My 40 Breeder build thread(Nov 2015)

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Here is a photo of what the inside looks like. Still need to route the wires a bit neater. The ato reservoir is going to fit in between the rt side of sump and cabinet wall.

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Well I finally have all the water in the the tank and sump. On the initial start up the overflow would fill and hit the emergency drain and open channel and flush, constantly. After checking online and further review my full siphon pipe in the sump was down to far in the water column and was not allowing any air to purge out. So after a disconnect and snip of the pvc I now have it fully functioning. Minus some fine tuning and such, there is a small drip on the spa flex line at the return pump where it attaches to the hose barb. Overall I am impressed with how quiet this system is and looking forward to getting my tbs package tomorrow. Also the return pump (jebao dc6000) is very powerful, I have it on speed 2 and choked down a bit. Pictures will be posted tomorrow!

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Oooooo ahhhhh, power side still need to calibrate my stc to a actual thermometer but really enjoying the decision to do this electrical compartment. I also decided to add a piece of marker board on the inside to keep track of maintenance and levels of parameters. The system did quiet down a lot since last night as well.

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Received part 1 of the package today and I must say we'll done TBS. Went to the cargo area and picked up 3 boxes that were bone dry and heavy. Could not wait to get home and open these up. Installed everything per there directions and got poked by a urchin while stirring the sand. I was amazed by the quality of the rock. Absolutely covered in life , sponges, coral and coraline. Some great looking pieces that I can't wait to aquascape with. Currently a big sand storm which is hard to aquascape around. EVERYTHING is crawling with critters, tons of porcelain crabs small-big. Also some shrimp appear to be in as well because I keep hearing a clicking sound. Really can't wait for the silt to settle and take some photos for all of you.

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Instructions and bacteria that came with tampa bay saltwater package

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

My initial aquascape with TBS rocks

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Different amounts of life that is attached to the rock when it arrives.

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

The tank has cleared up nicely and is currently showing signs of the cycle. I will be following Richard's instructions about the cycle to a t. Yesterday I showed signs of ammonia with 0 nitrite and a ph of 8.0.

This morning I tested and ammonia is at .25ish ppm with 0 nitrite. Water is still crystal clear and everything is still alive. I have been testing twice a day, morning and evening.

I found that waiting 1 day to turn my skimmer on after adding everything was a good idea. Currently dry skimming some light brown skimmate.

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Fast forward 2 weeks and.....
Well received my part 2 of tbs package and here is how my tank currently sits. Everything you see is what came with the TBS package.

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

More photos of the reef rock that i received.

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Now the present, a current shot of my sump with gfo/gac and running refugium with chaeto. The hanging light is from reef breeders and i ended up with deciding against the narrow ATO, so i went with a standard 5 gallon from reef synergy.

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Current FTS: added more corals recently so they are acclimating on the sand bed. Will have to figure out some permanent mounting locations in the future.

Brewman1987 · Mar 18, 2016

Most of the sponges that were encrusted on the rock have died off. I'am hopeful though as I do see some new sponge life on certain rocks. Everything is healthy, happy, and fat. I have found the most important part of doing a build is going slow and taking your time to do it right. When I had the 29 gallon I never used a ATO and believe that was my main culprit to instability. Since the new system my coral's have shown tremendous growth and water parameters have been stable. The only chemical I dose is KALKWASSER and mix with ATO.