about to start my 1st salt/reef tank!

[CRONZ]

first off HELLO! My names David im from North County and im going to be starting my 1st reef tank. I have fresh water experience, nothing crazy but my love for the ocean has got me wanting a piece of it at home. (Love scuba diving !)

I just now picked up a 40 Gallon visio tank with stand & canopy (came with 2 heaters and an Eheim HOB filter.

I know this is going to take some time as i dont have $$$ to blow right off the bat.

But im trying to get a set of power heads(Jebao), live sand and rock(Fiji) and start cycling with the HOB filter. (smart or not??)

i do plan on running a sump (Aqueon ProFlex??) using the herb method so should i wait until i get my tank drilled and have all the piping/overflow box done and sump setup correctly?

also need recommendation for return pump/nozzle, skimmer, led lighting, refug setups and a good testing kit / refractometer.

looking forward to reefing and hope you guys can show me the way thank you!

[Sancho]

That is a nice size tank for starting out with. I am doing a Group buy right now on Jebao pumps. Prices are wholesale. Aquatic warehouse has the best prices on live sand. Live rock can be hit or mis. I know there is someone on this Forum that sells live rock. If your planning on drilling the tank and running a sump it is pointless to start the cycle now with your HOB. First thing you need to do is drill the tank. Make sure the bottom is not tempered. Visio tempers their custom tanks. That looks like a brand new tank. Flip it over and if it is tempered Visio puts a sticker on the bottom warning you not to drill. Have someone experienced with drilling glass drill it for you. You will need 3 holes for the herbie method. As far as the aqueon sump If your on a budget I would build your own sump. Mine took an afternoon to make and cost came in under $60.

[Sancho]

As far as lighting goes do your research and find something that works for you. That is an on going debate on all forums as far as what works best. All the options have their pros and cons. Since $$$ is an issue I would recommend a couple full spectrum Chinese LEDS to start out with. Nice lights under $100 each. Go to aquatic warehouse for your plumbing needs. They have all the fittings you need for an aquarium in stock. Bulk Reef Supply has the best priced refractometer. but keep an eye out here they come up for sale pretty regularly.

Welcome to the forum.

[CRONZ]

which power heads should i get. was looking @ the WP-40 do i need one powerful one or two weaker ones? (will eventually get some coral down the line but the easy to maintain ones)

[jasonp87]

Welcome aboard Cronz! Looks like you're off to a great start! If you know you want to go the sump route drill your tank now because it will be near impossible to do it later. If you're worried about cycling your rock toss it in a Rubbermaid bin with a heater and some power heads and cycle that way. As sancho said, lights are up to you. Everyone is going to tell you what works best but every person and tank is different. I go with LEDs for the energy savings and not having to worry about changing bulbs.

Ratkiller on here drills tanks btw, but he's located in Mira Mesa. He has drilled several for me and they always turn out great.

[Sancho]

The WP 40 is way to big for your tank. I would recommend 2 RW 8. The RW are newer and have more features. The other option is the WP 25 and WP 10 combo with the dual controller. I have 2 WP25 on my 34 and they are overkill. I run them at the lowest speed. If your looking at the Jebao return pumps you could use the DC 3000 or DC 6000. I prefer the DC 6000. The DC pumps are controllable and you can dial it down. I would go with the DC 6000. I would rather have the ability to have more flow if needed.

[Sancho]

As far as a overflow box MGM plastics can custom make one for you. They do legit work with acrylic.

[CRONZ]

As far as a overflow box MGM plastics can custom make one for you. They do legit work with acrylic.

Could they beat this deal haha. http://www.ebay.com/itm/161133124585

As for power heads thx for the info! Should save me $$ knowing I could go smaller

As for drilling what's the price to get all holes done? (Herbie method plus a return hole unless I go hang over nozzle)

[OhioStreetz]

Could they beat this deal haha. http://www.ebay.com/itm/161133124585

As for power heads thx for the info! Should save me $$ knowing I could go smaller

As for drilling what's the price to get all holes done? (Herbie method plus a return hole unless I go hang over nozzle)

Get the tank drilled. You will thank yourself in the long run. With this hobby you want to rush into it because you see awesome tanks at other people's house and at the lfs but you really need to take it slow with setup. The more time you have to research and figure out how to exactly setup your system how you want it the more enjoyable reefing will be to you. Drilling the tank is cheap the plumbing is a little pricey depending on how you do it.

[Sancho]

Could they beat this deal haha. http://www.ebay.com/itm/161133124585

As for power heads thx for the info! Should save me $$ knowing I could go smaller

As for drilling what's the price to get all holes done? (Herbie method plus a return hole unless I go hang over nozzle)

That is a great deal. That box would be for drilling the back of your tank though not the bottom. So if you plan on having the tank up flush up against the wall that wont work. If you dont mind having the plumbing behind your tank that type of box will work.

[DaveMorris]

My biggest piece of advice to you is ask questions, and then act on the answers you get. One of the most valuable things you can do is learn from other people's mistakes. Often times you will get different answers from two different people who both have excellent tanks. Go with what you feel is best for you or what you are most comfortable with. This site as well as get togethers with clubs, is the best way to learn and get advice. share experiences and we can all benefit from each other. The advice given to you so far is excellent advice and you seem to be on the right track by reaching out with questions. Keep it up.

[FDdragon]

As for drilling what's the price to get all holes done? (Herbie method plus a return hole unless I go hang over nozzle)

I got mine drilled by Ratkiller
http://www.sdreefs.com/forums/showth...rill-your-tank.

He did an awesome job and was pretty quick too.

[Sancho]

Here you go $10 per hole http://www.sdreefs.com/forums/showth...es-Drilled.... And he is in Vista. Close to Oside.

[Sancho]

Have you decided how your going to drill you tank? If your doing the herbie I would have 3 holes drilled. 3/4" for the drain 3/4" for emergency overflow that will give you 400 gph gravity fead turnover, Rule of thumb is 10 x tank size. The DC3000 you ordered should keep up with that no problem. If you are using standard ABS bulkheads you need a 35mm hole for the 3/4" bulkhead. As for your return I would use 1/2" bulkhead. You would need a 30mm hole for the 1/2" bulkhead to work. If it were my tank I would do a center overflow and drill the bottom of the tank. I noticed that you are selling the overflow box you got from Ebay. So I assume your going with the bottom drilled approach. I like my tanks up against the wall. You give up some real estate in tank with that approach but I think it looks better. So does my wife she she has the final say. She wanted tank flush with the wall.

[CRONZ]

So today I will be picking up some live rock and sand and get this show on the road. Wasn't easy but it's finally coming along.

I'll put together a build thread once I get time. Besides getting the tank initially I got it drilled all plumed up to my custom sump made by advanced acrylics and got my power heads and pump and water and misc equip.

More to come.