tomtom2245's custom 40B

[tomtom2245]

I was going through some of my old threads looking for one to add some new pics to and realized that I didn't have a dedicated tank thread so here we go. My setup is a drilled 40B with a Bean-Animal coast-to-coast overflow system connected to a 20 gal sump/fuge. The lights, stand, overflow, and sump/fuge were built by myself and have been ticking away now for about 2.5 years with a move thrown in after being only setup for a year. The lights are a custom built 40 bulb Cree LED fixture with LEDs from Rapid LED. They are powered by 3 dimmable drivers and a controller. The sump houses the heater, Reef Octo skimmer, ATO, fuge and a Mag 7 return pump. Everything is controlled by a Reef Keeper Lite. 

 

The stock is a mixed reef with mushrooms, LPS, SPS, clam, anemone, and a few zoas/palys. As for fish, I have a pair of occ. clowns (1 b&w and 1 orange), a breeding pair of bengai cardinals, a clown goby, and a diamond goby. I love my setup and works perfectly for me. If I had to change one thing, it would probably be the overflow system. Now don't get me wrong, the Bean-Animal system is whisper quiet and the peace of mind that comes from three separate drain line is very reassuring. On the other hand, the coast to coast overflow and all the plumbing, takes up a lot of space in my tank and I really feel like I'm losing out on valuable real estate. Well enough talk, let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

Tank and stand before being completely finished and stained

 

Overflow and return:

 

DIY LED fixture:

 

Sump/fuge early on:

 

FTS:

 

Superman and green strip shrooms

 

My little buddy the clown goby

 

Duncans

 

Squamosa clam and some pink palys

 

Clown Pair

[Nytelighter]

I'm with you on the bean animal. I didn't do mine coast to coast on my 40B but it does take up some space. Once I move and set up again I'm going to do a small internal box and bigger external box with all the plumbing.

[mr.x-ray]

I really like that extra tall stand. Lots of room for gear, right height for viewing and the little shelf in there is a nice addition.

[tomtom2245]

I really like that extra tall stand. Lots of room for gear, right height for viewing and the little shelf in there is a nice addition.

Thanks! I really wanted a stand that put the tank up closer to eye level and I also wanted the extra storage space inside. It may not be the prettiest stand in the world but it gets the job done.

[tomtom2245]

Got a good shot of my black sun coral fully extended last night and thought I would share. I purchased this guy from IC during their Black Friday sale. It really opens up good at night and I've almost got it completely trained to open up during the day.

 

[YHSublime]

Nice! Neat corals they are.

[tomtom2245]

Went a little crazy with the camera this afternoon and decided to post up some updated coral shots.

 

Dendro, purchased as a single head about 2 years ago. It's taken a long time to grow but well worth it.

 

Miami Hurricane chalice

 

Purchased as a Phoenix chalice and was solid red but now it's starting to develop some other color patterns in it. Can't wait to see what it turns into.

 

Black suns, and this is during the middle of the day! I do believe my training them to stay open during the day is now complete.

 

One of my new clams from Pacific East Aquaculture

 

Some green palys, not sure if they have an actual name or not. If anyone knows, please chime in. 

 

Pink palys, the ones that are part of the SWAP program

[tomtom2245]

Oh, and few growth shots.

 

Purple bonsai 12/8/13 (the day I got it)

 

Purple bonsai 1/26/14

 

Green birdsnest 12/8/13

 

Green birdsnest 1/26/14

[Incredible Corals]

Tank looks great!  Love the dendros

[CoralAquaCulture]

Always been a fan of the growth shots...good looking tank.

[DCReefer1964]

Looking good Bro!!!!

[londonloco]

Great looking tank, love the coral pics.  I'm a big fan of higher stands, makes a big difference in the way tank appears, at least it does to me.  How high did you go with the stand?

 

And how do you keep your sand so white?  Always amazes me to see such white sand......

Edited January 28, 2014 by londonloco

[YHSublime]

 

And how do you keep your sand so white? Always amazes me to see such white sand......

Me too

[tomtom2245]

Great looking tank, love the coral pics. I'm a big fan of higher stands, makes a big difference in the way tank appears, at least it does to me. How high did you go with the stand?

 

And how do you keep your sand so white? Always amazes me to see such white sand......

Thanks! I think the stand is 3' tall, not 100% sure. As for the sand, it didn't look like that all the time. For awhile there it was a blanket of red and brown from a really bad cyano outbreak I had. But I got that under control and then got a diamond goby who keeps it sifted and nice and white. I also have the super fine sand that helps prohibit coralline and other growth on it because the particles are so small. It can be a pain though as it's a lot easier to create sandstorms.

[tomtom2245]

For those that liked the growth shots, here are a few from my dendros. I got two single heads back in 2011 I think. Very slow growers but I have also moved liked 4 times or something since then so that may be a factor as well.

 

 

 

 

They still just as orange as previous pics but the color was a little off in this pic.

Edited January 29, 2014 by tomtom2245

[smallreef]

Very cool growth in them...love the little babies growing on the sides....

[YHSublime]

Very cool, mine has grown in size, but no new heads. I stopped target feeding, but broadcast feed just before lights out.

[tomtom2245]

Very cool, mine has grown in size, but no new heads. I stopped target feeding, but broadcast feed just before lights out.

 

Target feeding is where it's at with these guys. Mine get target fed pretty much every day when i feed the fish. Not only does it make them grow faster but if you feed them regularly, then they have to stay opened up more so they can digest the food and hence look better all the time.

[YHSublime]

Target feeding is where it's at with these guys. Mine get target fed pretty much every day when i feed the fish. Not only does it make them grow faster but if you feed them regularly, then they have to stay opened up more so they can digest the food and hence look better all the time.

 

Yeah, I saw a lot of that when it was one of the first corals into my tank. Unfortunately, at 3' of height, with pretty high flow, spot feeding becomes super challenging without shutting pumps off for an hour or so a day. Not impossible, but not likely. My next build will be 8' long and shallow.

[fscbishop]

Looking good tom!

[tomtom2245]

Looking good tom!

Thanks! All of the corals I got from you are doing amazing! Let me know when go to move. I would love to provide your red planet with a nice home .

[tomtom2245]

So as I mentioned in an earlier thread, I ordered a Bubble Magus dosing pump and now I finally got it installed! I'll have to say this thing is pretty amazing. The programming of it is really easy, just select the pump, enter the total ml/day, enter the number of cycles/day to divide the dose into, and then press 'enter'. The other feature of it I really like is the manual mode which essentially allows you to turn the pump on for as long as you hold the button down. This comes in really useful when first setting it up as you can prime the lines all the way through just by holding a button down. Now the only thing left is to get the right dosage dialed in.