Tangboys 40g Breeder Build.

[Tangboy]

Well I thought it was about time that I went ahead and made a thread about my 40g display tank and it's evolutionary trek. Since I started with the tank with 0 knowledge it has morphed a long way.

Here is a shot of my tank the first day I purchased it. I started with 20 lbs of Live Sand and 10 lbs of Normal Sand.




Here is the tank with some LR and Base Rock and my wifes idea of ornamental decorations.




Here is a shot of my custom cabinet being made, I had a friend who is a carpenter work on this for me.




Here it is being glued, notice the slots in the back for a future overflow and cord access.




Here is the tank with some more LR and on the new cabinet.




Here is a close up of tank on cabinet with LR.




Here is the tank with full load of LR and my new T-5 lighting.




Here is the tank with it's new PVC custom overflow system that dumps into a 29g sump.




Here is a Full Tank Shot of my 29g sump/fuge with about 10 lbs of LR and chaeto.




Here is a shot of my LR in the fuge covered in chaeto, razor caulerpa, grape caulerpa, and hydriods (boooo).




I will be updating pics showing new coral additions soon!!!

[DaveK]

This is an excellent example of how someone can take a system that was really designed for FW, and with some time and effort convert it to an excellent reef system. It's still possible to tell it's a somewhat new setup, but the rock does look good and is growing.

Keep up the good work.

[lilmarkho]

Ok so i don't see any mechanical filtration???

[Tangboy]

Alrighty as promised I have some coral and FTS to upload so here we go...

FTS with normal daylights running...



FTS under Actinics only...



Cabbage Leather...



Galaxy...



Finger Leather...



Pink-tipped Frogspawn...



Pink-tipped Frogspawn under Actinics...



Zoanthids under Actinics...



Hope you enjoyed those shots, most of these frags I'm pulling from my 8g BioCube that is in my office where I play my video games and watch my Clownfish watch me... must enjoy WoW or something!

[Tangboy]

Originally Posted by lilmarkho

Ok so i don't see any mechanical filtration???

Hmmm as in protein skimmer? IF you look at the FTS of my sump you'll see my Red Sea Prizm protein skimmer hanging off the back there. It works decently but the only thing I have to compare it to is a bakpak and Remora which both seemed to stink (bakpak is at school on the 70 and remora I tried as a HOB on the tank awhile ago but shot micro bubbles EVERYWHERE!).

[lilmarkho]

I was reffering to sponges, carbon, or poly fil. Stuff like that

DaveK whats the point of a sump then just to pump water back into the aquarium and run a skimmer. Shoot a hang on the back filter could do the same thing just leave the filter pad out. I am sorry i am having trouble believing some of this stuff, as you have stated two opposing things. Tangboy has a nice aquarium perfect in my opinion but he also has his sump the same way my is, minus my bio balls. HOwever the live rock, come on you said this sump is a perfect setup... Its the SAME AS MINE

[DaveK]

I wouldn't set my tank up the same way as Tangboy did. In my original post, I said it was an "...excellent example of how someone can take a system that was really designed for FW..." It's not perfect, but it's come a very long way from where it was in the original photo.

I would have used a filter sock for mechanical filtration. This keep a lot of particulate matter out of the skimmer. I also would not has used a Prizm slimmer, because they are not especially effective. I would have also arranged the baffles differently, but that's a minor point.

I happen to be using a berlin type sump. Here is a link to a manufactured berlin sump.
Berlin Sump Aquarium/Water Filtration System
I'm not recommending that anyone buy the product. It's an example only.

Note how there is almost nothing in the sump, except a filter sock, and a sponge, which in this case acts as a bubble trap. I don't use a sponge in my system. As a not, some people claim that the sponge is a low oxygen area that can do denitrifaction. I don't subscribe to that because the sponge is far too small to really support enough bacteria for that process.

Berlin sumps are used with large powerful skimmers, for the size of the tank. This is done because the skimmer will remove most of the waist products before the rest of the filtration system needs to deal with them.

I have explained to you, in other posts, the reasons for not using bioballs and live rock in a sump. This was when you asked about specific questions about an algae problem you were having. Now if you don't want to listen to me, that's fine. However, I suggest you post your original post on one or two other reef forums, and see how many people tell you to "loose the bioballs."

[Tangboy]

Hmmm sounds like I have a bit of a "war" on my board I feel honored but not because my design isn't making some people happy. I plan to add a filter sock to the sump and add a DSB and more macro algaes into the second chamber for pod production and a bit more processing of nitrates etc. Another reason for the sump is, since its a small tank, 40g, this adds quite a bit more water to the equation making it a larger system. Do I plan on adding a tang... no, do I plan on adding more fish? Not really...

Current inhabitants:

Ocellaris Clownfish
Yellow Watchman Goby
Pistol Shrimp
Hermit Crab X3
Astrea X4
Margarite Turbo X2
Big Snail (not sure what it is) X1
50+ Lbs of LR in display
30 Lbs of LS in display

So really there isn't much of a bioload even though I do have a little cyano on the sandbed... need to do a water change and check my feedings (small pinch of diced frozen Formula One variety 2-3 a week and that is it).

Flame on!

[olsaltybastard]

Tangboy,

That is a very nice setup you have there. Simple and pleasant.

lilmarkho,

A sump can also add to the total water volume. Tank makers are notoriously generous with their tank ratings. I have a 215 that probably holds 190 gallons. When you add rock and sand, water volume is decreased even further. A sump allows you to make up some of that lost volume. Adding LR to a sump allows you to increase the total surface area for bio-filtration. My sump has about 30 lbs of nano rock (rather than bio-balls) to support this filtration.

[emnmtony]

Tank looks great, keep it up!!
Do you like your goby, what/how often do you feed, how old is it??
The reason i ask is i would like to keep a goby in my tank im not sure which one but i like the fact that they build burrows..