized for visibility (I swear I wasn't drunk when I took this photo):
And here's a non-optimized FTS:
You probably notice some livestock. More on that later. First, want to discuss philosophy. I've always tried to reef as cheaply as possible. I'd like to say I enjoy DIY (and I truly do), but much of that was money. FIrst, I was a teenager. Then, I was just starting out in life. THEN, I was expecting a child. Not this time. So I wanted to follow a bright, shiny, easy-to-implement "method," cost-be-danged. But which one? Trident, Zeo, Balling, 2-Part, Red Sea has something I think, I don't even know. My LFS runs Aquaforest. And with those shiny purple bags, it seemed to fit the bill. So AF it is. I'll be using the entire product line. I started out with Reef Salt, but I might switch to probiotic at some point. I've got most of the line purchased, just need a few more containers of snake oil and a jar of hopes and dreams and the lineup will be complete.
I got a small box filled with a few hundred dollars of aforementioned snake oil earlier today, so I used some of the "totally-not-Walt-Smith Mud" Mud and dosed my tank:
Pretty sure I heard Zeppelin's 'Dazed and Confused' coming out from the rockwork.
Anyway, livestock.
I made an oops. A big oops. A $60 oops. Which isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but I let my kids excitement get the best of me and added a Tiger goby and Ocellaris about 2 weeks too soon. I knew it was wrong. I knew it wasn't ready. I convinced myself that with enough bottled bacteria and a piece of actual LR or two everything would be fine, because lol @ API ammonia test results, amiright? It wasn't. Goby died within hours, Ocellaris made it overnight. Kids were heartbroken. Dad was busy looking for a concrete wall to plow into at full speed. (ok, maybe not. But I felt terrible).
So we waited at my insistence, and when the coast was clear (3-4 weeks) we added another Ocellaris and a Scooter Blenny. Ocellaris is "Nemo" (obviously) and the blenny is "Oreo." We've also got a handful of red banded Trochus, 10 blue leg hermits (probably a few less, I've seen some empty shells), a giant emerald crab named "Emerald" (yay, creativity!) and some nassarius. And a bunch of Tisbe pods I bought from the LFS. The pods were added before the original fish fiasco and survived.
I tried to steer the boy away from the scooter blenny because I was concerned about the pod population and long-term viability by adding it so early. But this little guy chows down on frozen food, so I figure it'll be fine. There are enough nooks and crannies for the pods to survive and reproduce.
I also added some coral: A capnella sp (that I'm going to hate myself for in a few months), a rainbow monti, an orange and green porites, and a reverse superman monti. Oh, and a lobophytum frag that is on it's way out already. Which is probably for the best. I can't imagine combining leathers and SPS in a 40 is going to benefit anyone -- I just wanted some frags. I'm sure y'all understand.
So anyway, LFS owner seems to think I won't have success with a decade old LED fixture. To which I replied "sounds like a challenge, to me!" So here's my PAR values, at "high noon" at 70% program intensity:
Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Should certainly get the job done.
Now here's the part where I tell you I'm a bajillionaire and I'll be buying gold plated pumps and lights and diamond studded powerhead guards and the works. Seriously though, I do intend to dive into the automation deep end, and that's going to revolve around an Apex. Well, I should say, Apex brand most-things. DOS dosers, Trident test controller, Sky light, etc. I also want to switch over to Tunze Nanostreams for the Apex integration. Given the smaller size of the tank, minimum flow rates of the other Apex compatible pumps are a bit high to achieve a high dynamic range. With the Tunze, I can go anywhere from 200 gph per powerhead to 1400 or so. I figure 2 should do just fine.
So, um, that's that. Expect more $5-$10 frags, probably on a weekly basis. And some more fish soon -- maybe a Cherub angel and another Ocellaris tomorrow. Then a yellow watchman goby and pistol shrimp. And maybe a pink streaked wrasse. Once things are stable, I'll head over to WWC and pick up some dream frags -- GARF's Bonsai being one of them (was my desktop wallpaper for a while when I was a teenager).
More photos to come, though probably not for a little while. The dinos -- they be raging. But when I get around to it, the next photos will be better quality, too. Just need to dust off and charge the D810 and clean the 24-70 f/2.8 and 105mm f/2.8 micro-nikkor. And plenty of trials and tribulations. And maybe even some success! Who knows?!?
