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RazeNCain

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Messages
19
Have had a 55 gallon freshwater for the last 5 years been wanting a saltwater aquarium for most of my life and picked up a 40 gallon feeder last night (last day of dollar days at petco)

Trying to get everything ordered now to get a FOWLR up and running. Scared to do a sump set up here because the power goes in and out a lot in my area. Trying to figure out the next best thing.
 
Welcome to the forum!!

I am also in florida, in between orlando and daytona to be exact. lol

You would be amazed at how easy a sump is to run and if the tank is drilled you will have a pretty low chance of a flood when lights go out. I have like 5 tanks up and running now and even when the power goes out i have never had a flood. Just depends on the setup and if done right you wont have to worry.
 
I have a T5 light, skimmer and salt. Just trying to figure out what I want to do with the sump. I want one like I said just worried. Are there any "sump kits"? I can't seem to find any. First time with salt don't want to mess up.
 
I would drill the tank and add an overflow, this will get the water from the tank down to the sump. Check out www.glass holes.com Take out the space between glass and holes though, couldnt put them together as the forum blocks curse words. lol They will have a kit to drill the tank

Then just get a sump, either build your own out of an empty 20g tank or buy one. Check amazon for cheap ones. look up eshopps sump and a few should pop up.
Add a return pump to get the water from the sump back to the tank and a protein skimmer and you are good to go.
:)
 
I was just going to use the Eshopps PF-300 Overflow Box so we don't have to drill, fiancee says she doesn't want me drilling into the tank.

I was hoping to use the protein skimmer from our 55 Gallon tank but not sure if I should?
PSE1 Power Protein Skimmer from TruAqua it has a built in UV Bulb.

What kind of cleaner fish would you recommend? I plan on having two clowns (Nemo of course) other than that nothing else is currently planned. Going to go with one small live rock and some base rock. Still have to build the stand so it's going to be next week when we start the cycle. We definitely want anemones too. Trying to build my amazon list.

I really wanted to start a reef but the LFS persuaded me to go with the FOWLR.
 
If the tank is empty still, I would def drill it, if it's not tempered. Mine wasnt tempered and drilled quite nicely. You will have much better luck and sleep better at night if its drilled. Using a hangon overflow is always a bit iffy. Mine never flooded, but there are tons of people who havent been so lucky.

If you plan on an anemone, you will need alot of light. Like 6 bulbs of t5 power. And if you are going that direction then why not make it a reef? You wont be putting any aggressive non reef safe fish in a 40b most likely anyways. lol

I wouldn't reccommend any cleaner fish, as the cleaner wrasses usually dont fare too well in home aquariums. I have a good amount of fish in my 40b already lol. I have
pair of perc clowns
lawnmower blenny
hawaiin hawk fish
pixie hawk fish
golden headed goby
and maybe a firefish. lol I dont see him ever, but he was in there a few days ago.
 
I know reefs are the most expensive and the LFS told me they are extremely hard. Now that we have the tank it's like how the heck can I afford all this. Been looking at lighting and didn't realize how expensive this stuff is. I thought maybe I could get away 4 bulb T5 but can't find anything cheaper than $180. Craigslist has been drawing blanks all week.

And instead of a HOB overflow I was thinking about the DIY PVC Overflow, found that shortly after I posted about the HOB and people were raving about it.

I can build a stand and canopy really cheap it's just the other stuff it's kind of overwhelming. I do HVAC and trying to prioritize money since there is always that chance of a slow winter. Wish it was already up and running but money just isn't letting us.

Do you know of any good lighting DIY write ups? I can wire stereos and AC Condensers but have never messed with lighting.
 
Best bet for lighting are the led panels that are on ebay. Youre looking at about $100 for one. :)

Reef is only more expensive in my opinion because of the extra expense of corals. :)

You still should have a skimmer and sump as well as adequate lighting since you mentioned an anemone.

Corals are a tad more sensitive as far as water parameters, but depend on which corals you choose. Some are more forgiving than others. lol
 
My plan is to make a 4' stand since we have a cat, that's about as high as he can jump fortunately. Going to have a custom hood with PC fans on the back side to keep it all cool. Trying to plan a good way to incorporate the sump and still have storage space for all the food and equipment.

We have an OLD 10 gallon tank, is that too small of a sump for the 40B?

I do appreciate all the help, on lunch break I usually browse the site and read what I can, but it's nice getting help to my actual questions.
 
I am using a 10g for the sump on my 40b now. I think it's on the small side but thats all I could fit under the stand. You will want a smaller skimmer if you use a 10g, thats the only drawback to using a 10g. Just keep in mind the larger the water volume the better and stable the system is overall. But you can only do what you can do lol.

I am running a 4 inch filter sock, the heater and the return pump in my 10g sump and it actually leaves a good amount of room. BUT I did not add baffles to my sump, which is typically a no no. I have an auto top off system in place though so the water height doesnt change. The water should be at a constant level for a skimmer or else it will overflow or not produce anything. For the time being I am running a hangon skimmer, a remora which I love. I like them so much this is my second one. lol Some people hate them but for me it has worked really well. I would stay away from seaclones skimmers and those $60 ones on ebay, they are a waste of money. There are two things you should spend as much as you can and thats the lights and the skimmer. Everything else can be ghetto or do it yourself, but those two things are vital.

As a side note, where are you in Florida? We have a really nice reef club out of orlando area, we meet monthyl and do some cool things. :)
 
Oh, forgot to mention, the tall stand will be awesome! I have a pretty tall stand on my 90g and it lets you see the tank and fish head on without having to stoop down. :)

I have a shelf in that stand so you might consider that as an option to store the necessities. If you want any pictures or anything for a visual just let me know,. i have shots of all my tanks as well as the sump and under cabinet layout.
 
I was worried about moisture if I put a shelf in there. The stand is gonna be painted black to an almost mirror shine. Should be starting it Saturday I'll put a thread up on it. Cabinetry used to be my big thing. And I'm in saint augustine.

Thanks again for all the advice.
 
I havent had any issue with anything getting wet on the shelf under my 90g, I dont keep much on there though lol,. just a couple bottles of chemicals and some fish food.

Aww youre quite aways away. Always looking for new members for the reef club lol.

have you been out shopping at any local lfs's? I am curious if you have any that are amazing local to you, I am always up for a road trip if the store is awesome. lol
 
We only have one local its a small shop really nice people that husband and wife run it. I work in Jacksonville and there's a really nice one off Atlantic Blvd near A1A by Neptune beach haven't been there in a while though.
 
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