Creating the Ultimate College Dorm 40 Breeder

[Mark Waltermire]

Right now I am in the planning stages of an SPS tank for my college dorm. I already have the 40 breeder, which I'm planning on being the display tank since we're only allowed a "10 gallon tank." I figure 40 gallons looks close enough to 10 gallons that I can get by with it. I already have a Reef Octopus H.O.B. 90 that I will use as the skimmer. I'm not a fan of the skimmer because of how loud it is, but since I already have it that it what it will be. I will most likely remove the Apex Gold off of my 72 gallon tank to use that for monitoring the tank, although I'm not sure how I will be able to connect it with the WiFi due to the encryption on the tank. For water flow I will be using 2 MP40WQD powerheads, hopefully in tandem using the WXM module.

Lighting is my biggest contemplation right now. I have a 6 bulb 24" ATI dimmable light fixture that I could mount over the tank, but I'm really contemplating selling that and going in the direction of either G3 Radion's or going Metal Halide with T5 supplementing. I just don't know how many people are having crazy growth rates with T5 lighting, which is what I am looking for and hopefully I can get some suggestions.

Another thing that I'm contemplating right now is how I'm going to go about doing a sump. My 40BR currently is not drilled, and I don't personally feel comfortable in drilling the tank on my own. I do have a woodworking friend that if I brought the bit to could probably help me drill the tank. I just feel like that might be one extra step that I don't necessarily want to deal with all the plumbing, but I do have an AC return pump that I could use for the tank if I decide to go that route. The other thing is that I already have the Reef Octopus HOB 90, so I don't know what skimmer setup I would go with if I was doing a skimmer due to then needing an Internal Skimmer.

My 2nd to last issue that I'm most likely going to have is water. I don't have good water pressure on my floor, since I'm on the 4th floor of my building and I don't have a hose faucet on my sink, and the bubbler won't come off my sink. I don't know if it's possible to remove the metal flex line tubing and run my RODI system inline. I already have an 8 stage RODI system with booster pump so potentially water pressure won't be an issue, but I have not yet checked whether I will have the necessary 30psi needed to run the booster pump properly.

Last thing I'm trying to figure out is what I'm going to do about sand. One half of me says to go bare bottom and run the tank with lots of flow from those 2 MP40's, but the other half of me says that whenever someone comes over they won't appreciate that bare bottom look in the tank, and think that it's missing sand, so if I do go with sand I'll probably go with something coarse to avoid it being moved around too much, but I know the amount of flow I'm planning will cause the sand to move around anyways.

Hopefully some of you all can chime in on your experience.

Again the planned equipment as of right now will be:
- 40 Breeder (non-drilled)
- 2 Ecotech Vortec MP40's
- Apex Gold
- WXM module
- Neptune DOS
- 6 Bulb 24" ATI dimmable light fixture
- Reef Octopus 90 Classic HOB
- 8 Stage RODI system

Things I would like suggestions on:
- Lighting
- Sand
- RODI plumbing
- necessity of a Sump

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Always love to learn about college builds. Seems like you have everything figured out. Have you made sure it's okay with your roommate? Also, what school?

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I'd go with the Radion for lighting. Dorm rooms at Ole Miss weren't exactly spacious in my day and the 6 bulb T5 would likely turn one into a hot box. Is hooking up a RO/DI allowed?

 

[ScottandAlisa]

Sounds like you have a nice tank in the works. Just make sure your school allows aquariums that big. I know my university has a limit of only 20 gallons...
Don’t be too afraid to drill the tank... I had no experience and drilled my tank myself, just go slow, let the drill do the work, and don’t apply too much pressure. If you do decide to drill, Id recommend getting a one time use bit online as the ones at Lowes/Home Depot are pretty expensive and after youre done that bit is toast. If youre still on the fence theres lots of videos on youtube.
For the water, see if you can get in touch with the biology/marine biology department at your school. I know some people who get there RODI water from our labs for free.
Also, see if your school has a reef/aquarium club at your school. They may be able to provide you with more information or help you get stuff for cheap. Good luck!!

 

[Pntbll687]

I would def wait on this if your roommate hasnt cleared it yet.

if all is good, then why not try to find an all in one set up?

If you're set on an 40b, then I would plan a softy and zoa tank. It would cut back on equipment, and you could probably get away with just using a water conditioner and letting the tap water aerate for 24-48hrs with a powerhead.

I lived at a college for 5yrs with my job, and ran a 25g cube on a canister filter with little effort. No RO, no sump, just water changes and light feeding.

I admire what you want to set up, but I don't know how realistic it is.

 

[wesman42]

It sounds like a bad idea all around. A 10 gallon tank is a quarter of the size of a 40 breeder. In a dorm especially? If you have to move out early or you can't stay year round then how do you plan on caring for it?