This tank has 3 main goals:
1. Satisfy my desire for an SPS garden
2. Entertain and educate my young children
3. Provide leverage for a (much) larger tank utilizing point #2 above (because I'm convinced that besides sharing a mutual interest, the best way to gain a spouses approval is kids)
I lied a bit. Here's a slight ramble. We moved cross country from Central PA to the Space Coast of Florida (just like everyone else, it seems) and purchased our "forever" home here. Finally with some extra time, extra space, and extra income, I'm back in the game.
To start with, I found an old 40 breeder setup on FB marketplace for $400. Tank, stand, 20L sump, CPR external overflow, Gen 1 Radion XR30, OG Vortech MP40 (non-W), heater, return pump, Reef Octo Classic 110INT (sans pump), and misc aquarium odds and ends (net, tubing, some fittings, etc). I thought it was a pretty good deal, all things considered. I'm fairly handy, so as long as everything was in mostly working order, I figured I'd fix it and upgrade when it breaks for good.
Turns out, the XR30 fan was inoperable. At least partially a result of the decade or so of caked dust and detritus on the heat sink and fan blades. No biggie, $15, a soldering iron, some Q-tips, brushes, and rubbing alcohol, and 30 minutes of my time, it's near good-as-new. But it's in a room with 14' ceilings, so hanging wasn't an option. The LFS owner -- who is pretty awesome in most ways -- said that there's no way a Gen 5 RMS would work for a Gen 1 XR30. Crap. I bought it anyway and figured I'd just have to 3D print an adapter bracket. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the Radion XR30 mounting config hasn't changed since the mid 00's.
I've typed too much without a photo and probably lost half of you already. If you're still reading, here's my daughter "using" a 10x loupe to check out "bugs" in the temporary 20L (set up to start cycle while the 40b was coming together):
The skimmer pump was easy to procure, since the company still exists. Though my first attempt at ordering it failed because I totally guessed on skimmer model and ordered an Aquatrance 2000S instead of 1000S, and didn't realize it was too large until many months past the return date. Oh well, no one ever complained about having a spare pump, right?
Next was aesthetics. While the stand is a very nice custom piece built by someone who obviously knows their way around basic woodworking tools, the stained wood just didn't go with our "country coastal (maybe? I don't even know, that's my wife's thing). I really couldn't care less, but my wife... well... you all know how that goes. So I hit it with a TSP solution, scuffed it up a bit, and coated it with white semi-gloss. She's still not 100% thrilled with it, but it's acceptable to her. I'd like to take credit for making it palatable but given the interest of my kids in the project, I'm pretty sure she'd have accepted some 2x4's laid on top of cinder blocks if it got the kids excited.
Next, the sump. What I purchased as a sump was an empty 20L. No baffles, no inserts, nothing (unless the permanent marker lines drawn on the side by one of the previous owners showing target water height count). Well, that wouldn't do. So a trip to Home Depot (ok, 3, because that's how DIY projects go), and an evening later and I've got a basic sump with glass baffles. So now I can keep skimmer level constant and use an ATO.
Not it's final iteration, but good enough for now. I'll overhaul it when I get around to buying and setting up an Apex. Pay no attention to that misaligned right glass baffle. And for the safety nuts -- all power strips are secured with both velcro AND zip ties to screweyes sunk into the cabinet. Drip loops have been implemented where needed, and I've got both homeowners and life insurance so we're all good.
Do take note of the 2x BRS basic media reactors: 1 for GFO (BRS bulk) and 1 for GAC (BRS Rox 0.8). Both are Tee'd off the return pump line to minimize unnecessary "stuff." You might also notice 3 drain pipes -- I'm running a beananimal in a Modular Marine 800 GPH internal overflow -- because who uses external these days? Blasphemers and heathens, that's who.
I fully expect that thermometer to fail within 3 weeks. I've used them off and on for 2 decades now. I refuse to buy a decent thermometer, and at this point, it's purely on principal. I'll make Coralife rich off my thermometer purchases and I just don't GAF anymore.
