Finally - 40 Breeder Reef Journal/Build Thread

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Coming along nicely. I commend your patience. It will pay off in the long run.

I'll probably post a new full tank shot and some new acquisition (corals) tomorrow.

Do you have your stocking list done? I don't recall if it's earlier in the thread or not.
 
Well, I had one... but after chatting with some other mods and members in chat the other night, I am re-considering a few fish.


I know I want a pair of black clowns. There's nothing that indicates any issues there. I also want a goby or two. Not knowing much about gobies, I'm not sure if they're territorial or not, and every website seems to contradict the next. I want a green clown goby for sure. I'd like to get another colorful goby, but only if they can co-exist peacefully. I also want a firefish, which doesn't seem to be an issue. The two other fish I want seem to have a bad repuation. Originally, I was going to do a bi-color dottyback, but I've been told they don't play nicely. A subsitute, that still looks close IMO, would be a royal gramma. I was also interested in some cardinals, kauderns to be exact. Again, conflicting info on number. Some say singles, some say small groups of up to 4.
 
Also, I finally got my ATO set up. I'm going to set up 3 10g tanks in the closet beside my tank. One for top off, two for mixing. I'll post pics once I set that up. For now, I just have a 4g water jug sitting in front of the tank to monitor the ATO and make sure it works right.

I had to modify the bracket for the ATO, as it was for an in tank ATO, not an in sump. I just zip-tied some egg crate on to it, then zip tied the float switches to it. Should work OK.

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I also found one of the asterina stars again... they all disappeared after I initially saw them. It was hard to take a pic of, but so exciting to see a little life.

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The biggest problem is that fish are individual and don't always act/react as their species would suggest they should. That being said, it is best to follow the knowledge gained over the years and posted on specific web sites.

I like Drs. Foster and Smith for basic fish info and their compatibility chart. So, a goby is fine, but two that look alike are probably not.

Firefish are jumpers, so get a net for the aquarium top. BRS sells make your own top netting.

I have a bi-color dotty and it hides from the tangs most of the time. I expected it to be more aggressive and hold it's own, but that only happens at feeding time. Otherwise it never bothers my other (larger) fish. The royal gramma is also a good choice, but it's a Caribbean fish and I wanted an Indo-Pacific species tank. I don't know if that matters to you or not.

I agree about the conflicting info on the Kaudern's Cardinals. I initially wanted a group, but they were unavailable at the time so I got a pair of spotted (pajama) cardinalfish.

Hoping someone here has the Kaudern's and can give you their experience with them.

So much depends on the tank size too. With a 6' long 125 I can offer territory and hiding space to allow me to keep some smaller, but incompatible fish. In your 40 I would heed the warnings. If you have some reefers nearby, you can check in advance if someone will take a problem fish off your hands, so you don't have to experience the fight to the death that sometimes happens.
 
That's one thing that kind of sucks about this hobby. There's rarely a yes or no answer to anything. What works for one doesn't work for everyone. I definitely want to heed warnings, especially being new to the sw/reef world. Once I get more familiar with how the fish act, how everything works, etc... I can probably take more chances. Especially if I have more than one tank. For now, I'm going to play it safe.

How's that list sound bio-load wise? Pretty full, or ? I don't want a heavily stocked tank, but I definitely want some life to it. Are there any neat wrasses that would work? I've seen some beauties, but all the ones I've looked at say a 75g minimum. I know most are jumpers, so with the firefish, a top would already be fashioned. I'm debating on eggcrate, since it would make feeding pretty easy.
 
Yes, that is a problem, but one of the reasons this site is here. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Fish are individuals too and don't always play to type.

The bio load is probably right where you want it. Depends on the skimmer, feeding, PWC schedule, etc. etc. (Having fun yet). Leave the wrasses for the next tank.

So you want to start adding your most peaceful fish first, and most aggressive last. That's why you need to have a good idea of your list. It may change while your stocking, but hopefully not too drastically.

Just remember to add only 1 or 2 fish at a time and allow 3 - 4 weeks between to allow the bio filter time to build up and stabilize.

I didn't like the egg crate top. I didn't like the way it directed light into the tank. The netting is much thinner ad works really well (though I don't use it in my tank).
 
agreed. eggcrate will only hold fish that can't fit through the holes. small fish like thin wrasses can jump right through the holes. they aim for them. you should build a frame and use some of the pond netting stapled/glued to it. they sell some with smaller holes. this will also allow more light to enter the tank.
 
I'll be sure and do that. I had wondered about the eggcrate, but I guess what I didn't want to be the case, actually is.

I DIY'd some moonlights in tonight, they don't look too bad. The pictures don't do them justice, since my photo skills absolutely suck.

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I'll be sure and do that. I had wondered about the eggcrate, but I guess what I didn't want to be the case, actually is.

I DIY'd some moonlights in tonight, they don't look too bad. The pictures don't do them justice, since my photo skills absolutely suck.

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What did you use for the moonlights?
 
I'm not real sure what it is. I bought a light off fort a while back and he had it on there. I took it off and super glued it on to one of my fixtures.
 
I'll be sure and do that. I had wondered about the eggcrate, but I guess what I didn't want to be the case, actually is.

I DIY'd some moonlights in tonight, they don't look too bad. The pictures don't do them justice, since my photo skills absolutely suck.

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I think the moonlights look great! (y) I have found that it is fun to observe the tank inhabitants at night.
It's really coming together nice! I like the space in front of the rocks in the sand.
I also like the space in front, and the fish will too. They will have lots of swimming room, and then rocks for refuge at night.
 
Looks like your coming along really nicely. What kinda rock and how many pounds did you use. Looks like quit a bit. Did you watch that brs video on YouTube about aquascaping. He gives you a couple really simple tips that r actually really good. I felt so dumb when I watched it. When he talks about putting collumns with the big end at the top, I was just like wow I can't beleive I never freaking thought of that. I seen at least one piece of rock in your tank that would make a really nice one.
 
It's 50lbs of base from reefrocks.net and about 8lbs of LR. I've watched a ton of the vids from BRS, scaping included... as much as I wanted to try and follow his advice, I knew in my head what I wanted and somehow managed to get it pretty close.
 
Here's what I've been working on today -

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This is connected in to a GFCI that I put in as I'm scared to death of something going wrong and killing all the inhabitants and/or me (or at least hurting quite a bit). No, it's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it got my cords out of the way, makes it easy to unplug them if needed, and it's heavy duty (10ga wire). I don't have my lights hooked in to it, as I don't want to chance overloading it, so they're hooked in to another plug that is on another circuit. There are only 2 plugs on this circuit, and the other one is never used.

I also moved my ATO to the back side where it belongs, after it worked flawlessly over the last day. I've marked a line on my sump where the water level is, and will monitor it daily to prevent any issues. Push comes to shove, its only got a 10g reservoir for the top off water, so it won't be a complete disaster if something happens... especially since all the electrical stuff is above the tank.

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If you are interested in wrasses, the six line wrasse is a really neat fish that would be fine in a 40 breeder. Just a thought!
 
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