55 gal w/ fluval 404
- Thread starter calvoley
- Start date
dskidmore
Active Member
My search shows that a fluval 404 is rated for a 100 gallon tank, but only runs at 340 GPH. You want a total around 550 GPH, so you will need suppplimental powerheads in the aquarium as well as the 404 for circulation. This should work fine for a fish-only tank.
If you are planning on adding corals or other delicate invertabrates, you would be better off with 50-100 lbs of live rock and a good protien skimmer, taking out the fluvial media and using the 404 only for circulation and special treatments (like carbon.)
If you are planning on adding corals or other delicate invertabrates, you would be better off with 50-100 lbs of live rock and a good protien skimmer, taking out the fluvial media and using the 404 only for circulation and special treatments (like carbon.)
calvoley
Member
OK here's the deal I have a 55 gal salt tank. I just got re set up after moving Right now at this point I have 40 Lbs of live sand and approx. 40 lbs of live rock. although after the move I'm not sure how live they are any more. I am running an Emperor 400 (I think) anyway it is the biggest emperor you can get. I also have a basic one tube florecent light fixture. Along with that I have two powerheads. Right now I'm having problems with fish THey are fine for about two weeks then die.. Everytime I have my water checked or check it myself the condition are perfect Ph right on trate and trites great amm great temp and salenity perfect I can't figure it out. do you think a different filter or lighting would help??????
by the way no signs of disaese or para and I am setting up a qt as we speak.
If I need a new filter which one a canister a wet dry what what lighting would you recommend eventually I want to keep anenomes and a few corals.
Please Help Me????????????????
by the way no signs of disaese or para and I am setting up a qt as we speak.
If I need a new filter which one a canister a wet dry what what lighting would you recommend eventually I want to keep anenomes and a few corals.
Please Help Me????????????????
dskidmore
Active Member
Originally posted by calvoley
If I need a new filter which one a canister a wet dry what what lighting would you recommend eventually I want to keep anenomes and a few corals.
Anenomes need lots of light. You're going to need around 250-500 watts of VHO, PC or MH lighting. They are also very senstive to water parameters, so lets get the fish happy first.
Is this the same tank as the "A royal grama, 2 perc's, clowned sweetlips, yellow tangs, a tomato clown and a mandrin" one?
royal grama 3"
perc's 2 x 3"
clowned sweetlips, (hopefully not full grown, we'll say 3")
yellow tangs (hopefully not full grown, we'll say 3", and hope the plural was a typo)
tomato clown 5"
mandrin 4"
Ok, that gives you about 24 inches of fish, assuming the sweetlips and tang are still babies (max adult size 2' 5" and 8" respectively.) In a 55 gallon tank, that's pushing your bioload, and the sweetlips and tang were probably getting more and more cramped as they grew. Marine fish are big critters, and salt water doesn't hold as much oxygen as fresh.
Some mandrins are fussy eaters and will only eat the "pods" in the tank. These picky eaters are likely to eventually starve to death if there is not enough live rock to sustain them. (I've heard figures around 100 lbs of live rock per mandrin.) Was yours eating fish food? Did your tank have lots of pods in it?
I suggest you put alot of reasearch into your current fish and in the future do alot of research before you buy a new fish. Buy fewer fish or get a bigger tank.
As I said before, for additional filtration I'd go with more live rock and a good protien skimmer. The Emporor and Fluval are good at turning ammonia into nitrate, but the protien skimmer can remove the gunk that turns into ammonia before the breakdown process even starts. Since it doesn't depend so much on bacterial colonies, it can more easily adjust with changes in bioload. (You can change the settings to filter more goo less efficiently when you have a problem in the tank.)