List

[rastamang]

Hey i have a 40 gallon breeder tank could you help me out and make a list of what i'll need?

[ryeguyy84]

what are you going to do with the tank?

Fish only
Mixed reef
LPS
SPS
Ect, Ect. . .

[rastamang]

live coral plants sand fish shrimp etc

[Mandrew]

Protein skimmer is a must! Heater, about 40lbs of substrate (sand), around 40-50lbs of base rock or live rock. (I suggest base rock it's half the price and doesn't come with pests), an good lighting for sure! 4 bulb t5 or some good quality LEDs.

[Mandrew]

And you will want probably at least two circulation pumps. I suggest koralias, they are good quality and good for a small budget.

[Pife]

Lots of reading on here. Join a local saltwater club if there around. Buy good quality stuff the first time instead of buys stuff twice. Get good test kits and test your water and log them in to a note book or app. Talk to a local fish store people they should help you out.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Lighting is a matter of personal choice. The options to look at are metal halide, T5 or LED. LED is a large upfront cost, but overall long term use it pays off as the bulbs don't need to be changed often. MH and T5 bulbs need to be changed every 9 months or so. I run T5's over my 40 breeder. You can see a list of what I'm using on my 40B in my signature line under this post.

If you haven't done so yet, please read through all of the stickies at the top of this forum.

[Mandrew]

LEDs aren't necessarily that expensive up front, I bought a beamswork (off brand) 48" light strip for my 60g and all my corals are happy under it and I see growth and that fixture was only $150. But I do not have any SPS at this time. I'm getting a frag from a friend soon to test if my lights can handle em

[Sugar Magnolia]

Yes, there are cheap options but I'm not sure about the quality. The price has been coming down on them as well.

For flow, it'll depend on what you plan to keep as far as corals go. SPs need a high flow environment. you can get away with lower flow if you plan to keep softies and LPS.

[Comedy Fish]

Take everything your lfs says with a grain of salt. Their main ambition is to make money. They will try to sell you everything that try can. Do research on anything before you purchase it. The number one rule of saltwater is never impulse buy. And for god sakes, be educated about the nitrogen cycle.

[rastamang]

thanks for all the help guys! really appreciated, hey if I get this; http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalog/product/view/id/1253/
Would I need to purchase anything else besides the piping and the obvious chemicals?

[rastamang]

or can you please shoot me links of good QUIET pumps that I can make a refugium with? And all the other parts i'll need for a pump? Please.

[ryeguyy84]

That sump can be used as a refugium or a Berlin style sump. You would just need to plumb it to your tank. If you want a fuge you would need to get a compact skimmer to fit next to the return pump in the last chamber.

[twilmot]

+1 to what all the others have suggested. Also, the Stickys at the top of this forum are a major help. I didn't read enough when I set up my first tank and wasted a lot of money on things that I didn't need or even understood. I also, did not spend enough on the things that really matter. Read up and ask a lot of questions (coming here is a major step in the right direction). Good luck and Welcome!

[rastamang]

A compact skimmer in the last chamber, isn't the skimmer in the last chamber bad cause it could produce microbubbles? and thanks twilmot (:

[MrTuskfish]

You need a quarantine tank and the determination to always use it.

[fishroomlady]

read, read, and read some more :) You really need to understand what you are doing before you make the decisions about how to do it if that makes sense.

[ryeguyy84]

A compact skimmer in the last chamber, isn't the skimmer in the last chamber bad cause it could produce microbubbles? and thanks twilmot (:


It's possible but with the sump you are looking at it's either a fuge or a skimmer in the middle.

I wasn't able to figure out a happy medium but luckily my skimmer didn't have a problem that

[rastamang]

You need a quarantine tank and the determination to always use it.
Whats a quarantine tank?