ZOKU's 40 BREEDER build thread...

[TimeConsumer]

Sweet. Hopefully you don't have chloramine in your water supply!

[alcoolaid]

Looks like you're on the right track! Can't wait to see it up and running.

[ZOKU]

Well, I actually took a VAC day from work today because after getting my tracking information - I realized my acrylic combo sump/refugium was being delivered today. FedEx typically will just leave stuff at our front door step & the ghetto kiddies in our neighborhood are notorious for making new parcels on front porches disappear. Not cool, I know.

So, I was initially going to get a used one from my brother's co-worker but that fell through... so I did some searching and found a seller on eBay who makes custom sump/refugiums. He just happened to have this one lying around after another buyer backed out of the eBay sale so I scooped it up.

I spoke to him on the phone and sent numerous e-mails back and forth. I gave him the dimensions of the SRO2000INT skimmer that I was getting and also gave him the dimensions of the Water Blaster 3000 return pump I'll be getting. He said the buyer who customized this sump was utilizing an SRO1000INT and guaranteed my equipment would work in this sump/refugium. I am hoping this thing will work with my skimmer as he said he was familiar with the SRO2000INT, as well. He also did guarantee that it holds water and also utilized the sump for an extended period of time while running water through it and back up to a main display tank.

The sump/refugium is approx. 36" x 15" x 15". (approx. 35 gallons)
The 1st chamber where the skimmer would sit is approx. 12 x 15
The 2nd chamber built for the refugium is approx. 16 x 15
The 3rd chamber is approx. 8 x 15.

It appears as though water will slowly overflow from the 1st chamber to the 2nd chamber via this "split" baffle (for lack of better terminology) My beneficial bacteria, pods and other assorted creepy crawlies thrive before trickling into the bubble trap and then up into the main display tank via the 3rd chamber.

I did verify the pump for the skimmer is under the water level before trickling into the 2nd chamber. Initially, when I pulled this thing out of the box - I didn't think there was anyway it would work. It doesn't appear as though the skimmer is going to sit in much water though....? The depth of water that would be in the 1st chamber before beginning to trickle into the 2nd appears to be approx. 4" or so given the tape measure photo I took below. Is this OK?

The seller did guarantee

** SKIMMER IN 1ST CHAMBER + FSS (FULL SUMP SHOT)



** SKIMMER IN 1ST CHAMBER **



** ANOTHER ANGLE **



** SHOT OF THE SPLIT 1ST BAFFLE GOING INTO 2ND CHAMBER **



** 2ND CHAMBER +BUBBLE TRAP + 3RD CHAMBER **



** SKIMMER BUBBLE BLASTER PUMP CLOSE-UP + BAFFLE **



** ANOTHER CLOSE-UP FOR PUMP + BAFFLE MEASUREMENT **




Thoughts? Should I do a water test on this thing? Aside from the obvious leaking, I'm not really sure what it is I need to be looking for, if anything? This is my 1st experience with a sump/refugium. My apologies for the lengthy post.

[ZOKU]

God, I'm such a moron sometimes (no comments to confirm this are necessary). I tend to jump the gun a lot without stopping... taking a deep breath... and looking at all of the data right in front of me. OBVIOUSLY SCOTT, the 2nd chamber (refugium) is going to be as "deep" as the baffle where the bubble trap goes into the 3rd chamber. D'UH!!!

Therefore... the water height in the 1st chamber that the skimmer actually sits in is approx. 6 3/4"... and if that's too deep, I can always utilizing some egg crate, acrylic stands or whatever to prop up the skimmer a bit and get it where I need to.

Also, it is holding water just fine with no issues whatsoever.... *yay!*

[Snakebyt]

looking good so far

[ZOKU]

UPDATE:

I still have a few more pieces of actual equipment to purchase (return pump, powerheads, heater, etc, etc) but alas - my reef allowance is seeking replenishment. I hate it when that happens! I really want to start playing around with rock!

