The Puffer Forum

Just wanted to check if anyone has any experience using a reef-ready tank for freshwater applications. I am planning out a full room Reno. In this process I am looking to combine a 15 and a 20 gallon fresh into a single 40 long. I am planning on building an ADA style stand, ehiem canister, co2 injection inline. I notice alot of people use standard tanks with freshwater. I'm thinking with a reef ready it will look cleaner with the built in overflows, bottom panel plumbing, and I can possibly add a small sump in the future for snail or crayfish breeding. Any thoughts?

Sounds great!

Contemplating the the reef ready ideas, to save space inside the tank looks like I'm going to drill a standard 40 long myself.( i absolutley love the 40 long size, so easy to work with).Putting a skimbox at the top that mates with an add-on box in the back containing a bean animal overflow. Initially only one feed will pipe into my canister and will let me upgrade to a sump in the future. Everything wilth unions and ball vavles for easy tear downs, maintenance, and upgrades. On the pricey side but I love the way the synergy reef 20" overflow looks

Sounds like a plan, will provide great flexibility

Sumps/overflows don't usually work well with CO2. All the water movement pulls the CO2 right out of the system. Canister is the way to go for planted tanks, in my experience.

I know this is a old thread but I thought I’d share my reef ready 74G Tower Aquarium w/ 6G Sump.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc8nb32QjSM

Link didn't work for me.

DDR2 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 28, 2016 9:17 am Sumps/overflows don't usually work well with CO2. All the water movement pulls the CO2 right out of the system. Canister is the way to go for planted tanks, in my experience.

I've read that too.

I have had two sumped tanks with fairly easy plants running a 2 pipe "Herbie Drain" and a separate return pump line on a 60 Cube and an 80g reef ready.

The Anubais plants just took a little Magnesium and some Fourish to give them a weekly dose of the goodies minerals (plant vitamins).

I wish I knew about the Tetraodon schoutedeni puffer a long time ago.
The would have loved the tanks.

Whatever method you do, stick with easy plants and test out different lights.
Sometime the period of light, the strength, or the color is all it takes as well as some dosing of a cap a day or each week.

I have an AZOO Flexi mini, and a Fluval Nano bluetooth that is getting rigged for for a longer arm.
They both are for nano rimless set ups.
The lights themselves can do the job for a larger planted tank.

I currently used and still use a Kessil A160WE 40 watt LED on low, and the newer smaller Kessil A80 15 watt LED on Low too.
They are overkill for 16 inch tall tanks, but they sure work well on low the low dimmer setting.

It's been a game of what stuff you have and what combination works the best.
Old school gardeners do the same.
It takes time and patience.

Keep trying and asking questions until things start to swing in a positive way.
What works...keep doing that!











THE LAST 2 PHOTOS ARE 80GAL. 48x24x16H RIMMED standard (no sump).

I wish I knew about the Tetraodon schoutedeni puffer a long time ago.

They've been off the market the past 30 years.