Enigma & Hubby's 40 Gallon Breeder Reef

[Enigma]

So, hubby hates the 10 gallon in our bedroom.

He's like a little kid. We go to the LFS and he's all "Oooohhhh ! Can we get one of these???" (Tuxedo Urchin). "Or, maybe one of these?" (Brittle starfish). "Can we get more fish?"

I have to keep telling him that the tank is to small. He thinks that sucks. What is the point in having a saltwater tank if it can't be filled with different types of interesting life forms?

So, he and I are jointly working on a new tank for our bedroom: a 40 gallon breeder. The contents of the 10 gallon will move into this, and the 10 gallon will be used as a quarantine (or a frag or hospital) tank. The sump that is being used on the 10 gallon will also be used on the bigger system. The 40 is as big as we can go in that room: old house with small bedrooms. As it is, one dresser will have to come out.

Here is how it sits today:



Wow. Crummy photo. The tank was still holding water as of this morning. I have to admit I'm confused about the fact that a centre brace has cleary been cut out of the black trim around the top of the tank.

Here is hubby's last project (well, two of them actually . . . the N-Scale model train coffee table, and our preschooler ):

(Some of you may recognize this from Calgary's "Supertrain" Show)



He worked on that for ten years (though he completely tore it down and started over after seven years). It is wired up with LED lighting (he even built all of the circuit boards for them himself). The table weighs around 400 pounds, and is the most solid piece of furniture in the house (hubby is very proud of that).

He is really looking forward to sinking his teeth into all of the DIY stuff for this tank: drilling, lighting, and stand (he decided the black metal one is way too fugly). I get to research and tell him what to do.

Back to figuring out the plumbing . . .