40gal Breeder Build

[Hannibal the Bichir]

Hi, quick question before i upload build pictures. I have a 40gallon breeder, for moderate light plants should i do a single/dual finnex planted vs ray 2 vs some sort of other led brand?
THank you

 

[Hannibal the Bichir]

Lighting- With the finnex 36in planted, it looks like the PAR value would be around 30? I'm thinking that i will need two, to have sufficienct medium light for carpeting plants.

Filter: eheim 2217

Heater: What exactly is a inline heater?

Co2: I will look for a small setup

ADA Amazonia= 18L, should i get another 9L bag?

Will cut out cd cases situated properly allow me to build retaining walls against sand?
i have a lot of questions as i'm getting back in the hobby. The stand is almost complete!

 

[Coyne]

An in-line heater splices into the tubing of your canister filter. I'm not sure if it matters if you put it on the intake or output side. As water passes through it, it get heated. This allows for more even heat distribution with the added benefit of less equipment inside the tank. If there is a down side, I'd say that it creates a potential point of failure in the plumbing. On the off chance that something breaks or leaks, you'll end up with water outside the aquarium.


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[Hannibal the Bichir]

Okay thank you for that explanation.
For the heater: Hydor ETH External Thermal Heater - In Line Heater 200w

For the Co2:
Fluval Pressurized CO2 Kit 88, is it odd to have the diffuser built in and no drop checker? or is that the same as the bubble counter? I just don't want to much equipment in the tank

 

[Coyne]

I can tell you from experience that those Fluval CO2 kits are pretty expensive in the long run. If memory serves me right, the replacement CO2 cartridges are about $6-7 each. A paintball CO2 canister lasts much, much longer and costs around $4-5 to refill (assuming you have a place nearby to refill it at).


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[Fresh2o]

If choosing between the Finnex Planted+ and the Planted 24/7, I would go the the latter. Price difference is not that much and you get more options/features.
I have a Planted+ over a 20L (12" deep) and the PAR is about 61. For the 40b I would estimate it to be around 45-55.
Given the front to back span I would opt for two fixtures if possible. Or the 24/7 and a Finnex FugeRay/StingRay.
For CO2, an entry level setup will set up back around $150. Seems like a lot up front but after that the ongoing costs are minimal. A 24 oz paintball tank last me over 4 months (@$4.50/refill). Those cartridges will add up in no time.
For ferts I would recommend GLA's PPS Pro kit for about $30. It's been almost two years and I am on the same kit. Provide macro and micro ferts. You mix it yourself and dose daily. Lookup Green Leaf Aquariums. They also carry a wide range of CO2 products (a little too rich for me).


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[Laeris]

If choosing between the Finnex Planted+ and the Planted 24/7, I would go the the latter. Price difference is not that much and you get more options/features.
I have a Planted+ over a 20L (12" deep) and the PAR is about 61. For the 40b I would estimate it to be around 45-55.
Given the front to back span I would opt for two fixtures if possible. Or the 24/7 and a Finnex FugeRay/StingRay.
For CO2, an entry level setup will set up back around $150. Seems like a lot up front but after that the ongoing costs are minimal. A 24 oz paintball tank last me over 4 months (@$4.50/refill). Those cartridges will add up in no time.
For ferts I would recommend GLA's PPS Pro kit for about $30. It's been almost two years and I am on the same kit. Provide macro and micro ferts. You mix it yourself and dose daily. Lookup Green Leaf Aquariums. They also carry a wide range of CO2 products (a little too rich for me).


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That's the same stuff you use that doesn't remotely effect your fauna even at full strength, isn't it?


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[Hannibal the Bichir]

This was the stand before


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[Hannibal the Bichir]

Finally finished with cabinet door that will be attached later today


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[Hannibal the Bichir]

There is a new update today. I know they are few and far between, but to do this right is really expensive. Especially when your going to college and it's a hobby. Today I ordered 20lbs of seiryu stone. I also put the finishing touches on the stand. I plan on making a mountain/tree scape by building up one side of the tank with the Rock and having the stump sit on top with the branches hanging down the "mountain". From there will be a DSM of baby tears or dwarf hair grass(the last time I did DHG it failed....miserably). I would build the background and right side with taller plants(I have to decide) probably some rotalA. Please for my sake, someone purchase my brand new Ray 2 so I have money for Amazonia ADA soil.