I knew I was going to do base rock / dry rock from the very beginning. I really don't want to deal with any nuisance algae or pests like bubble algae or aiptasia.

I ordered 30 pounds of dry rock from John at Reef Cleaners. This is probably going to be a bit much since I know I'll still need to add a few select pieces of live rock to seed the tank... but I figured, I'll be able to have a bit of variety for aquascaping. I hope to have it this weekend or early next week at the latest. All dry rock from Reef Cleaners ships free!

Here's a few photos courtesy of John at Reef Cleaners:





I've read a lot of positive reviews about their rock as far as the porosity and shapes / sizes. I kinda dig the gnarly shapes and how many holes, caves and caverns there are! My intent is to cook this rock and clean it well and then begin aquascaping in my main display tank. I plan on adding a couple of select pieces of live rock to my refugium and the main display tank. I'm talking just a couple of pieces. Still tossing around the kind I'll be adding, i.e., Tukani? Manado? Pukani? Bali?

My question is, how do I REALLY know the live rock is free of pests, algae and other nuisances? I don't want to destroy the life on the rock, but at the same time - I don't want to just toss it into my display tank without knowing for certain it is pest/nuisance-free.

[hoganrj1]

Originally Posted by ZOKU

I've actually not had any first hand experience with them at all. But several local reefers recommended their overflow kit. I also did a search online and several others made the same recommendation. Everyone seems to say they're very quiet (no gurgling / toilet-draining noises)

Instructions are very straight forward, as well.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the heads up. Going to order mine soon.

[psteeleb]

looking good - tagging along

[ZOKU]

Originally Posted by psteeleb

looking good - tagging along

Hey.... thanks a lot!

I appreciate it!

[psteeleb]

Originally Posted by ZOKU

My question is, how do I REALLY know the live rock is free of pests, algae and other nuisances? I don't want to destroy the life on the rock, but at the same time - I don't want to just toss it into my display tank without knowing for certain it is pest/nuisance-free.

I think the bet recommendation is to get some seed rock from someone that has an established tank without pests. I also found if you keep it in bin of saltwater with minimal light and no corals most pests (if any) will die off.

My 300g had mojano's and AEFW's. It sprung a leak and had to be broken down. I got a large bin and kept a skimmer on it, topped it off and had added RO/DI water to maintain the level but no heater, lights etc. It did get some natural sunlight but not much, after 6 months I set up my 110g. I'm glad to say I haven't seen any of the pests I had in the 300g.

not sure if that helps but maybe as your cycling your tank you can set something up to let some live rock go fallow in a sense.

[ZOKU]

After doing a lot of reading, that may be the route that I end up going. I don't want to forego the live rock altogether... but I really don't want to run the risk of introducing pests into my main display tank.

I'd like to get a few pieces of live rock for my 'fuge, anyway.

My other point being... by keeping it in a rubbermaid container (or something) with no light and perhaps a powerhead and a heater, isn't that counter-productive to the whole "live rock" theory? Is the live rock still going to be "live"?

[LightTackle]

I'm in the process of finishing my 40 Breeder as well. I have my old Liverock from my Solana in a rubbermaid with a powerhead and heat, no light at all and a few pieces of Marco rock that I'm hoping will seed.
It's been in the rubbermaid for a month now and the nuisance algae is basically all gone but the coraline is still healthy.
My snails and brittle star are happy as can be as well.

I have been thinking of giving it a few hours of light a day now that the nuisance algae is gone.

[ZOKU]

Originally Posted by LightTackle

I'm in the process of finishing my 40 Breeder as well. I have my old Liverock from my Solana in a rubbermaid with a powerhead and heat, no light at all and a few pieces of Marco rock that I'm hoping will seed.
It's been in the rubbermaid for a month now and the nuisance algae is basically all gone but the coraline is still healthy.
My snails and brittle star are happy as can be as well.

I have been thinking of giving it a few hours of light a day now that the nuisance algae is gone.

