55 gal for my Birthday! Need Help

[frostymug]

My husband gave me an early birthday gift this weekend, a 55 gallon tank! I have a 30 gallon that I converted to SW and have fallen in love with my new hobby. I need some help on the items that I need to get with the tank. I plan on having a FOWLR and a DSB. What equipment should I get?? I hope to cycle the tank in the next few weeks, but I want to be sure I have everything I need when I get started. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[tigerseyes01]

i know that adding live rock helped me cycle .. quite fast too ... i have also read about people putting in maybe a shrimp <frozen store bought i think .. to speed up the cycling ..> ask around first though before you do that .. i wouldnt want ya to ruin your tank.. have a great day

 

[broomer5]

Personally I would suggest you consider a sump set up. Don't let it intimidate you - they are great, easy to set up, and will allow you a lot of flexibility to make changes down the road.
Whatever you choose for heater(s), protein skimmer, chemical filtration, water changes, etc..... will be so much easier with a sump.

 

[flameangel]

Hey Heather, tell your husband that my birthday is August 5th! Since you live so close, I'll even come pick it up.
Happy Birthday!

 

[frostymug]

Hey Shelley, I will certainly pass that info along!! Although I put quite a dent in his wallet with this one!!

 

[fshhub]

i agree with broomer, and if you do it now, you can see i f one of yor lfs's drill them, if so, i would pay the extra now, while it is empty and have the overflow built in
for equipment
lighting(get teh best possible, you may want it later)
3 powerheads(unless you use the sump, then you canuse less)
a skimmer
the sump(if desired, and it is easier to put in the cabinet, before filling, it may be easier)
and your lr, i would havea minimum of 80 lbs
and your dsb

 

[frostymug]

broomer and fshub, I know very little about a sup, so can you give me a little more info on one, or where I can find some info? Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[rhomer]

Wow, I just setup a 55. I built the hood myself. I would really think about installing some pc retro kits right now. This will only cost a little more than installing standard Flo's.
Try ahsupply.com, you could install 4-55watt pcs for $125.00. This would allow you to get a fair amount of corals later. There are good instructions included with the kit, and it isn't difficult to install.
As for filtration I went with a wet/dry sump, but I looked at everything. There is no question, do the sump. You can get the return pump for 50 dollars(Mag 5), and you don't have to have your glass drilled. You can get an overflow box for 30 bucks. You can put your protien skimmer in the sump, the heater in the sump. You can also look at making it either a wet/dry or refugium.
I had trouble choosing between the two so I went to every location that had saltwater fish and looked at what they were running their show tanks ((wet/dry so I went with wet/dry).
If you decide to do the sump, get some teflon tape, hose clamps, and a ball valve.

 

[fshhub]

you can use an overflow box, but they are much less reliable, more maintenance(in most cases), adn can be a flood problem if you loose power, so if hte tank is empty, i would get it built in, mcuh safer and more reliable, and much less likely to loose it's prime
i owuld really look at other than a wet dry, they can become nitrate problems in the future, but are desent for fish only systems(i would never have one for a reef, NEVER),wet dry's are pretty much a yesterdays method, adn a $$$ method for the lfs's, since they do no more than the berlin system adn cost as much with added maintenance and less effectiveness(very few will disagree teat lfs's (most) know much less than they would let you to believe)
lr and a dsb with good icrculation will do as good or better at filtration than a wet dry and wil build and house much less nitrates
as for he sump, basically all they are is a spare tank(can be a rubbermaid container), which you can hide under your tank(in the cabinet normally), which gives you more water, making it less succeptible to changes adn fluctuations, ti also gives you an out of sight homr for your heater and some powerheads, if you add sand ro media to it, it also becomes more of a filter(i owuld use sand instead of media), and you cna house some life in it, to help with cleaning your system(like crabs and pods)
HTH

 

[rhomer]

Man fshhub every post I put out there you seem to disagree with it all. The overflow box is much cheaper solution than drilling tempered glass, takes up less room in the tank, and is extremely simple. As for reliablility, I've now done some power outage tests, and the overflow does not lose it's prime, does not spill and will restart as soon as the power restarts.
I even bought a apc 350 battery back-up for the return pump for 45 dollars Just in case. The only way the overflow would stop working is if it ran dry, and the only way for that to happen is if the U tube was all the way on the bottom of both sides of the box (which its not).
I really think you regurgitate too much info that you've read, and don't have the experience to back-up what you write.