Obviously you are going to do whatever you please, but when the RA tells you to tear down your $3,000 treasure...what would you do?

 

[ScottandAlisa]

It sounds like a bad idea all around. A 10 gallon tank is a quarter of the size of a 40 breeder. In a dorm especially? If you have to move out early or you can't stay year round then how do you plan on caring for it?

Obviously you are going to do whatever you please, but when the RA tells you to tear down your $3,000 treasure...what would you do?

Oh. Didnt see the 10 gal limit... yah bad idea dude.

 

[hart24601]

What I would do is look up videos on drilling tanks. It's so easy you will eventually feel silly for not doing it! You can find used or leaking tanks for really cheap to practice on if it makes you feel better.


If keeping cost down I would go with the T5 you have. I personally am not a huge T5 only fan, but hard to argue if you have it. If not then kessil/aquaticlife hybrid is really solid and probably the best lighting out there. I am just getting an orphek v4 over my deep blue 34 (same footprint) so I can't speak to that yet and it's expensive although not more expensive than running 3 or 4 kessils over the same tank.


As for sand, I will be hard pressed to ever have sand in a reef again unless I am going for something very specific. Once the coral grows in people will not notice there is no sand and having SPS like birdsnests/acros/montis right on the bottom glass is pretty sweet imo.


But really it’s up to what you like, you can have great tank with any lighting or with sand, just be aware of pros/cons of each option.

 

[hart24601]

Oh. Didnt see the 10 gal limit... yah bad idea dude.

Missed that too, haha. Yea I would agree. There are some killer pico tanks out there that are sps and it blows reefers minds when they see them. Browse some of the build threads. I had a 3g sps pico with clam in it and everything did great. The clam grew and was healthy. I then built a larger tank for clams and picked up a disease from a new addition and all clams died. Wish I had kept it in the pico! There are amazing things you can do with 10g and under.

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

@therman! you have to post up a pic of you old dorm room 40 B for some "insporado" here. trash can fuge and all!

 

[starypotter]

It sounds like a bad idea all around. A 10 gallon tank is a quarter of the size of a 40 breeder. In a dorm especially? If you have to move out early or you can't stay year round then how do you plan on caring for it?

Obviously you are going to do whatever you please, but when the RA tells you to tear down your $3,000 treasure...what would you do?

+1 Additionally I see that you're also contemplating a sump. That adds a great deal of weight too and a ten gallon is nowhere even close to a 40 gallon. That's 100 pounds vs closer to 500 and a 40 breeder is one heck of a footprint in an already small space. There are some really awesome college builds out there, nano AIOs, there's even a kid on youtube who does videos of his dorm room tank.
If you stick to just corals or one or two small fish in a pico or small AIO then you won't need to worry as much about nutrient export and can skip a lot of that equipment.
Also dorm rooms are small and temperature control can be an issue. Do you really want to add lights that are going to create so much heat?

 

[spartanman22]

I am recently removed from college, and my sophomore year I attempted to keep a 30 gallon SPS reef in my dorm room. So, hopefully I can offer you some first hand experience:

1) LED's for sure. I am not sure what year you are or what the condition of your dorm is. My schools freshman dorms did not have AC. So, halides or T5's are an immediate no go. Also, if no AC keep temperature stable may present some issues.
2) In my experience roommates may think they are cool with it, but often times that fades quickly. In our dorm I had to forgo having a desk in order to fit the tank and stand. It took up space, prevented a workplace for myself (which may have helped since it forced me to go to the library). Just be mindful, odds are your roommates have no idea what a 40 gallon reef tank looks like and how much space and effort is involved. You'll naturally be more cautious with extra-curricular college activities inside your dorm room, which may irritate your roommates.
3) I would strongly recommend that you forsake the 40b and opt for something that is a) within the allowed gallon size, and b) a smaller AIO that will fit on top of your dresser/desk. I had the unfortunate experience of having my RA change his mind and tell me it had to go because I was over the 20 gallon size limit. If you are within the size limit, and your RA tells you to get rid of it you'll have more fighting power when telling him where to go.

• Are you prepared for long holiday breaks? My school was on trimesters, which meant I was on holiday break from Thanksgiving to New Years. Your breaks may not be as long, but what will you do during Christmas Break? We were not allowed access to the dorms during holiday break time. That may be different with your school, but keep it in mind.
• Are you prepared for the amount of effort and time involved in a larger SPS system? College is a social experience, and you may not want to bog yourself down with having to maintain a decent sized SPS reef.