Hey! Thanks, Dave! Much appreciated... that sounds good to me.

I'm thinking once I get things close to up 'n running, I'll get a few select pieces of live rock that I want. Then keep them in a rubbermaid container with saltwater + heater + powerhead. Once I've left the rock in there for a few weeks, hopefully, any nuisance algae (if on the rock) will die off.

Then I'll feel a bit more confident about adding it to my refugium and main display tank.

[psteeleb]

Originally Posted by ZOKU

After doing a lot of reading, that may be the route that I end up going. I don't want to forego the live rock altogether... but I really don't want to run the risk of introducing pests into my main display tank.

I'd like to get a few pieces of live rock for my 'fuge, anyway.

My other point being... by keeping it in a rubbermaid container (or something) with no light and perhaps a powerhead and a heater, isn't that counter-productive to the whole "live rock" theory? Is the live rock still going to be "live"?

check out page 2 of my 110 build
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...1766400&page=2

granted I also kept the fuge going but again, no heater and in this case no skimmer only a light and some top off water ever once and a while.

I ended up with coraline, peanut worms, pods, feather dusters, sponges (at least 3 types) bristle worms, snails, and the list goes on. The only what I would call a pest that survived were some of those snails that will kill other snails, I pull them out as I find them but I haven't seen any in a couple months. I can't recall the name of them.

[LightTackle]

I had bad Red Bubble Algae and Cyano in my Solana. I decided to remove all my corals and fish and run the tank with no lights for 2 months. The Bubble Algae and Cyano both started to die off but with the lighting from the Hi-Hats in the ceiling they didn't die all the way.
Now that the rocks have been in the rubbermaid with no light at all the algae is virtually all gone as I stated.

Good luck to you can't wait to see your finished product!

[ZOKU]

Been a few days since I've updated and now that I think about it... I really don't have much to add. heh heh....

Still waiting for my delivery of dry reef rock from John at Reef Cleaners. Tracking shows it'll be here Friday. I'm really excited to see the rock and what kind of pieces I got from him! I'll post up some pics this weekend when I've had a chance to take a look at it...

Still waiting for my 120W LED fixture to come in. I ordered it with the help of a local reef club member who's building it for me. I'm anxious to see the 14K LED lighting. There are also the standard 460nm blue actinic LED's built-in as well as (4) separate 403nm violet LED's for added color intensity... I'm not an LED/color spectrum expert by a long shot. I simply saw a local reefer's LED lighting over his tank and asked him to build me a fixture like his.

Also, picked up a GFCI outlet on eBay earlier this week. Safety first! I love it when I can sneak in on an auction just as there's 14 seconds left. *w00t!*

[ZOKU]

Got my 30 lbs. of Florida reef rock from Reef Cleaners delivered yesterday. Can't say I'm terribly impressed. The photo of the rock on their website is advertised as this:



According to their website, that isn't a piece of cherry-picked rock. ALL of their rock looks like that. I'm not naive to think I was going to receive that EXACT rock, however, some porosity, some thru-holes, caves and crevices and unique shapes would've been nice. I e-mailed them last night and got a "Sorry, you didn't like it" response and that was about it.

So instead.... the rock, I got looked like this:



Does that look like the rock advertised on their website? ...didn't think so.

I was pretty down last night because I really felt like I've made careful decisions into the equipment I've got for my tank thus far. I felt like I was looking at some mini boulders I could've gotten at Menominee Park in Oshkosh along the trash-ridden shoreline of Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin. OK. Maybe that's an exaggeration. But I was really, like, "What in the **** am I going to do with that ****?"

I got up this morning and decided I'd try and make some lemonade out of my lemons. Grabbed our hammer and a chisel I had stashed away in the garage and made my own holes, crevices and caves... ended up with this:





What do you guys think?

I still plan on adding a couple of pieces of live rock to help seed the dry rock along. But I really want to keep the aquascape fairly minimalistic. I really don't want a wall 'o rock in my tank. I've got a few more ideas up my sleeve, but for now - this is the gist of it.

