Finally - 40 Breeder Reef Journal/Build Thread

[cmor1701d]

A pair of CB shrimp will kill most other ornamental shrimp in the tank. A single one may or may not. So take the chance or not. I had a pair and had to remove them so I could put some peppermints and a cleaner back in the tank.

The Kaudern's Cardinalfish should be a mated pair. I've heard of putting a large group in a tank, but most of those would be female with a single male. They want lots of cave and hiding places in the rock, so some re-arrangement with your new LR would be good.

I love that you finally got some real LR with life on it. Watching what shows up seemingly overnight the first year is quite amazing.

 

[coffeetwitch]

Bubbles and vibration in your overflow pipe is from sucking air and churning as it goes down and slams into your sump. Thats why I recommended looking up that "hurbies ultra silent overflow". It may not be directly related to what you want but there are concepts to it that may get you thinking along the right path to solving your problem.


You may make some sort of stand pipe that attaches to your bulkhead, like a "t" or something. That may help you get the water down to your sump in a more efficient manner. That may help the bubbling and churning noise in the sump.

 

[mr_X]

i don't think you are going to not get bubbles after water falls a couple feet mixed with air. use a filter sock if you don't like it. I don't see anything wrong with it.

 

[leftyfish]

The herbie method creates a full siphon in the main pipe(eliminating air) and does eliminate bubbles, the water is controlled with a valve and matched to the pump, therefore not crashing down the pipe. The second pipe should have minimal water sliding down it, sticking to the side of the pipe, so there will be some bubbles.

 

[mr_X]

I'm just commenting on the bubble thing, not the Herbie method.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Makin progress! Ammonia went from 2ppm pre-rock to 0ppm now, and that's with about the equivalent of 1.5 shrimp left (from 3). Looks like seeding with the cured LR was the way to go.


I'm wondering if my powerheads might be too much for my system. When both are on, the feather dusters go back in their tubes. With only one on, they are open, and there doesn't seem to be any dead spots. Would one 1025gph powerhead be sufficient? Seems like everyone suggested that both would be about right. Ultimate plans are for some zoas, palys, and acros.

 

[Ibrahim]

Makin progress! Ammonia went from 2ppm pre-rock to 0ppm now, and that's with about the equivalent of 1.5 shrimp left (from 3). Looks like seeding with the cured LR was the way to go.

I'm wondering if my powerheads might be too much for my system. When both are on, the feather dusters go back in their tubes. With only one on, they are open, and there doesn't seem to be any dead spots. Would one 1025gph powerhead be sufficient? Seems like everyone suggested that both would be about right. Ultimate plans are for some zoas, palys, and acros.

Good to hear you're making progress. And wow that's alot of flow. I'd return one of them and get a koralia 550 instead

 

[mfdrookie516]

Well, they weren't exactly a purchase... but a trade. I could sell them, or trade them for some 750's... or an MP10?

 

[mr_X]

i think that's good flow for acropora, but not dusters, palys, and other soft stuff.

 

[Ibrahim]

Well, they weren't exactly a purchase... but a trade. I could sell them, or trade them for some 750's... or an MP10?

Yeah I think an mp10 would be great. But a 750 will also do

 

[mr_X]

i don't think a MP10 will be enough. I think you'll be disappointed.

 

[mfdrookie516]

That's interesting. I don't like the price tag, but they seem to be what EVERYONE wants. What I have now are two Tunze 6045's. Originally, I had read 1025GPH, but now I'm seeing 1188gph... so it's somewhere in that area. Is one sufficient? Is it possible to mix zoas, palys, and acros in a small tank like this with their different flow requirements?

 

[mr_X]

it's possible, but you have to position them just right. i had some 40 breeders set up a while back and i had four 750 gph power heads in one, and i was disappointed with the flow. i would use a single mp40 if i was going with a vortech (if we're talking acropora)

 

[mfdrookie516]

Maybe I should dedicate this tank to only soft stuff and use my 29g for the stuff that likes the higher flow. And yes, I'm talking about acropora. I've also gotten to the point of liking some of the LPS. There's just so much to take in, I feel like the year I've spent thinking about this was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of knowledge to absorb.

 

[Ibrahim]

i don't think a MP10 will be enough. I think you'll be disappointed.

Really? I'd think 1500gph and 1025gph would be enough. But hey, you've got more experience than me.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I just did my tests this morning.

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 5ppm
pH - 8.2-8.3 (was between 8.2 and 8.4)

That's with the shrimp still rotting in my tank. I'd say if this holds through for a few more days, I'll be good to go... no?

 

[cmor1701d]

You look good now. I would remove the shrimp and do a 30% PWC now. Did you see the nitrites go up and down to 0 also, or were you just watching Ammonia?

From the numbers it would appear that NH3 and NO2 rose and dropped to 0 and NO3 rose. That's the cycle and you should be good to go.

Doug has given you valuable advice on the power heads and flow. Your idea to move the acro's to a different high flow tank is the right move. Hard to keep everything in one tank. I have placement problems in a 125 due to amount of flow. Even some Montipora Digitata's need to get moved because I have too much flow. I cut off two of my 4 PH's for now. So careful with what you get and make sure you know the high, medium and low flow areas in the tank.

I remember someone making a cheap flow meter from plastic drinking straws, a short piece of pvc, and some fishing line. He cut the straws into short sections and glued the line to the pvc and various lengths to the straws. He then placed the pvc in different areas of the tank and noted the flow.

Your tank is just about ready. Good Luck!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Thanks! Yeah, I hadn't even bothered testing nitrite, since I wasn't expecting it to go this quick. I still want to give it a few more days to make sure I didn't test during some abnormal time during the cycle. If I stay at 0 on ammonia and nitrite over the next few days, I'll know I'm good. I'm most likely not going to be ordering any fish for the next week or two. Our weather is crazy here, 60's one day, 20's the next... so I'm wanting to wait until it's consistent.

I took a few more pictures of my tank today. I'm loving the lighting. I have 2x aquablue special, 1x blue plus, and 1x purple plus. It is, IMO, the perfect combination. The tank is not so blue that it looks unreal, but it's not so bright that it looks fake. I also made a little platform for my skimmer, as it was a bit too deep. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to rebuild it, since it's just a tad too high now. I might try my 3/4" PVC instead of the 1.5" underneath.

Thoughts?

 

[Lunchbox209]

The lighting is awesome I wish I had a aquarium like that I'm jealous =]

 

[redsea]

I think the tank looks great, nice aquascaping!