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Petco $1/gallon sale - looking for 40 breeder

FeliciaLynn

FeliciaLynn

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Hi everyone! Can you please let me know if you see the $1/gallon sale going on at Petco? I'm looking to get a 40 breeder tank. I'll give whoever finds me a $40, 40 breeder a free frag of zoanthids :)
 
Awesome, thanks!

Yep, I'm alive! Sorry everyone. Got INSANELY busy with my research/graduate school and just didn't have time for my tanks. Honestly, just got really burned out for a while. Unfortunately, I was neglecting the tank and I had a partial crash recently due to an unfortunate chain reaction. Anyways, I'm making a ton of changes and trying to get excited about the hobby again after taking a breather. I'm taking the seahorse tank down because I just don't have time to maintain two separate tanks. Erin took the seahorse.

The main tank is probably going to get a redo. I've decided the equipment set-up on that tank is a disaster. I decided to add a sump to that tank after it was already up and running, so I had to use a HOB overflow box, which I hate. Also, the stand for my tank is very narrow, since the tank is only 13" deep. This means the interior dimension of my stand is only ~10" deep. That doesn't leave me with many sump options, so I have all my equipment crammed into a 5 gallon tank. Its like a jigsaw puzzle haha. Anyways, I've realized its a nightmare to get any of that equipment out to service it, and I'm just over it.

My apartment is small, so I can't upgrade much. Also I'm on the second floor of an older building and weight from a bigger tank makes me nervous. I'm still in the planning phases, but I'm thinking about getting a 40 breeder and stand to replace my 30 gallon. It would be the same length and height, but add 5" of depth to both the tank and stand. This way, I can get a normal sized sump into my stand! I'm thinking a 20 long and I'll do the baffles myself to customize it. Since its only a ~15 gallon water volume upgrade, the majority of my current equipment will still work. I'll just have more space for it and can stay better organized.

Basically, I'm just too busy right now to spend a ton of time on the tank, so I need to really streamline the maintenance so that I can still enjoy the hobby. :)
 
Understand what you're going through, to an extent, I remember my last day as a graduate and when I left the meeting with my advisers it was like that scene in The Shawshank Redemption (not the rape scene) ... I road that high for a few days after that... then realized I had to get a job :D
 
Not enough time ... partial tank crash ... lots of changes ... sounds like me.
:)

Start a NEW tank build thread. It helped me get more excited about it.
Which reminds me, I need to post some new rock pics.
 
rygh said:
Not enough time ... partial tank crash ... lots of changes ... sounds like me.
:)

Start a NEW tank build thread. It helped me get more excited about it.
Which reminds me, I need to post some new rock pics.
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Glad to hear it isn't just me! I definitely think a whole new build thread is a good idea. I'll try to get one up tonight if I have time. No promises though, but hopefully soon.
 
Lemme know if u need help drilling the new tank or what not. Good luck! Don't forget to leave room for a decent top off reservoir in there somewhere too
 
Coral reefer said:
Lemme know if u need help drilling the new tank or what not. Good luck! Don't forget to leave room for a decent top off reservoir in there somewhere too
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I was actually going to post asking about that. I'm all for DIY, but I've never drilled a tank and I'd hate to break it. If you've done it several times, it would be great to have someone help who is confident they won't crack the tank. I'd hate to crack the tank and then have to go track down a new one :)

And yep, my plan is to use a 20L as a sump and take about 7" on one end to partition off as an ATO reservoir. That would give me 4 gallons, which is what I have now and lasts about a week.
 
aqua-nut said:
Good to see you back! Thought we'd lost you.

Petco has tanks on sale till 1/24.
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Thanks! Yep, I'm back. I couldn't stay gone for forever. I just needed a bit of a break :)

I picked up the 40 breeder and the 20L today with the $1/gallon sale. The timing worked out perfect! I also had Karson at AC order my a 40 breeder stand. I'm getting the Aqueon stand that's all hard wood. I'd prefer to build one myself, but I don't have the workspace for it, so this is a good alternative. Much better dimensions than my current stand and will fit the 20L perfectly.
 
Awesome to have you back! You and Brandie will have very similar setups, haha. We're about to get the 40B (that I originally bought at the Petco sale a while back) setup for her before we take down the 210. It'll probably be a tank that we'll end up drilling too.
 
