HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lerch]

I am just about ready to start adding specimins to my tank and form every post I have read aeveryone is talking about powerhead and protein skimmers. I have a 55 gal tank with 20 pounds of live sand, 40 pounds of live rock an emperor 400 pump and another slightly smaller pump that cam with the tank. The power head that I have is a 300 series. Do I need more?? I really don't want to start adding fish and corals and inverts just to watch them die. Please help

 

[maxx]

I'd go ahead and add another Powerhead. The 300s are nice cause you can adjust the current. So yeah I'd get another one.
Maxx

 

[ivan]

you should realy have a protein skimmer in a salt water tank to get rid of the dissoved organic matter in you tank.

 

[h2o]

you might also need more live sand for more natural filtration. 20 pounds don't sound enough for a 55gallon.

 

[predator]

You really do need more live rock and live sand.It is suggested to have 1 pound per gallon of both.Your gonna' need it for natural filtration.Another power head would help.Skimmers are good and help alot but I will say there are not a must.There are plenty of people who have mature and healthy tanks who don't run skimmers.I personally am NOT one of these people. I love my skimmer and will suggest you get one.
What kind of corals are planning on getting?What type of lighting do you have?Look into all these things before purchising live-stock.Learn from my mistakes.Know what you want and what it takes to keep it heathy.

 

[josh]

Hi, yes I would also suggest 1.5 lbs / gal. As for the skimmer, I have a 29 reef for 5 years now w/o a skimmer. They are not a must, but if you do get one it will reduce the water changes needed. You can always get one down the road.
Josh

 

[karlas]

definitly add some more lr if your tank is cycled then u should add it in small quantities because it can throw your tank into a cycle with small amounts it wouldn't be so bad (from a lfs)should have 1 1/2lbs gal, if u get some mo it is a good idea to cure it in a seperate container. also add some more sand but 1lb/gal. yes add another pwr head i have 3 in a 75 the main reason is to prevent dead spots so detrius doesn't accumulate in any spots also corals and inverts need good water circulation. as far as skimmers that is personal choice i ran a 38 gal wo one, and trying the 75 wo one also so far no problems). that you can get later. with the right amount of ls/lr you can eventually unhook your emporer or remove the filter media and just use it as water circulation. I'm in the process of doing this now (removing media) because the lr/ls does all the filtering for u

[ December 27, 2001: Message edited by: karlas ]

 

[90galreef]

To maintain a healthy reef tank, you need a lot of water circulation. That means filters, power heads, and a protein skimmer. Just read the setup guide on saltwaterfish.com. Lr needs a lot of circulating water to propagate, which means power heads, both high and low in the tank to move water. You also need adequate water filtration, in the form of physical filters (the Emperor is probably adequate) and protein skimmers, which pull the phosphates out of the water. The live sand is a bonus, but not necessary. You can have a healthy tank with no sand or substrate, as long as you have enough lr to act as your bio filter. Also, there's no "magic" amount of lr for the tank: up to 2lbs/gal will suffice. You can add it as you go, as long as you make sure what you add has been cycled before introduction to your tank. How to be sure? After you buy it, let it stay at the reef dtore for 1 to 2 weeks before introducing it to your tank.