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 . . .

[Delphinus]

Ah, missed Supertrain this year, just too much going on that weekend. That is a really stellar table project however. Makes me want to try that (I've always loved N scale, you don't see it very often).. hahaha, almost. I have about umpteen projects to finish before SHeWhoMMustBeObeyed would allow a new a project. Oh well.

Cool beans on the upgrade. A 40g breeder is a nice size for a small reef - you will like the dimensions 36x18 (no comparison to your 10g) and the short stature allows more light penetration into the tank. You see 40g breeders used as frag tanks very often for that reason (in fact that might kind of be one of my projects, haha).

With the black trim, I find very often these things are sort of prefab'd out of standard parts. For example, the tank builder probably used the same trim on a 65g tank which shares the 36x18 footprint size but is more like 24" tall.

But a 40g breeder tank is more like 12" or 14" tall (if I recall correctly). You probably don't need a brace as much as you would on a taller tank. So you might be OK. There might be some bowing / deflection of the glass in the longer direction but not as much as there would be in a taller tank.

[blacknife]

The trim has been off my. 40. Since i got it. Much nicer look imo. The. Center brace was removed by the previous owner who installed two glass braces instead, more to stop his lights from ever accidentally falling through then to stop deflection.

[subman]

NICE! I see Epic snail wars and chases in the future!!

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Ah, missed Supertrain this year, just too much going on that weekend. That is a really stellar table project however. Makes me want to try that (I've always loved N scale, you don't see it very often).. hahaha, almost. I have about umpteen projects to finish before SHeWhoMMustBeObeyed would allow a new a project. Oh well.

One gent at the show thanked me for being supportive and "allowing" hubby to have and work on the table. I replied that it kept him out of my hair, so how could I not be supportive?

Originally Posted by Delphinus

With the black trim, I find very often these things are sort of prefab'd out of standard parts. For example, the tank builder probably used the same trim on a 65g tank which shares the 36x18 footprint size but is more like 24" tall.

The manager of the store I purchased it from and myself both believe this is the case. Every single 40 breeder in stock in the Calgary store is the same way.

I phoned Marineland to find out exactly how thick the glass is (walls are 6mm and bottom is 5mm tempered). While on the phone I asked about whether or not this tank required a cross brace. I explained to her that the tank appeared to have had one, but that it had been cut out. She exclaimed that the cross brace was vitally important, and if the tank did not have the brace it would bow and fail. She insisted that the cross brace had been removed.

So, I phoned the store, spoke to the manager, and explained what the woman from Marineland had said. He was confused that my tank appeared to have a crossbrace cut out. He checked every 40 gallon breeder in the store, and they were all the same way. It appeared that all of them had crossbraces cut out.

This is one of the best selling tanks in the store (usually for sumps), says the manager. He's never heard of one failing.

This may be a situation where the manufacturer's representative was in error.

Originally Posted by Delphinus

But a 40g breeder tank is more like 12" or 14" tall (if I recall correctly). You probably don't need a brace as much as you would on a taller tank. So you might be OK. There might be some bowing / deflection of the glass in the longer direction but not as much as there would be in a taller tank.

It is 16" tall. I'll be leaving it on the deck for a while to see what happens.

Originally Posted by blacknife

The trim has been off my. 40. Since i got it. Much nicer look imo. The. Center brace was removed by the previous owner who installed two glass braces instead, more to stop his lights from ever accidentally falling through then to stop deflection.

I think hubby is going to build a nice wood hood for it (with matching stand): that will hide the black trim and hopefully provide some structural support.

I hope. I'm nervous now.

I prefer the rimless look, too. I did ask about having one custom made, and the price was a little steep for now.

Originally Posted by subman

NICE! I see Epic snail wars and chases in the future!!

[Enigma]

So! She's drilled, painted (black on the back wall) and plumbed.

I had to resort to cheating with the plumbing: Teflon tape and Magic Lube were used in a few places. I've decided that slip fittings are the bomb, and I'll use those on all future plumbing projects. All of the slip fittings turned out perfect the first time around, but I had leak issues with the 3/4" barb fittings and the threaded fittings. It is a combo of 1/2" tubing, 3/4" tubing, PVC pipes, and 1/2" Loc Line. And, it works!

Thankfully I installed a gate valve. A lot of water continues to flow out of the overflow after the pump is shut off. I'm guessing around five gallons. I only have around 15 gallons in my sump. I don't want to have to deal with water from the return lines too (though I will attempt to accommodate it). I guess my next project is a new sump.

The return pump is an Eheim Compact 2000. It is dialed all the way up, and it appears to be sufficient.

I've picked up two MP10s for it. Those are going to have to go in the back wall, though. Had I foreseen that, the returns would be in different locations. Hubby insists that the system needs to be in the living room, and the only possible location for it is a wall that is 36" wide. The MP10s would overhang and be too easily knocked off. I may use a couple of little powerheads to fill in for the MP10s' new location.

[Enigma]

A quick shot from my BlackBerry.

The wall is longer than 36". One MP10 will go on the right side wall, and the other will go on the left hand side of the back wall.

Those are frag disks in the tank: not part of the scape. This tank has two viewing panes: the front and the left.

The gaps between the tank and stand have been "filled" with playing cards. The tank is presently leveled with them, too (temporary). It took 2.5 decks to level and shim everything.

One question though: should I level based on the bottom glass? I leveled the black plastic trim, which might have been dumb.

[blacknife]

For the mp10s. They stay in place pretty good if you use the cord holding stickies that come with them. At bare minimum use one above it. They get noisey after a fall leading to expensive repairs or if your lucky warranty work.

[Enigma]

She's got water in her!

Originally Posted by blacknife

For the mp10s. They stay in place pretty good if you use the cord holding stickies that come with them. At bare minimum use one above it. They get noisey after a fall leading to expensive repairs or if your lucky warranty work.

One if them fell off twice last night. I'll use the stickies!

[Enigma]

Well, it isn't very clean right now. But, here goes . . .


Tank shots: August 4, 2012







Sadly, nothing has made its home in this cave.