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[Hannibal the Bichir]

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[coralbandit]

I'm following!
Fresh is right about cost of co2.
Go paint ball at least if possible.
You'll save in the not so long run....

 

[Matts Tanks]

Get the Finnex, it's a very good light, will grow your plants very well


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[Hannibal the Bichir]

So here's my $150 worth of Ada Amazonia?. I buckled down to do this entire thing the right way. I'm waiting on the seiryu stone to arrive later this week.

Next question,
Should I or should I not paint the back of he tank black?


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[Matts Tanks]

I would just get chalk board and put that is the back behind the glass, you just cut it to size, tape the corners of it to the tank, I bought mine at Home Depot and it looks great on all 3 of my tanks


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[fish wrangler]

I'll be following!

Painting looks really nice imo, 1 of my 4 tanks is painted and I wish I painted the others. One piece of advice is be careful when moving filters (specifically HOBs) as they can easily remove some of the paint.

I run a Finnex 24/7 on my 29, and I highly recommend it. It is a very sleek fixture, and the dimming capabilities of it are nice.
I talked with a finnex rep and a Planted+ 24/7 II is coming out in the spring of 2016. Might be worth holding out of your not in a rush. The current 24/7 only allows you to dim one spectrum at a time, the 24/7 II is supposed to allow you to dim multiple spectrums.

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[Hannibal the Bichir]

Thank you for all the advice! I think I will go ahead and paint it flat black tomorrow. I'm going to be running an eheim canister filter with lily pipes. I have a few questions about those. For surface protein should I get a skimmer, because the tank will be open? Do lily pipes do a good job with preventing this type of surface buildup?

I'm so bummed, I really wanted to hopefully finish the tank around Christmas. In your opinion is it worth waiting for the dimmable feature to wait?


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[Hannibal the Bichir]

My next purchases will be the eheim canister with the hydor inline heater. I'm going to buy the GLA fert pack( thank you freshh20) and I got some dynamite tabs from a fellow member here. I just don't know how many tabs for the footprint of the tank I should bury in the substrate.


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[Fresh2o]

I don't use lily pipes but from what I understand, some have certain nozzle shapes that create a mini vortex and pull the surface film down into the water column. However, this probably depends on flow rate and proximity to the surface. Ehiem makes a standalone skimmer that is quite popular with AA users.
The GLA PPS Pro fert pack is a good deal. Still using the same one I purchased in DEC 2013. Be sure to order an extra 500 mL container. This is for KNO3. Depending on your stock, there might be enough nitrate already so additional dosing will not be necessary.
You are going all out. Awesome! I went with EcoComplete because it was cheap ($9 a 20# bag) and AquaFertz root pellets (from AquariumPlants.com). Got good results from them. A decent and consistent source of carbon was probably the biggest factor for my tank's success.


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[fish wrangler]

Thank you for all the advice! I think I will go ahead and paint it flat black tomorrow. I'm going to be running an eheim canister filter with lily pipes. I have a few questions about those. For surface protein should I get a skimmer, because the tank will be open? Do lily pipes do a good job with preventing this type of surface buildup?

I'm so bummed, I really wanted to hopefully finish the tank around Christmas. In your opinion is it worth waiting for the dimmable feature to wait?


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I don't use lily pipes so I couldn't tell you if they prevent protien buildup, but I like to have the oily surface because I think it helps keep co2 in.
If you do go with a skimmer I suggest an eheim skim350. You can run it at night, and it will keep the surface clean.

I wouldn't wait for the dimmable feature. If you run two 24/7s you can slowly turn up the white intensity until it the whites are 100%, and after that you can use the "max" button to run all the colors at their maximum.
The PAR for the max whites in a 20T is ~58, the max for all colors is ~62. Now if you get hair algae before the whites hit 100% you might find it stressful using the max power button.
The current 24/7 is a very good deal for the price. I don't know of any other dimming fixture that is close to the price of the 24/7.

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