Basic 40g Breeder Build

count krunk · Dec 14, 2018

whichever kind of sand you please. but with that depth, i would go from more corse to fine. be sure to have plenty of sand stirring snails (nassirus) in the refuge.

anemone shrimp! https://www.liveaquaria.com/category/525/shrimp?c=497+525&r= and clown gobies plus a pipefish or two would be great. with pipefish, you should employ some paul b feeding methods for success

Rcpilot · Dec 15, 2018

We've got rocks!
This is 40lbs of base rock. Minimal breakage in shipment.

Rcpilot · Dec 15, 2018

Heater controller, heaters, and test kits.

ramabama · Dec 15, 2018

Following...Good luck with your build.

Rcpilot · Dec 15, 2018

Thanks @ramabama ! I'm supposed to get more rocks tomorrow. Still waiting on salt, RO/DI, another wave pump, overflow box.

I need to start buying bulkheads, hole saws, and plumbing parts. I'm probably going to drain with (3) one-inch lines. Bean Animal drain. Return from the pump is 3/4. I'm not sure if I should split it into dual 3/4 before it enters the tank. I want to run a line-loc return inside the tank. 2 more bulkheads isn't that big a deal if I split it.

Rcpilot · Dec 16, 2018

Spraying the dry rock out in the driveway. Not as much dust as I expected, but still quite a bit. I'm sure more will loosen up after these rocks get immersed in saltwater.

Rcpilot · Dec 16, 2018

Bunch of PVC fittings. 3/4" and 1". I still need to buy a gate valve for my siphon. The 1" true union is for my return line. It's oversized and I bought the bushings to get it back down to 3/4" on both sides of the valve.

count krunk · Dec 16, 2018

coming together.

For a great example of a display refuge, check out @BoomCorals 210g cube build thread

Rcpilot · Dec 16, 2018

Just ordered $130 worth of bulkheads and strainers from flexpvc. Got the 1-inch gate valve and a bunch of 3/4 inch line-loc fittings. The line-loc was the bulk of the expense.

Also ordered some diamond coated hole saws. It's cool that flexpvc posts the specs on the bulkheads so you know what size hole saw to buy BEFORE the bulkhead shows up. I bought cheap chinese hole saws. I've used them before and they're good enough to drill a dozen or so holes if you take it easy and feed them plenty of water while drilling.

Rcpilot · Dec 16, 2018

yungreefer2410 said:
coming together.

For a great example of a display refuge, check out @BoomCorals 210g cube build thread

That refugium is beautiful.

Rcpilot · Dec 17, 2018

Sump just showed up. Dogs are keeping an eye on me... making sure I do anything dumb. They're both pure breed Scottish terriers.

This is Aiden. He's a cool little guy. He just wants to be hugged and rubbed all the time, and he's not picky. He'll let anyone pet him. He's super in-tune to human emotions and very connected to his pack of people. No aggressoin at all.

This is Brielle. She's got the same father as Aiden, but a different mother. She's overly in-bred and dumb as a stump. We adopted her when she was 3yrs old from a couple in a different state. Sight unseen adoption. They were moving overseas and couldn't take the dog. When they found out we had her half brother from the same breeder, they put her in a crate and stuck her on airplane. We picked her up the next morning, at the airport.
She's been severaly abused.

We've had her for 3-1/2 years and she's still very skittish and afraid of most everything...... ESPECIALLY children. She's afraid of soccer balls, kids, loud noises, soft noises, strangers, other dogs, cats, birds, the doggie door, and taking a No 2 in the back yard is always a stressful affair for her. She's a sweet dog, but her former abuse, coupled with a severe shortage of brain cells... makes her quite a handful to take care of sometimes.
When one of us gets frustrated with her, the other will say, "Patience young padwon....she's only rowing with 1 oar."

Rcpilot · Dec 17, 2018

Here's the plan, but I'm not sure if it's okay to drill holes like this for my Bean Animal overflow.

Side view:

Top View:

Johniejumbo · Dec 17, 2018

I like what you have going here! I’m going to follow along. I have the sca 301 on my 40 breeder and it almost seems overkill. Love the thing. I also have no problems with current lights. I used one of the older models on a 36g bowfront. It did the job for my lower light softies. That same light is now my supplemental lighting for my metal halide I have on my 40 breeder. I think those two fixtures will do good! I’ve never used the loop system. I will like to hear your opinions on it

Rcpilot · Dec 17, 2018

RO/DI

Stand:

Sump fits!!

Rcpilot · Dec 18, 2018

I've been working out how to build a mixing station. Finally settled in this idea.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ASAO6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_UNAgCbCX5K3D1

It's made for a 20H and I have a new one here. I'll set that on top and use it for RO/DI. I'm pretty sure you can't fit another 20H inside, but a 10g fits. If a 20H fits I'll do that, but a 10g is fine for now. I know a 20XH would fit, and I have one here, but it's supposed to be my refugium and it was cheap. Given the rarity of the 20XH, another one won't be cheap.