40g Breeder

[reefsurfing]

I was thinking that equipment wise this might be a good place to start! Any feedback and/or guidance from you more experienced reefers would be awesome!
Keep in mind I plan on keeping mostly corals and if a fish or two finds its way into the tank; so be it!
Tank-40G breeder
Light - ATI sunpower 4x39 or 6x39
Protein skimmer -Octopus' NWB 150 (This is from my 90 gallon) I will be getting the 160 extreme for the 90
Sump Refugium- 20g Long with three compartments ( i need some advice on baffle set up, lighting for macro algea etc.)
Return Pump- I currently have a mag 5 collecting dust but I have seen up to a 9.5 on a 40 galon before; which size is best?
Flow- Undecided - I am thinking of an mp10 MAYBE
Also, any plumbing tips or tricks would be awesome folks. My previous experience is with reef ready tanks and one hob overflow which I want to stay away from.

Tank $40
Light w/bulbs $420
Pro skm $269
Refugium $20
rtn pump FREE (Maybe)
flow Undecided
Misc exp. $100(sand, salt, etc)
Stand $50
-------------------------
Roughly $900 and this is before the flow is decided on

[crazylegs]

So you are going to drill the 40g right? I would drill the back or a side if possible. Much safer than the bottom. If the bottom is the only option, brace your plumbing well so it doesn't stress the glass. Still beter than an overflow box though.

Your return pump should depend on the size of your refugium and how much flow you want traveling through it. The water should pass over the refugium slow enough to allow particles to fall out of the water column. Go ahead and use your mag 5. You can upgrade later if need be. Invest in the MP10 or something similar, it's worth every dollar. Since you are just getting started, research the NP bio pellets. It could be a good setup for you.

The 4 bulb fixture should be sufficient for that shallow of a tank. With the six bulb fixture you could keep anything you wanted almost, but you may run into light acclimation issues with lower light corals. Build a three baffle bubble trap after your skimmer for sure. It's a PITA to try to do later, and you will want it.

[Syncere]

I recently bought a 40B also due to the petco sale and was planning on doing something similar. Instead I was going to go with the 6x36 Sunlight Supply Tek fixture and an MP40.

As far as the overflow and return go I would drill the back glass. I use a Mag 3 on my 20L and still want to upgrade to a Mag 5 so I think maybe a Mag 9 may be a little more flow for the 40B.

Also with the MP40 you can always have it tuned down and if you want to upgrade again later you will always have a powerful enough powerhead.

[reefsurfing]

No, drilling is planned at the moment but that doesnt mean I havent thought about it. I just figured if im going to have pipes comming out of the back taking up space I would just do a DIY overflow no drilling.

As for the light I was looking for square inch coverage with the 6 bulb rather than the 4 bulb which is only 9 inches wide for an 18" tank. So my dilemna was coverage with a mostly sps tank. I did however think of an alternative. Maybe the tek 36" 4 bulb. It is 12 inches with a wider spread of light comming from the reflectors. also it is under $300 with the bulbs. That means my MP10 is almost free.

[njudson]

I've got an Aquatinics TX5 on my 40g breeder which is a bit of an odd fixture in that its 5 bulbs but the reflectors and fixture in general are awesome. Coverage is very good on the 18" width.

[TreyK]

I just set up my 40 breeder, I am running a 6x39 Sp and an mp40 and definately wouldn't want anything less for sps. Just my opinion. Check out np biopellets too, I'm tunning them on mine in an smr1, it's really not expensive especially considering the benefits. Also one mp10 unfortunately is not going to be nearly enough flow for your tank. I would consider upgrading to the mp40 or picking up 2 or 3 mp10s instead.

Speaking about my tank, I would like to upgrade my build thread, but can only see posts like 3 pages back. Could someone pm me on how to find my thread?thanks.

Sent from my iPhone.

[tiredreefer]

Just make sure not to drill the bottom if it is an Aqueon one as the bottom is tempered.

[kv2wr1]

The Aqueon 40 gallon Breeder bottom is not tempered, but the 40 gallon long bottom is.http://www.aqueonproducts.com/assets/011/19784.pdf

[tiredreefer]

I stand corrected I must have read an old spec sheet.

[tripnbili]

Personally I like 40g breeders...a good footprint which is what I really look for in a tank...

Actually, with the petco sale I'm planning on purchasing 2 40g breeders to set-up a coral propagation set-up...hehehehehe!

[Ethan_W]

just use a power compact for the micro algae in the refugium

[iap]

I really want a 40 because of the dimensions but I have a 60 tank and a 48 inch light fixture. How stupid would it look to have a 48" fixture on a 36" tank. I think I'll just stick with the 60g :|

[KAW750SS]

Im keeping some SPS in a 40 gallon breeder with just ONE 150W MH.
Although they are monti caps so they arent high dollar SPS.
But that one light, lights up the whole tank without any problems.

[MCCOOL]

Sounds like a good plan, I've got a 36"x18"x21" 58g with a 20L sump, SWC200 skimmer, 6 bulb sunpower and soon to be 2 mp10's. I drilled mine on the back and use a sicce syncra return pump. I think the mag5 will be plenty, a mag9 is way overkill and unnecessary.

[reefsurfing]

thanks for all the good feedback! As it stands im doing a cheap DIY overflow,for now. I am seriously considering making my own LED since it is just soooo CHEAP even with the Cree LEDs.