** TUNZE 6015 **


Also, got a Tunze 6015 in the mail. I ordered it from Glass-Holes. $36.99 + FREE SHIPPING. It was hard to beat a deal like that. I plan on having the smaller Tunze 6015 against the back wall of my tank to add some flow diversity and variation. I plan on having a 6025 on the right hand side of the tank and another 6025 on the left hand side for a total of (3) powerheads in the tank alternating off / on in varying increments.

[Indiana Reefin]

Really nice setup! I got a 40 breeder in the works.

[ZOKU]

...any thoughts on whether or not my plan for flow is a good one?

I'm going to be using two (2) Tunze 6015's. One will be on the left hand side of my tank (aiming to the right) in front of my rock work. The second one will be on the back wall of the tank just as a source of variable flow.

I also am planning on aiming a single Tunze 6025 on the right hand side of the tank (aiming to the left) in the rear of the rock work.

Thoughts? Will the Tunze 6025 prove to be too much for my 40B even with a livestock plan of mostly SPS corals and zoas with the occasional LPS tossed in for texture and variety?

6015 = approx. 475GPH
6025 = approx. 660GPH

I will be incorporating the use of an Apex Lite to alternate the powerheads in a varying sequences.

[ZOKU]

So... I found a 4" filter sock holder on eBay for just a couple of bucks. I know they require diligent cleaning, but I've read they greatly reduce the amount of bubbles that end up in the DT.

I was also thinking I'd put some carbon in the filter bag to continue to keep the water polished. I'd also place some filter floss on top of the carbon for any ultra-fine particles that end up making their way from the DT to the sump. Looks like there's a few people here on the forum that are currently doing that.

Also, any thoughts on my plan for flow? I'm going to be using (2) Tunze 6015's and (1) Tunze 6025. Does that sound like overkill for a 40B if my plan is mostly SPS corals + zoas and a few LPS tossed in for texture?

[girlygears13]

Looks really good. Good luck with the new place and I can't wait to see this thing filled up. I'm living vicariously through you since mine is sitting around collecting dust

[ZOKU]

Originally Posted by girlygears13

Looks really good. Good luck with the new place and I can't wait to see this thing filled up. I'm living vicariously through you since mine is sitting around collecting dust

Thanks for the reply!

I am dying to get into our new place, as well. Looking forward to getting this thing up 'n running.

[Reefobsession]

About the powerheads. I think you are going to need at least one more 6025. I am going to go with either 2 6045s or 2 vortech mp10s

[ZOKU]

Originally Posted by Reefobsession

About the powerheads. I think you are going to need at least one more 6025. I am going to go with either 2 6045s or 2 vortech mp10s

Another 6025, huh? I was afraid of that.

I think I'm going to have to get the rockwork in there, get it all aquascaped the way I want it... and then use some trial and error to see how it is.

So... if I alternate them or even utilize them randomly on my Apex Lite at intervals of say 20-30 min. or so, I'd have a 6015 on the left... 6015 on the right... and (2) 6025's on the back wall for added variation and variable flow.

Sounds like overkill, but maybe not....?

[Nonameben]

Looks real good Zoku!

my $0.02:

After doing a lot of reading, and being told many times about this, I think you should get a second heater in case the other fails. Since yours is a 40B I don't think you'll need another 250W, but another can't hurt anything and may save you in the long run

I'm kicking myself in the butt for not getting a sump with space for a refugium (new guy mistake). I now have to get a HOB, and make sure it looks visually appealing -_-
Your sump looks really nice, the black material on the bottom gives it a nice touch.

And finally; live rock vs dry rock. I've had many people tell me I should go with dry rock to avoid unwanted pests, however I won't have anything in my tank for a little bit and think that I'll be able to care of any nuisances for that time being. Let me know how the dry rock works out for you! I'll be following along, can't wait to see some more updates!!