With all that being said I kept a reef tank in college for all four years. My freshman year I went big, kinda like what you're planning, and in my personal experience it was a mistake (for the above mentioned reasons). My sophomore and junior years I went for a desktop AIO focusing on desinger zoa/palys and it was 1000x simpler and more conducive to college life. My senior year I lived in a house off campus, so I was able to go big again. Dorms are tricky and make keeping a reef tank tricky. It's doable, but does present unique challenges.

Best of luck!

 

[spartanman22]

There are some very cool small drop-off AIO's as well, which I think would be awesome for a dorm room. A little more exciting than the conventional AIO.

 

[Mark Waltermire]

I should have stated too that this is not my first tank, especially not with LPS/SPS. Live rock would be used directly out of my current 72G tank, and conditioning of sand could be completed as well using the sump in my 72G so cycling of the tank would not need to happen.

Always love to learn about college builds. Seems like you have everything figured out. Have you made sure it's okay with your roommate? Also, what school?

I should have stated I am in a suite so it would be placed in the living room, so any sound from the tank is not necessarily as big of a deal. All 3 of my suit mates love the idea and have no complaints with it at all. The school is UNC - Charlotte

I'd go with the Radion for lighting. Dorm rooms at Ole Miss weren't exactly spacious in my day and the 6 bulb T5 would likely turn one into a hot box. Is hooking up a RO/DI allowed?

The room has Air Condition, with its own thermostat in the room allowing us to keep it at a constant temp. Not sure yet about the RO/DI rules because most college students don't try to mess with plumbing connections because there's normally no need to, so they don't say anything about it in the housing guidelines.

What I would do is look up videos on drilling tanks. It's so easy you will eventually feel silly for not doing it! You can find used or leaking tanks for really cheap to practice on if it makes you feel better.


If keeping cost down I would go with the T5 you have. I personally am not a huge T5 only fan, but hard to argue if you have it. If not then kessil/aquaticlife hybrid is really solid and probably the best lighting out there. I am just getting an orphek v4 over my deep blue 34 (same footprint) so I can't speak to that yet and it's expensive although not more expensive than running 3 or 4 kessils over the same tank.


As for sand, I will be hard pressed to ever have sand in a reef again unless I am going for something very specific. Once the coral grows in people will not notice there is no sand and having SPS like birdsnests/acros/montis right on the bottom glass is pretty sweet imo.


But really it’s up to what you like, you can have great tank with any lighting or with sand, just be aware of pros/cons of each option.

The T5 light fixture I already have so that's why I was wanting to go with that. It's just I don't know if 6 bulbs of 24" T5 will be enough light. And I do agree about the sand thing, I just don't know how long the tank will be in place to present all the coral enough time to fully encrust everywhere

I am recently removed from college, and my sophomore year I attempted to keep a 30 gallon SPS reef in my dorm room. So, hopefully I can offer you some first hand experience:

1) LED's for sure. I am not sure what year you are or what the condition of your dorm is. My schools freshman dorms did not have AC. So, halides or T5's are an immediate no go. Also, if no AC keep temperature stable may present some issues.
2) In my experience roommates may think they are cool with it, but often times that fades quickly. In our dorm I had to forgo having a desk in order to fit the tank and stand. It took up space, prevented a workplace for myself (which may have helped since it forced me to go to the library). Just be mindful, odds are your roommates have no idea what a 40 gallon reef tank looks like and how much space and effort is involved. You'll naturally be more cautious with extra-curricular college activities inside your dorm room, which may irritate your roommates.
3) I would strongly recommend that you forsake the 40b and opt for something that is a) within the allowed gallon size, and b) a smaller AIO that will fit on top of your dresser/desk. I had the unfortunate experience of having my RA change his mind and tell me it had to go because I was over the 20 gallon size limit. If you are within the size limit, and your RA tells you to get rid of it you'll have more fighting power when telling him where to go.

• Are you prepared for long holiday breaks? My school was on trimesters, which meant I was on holiday break from Thanksgiving to New Years. Your breaks may not be as long, but what will you do during Christmas Break? We were not allowed access to the dorms during holiday break time. That may be different with your school, but keep it in mind.
• Are you prepared for the amount of effort and time involved in a larger SPS system? College is a social experience, and you may not want to bog yourself down with having to maintain a decent sized SPS reef.

With all that being said I kept a reef tank in college for all four years. My freshman year I went big, kinda like what you're planning, and in my personal experience it was a mistake (for the above mentioned reasons). My sophomore and junior years I went for a desktop AIO focusing on desinger zoa/palys and it was 1000x simpler and more conducive to college life. My senior year I lived in a house off campus, so I was able to go big again. Dorms are tricky and make keeping a reef tank tricky. It's doable, but does present unique challenges.

Best of luck!