FeliciaLynn said:
I was actually going to post asking about that. I'm all for DIY, but I've never drilled a tank and I'd hate to break it. If you've done it several times, it would be great to have someone help who is confident they won't crack the tank. I'd hate to crack the tank and then have to go track down a new one :)

And yep, my plan is to use a 20L as a sump and take about 7" on one end to partition off as an ATO reservoir. That would give me 4 gallons, which is what I have now and lasts about a week.
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I've done it once, pretty easy tho. I don't have the hole saw for anythin other than 1" bulkhead though, I'd say do a 1.5" bulkhead.
Also, if you find the right container for top off you can just set tht in your sump rather than glueing in partitions. Might be easier.
 
Coral reefer said:
I've done it once, pretty easy tho. I don't have the hole saw for anythin other than 1" bulkhead though, I'd say do a 1.5" bulkhead.
Also, if you find the right container for top off you can just set tht in your sump rather than glueing in partitions. Might be easier.
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Maybe I'll just give it a go myself then. I'd just hate to break the tank and have to go searching for a new one. Why do you recommend the 1.5" bulkhead? I was considering the Glass Holes 700 gph kit which they recommend for 30-60 gallon tanks and it has a 1.5" bulkhead. But then my boyfriend was telling me that he only used a 1" on his 30 gallon and that it would be more than enough. I found this kit, which also looks interesting and is cheaper than glass holes, but its a 1" bulkhead.
http://store.txholeyrocks.com/index...600gph-overflow-box-complete-install-kit.html
 
My tank came with a 1" on my 65G tank and it uses the MegaFlow and it is rated at 600 GPH

1.5" would give you more turnover depending on your return pump...but again with this hobby it all about balance and on a smaller tank you would be fine with a 1" if you go 1.5" you might have to dial back your return pump and that over time can add more stress to the pump unless you have a DC pump...;)
 
Good to know. I was thinking about getting the Jebao-3000 DC return pump. I was thinking on a 40 breeder that I'd want to aim for 400 gph (10x turnaround). I saw that a 1" bulkhead is supposed to do 600-800 gph, so that seems like plenty. My concern with 1.5" is that the piping is all so big and is going to take up a lot more space. Also, it seems like it might be overkill. Correct me if I'm wrong in my thinking though!
 
Bigger is better! You're a female w a boyfriend, I assumed you would understand this?
All kidding aside, I assume you will be drilling the hole in the back or side and not the bottom? I find when doing bulkheads out the side you usually want a bigger one as it will flow less optimally in the horizontal position. If its in the bottom a 1" should be fine...
 
denzil said:
Awesome to have you back! You and Brandie will have very similar setups, haha. We're about to get the 40B (that I originally bought at the Petco sale a while back) setup for her before we take down the 210. It'll probably be a tank that we'll end up drilling too.
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Yep, I just needed a serious break. I definitely won't be around as much as I used to, just too busy right now, but I'll try to be around more frequently. Oh yeah, is the 210 coming down because you're moving? The 40B is a really nice size. I just got it carried up to my apartment today and I really like the dimensions. It seems huge compared to my 30 gallon because of the depth. Denzil, have you drilled a tank before? Trying to decide if I can pull this off without cracking the tank, haha.
 
Coral reefer said:
Bigger is better! You're a female w a boyfriend, I assumed you would understand this?
All kidding aside, I assume you will be drilling the hole in the back or side and not the bottom? I find when doing bulkheads out the side you usually want a bigger one as it will flow less optimally in the horizontal position. If its in the bottom a 1" should be fine...
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Ha! Not sure that's always true when it comes to tanks :p

Yeah, I have to drill into the back because the bottom glass is tempered. That's a good point about horizontal. My concern is just that 1.5" pipe is huge and the whole point of doing this is to declutter the stand and make it easier to get to all my equipment. I don't want to lose a ton of space to huge piping. The ebay kit I found uses a 1" bulkhead horizontally and claims it gets a flow rate of 600 gph, which is 200 gph more than I need. Do you think it would really be less than that? I want to do things right this time, so I'm willing to do the 1.5" bulkhead, but only if its necessary.
 
Not sure on the actual numbers, I find the bigger bulkhead is easier to keep quiet as well. Not sure how important that is. You can go down to 1" pipe after the elbow I bet no problem, just getting through the horizontal part is the issue. 1" may be fine, but if it isn't, you are kinda stuck
 
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