55 gal reef tank?

bbq bill

bbq bill

New Member
First I have to say what an awesome forum and Merry Christmas to all!
I want to put together a saltwater tank, we have a 55 gallon tank and I don't have any idea what to put in it.
Definatley have to get a "Nemo" but what else would you suggest?
Any suggested read that is here on the web?
Thanks!
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member

Hello and welcome to SWF.
I have a 55gal reef and I'll let you know what I like, but it all comes back to what you like.
Do you have the tank set up yet? If so, list info on tank. This gives us ideas we may suggest to you if need be. Lights, filters, lbs of LR/LS(or substrate), ph, ect.
Here's what I have: 55Gal, 48" long tank, 48" 50/50 compacts and , 48" corallife t5's for lights. 75lbs live rock, 2" ls, 305 HOB bio-wheel, skimmer, 3phs, for equipment. 2 false perculas clowns, 2 red firefish, B. cardinal, royal gramma,(You could also add dwarf angel or a blenny)
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
Forgot to list corals, my bad.LOL
toad stool
watermelon mushrooms
3 othewr types of mushroom colonies
yellow finger leather
cabbage leather
green button polyps
2 zoa frags
2 different GSP
1 purple condi
chili coral
elegance
donut
purple ribbon
green hydropornia
 
bbq bill

bbq bill

New Member
I'm picking up the tank and all the stuff t oget it ready tomorrow
I don't know any brand names. But know I'll be getting all I need to get the tank ready for critters.
Oh and my likes....
I would prefer anything that kills its prey! But .... it's not all for me I'll have to do a tank for predators later.
I like bout anything colorful.
 
mcbdz

mcbdz

Active Member
Just please let it fully cycle before adding any. Don't just go by what you lfs tells you. There are a couple good threads at the top of this forum that can help you get started on the right tract. Good luck and keep us posted.
 
bbq bill

bbq bill

New Member
definately.
i'm gonna get some stuff off thi site too. lots of cool critters~!
prices seem good too.
 
travis99

travis99

Member
First let me say. Merry Christmas to you as well! Second you have found the most important part of saltwater aquariums. Saltwaterfish.com This place has great people, great ideas, and any question you have will be answered.
Of course you will get many different opinions, but you should try to narrow it down and use techniques that work best for you. Just don't run out a buy something because someone says it is golden. Get some other feedback, it will save you a ton of $$$.
One thing I can say from experience is go slow. Don't add fish to fast, and learn to do things slowly. I promise you if you get in a hurry, you will be wanting out of this wonderful hobby in about a month.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to "search" because your question has been asked before. But if you can't seem to find an answer, post the question and you will have a few different opinions to read over in no time.
Best of luck to you!
Travis
 
travis99

travis99

Member
No problem BBQ. Make sure you take plenty of pictures of your tank as your setting it up. We love that stuff.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Bill, Welcome to the boards!!! Ask us anything that you would like! I know that you are thinking about fish, but first things first. What do you have comming besides the tank? Have you picked out and ordered your salt, refractometer, and liquid master test kit yet?
 
bbq bill

bbq bill

New Member
sepulation:
i figured i would get all that stuff when i pick the tank up. but no we havent picked anything out at the moment.
 
S

swalchemist

Guest
Hmmm in my opinion you have yet to find the best thing about saltwater that's a reef club. You can see many great tanks and get ideas about what you will need. Forums are fine and good but you cant see results in person and that's what you have to do for some equipment out there. Word of advice is trust the trusted list and stay away from fads. Also seek out a specialty reef store in your area, they are out there and once you find one you will learn more in one day than some learn in a month.
Every tank is different and as such what works for someone else may not work for you. That said here is my 55 list:
265 watt PC or 2X150 halide depending on budget.
sump with skimmer
1 Tunze 6101 Stream or 2 6055 Tunze nano streams
(cheaper alternative about 4 Hydor Koralia 4s, they wont last as long though)
heater 200 Wt
Sand optional no more than 2 inches about 40-50 Lbs is fine
Rock about 50 Lb Live Rock or base rock, base is cheaper.
A good book for beginners: "Aquarium Keeping & Rescue: The Essential Saltwater Handbook & Log" (ignore the section about vacuming gravel.)
 
jpc763

jpc763

Active Member
BBQBill! Welcome and Merry Christmas...
I started a 55g in July. Here is my pictures thread...
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/281394/my-55g-tank
The thread starts when I put the tank together for the first time. I bought a used tank so keep that in mind...
Things I would have done different...
- Set up a QT NOW! It too will need to cycle and you really should have one set up. I set up a 5g one after adding 5 fish and having 3 of them die.
- Get a better skimmer right away. I got a cheap one ($80). I should have gotten an AquaC skimmer to start with. I am now looking at buying one.
- Toss the substrate that came with the tank. It is crushed coral and it sucks. Get Live Sand.
- Lights - although I am able to keep a lot of corals, my lights limit me in the SPS arena. I have T5 with a single reflector. If you go T5, make sure they have individual reflectors.
Other than that, go slow, ask lots of questions (there really is no such thing as a stupid question) and have fun!
 
bbq bill

bbq bill

New Member
Well i have the tank full salt added now it's time to wait ...."sigh"
I purchased the following,
30# of crushed coral
Elite hush 55 filter
Elite 300 watt heater
thats 'bout it so far. added the salt and its at 1.024 at the moment plus added my chlorine killing stuff.
fish guy said for me to wait 'bout 2 weeks and add a few cheap fish to get the enviroment going
 
S

swalchemist

Guest
Add no fish, add table shrimp from a fish market. Also get you some powerheads ASAP.
 
matt b

matt b

Active Member
Originally Posted by BBQ Bill
table shrimp?
he suggested a few mollies or somethin like that
i would use table shrimp to get your ammonia spike not cheap fish bcus trust me u dont want damsels they r nothing but a pain
 
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