# 40 breeder saltwater tank setup



## Hawaiian Chub (May 8, 2012)

howzit going everybody.just wanted to introduce my self before i start picking your brains for advice :-D..anyway,im new to this forum and i know from previous forums that if you join and just demand info you wont get the results or responses that you want lol.i have some experience with saltwater tanks.i had a 75 gal with just common reef fish (that we caught from the beach),live rock,live sand and also a few octopus.it went good for about a year or so till the octopus killed one of the fish.that dead fish that was in there for about 8 hours (was waiting for the octopus to eat it :-?) eventually fouled up the whole tank and killed everything in it .that was 5 years ago,so fast foward to present day and now thatnks to this site and the amazing info and PICTURES,im getting sucked back into the hobby again!lol... soooo.. as the title says,im starting a 40 breeder for a FOWLR setup and needed your opinions on some of the equipment i already have and what i might need later.i want to start it off as a FOWLER but eventually have it evolve into a mini reeef (if possible).the equipment i have is pretty basic,
40 gal breeder
1 36 '' ECKO T5 2x 39w,6x moon lt LED light system
homemade stand made up of hollow tile and ply wood  (dont judge me) lol
and a 350 magnum canister filter.
some items i may need..
another light (same fixture?) i thought it was a steal for $125 since i saw the LED's
protien skimmer,still havent decided on one yet...need help finding one that fits the tank
and maybe another filter cause i think the 350 magnum might be too strong as it is ratred for 100 gal.
and one of those "fan" looking things i see in alot of the tanks...
alright thats all i got right now so if anyone can chime in it would help me a bunch!mahalo in advance! Aloha!


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Reef Octupus Skimmer
SWC Skimmer
Deltec Skimmer
Bubble Magus SKimmer
ANy of those rated at 100g would be ok.
You don't need a filter on your tank, so don't go buying a new one. Using at least 1.5lbs of LR per gallon of water. There is your filter.
Powerheads needed in the tank are for water movement. You need at least 10x your water volume for a FOWLR and at least 20x your water volume for a Reef
The light you have will be ok for your FOWLR, but you will need a bigger light for a Reef. Assuming it has one white lamp and one blue lamp, a 4 lamp unit would be better.
Powerheads:
Hydor
Max Jet Pro
and E-Bay for knock offs. They have plenty of powerheads to choose from.


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## Hawaiian Chub (May 8, 2012)

thank you much reefmadness for the quick response!so u think the 350 would be to much huh..hmmm.instead of removing it do you think it would work in the place of a power head instead?i didnt hook it up yet but i would think it would move a ton of water just as a power head would.what do you think?or do you think the mechanical filtration is what i need to eleminate?
on another note...i was looking at "1fish2fish's" third build and really liked the idea of using the pond foan to aquascape a reef wall.have you read anything or had experience with the product?i also read that all his reef fish died in the tank.:-?.do you think it was cause maybe they ate some of it?well i hope not cause that idea actually sold me into getting started again lol....hopefully someone that used it could chime in..thank you again,much appreciated.aloha.


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## Hawaiian Chub (May 8, 2012)

oh i forgot to add..i was gonna use sythetic salt to start the tank off.what brands do you guys use,and which ones should i stay away from?also how soon can i add in the live sand and live rock? thanks in advance.aloha.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Sure you could use the canister as a powerhead, it won't be as much flow as you think. Powerheads generate much more flow than a canister, even with their diffuser, but yes, it will give you some. As far as the back ground goes, haven't spoken with many who have done that, you might PM 1Fish and ask him about it.
I use Instant Ocean, no need to go out of your way for the costly stuff, more than likely you will have to Dose Calcium or Magnesium like the rest of us at some point. Setting up the tank, you will put in the sand, aquascape then you can fill it. Or fill it half way, put in the sand and rock then fill it up.


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