New 40gallon breeder build.

[sharkbait69]

Hey everyone.
Starting my 40 breeder build. I'm building the whole thing from scratch with the help of some big name companies to make certain things that I don‘t have the time to right now. Since I have to break down my mothers 125 due to her have to deal with cancer. I opted to build her a new smaller system.
Once I get the pics load of the stand being built and stained and the back of the glass tank painted. I’ll post pictures.
Please don't expect any good pics, they are from my blackberry.
So, far the aquarium is a 40 gallon AGA, with a glass hole overflow down to a glass cages acrylic sump. The sump will running left to right > intake/ skimmer chamber over to the return chamber. Left chamber will be the refugium.
Skiming the system is the octo extreme 160 w/ the big purple pinwheel from reef specialty. Big thanks to mojo from RC for pointing me to a new skimmer. All my tanks use MRC skimmers, but since circumstances beyond my control, I had to go with an easy skimmer for this tank build.
After reading the skimmer clubs threads, I feel the octo160 will be a good solid choice for tank.
Lighting is nova extreme pro, yeah I know. I read the threads but I think if I go with better bulbs then the current bulbs I should be able to keep the clams and sps coral that are in the 125 now.
Flow will cone by the mp10. Still in the air if I should go with two mp10 or just one. I play it by ear right now and see how things work out. I can always add another one.
I plan on having a few fish in the system, two clowns watchman goby stuff like that.

 

[sharkbait69]

couple of pics to get started
doing the poly

 

[sharkbait69]

Had a busy day Sunday and Monday. finished polyurethaning the stand. Finally finished painting the back of the tank with krylon fusion safety blue, 6 coats on the back.
Drilled the overflow box and return lines.
Just about completed the stand. I want to do some touch up and do some add on?s before I say its done.
Still waiting on the sump and octo 160 to get delivered, damn Fed ex is slow.
So pics of the progress I made.

 

[premilove]

update this **** foo you have all the equipment set it up already

 

[anthony27]

awsom, looking good I just set up a 40 breeder if have any questions just feel free to ask :splitspin

 

[sharkbait69]

update this **** foo you have all the equipment set it up already

In time. i just got the skimmer in the mail. waiting for glass cages to finish the sump.
I'll post pics soon.

 

[sharkbait69]

awsom, looking good I just set up a 40 breeder if have any questions just feel free to ask :splitspin

Thanks for the comments and the offer of help.

 

[Quang]

clean work shark! 40g breeder has great dimensions to work with. good luck!

 

[Awibrandy]

Sharkbait, praying for your mom's health! Please tell her she will be in my thoughts. If she needs to talk shoot me a pm, been there too. It is scary, but survivable. Tell her to stay strong, eat well as much as she can. It's important for her to keep up her strength.
Love the new build by the way..

 

[sharkbait69]

clean work shark! 40g breeder has great dimensions to work with. good luck!

Thank you. I enjoy the building part. Hate the staining part. Never been a fan of it even when my dad would pay me to go work with him in the shop and stain and paint wood, money or not, its never fun. Huck Fin was a real liar.
The glass hole saws from e8ay are great. I go straight to the man. The sellers from Hong Kong, cheap even with shipping. Shipping takes about 10 days or so. They really do cut a smooth hole right thru and polish the edge and inside the hole very nicely.
I?m actually excited to work with the 40 breeder. The dimensions are really nice. For a small tank, the options are really more then I had anticipated.
I?m so use to working with 125 and bigger, I was a little intimidated on how I was going to manage the coral selection and spacing. I?m thankful I did not jump on the JBJ or any of the cube nano train.
I know a lot of members are not to fond of current usa lights, but I got admit, my coral responded rather well to the lights, color wise.
Don?t get me wrong, I still am looking into swapping out bulbs and I think after reading post and asking question, since I have never really dealt with T5 lights, I want to go with a higher K temp.
As it stand now with the help of members and talking with Greg from reef geeks, I?m going to go with
4 ATI blue plus, 1 KZ Fiji purple and 1 ATI 12k aquablue. Get a nice high par high K output.

I?m sure everyone who has searched out octopus extreme 160 has see the pics, but I can?t help it. I really like this skimmer. From the shipping and packing all the way to the build. The instruction could have been a little more nicer, I guess. Then again I don?t know. I?m used to the MRC skimmers with beckett injectors and putting them together and having these monster skimmers with two pumps. Now I have this little box that?s 24 inches long x 10 inches high x 10 inches wide that Fed Ex finally delivered and was like oh sh*t, what?s this cute this box going to do for this tank.
I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box up and started to put the skimmer together.
I still chuckle to myself (which my wife looks at me funny) when I think how this little pump on the octx 160 is going to do what my MRC 2 R does now.

 

[sharkbait69]

Sharkbait, praying for your mom's health! Please tell her she will be in my thoughts. If she needs to talk shoot me a pm, been there too. It is scary, but survivable. Tell her to stay strong, eat well as much as she can. It's important for her to keep up her strength.
Love the new build by the way..

Thank you. The outpouring of help and support, makes it a little easier.
I?ll pass it along to my mother, thanks again.

 

[sharkbait69]

here are some pics of coral and frags that have been under the T5s for about a month now.

 

[premilove]

aha i saw some of my acans!

 

[sharkbait69]

aha i saw some of my acans!

Yup some of you acans are making a comeback. looking a lot better then they did when you first brought them over.

 

[anthony27]

Hey there how is the build going. I just did a build from a 42 tall to a 40 breeder.

 

[sharkbait69]

Hey there how is the build going. I just did a build from a 42 tall to a 40 breeder.

the build has almost come to a stand still as I?m waiting for glass cages to finish building and ship my acrylic sump.
Right now, I?m playing with plumbing ideas right now.
Where to place my unions and ball valves. Should I go with true union Bv or just BV. Also toying over the idea of using union check valves on the returns or just go with true union ball valves.
I have to wait for the sump to get delivered to mess around with how/where to place a bulkhead or make a filter sock holder.
I saw CPR's filter sock holder with the T fitting. I may make one like that or make a an acrylic corner lid with a bulkhead in it and place a hang down for the filter sock to sit on/in.
It stinks since my OVB plumbing elbow is 1.5" pvc, I can't or I should say I don't want to plumb down to a 1" drain since that will slow my OFB down on drain rate.
Plus going with only one drain, I don?t want to restrict drain flow and god forbid something blocks or restricts drain flow.
I?m from the school of ?you can never have enough fail safe redundancies.
But I?m biting the bullet and going with a single big drain.
other then that, the build is going good.
to much wood and acrylic laying around to feed ideas.

 

[sharkbait69]

after a horrendous round of golf today getting ready for Sundays golf tournament, I got a chance to start some plumbing.
Still have to decided whether or not to put a couple more unions on the returns and another union on the sump for the drain.
Just some pics to update my thread.
Still have to chose between a mag 9.5 or a mag 5 for the return pump.

 

[premilove]

this build is going to be sick.

 

[sharkbait69]

this build is going to be sick.

Thanks. I?m trying to make it as 'sick' :lol:as I can. I wish glass cages were a little quicker on the build. At the rate they are going, I could have drove up to jersey city to the acrylic manufacture and bought acrylic precut and welded it together myself.
Placed the order on the 28 of August. I was hoping the sump would be here by September 18<SUP>th</SUP>, that never happened.:irked:
I guess I can order the check valve and a couple of ? unions and 1.5 inch bulkhead for the drain line.

 

[sharkbait69]

The new sump will be on my door sometime on the 23. Pics to follow when i get this bad boy.:splitspin