1. Like I just said in this response the living room has a thermostat in it, and I do already have the ATI light fixture, which is what I'm hesitant about whether it'll be worth the time and effort to try and upgrade that.
2. I'll read between the lines on that one and say all of us in the room are not partying people who have a ton of people over, just some friends to watch TV and stuff.
3. I already have the 40B and stand for it, which is something that makes me not want to go a different route. I'm not opposed to a 24" cube, but that would be 60G, which would be even larger.

- Not planning on assembling the whole thing until Christmas vacation so the only long break in the spring would be spring break, and I believe an auto-feeder would be acceptable for a week.
- I already have an LPS/SPS tank so I know what the time requirements will be and my campus is mostly a commuter campus so I can get away with doing most of the work on the weekends when few people are around.

Also my RA is not picky about anything (I'll leave it at that), but it won't be an issue.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

I should have stated too that this is not my first tank, especially not with LPS/SPS. Live rock would be used directly out of my current 72G tank, and conditioning of sand could be completed as well using the sump in my 72G so cycling of the tank would not need to happen.



I should have stated I am in a suite so it would be placed in the living room, so any sound from the tank is not necessarily as big of a deal. All 3 of my suit mates love the idea and have no complaints with it at all. The school is UNC - Charlotte

.

Excellent. I'll be at the 49ers beatdown this weekend

Seems like you've got everything planned out so I hope you've got a good build thread.

 

[ScottandAlisa]

Im at UNCW! Hopefully yall didnt have as bad of a time as we did for the hurricane. We’ve been out 2 weeks+ and wont be going back till the 8th... I thought being out would be a nice break but its getting to be pretty boring.
It seems youre pretty set on the 40B but remember... if anything happens and you end up flooding the room (could even damage the floor(s) below) you could be in some pretty deep trouble... and if they find out you went against your on campus contract (Im assuming you had to sign one) you would be at fault and could get fined for damages... and possibly not only you because its in your common room.

 

[therman]

@therman! you have to post up a pic of you old dorm room 40 B for some "insporado" here. trash can fuge and all!

Ha! Too funny. I thought this thread was some sort of bait for me when I saw the alert.

 

[OMGitsManBearPig]

It sounds like a bad idea all around. A 10 gallon tank is a quarter of the size of a 40 breeder. In a dorm especially? If you have to move out early or you can't stay year round then how do you plan on caring for it?

Obviously you are going to do whatever you please, but when the RA tells you to tear down your $3,000 treasure...what would you do?

I really try to be positive and supportive when I post, but I have to agree... This is a very bad idea. Stick to the 10 gallon limit. Push by sticking a sump underneath if you must, but 40 gallons and 10 gallons are very different. And I remember my dorm - my roommate would never have played ball with this idea and I am certain I would have hated it because of how much space it takes up. Think small when you are thinking dorm rooms. Your whole world has to fit in half of a jail cell.

Good luck and send pics of whatever you choose!

 

[OMGitsManBearPig]

I really try to be positive and supportive when I post, but I have to agree... This is a very bad idea. Stick to the 10 gallon limit. Push by sticking a sump underneath if you must, but 40 gallons and 10 gallons are very different. And I remember my dorm - my roommate would never have played ball with this idea and I am certain I would have hated it because of how much space it takes up. Think small when you are thinking dorm rooms. Your whole world has to fit in half of a jail cell.

Good luck and send pics of whatever you choose!

Somehow skipped over the response post that indicates this is a suite. Most of my hesitation listed in the post above is invalidated, in that case. I still think that you’re going to have hell to pay with the RA’s and dorm moms over size violations. Good luck! Still send pics!

 

[therman]

Here's a few photos from my sumpless desktop 40B, which ran from I think 1999-2001 in a college dorm. It had a 400W Iwasaki and 4x110W VHO actinic over it (and free electricity). It had a Remora Pro skimmer (aerator) and a Geo v1.0 PVC calcium reactor. Water movement was all from MJ1200s on a RedSea Wavemaster and an Aquaclear hang-on filter filled with live rock rubble. It was TOTM in October 2001 on some "other" forum, and there are at least one or two threads about it over there. Unfortunately I imagine most of the photos have fallen victim to the photobucket disaster.

It was loaded with SPS, and 3 clams along with assorted other corals, a breeding pair of psychedelic mandarins, and a very fine Sailfin Blenny. There is a writeup about it in Mike Paletta's book "Ultimate Marine Aquariums"

You can just make out the refugium made from a highly modified rubbermaid wastebasket at the top right of this photo

Spawning S. picturatus.

A "live powerhead" covered in green polyps with an Acropora frag on top:

Front shots were rare because it looked better from the top, and I've never been good at keeping up with scraping coralline algae

Tiny king of the tank: