40g breeder tank favorable?

Zissou

What about my dynamite?
I was going to pick up a 20L for my first reef tank (I have a 10g I'm going to use for a sump/refugium), but while digging through the craigslist I found a 40g breeder tank. It's 36x18x18. Obviously it'll probably need a heavy cleaning, that's if it even holds water.

Keep in mind this will be my first tank, and I have alot of patience, I won't be rushing into this. I've been lurking on multiple forums for quite a while now just reading all that I can, and I believe I'm ready to take the first plunge. Is there any downsides to a tank with these dimensions, or should I start completely fresh and pick up an all glass 20L from Petco?

They're both the same price.

Anyway, thanks for any suggestions you can give me, I hope to be a contributing part of the community wherever I can!
 
I'm not sure about downsides

but bigger tanks are more stable and easier


Your in Alaska? I wanna visit there some day.
 
Last edited:
That would actually make a great reef.
Most breeder tanks arent as deep,so you get better light penetration.Easier when placing corals and aquascaping.I think it would work just fine.
 
I agree. If you decide to get it, be sure to leak test it first -- fill it with water and let it sit for a couple days to make sure no water is leaking out.
 
prepare yourself to be left wanting more with that size tank. I was told to go as big as I could and I did, but it wasn't enough. Go ahead and start with the 40 if it is a good deal and when you realize you can only have, like 3 small fish, you will crave a bigger tank. I am glad to hear you are patient. That makes all the difference in the world with this hobby. Some people just push their tanks too fast by adding corals and fish to fast, get a clam and anemone right away, go gadget happy, and then...BAM their tank crashes and they are left to wonder why they did not listen to wise advice when it was given to them. :frustrat:

Glad to have you around and look forward to watching you build your tank.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Thanks for the warm welcome, I really appreciate it. :bowdown:

When I pick up the tank I can only hope that it isn't too scratched up and ugly to use. I don't have alot of money to throw around, so I certainly don't want to waste it on cheap equipment. Given that this is the case, it'll be a slow build. It'll take a couple of more months before I can even start, and a couple months after before I put any fish in it. I want to make sure everything runs the way it's supposed to.

So here are the preliminary plans, any changes I should make?

Is this too many fish for a 40g Breeder?

Tenative Fish List:

1 Longnose Hawkfish (Problem with feather dusters or cleaner shrimp?)
1 Royal Gramma
2 False Percula Clowns
1 Watchman Goby, or something like it.
1 'centerpiece' fish. Lemonpeel/Flame/Coral Angel? I've heard that these aren't exactly reef safe however.

Any other recommendations? When I think of my dream tank I see a bunch of school fish, a couple of tangs and a longnose butterfly but I know that that won't happen with this tank.

Corals, and what I know about them:

I don't want a 'pile of rocks' aquascaping with brown softies all over the place.

I love acros and montis, and any corals that look like flowerpots, tubes or vase/cup like. Sun Coral are beautiful, I heard there's a coral that looks like it that isn't as hard to keep? Unfortunately, most of the corals I've liked seem unfit for a beginner, any recommendations? I do like torches, pulsing xenias, colorful mushrooms/polyps and pipe organ coral.

So what all will I need?

Tentative equipment list:
40g Breeder
10g Sump/Refugium
Refractometer, Test Kits (Recommendations on which ones I need?)
Closed loop system with SWCD's maybe?
UV Sterilizer (I want my water to be crystal clear, is this overkill?)
Protein Skimmer (something that'll go in the sump maybe?)
Lights - How many watts? MH or T5's?
Powerheads/Pumps - Koralia, Maxi Jets?

If this were your tank, what would you start with?

Sorry for being such a newb. Thanks for bearing with me!
 
Looks like you've been doing a lot of research. Good! You already know what you want, which makes picking out equipment a lot easier.

The hawkfish won't be safe around inverts such as crabs, shrimp and snails. I would pass on that one, unless you are willing to forego the animals I mentioned above.

The lemonpeel angel will be pretty risky around corals. The flame and coral beauty, however, are a little safer. Although there are no guarantees with angels. It's about a 50/50 chance that you'll get one that will nip at your corals. I have a coral beauty that doesn't touch corals, and several people on here have flames that behave themselves, so odds are pretty good that you can find one that will work out in a reef tank.

Sun corals aren't HARD to keep. They are just very demanding. They need to be hand fed daily, since they don't photosynthesize. If you want to get a sun coral, be sure that you are able to devote the time necessary to take care of it.

Torches (which are related to frogspawn and hammer corals) are one of the best beginner corals out there. They are easy to keep and good looking. So are xenias, mushrooms and polyps. The SPS you mentioned (montipora and acropora) need a more established tank and excellent water conditions to thrive. You can certainly keep them in a tank your size, but I would wait several months before adding SPS. If you start with the other corals you mentioned, you should be fine.

These are the basic test kits you'll need for a reef tank: pH, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium and phosphate. There are tons of tests for specific elements and chemicals, but if you start off with the ones above, you should be covering the basics.

UV sterilizers aren't really a great idea for reef tanks. They kill off the good stuff (coral food, plankton, bacteria) as well as the bad stuff (parasites, algae). The only time I would recommend a UV sterilizer is if someone is having continuous disease problems with their fish (like if someone keeps a bunch of tangs, and they keep getting ich). Otherwise, you are taking too much of the beneficial stuff out of the water.

As for a protein skimmer, I really like the Octopus brand. I got an Octopus for my 240 and love it. They are really cheap for the quality too. If you want to go cheaper than the Octopus, try looking into Aqua-C or Coralife.

As for lights, you can keep anything you want under MH. But they are more expensive and heat up more than T5s. For a tank your size (which would heat up pretty quickly), I'd recommend T5s. Get the most powerful fixture you can afford for your size tank, and get T5s that have individual bulb reflectors.

I really like the Koralia powerheads -- I'm running 6 of them in my tank. But they are pricey, $40 to $60 a pop. If you are on a budget, MaxiJets are an excellent choice.
 
Biffs got you pretty well covered on every thing as far as the test kits,lights,and stuff.
Most montis are fairly easy.Just have to keep nitrates low and calcium and alkalinity up and provide enough light.
As for the angel fish,you basically have 2 to choose from out of your list.Stay away from the lemonpeel.I've not seen one yet that didnt have a taste for coral flesh.So either the flame(my personal choice) and the coral beauty.
If you use a big enough pump on a closed loop,you may not need any power heads,But you could buy 3 power heads for the price of the pump.
 
to your fish list, I would remove the hawkfish and replace it with a few purple firefish. They are quite hardy and amazingly beautiful. The clowns are a good add as well. I have a royal gramma and they are quite striking. Another good choice. I would pick the flame angel. I have one in one of my tanks and he has never touched a coral, even xenia. Another angel that is quite pretty and rarly seen is the potter's angelfish. It looks like a lighter version of the coral beauty and are a bit hardier IMHO. avoid the lemon peel and bicolor angels as if they were death waiting to happen, because they are.

As for corals, as a beginner, go for mushrooms and zoanthids. They are easy to keep (like, in a toliet) and make a good base for your reef. try a few leathers too, if you like. a good healthy toadstood leather is hard to beat. look at a bubble coral as well. they are stunning.

Best of luck.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Thanks for the warm welcome, I really appreciate it. :bowdown:

When I pick up the tank I can only hope that it isn't too scratched up and ugly to use. I don't have alot of money to throw around, so I certainly don't want to waste it on cheap equipment. Given that this is the case, it'll be a slow build. It'll take a couple of more months before I can even start, and a couple months after before I put any fish in it. I want to make sure everything runs the way it's supposed to.

So here are the preliminary plans, any changes I should make?

Is this too many fish for a 40g Breeder?

Tenative Fish List:

1 Longnose Hawkfish (Problem with feather dusters or cleaner shrimp?)
1 Royal Gramma
2 False Percula Clowns
1 Watchman Goby, or something like it.
1 'centerpiece' fish. Lemonpeel/Flame/Coral Angel? I've heard that these aren't exactly reef safe however. I would leave out the Hawkfish,not safe around inverts,50/50 risk with an angel,personally I go Flame

Any other recommendations? When I think of my dream tank I see a bunch of school fish, a couple of tangs and a longnose butterfly but I know that that won't happen with this tank.

Corals, and what I know about them:

I don't want a 'pile of rocks' aquascaping with brown softies all over the place.

I love acros and montis, and any corals that look like flowerpots, tubes or vase/cup like. Sun Coral are beautiful, I heard there's a coral that looks like it that isn't as hard to keep? Unfortunately, most of the corals I've liked seem unfit for a beginner, any recommendations? I do like torches, pulsing xenias, colorful mushrooms/polyps and pipe organ coral. If you want acros,go with T5-HO at least.One with individual reflectors will be even better.

So what all will I need?

Tentative equipment list:
40g Breeder
10g Sump/RefugiumIts hard to work in the confinements of a 10g,go bigger with the sump/fuge if possible
Refractometer, Test Kits (Recommendations on which ones I need?)ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,pH,akalinity,calcium at the least for a reef system
Closed loop system with SWCD's maybe?I'll answer this in a sec.
UV Sterilizer (I want my water to be crystal clear, is this overkill?)This can wait to after the system is running.You can have crystal clear water without it.You'll need to weight the pros and cons to decide if its worth it to you.
Protein Skimmer (something that'll go in the sump maybe?)I recommend the Octopus skimmers for in sump
Lights - How many watts? MH or T5's? Because of possible heat issues,I leave MH off the list.I'm not going to quote the wpg for your system.It doesn't work with T5.Get a fixture that fits the length of the tank and has at least four rolls of bulbs,a fixture with individual reflectors will be even better.
Powerheads/Pumps - Koralia, Maxi Jets?Close loops is a way to have circulation without using powerheads/circulation pumps.Which way do you want to go?Two Koralia model 2 would be my choice.Maxi's are cheap and works well too.

If this were your tank, what would you start with?

Sorry for being such a newb. Thanks for bearing with me!

Read the boldface.Its hard for me to remember so many ???.I'm getting old,I suppose.Anymore questions or if I didn't answer everything,feel free to ask.
 
reef, how do you bold like that. I asked Biff, but she is a priss and is not answering me.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
reef, how do you bold like that.All you have to do is hit the "Quote" buttom from the person who is asking the question.Then hit the "B" and type in between the symbols.Of course you can add color to,if you like(hit "B'' then "A" and chose color. I asked Biff, but she is a priss and is not answering me.

-Dr Marco :sfish:

I can PM you if you can't figure it out.
 
HA!!! if only I were awake enough earlier to keep myself from looking like a total tard. thanks for your patience with me Dominick. You rule.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
HA!!! if only I were awake enough earlier to keep myself from looking like a total tard. thanks for your patience with me Dominick. You rule.Hit 1)Hit Quote button,2)Left click on mouse to where you want to insert bold/color to the quote,3)hit ''B'',4)type now in between [/B]

-Dr Marco :sfish:

Did that help better?
 
yes, and worthy of another "thanks". Now I can be cool like the rest of the kiddies here.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Back
Top