So, to formalize an equipment list:
1. 40g Breeder
2. Ecotech XR30 - Gen 1 on natural lighting schedule
3. Aqueon 2400ish LPH return pump (??? came with the tank and still works)
4. Reef Octopus Classic 110INT skimmer
5. Ecotech MP40
6. Ecotech MP10 (had this left over from previous tanks)
7. Unbranded basic heater
8. 2x BRS basic media reactors
9. Modular Marine 800 GPH overflow box
10. JBJ ATO w/aqualifter
11. Top-of-the-line thermometer
Here's a FTS, optimized for visibility (I swear I wasn't drunk when I took this photo):
And here's a non-optimized FTS:
You probably notice some livestock. More on that later. First, want to discuss philosophy. I've always tried to reef as cheaply as possible. I'd like to say I enjoy DIY (and I truly do), but much of that was money. FIrst, I was a teenager. Then, I was just starting out in life. THEN, I was expecting a child. Not this time. So I wanted to follow a bright, shiny, easy-to-implement "method," cost-be-danged. But which one? Trident, Zeo, Balling, 2-Part, Red Sea has something I think, I don't even know. My LFS runs Aquaforest. And with those shiny purple bags, it seemed to fit the bill. So AF it is. I'll be using the entire product line. I started out with Reef Salt, but I might switch to probiotic at some point. I've got most of the line purchased, just need a few more containers of snake oil and a jar of hopes and dreams and the lineup will be complete.
I got a small box filled with a few hundred dollars of aforementioned snake oil earlier today, so I used some of the "totally-not-Walt-Smith Mud" Mud and dosed my tank:
Pretty sure I heard Zeppelin's 'Dazed and Confused' coming out from the rockwork.
Anyway, livestock.
I made an oops. A big oops. A $60 oops. Which isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but I let my kids excitement get the best of me and added a Tiger goby and Ocellaris about 2 weeks too soon. I knew it was wrong. I knew it wasn't ready. I convinced myself that with enough bottled bacteria and a piece of actual LR or two everything would be fine, because lol @ API ammonia test results, amiright? It wasn't. Goby died within hours, Ocellaris made it overnight. Kids were heartbroken. Dad was busy looking for a concrete wall to plow into at full speed. (ok, maybe not. But I felt terrible).
So we waited at my insistence, and when the coast was clear (3-4 weeks) we added another Ocellaris and a Scooter Blenny. Ocellaris is "Nemo" (obviously) and the blenny is "Oreo." We've also got a handful of red banded Trochus, 10 blue leg hermits (probably a few less, I've seen some empty shells), a giant emerald crab named "Emerald" (yay, creativity!) and some nassarius. And a bunch of Tisbe pods I bought from the LFS. The pods were added before the original fish fiasco and survived.
I tried to steer the boy away from the scooter blenny because I was concerned about the pod population and long-term viability by adding it so early. But this little guy chows down on frozen food, so I figure it'll be fine. There are enough nooks and crannies for the pods to survive and reproduce.
I also added some coral: A capnella sp (that I'm going to hate myself for in a few months), a rainbow monti, an orange and green porites, and a reverse superman monti. Oh, and a lobophytum frag that is on it's way out already. Which is probably for the best. I can't imagine combining leathers and SPS in a 40 is going to benefit anyone -- I just wanted some frags. I'm sure y'all understand.
So anyway, LFS owner seems to think I won't have success with a decade old LED fixture. To which I replied "sounds like a challenge, to me!" So here's my PAR values, at "high noon" at 70% program intensity:
Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Should certainly get the job done.
Now here's the part where I tell you I'm a bajillionaire and I'll be buying gold plated pumps and lights and diamond studded powerhead guards and the works. Seriously though, I do intend to dive into the automation deep end, and that's going to revolve around an Apex. Well, I should say, Apex brand most-things. DOS dosers, Trident test controller, Sky light, etc. I also want to switch over to Tunze Nanostreams for the Apex integration. Given the smaller size of the tank, minimum flow rates of the other Apex compatible pumps are a bit high to achieve a high dynamic range. With the Tunze, I can go anywhere from 200 gph per powerhead to 1400 or so. I figure 2 should do just fine.
So, um, that's that. Expect more $5-$10 frags, probably on a weekly basis. And some more fish soon -- maybe a Cherub angel and another Ocellaris tomorrow. Then a yellow watchman goby and pistol shrimp. And maybe a pink streaked wrasse. Once things are stable, I'll head over to WWC and pick up some dream frags -- GARF's Bonsai being one of them (was my desktop wallpaper for a while when I was a teenager).
More photos to come, though probably not for a little while. The dinos -- they be raging. But when I get around to it, the next photos will be better quality, too. Just need to dust off and charge the D810 and clean the 24-70 f/2.8 and 105mm f/2.8 micro-nikkor. And plenty of trials and tribulations. And maybe even some success! Who knows?!?
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