Keraxis 40b (first fish tank ever)

[Keraxis]

So ever since I was a child I wanted to salt water tank.  I did not grow up in a well off family so that was pretty much out of the question.  Add in the fact that i went to 12 different schools growing up and you can imagine trying to break down a tank every year for 12 years.  After high school I joined the navy which stopped me pretty much dead from owning most pets.  9 years later I exit the service and start my research.  This is my adventure.

 

I would like to start by thanking my wife for dealing with all my.......... Ill just put it how it is... i was neurotic about my build.  I Started ordering parts completely out of order.  She didn't understand why i saved on the tank and splurged on my powerhead.

She also had to deal with me heading to my local LFS over and over to ask questions.  

She also has trouble seeing the end result of a project.  When I brought home a pile of wood she raised an eyebrow.  

She was giving me the "this is not going in my living room look at this point.

Starting to take shape.  It wasn't until I stained it coffee color that she gave me the go ahead for the living room..... she would have had no problem telling me no either so this was a victory.

She had trouble understanding why I paid money for rocks.... I can understand that.  A rocks a rock right.

Then after months of research, planning, sweat and alittle blood she began to cycle.

Oh what a glorious day it was.... until 1 week later when the wife was looking at an empty tank and giving me that look again.

This brings us to a quick equipment time out. I have a 40b with a hand built stand.  a reef breeders par32 led light which i love.  An Aqua c HOB protein skimmer and my Ecotech MP-10 powerhead.  41 pounds of live rock and 40 pounds of fiji pink sand.  

 

WIfes home and wants me to start the grill so this will be continued with the next installment of Stocking the tank.

 

[Crob5965]

good luck, I started out with a 40B almost 2 years ago I'm on my 2nd upgrade now, it's a highly addictive hobby, I have to say that a 40B is a great size tank, I love the dimensions, however I like larger fish and was forced to go bigger to accommodate the fish I wanted.

 

looks good so far, I would start with a small cuc until the tank cycles, you could throw some damsels in there to help speed up the process, however they have a tendency to live forever and are hard to catch, so you may get stuck with them when the tank cycles.

 

Clowns are pretty hardy too, or at least in my experience they are.

 

thank you for your service, I am currently active Army, I only have about 14yrs left before I can retire 

[Keraxis]

its been cycled and i have coral and fish in.  I just havnt arrange the pictures yet for the post.  I chose a 40b because I am in a rental right now.  When i buy my house i thing i want to go up to a 90 or 120

[Crob5965]

its been cycled and i have coral and fish in.  I just havnt arrange the pictures yet for the post.  I chose a 40b because I am in a rental right now.  When i buy my house i thing i want to go up to a 90 or 120

 

I just saw your other post, looks good, I have a 90 right now and quickly out grew that too, if space will allow I would look into getting a 125-150 6ft tank, equipment wise it will run about the same as a 90 but allow you a much better variety of fish and coral, I am currently working on a 125 build right now and will most likely be sticking with that for the long haul, due to the moving around every couple of years. I found Condy's to be quite easy anemone's to keep, however not really any luck getting clowns to host with them, other than the maroons that I started out with. I have a midnight clown now that hosts with my frogspawn and a naked clown that has taken a liking to a torch I just picked up at ERC so you never know, although they are ocellaris not percs.

 

welcome to wamas, you'll definitely get a lot of great information from the members here, not to mention some great deals on livestock and equipment, I cant even tell you how many times my $20 membership has paid for itself. 

 

good luck and keep us posted, I love 40B's if I could get away with it without being a bachelor again I would set another one up in my bedroom

[YHSublime]

Good advice above on going as large as you can, like a 6'. I've found 150 to be just challenging enough, and offer a nice amount of space for corals and fish. The 6' allows me to feel good about keeping a few of the mid sized tangs, and the space is large enough that it can satisfy your urge to stuff it with coral. If you can be more disciplined about being choosy with what you keep, and really letting things grow out, then maybe a 90 is a perfect choice for you!

 

Enough about your future reef though, you've got a great looking start here. The 40 gallon breeder dimensions are perfect, IMO, and you've done a great job getting the aquascape started. Look forward to seeing some more pictures and watching it grow.

[Neto]

it looks like you are on the right track!

[Keraxis]

So I started off with a set of true perc clowns (Westley and buttercup) because my daughter really wanted some... she basically wants me to build the tank from finding nemo which I cant because that tank would have to be atleast 90 gallons to hold the puffer.

After that I noticed a few bristle worms and bought a trap which failed completely.  Excuse to buy a new tank mate.... score.  So in went A coral banded shrimp (Remmy).  Made quick work of the the worms.

Dog approves at this point.

I was on a budget at this point since the tank build had went over (don't they always) so i contacted someone who would sell me some easy beginner frags for a fair price.  I got a rock with a green Zoa colony with 2 mushrooms attached a shell with a green mushroom and a red Zoa plug.

We were gearing up for our St. John trip so I couldn't buy anything at this point.  So I just drooled over other peoples tank pictures for a few weeks until my trip.  On my trip I snorkeled for 3 hours a day and knew the local LFS was going to like me when I returned. Few pictures from St. John

Upon returning I was horrified at my tank.... pet sitter got a little happy with the feedings so I cleaned it out and did a 50% water change.  This gave me my excuss to add another fish... me Benny the lawnmower blenny

I also threw in 5 Turbo snails for my recently exploded green algae explosion (wasn't totally her fault because I had a small problem when I left.)

While getting the blenny and turbo snails my wife was looking at coral.... she fell in love with a hybrid hammer coral which for the price i would have never picked out but hey.... I want her to feel that its her tank to so i got it.  Its absolutely stunning and only cost so much because its 2 colors and has 9 heads.

She also decided we needed a Anemone.... still think my tanks to young but it still looks healthy but keep moving.  

She also allowed me to go back to my coral guy and get a few small things.  So i picked up a red mushroom, Frogspawn and a trumpet coral.

This concludes installment 2 of my build.  Until the wife is ok with me buying more.... farewell.