My Big Beautiful Budget Breeder Build

[Solis Reef]

No headaches with HOB’s been using them for 30 years with absolutely no issues at all

I did to but I just hate starting the siphon every time it brake on it.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Day 5 of rock in tank, day 2 of testing..

 

[najer]

Nice work, I wish we could get that rock here in England, I've seen a few people in the States get it.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Day 6 with rock day 3 of testing

 

[Retro Reefer]

Nice work, I wish we could get that rock here in England, I've seen a few people in the States get it.

Thanks.. considering how hard it is to get real rock these days I do feel very fortunate to have this available.

 

[Retro Reefer]

So 10 days in looks like cycle is over.. I’ll be putting more live rock from another tank in next week and keep an eye on parameters until I start stocking.

 

[grassy_noel]

Looking great, excited to follow along! You know, as I plan my next tank I have been lulled into the assumption that it has to be rimless. But when I think about the rimless 20g tank I currently have, it always has a black cover on it (looks like a rim) and I would love to go T5 lighting in a hanging canopy, which basically reduces the visual impact of a rimless tank, too.

So now I'm asking myself, if I can get a 40g breeder AND a steel stand from Petco for less than $100, why would I spend over $1,000 on a rimless setup that won't look rimless by the time I'm done with it anyway?

Plus...I like clear silicone better than black...there, I said it. I know, it's heresy, but I do.

You've given me great things to think about. Imagine what I can do with that $900 lights, skimmer, return pump, controller-wise!!!

 

[Retro Reefer]

Looking great, excited to follow along! You know, as I plan my next tank I have been lulled into the assumption that it has to be rimless. But when I think about the rimless 20g tank I currently have, it always has a black cover on it (looks like a rim) and I would love to go T5 lighting in a hanging canopy, which basically reduces the visual impact of a rimless tank, too.

So now I'm asking myself, if I can get a 40g breeder AND a steel stand from Petco for less than $100, why would I spend over $1,000 on a rimless setup that won't look rimless by the time I'm done with it anyway?

Plus...I like clear silicone better than black...there, I said it. I know, it's heresy, but I do.

You've given me great things to think about. Imagine what I can do with that $900 lights, skimmer, return pump, controller-wise!!!

Thanks for stopping by.. I would love to have a sleek rimless reef tank and contemplated a Red Sea but just couldn’t justify the price, I have always loved the dimensions of the 40 Breeder and $100 for stand and tank is a bargain. the stand worried me a little but after I got it together it seems fairly sturdy and has a wide footprint which helps with stability, the only other thing would be rusting but I plan to wipe down frequently with a damp rag and protect it with towels when servicing the tank so we will see.. lighting is going to be the biggest single cost for this build but I’m still hoping to come in right about $700 for a t5 / LED combo, the 36” aquatic life t5 fixture is around $260 but hope to catch a sale and I’m thinking about trying two of the CoralBox moon LED’s @ $179 each so with four t5 bulbs @ $20 I’m right at $700

 

[Retro Reefer]

So I added my substrate and will be putting the rest of my rock from another tank in next week.. also added a bag of biological media from another tank to my sump and a little sand to seed new substrate.

 

[Ento-Reefer]

Nice looking tank !!

 

[Retro Reefer]

Nice looking tank !!

Thank you, lots more to come

 

[Retro Reefer]

Installed lighting for my sump and a small 15 watt led to temporarily provide a little lighting for the tank while while it stabilizes, decided not to go completely dark during this period to hopefully preserve some life on the rock.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Moved some more rock into the tank from one of my nanos that I’m tearing down..

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Keep it up.. everything looks great so far!

 

[Retro Reefer]

Keep it up.. everything looks great so far!

Thanks for stopping by.. I’m just getting started

 

[Retro Reefer]

So after a couple days of just a 15 watt light the rock is sprouting life..

 

[Bearded Dan]

Lol, literally started a very similar build yesterday before seeing this one. Picked up the tank and stand from petco yesterday.

Glued a couple of pieces of 1/4" mdf together to make a platform for the bottom to set the sump on. Thinking about it though, a rubber mat on the carpet could be quieter. Was planning on putting some foam under the sump.

Did you find the stand to be pretty square when you assembled it? Seems real solid to me.

Been having the debate about drilling vs hob. Wife's tank has a cpr hob overflow. My only complaint is the aqualifter pump is a pain in the butt sometimes. Think more flow would eliminate the need?

Had been considering doing a diy hob overflow out of pvc I'd seen on YouTube.

Build looks good! Thanks for giving me ideas for mine!

 

[Retro Reefer]

Trapped a gorilla crab last night, hated to do it but in the freezer he went..

 

[Retro Reefer]

Lol, literally started a very similar build yesterday before seeing this one. Picked up the tank and stand from petco yesterday.

Glued a couple of pieces of 1/4" mdf together to make a platform for the bottom to set the sump on. Thinking about it though, a rubber mat on the carpet could be quieter. Was planning on putting some foam under the sump.

Did you find the stand to be pretty square when you assembled it? Seems real solid to me.

Been having the debate about drilling vs hob. Wife's tank has a cpr hob overflow. My only complaint is the aqualifter pump is a pain in the *** sometimes. Think more flow would eliminate the need?

Had been considering doing a diy hob overflow out of pvc I'd seen on YouTube.

Build looks good! Thanks for giving me ideas for mine!

Thanks for stopping by

I think the stand will be ok it went together fairly straight but I probably should have built one myself, not sure I trust the powder coating and I’m concerned about rusting long term.. I put mine together upside down so the cross pieces would line up better with the side tops that the tank sits on to avoid the gap every one complains about also used some stick on wide dense window foam around the parameter of stand for the tank to sit

I was thinking about a shelf also but I wanted all the room I could get height wise so I can get the skimmer cup off easier, it was also simpler and cheaper to just sit it on a rubber mat.. lol

I don’t like the CPR because of it’s dependency on the pump and because of the way it’s designed you would probably need a ridicules amount of flow to keep air out.. a tube style pushed to there upper end are just about foul proof, just some simple maintenance keeping the overflow box’s teeth and the prefilter clean is all that’s needed.. the eshopps pf-300 seems perfect for the 40, the way mine is set up air will never get trapped just to much flow

 

[Retro Reefer]

Amazing how clear my water has stayed, not sure if I can contribute it to the fresh rock but my last two tanks both went through cloudy stages early on, after dealing with “milky” looking water for a couple weeks I had to install a UV system on one of them to clear the bacterial bloom..