 

[fshhub]

sorry, i do not disagree with eveything you say, just in this case and a couple of others where opinion is involve(i also have not responded in contest to many of your other posts, for reason, i may even in agrrement, if i have not yet, it willl happen sometime, i am not seeking conflict, jsut offering my opinion), but i think i started here, by suggesting that a drilled in overflow in an empty tank is better, IMO, and then i just explained in more detail as to why, and if the power is lost, they DO loose their prime, you cannot flood proof 100% a hang on over flow, they are great if you cannot get a built in, but not as reliabe, you can drill a hole in th out take under teh surface of the water, which could act as a safety net against flooding the sump, and you can get a pump switch for the return pump, and all are certain aids, i must admit if you don't have another =option yes they are good, but if you have the option of built in they are more trustworthy and less sighlty, you can buy them as cheap as 25 or 30 dollars yes, you can also spend well over a hundred, drilling is normally 25 ot 75 around here, i was jsut stating my opninion on the overflows, one which i do have merit for my opinions, and they are the reason i do not have a hang on overflow and wish i had one built in to my 75 gallon tank, like i said, the hang ons do have their place, but i f i had an empty tank i woudl have it built in, that is all, and i do agree with you that:
NO they are not guarenteed to overflow, i may be a little too paranoid but they are not as trust worthy that is all , SORRY IF YOU FEEL THAT WAY

 

[rhomer]

Hey fishub,
I appreciate the response. I really don't want to start a conflict. I have had some really bad luck with a dsb, lr, and no other filtration. <img src="graemlins//angel.gif" border="0" alt="[angel]" />

 

[fshhub]

also rhomer, i see you are just starting out, so definitely we will have some disagreeeeing opinions, especially when it comes to lfs's knowing what they are talking about and selling things, which is the case with the wet dry and the overflow and some other things, but believe me, even stores with 30 plus yrs do not know as much as they would leave you to believe, most of themm refuse to listen to change or never knwe to start with, notice i did say most, and mny of the non rookies herre will agree that m ost of what you hear at most lfs's you should throw in the trash on your way out the door, trust me there, so if you are basing your opinions solely on their advice, do not take it too much as gospel, they may have a good thing going, but most of them seem to have it together but DON'T
even it they have 20 30 or more yrs, tehy are still IN MOST CASES a business
iam just trying to offer advice on what i have seen and or done, i am not trying to sell anyone anythign, but help out only, so please accept my apology for disagreeeing, but as i mentioned i I AM ONLY OFFERING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PICTURE FOR YOU AND OTHERS TO SEE, that is all, often i will do so, even if it goes against my belief, i will still offer both, for you and others, not just for conflict

 

[rhomer]

Hate to go over this point one more time, but my overflow does not lose it's prime when the power stops. I can create an mpeg of this if you would like to see it. If water remains above the bottom of the siphon tube on both sides of the overflow, then the siphon tube with keep water in it. I have tested this at least 10 times. I unplug the power to the pump to make sure when the return tube emties I don't overflow the sump. The overflow is nearly completely full of water when the tube emties. The opposing side of the overflow is setup to not empty completly. So the siphon tube remains full. I plug the power back in and the system returns to normal. Nothing else is required.

 

[fshhub]

sorry, i was typing an don the phone when you responded
i am sorry ot hear that you had no luck, but if you are refering to starting up that way, you really should have some type of filtration, until your dsb gets working(at least that long), a skimmer would be best, and if you had neither, this may be part of the problem, they really are needed to start out, becausei t takes months for a dsb to get working good

 

[rhomer]

BTW I'm not new to Saltwater, just returning from a 3 year hiatus. I had a tank setup for 2-3 years, then gave up for a while. It was either feed the kids or give up the tank. I'm only new to the board.

 

[fshhub]

actually i wold like to seeit, if it is as good asyou say and full prooof, i would lik to use one myself, for it is too late for me to add a built in now(i do still wish i had it built in though)
email me, address is in sig, and if yahoo will not accept it, i will give you my home email for this, tahnks for the offer

 

[rhomer]

So your siphon tube loses it's water when the power blips?

 

[fshhub]

once the water in the tank goes below the siphon yes it can/does, i seriously would like to look at the set up you have offered, and make my own judgement on whether i would want to proceed with that

 

[rhomer]

I'll have to make the video, I don't have it at work. I'll send it later.