Rebecca's Simple Garden Reef

[showmebutterfly]

The time is nearing to upsize my SW setup from it's current 20g tank to the 40B. I am in the research and planning stage right now. As you can see, I have 2 very cute (but lazy) research assistants helping me today.
I plan to use the equipment I already have and whatever must be purchased will have to be either on a good sale or from Craigslist, FB Marketplace, etc. When I say frugal, I ain't playing.
I'm making lists of what I already have and what I may need to purchase. I'll share those on another post. For now, I'll get back to scheming / planning.

[Slaphppy7]

Woah, tell those two to calm down, patience is key in the hobby, LOL

Good luck with the upgrade, Rebecca

[angelcraze2]

Cool, I like frugal I try to DIY and recycle as much as possible too. I'll be looking forward to the upgrade build.

Oh so cute, they are already buddies!

[RiversGirl]

You've worked your research assistants to the bone! hahahaha Such cuties!


Good luck with your upgrade. I hope you find great deals (free!) on just what you need for your project!

[SueD]

I love orange kitties. Her canine friend is pretty darn cute, too.

One benefit of being in the hobby for some time is that you usually accumulate stuff when you decide to upgrade/add and delete tanks. Hmmm...I should clean out my cabinets soon.

[BluewaterBoof]

Woohoo! Another salty! Looking forward to what you end up with.

Just curious as to why you're going FOWLR. A 40b would give lots of room for a bunch of pretty corals

[showmebutterfly]

After taking inventory of what I have, making lists of what I think I need to get this build going and items I'd like to have down the road, this is what I've come up with:

Have:
2 Oscellaris clownfish
2 or more brittle starfish (hitchhikers)
Nassarius and cerith snails
40B tank, with stand, glass lid and heater
36” Current USA Satellite LED Plus light fixture
Live sand in 20g SW tank
Approximately 20 lbs. live rock
Approximately 10 lbs. dry rock
AC70 HOB Filter – modified
Hydor Koralia Nano Criculation Pump 240 GPH
Hydor Koralia Nano Circulation Pump 425 GPH
Marineland Maxi-Jet 900 (230 to 1000 GPH)
Eshopps Nano Skimmer, rated for 10-35 gallon aquariums
Refractometer
Saltwater Test Kit
20g QT, with glass lid, light and heater

Need:
Additional substrate to mix with live sand from 20g
Additional 10 lbs. (at least) of either dry or live rock
Additional / more powerful circulation pumps
Winning lottery ticket

Want:
36” T5 HO Quad Light fixture
AC110 HOB filter
Bigger and better protein skimmer
Additional livestock
Winning lottery ticket

The current light fixture is not ideal in the least for a SW setup. My plan is to not have it on enough to encourage algae growth.
The modified AC70 is not used for filtration, but adds some extra water volume and flow. I could possibly put the heater and / or the skimmer in there and use it as a very small sump, but I haven't experimented with that yet.
It's almost a given that I've left some stuff off or haven't thought of them yet, but I've got notes galore.
Now, back to more research.
I'd love some suggestions for substrate. I don't think I want more sand, but something that I can mix with the sand I already have and it look natural, more or less.

[angelcraze2]

Just curious as to why you're going FOWLR. A 40b would give lots of room for a bunch of pretty corals

I think OP already has the tank from keeping fish previously and is upgrading the salty tank.

[BluewaterBoof]

Need:
Winning lottery ticket

Ain't that the truth!?

Maybe for budget pump options, take a look at the Jebao PP-4 wavemakers. They have different modes to generate waves and surges to give a bit more natural flow to the tank and prevent detritus from settling in cracks, and can ramp up pretty high. They were a bit too powerful, even on weakest setting, for my nano but I think they would work very nicely in a 40g setup.

I think OP already has the tank from keeping fish previously and is upgrading the salty tank.

FOWLR means Fish-only (Fish Only With Live Rock) :) I was just curious as to why she didn't want to go with corals in the tank. Wasn't sure if she wanted fish that weren't reef-friendly or if maybe budget didn't allow for adequate lighting or something.

[showmebutterfly]

Maybe for budget pump options, take a look at the Jebao PP-4 wavemakers. They have different modes to generate waves and surges to give a bit more natural flow to the tank and prevent detritus from settling in cracks, and can ramp up pretty high. They were a bit too powerful, even on weakest setting, for my nano but I think they would work very nicely in a 40g setup.



FOWLR means Fish-only (Fish Only With Live Rock) :) I was just curious as to why she didn't want to go with corals in the tank. Wasn't sure if she wanted fish that weren't reef-friendly or if maybe budget didn't allow for adequate lighting or something.

I'll take a look at that wavemaker and do some research on it. I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos and their equipment can be all over the place, so it's good to have recommendations.
The budget for adequate lighting is non-existent right now, hence no corals for the foreseeable future. Plus, I kind of like the minimalist look. Or that's what my pocketbook is telling me, anyway. lol Also, I tried a couple of mushrooms in my 20g and managed to kill them. I still feel bad about that.