I need advice on my 55 gallon.

fishguy1996

fishguy1996

New Member
I have always wanted a "big" saltater aquarium, i have had a 14 gallon biocube, and i just dont know what to do now. I have had the tank setup for a little over a month and i bought a pump for the tank but it seems like the pump had an electrical short in it. I noticed it today when i stuck my hands into the tank. I just need help on what i can put in it. I want a small shark or ray. I know the tank would be too small but i would just be using it as a grow out until i get a 180 gallon. But i need to know what to dp for lighting, and by the way im just wanting to do fowlr. Please respond. Thank you.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishguy1996 http:///t/392836/i-need-advice-on-my-55-gallon#post_3490832
I have always wanted a "big" saltater aquarium, i have had a 14 gallon biocube, and i just dont know what to do now. I have had the tank setup for a little over a month and i bought a pump for the tank but it seems like the pump had an electrical short in it. I noticed it today when i stuck my hands into the tank. I just need help on what i can put in it. I want a small shark or ray. I know the tank would be too small but i would just be using it as a grow out until i get a 180 gallon. But i need to know what to dp for lighting, and by the way im just wanting to do fowlr. Please respond. Thank you.
Hi, welcome to the site!
I'm afraid even a 180g is too small for a ray or a shark. Meowzer (another member) has a 225g and could only keep a ray for a very short time.
A shark needs a huge round tank, some folks use swimming pools.
So list your equipment, and tell us your water test results, and we can go from there.
 
fishguy1996

fishguy1996

New Member
I need to pick up a testing kit. But i couldnt keep even a catshark in the tank until it grows out? And i appreciate the welcoming also i am running 1500 gallon per hour pump on the fish tank that flows into the hob filter.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishguy1996 http:///t/392836/i-need-advice-on-my-55-gallon#post_3490908
I need to pick up a testing kit. But i couldnt keep even a catshark in the tank until it grows out? And i appreciate the welcoming also i am running 1500 gallon per hour pump on the fish tank that flows into the hob filter.
Hi,
I'm by no means an expert on sharks. A 55g is actually a very small tank for SW fish. Most of your space is going to be taken up with live rock. A 55g is very narrow....the shark tanks I have seen put rock in the center of the tank to allow the shark to swim all around...I did the same thing for my Hippo tang. The method works but I did it on a 90g which is just as long as the 55g but much wider and taller.
There was a time that SW were kept only by the very wealthy because the fish never survived past a month or two. Then folks finally figured out that if they copied the ocean where the SW critters came from, they lived longer.
So fast forward to modern tanks...we now know to use power heads to create the ocean wave, live rock as a natural filter, and skimmers to draw off the extra organic material out of the water. Once you add all that to the 55g...not much room left.
 
fishguy1996

fishguy1996

New Member
Well i guess i can keep the dream of having sharks as a dream for now. But ehat could i stock in the tank? Any types of eels? And how many pounds of live rock should i have? And i appreciate the response Flower.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishguy1996 http:///t/392836/i-need-advice-on-my-55-gallon#post_3490990
What fish would you recommend for the setup? Could i have a snowflake moray?
I do believe some folks do keep snowflake eels...I'm not sure of their needs. I have a fish book that is awesome and saved me lots of money and heartache so......
First purchase should be this book:

Here is a page so you can see the info
 
brun67

brun67

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishguy1996 http:///t/392836/i-need-advice-on-my-55-gallon#post_3490990
What fish would you recommend for the setup? Could i have a snowflake moray?
yes, you can keep a snowflake in a 55 gallon tank. you will need a tight fitting lid though since they love to carpet surf...
they will also eat pretty much anything that will fit in their mouths and your clean-up crew will be gone pretty fast. so keep it in mind when picking tankmates.
 
fishguy1996

fishguy1996

New Member
I was told that if you buy them as juveniles and raise them with the tank mates they wont eat them. Is that yure? And what equipment should i run on a fowlr?.
 
brun67

brun67

Member
well, if you get them small ( ive seen some the size of my index finger) you will have a better chance of letting them know that their tankmates arent food.
if they grow up along side some fish and are well fed they should leave them alone.
that being said, each fish has its own personality. The general rules for eels are...
1. keep them well fed - less likely to attack tankmates.
2. LID - eels are expert escape artists and will get out if your tank isnt covered...
3. keep fish that won't be able to fit in it's mouth - so start with a small eel and have the fish a little bigger and let them grow up together to limit the chance of being eaten.
for equipment, you will need a protein skimmer eventually. eels are messy and produce a pretty big bioload when they get bigger... but when small you really only need some LR and a nice filter.
and since you pretty much wont be able to have a cleanup crew your going to need some hefty filters.
 
morgan175

morgan175

Member
I had a snowflake loved him. They have great personality. Kept him with dwarf angel, lion fish, trigger, and yellow tang. Always hand feed him before anyone else with a feeding stick.
I am no expert so my advice im not accountable for.
 
S

saxman

Guest
FWIW, SFE's tend to be model citizens when smaller, but once they hit sexual maturity (around 18" - 20"), they tend to start in on their tankmates. I had a 30" specimen that I raised from a tiny pencil-sized fish for about 15 years, and I finally had to remove it to a species tank. I've heard this same story from many who have kept these fish for any length of time, so I can't say my experience is an isolated case.
A zebra eel is a much better choice, but they reach 5-6 ft.
You might look into a GDM (golden dwarf moray), as they only reach 10" -12" as adults. That way if your upgrade never happens, you're still good to go. You could also look into a green wolf blenny (eel).
 
S

saxman

Guest
Which test, or are you wondering which "kit" to get?
I've always used API and Tetra, however, we're moving to electronic test kits since we have so many setups.
 
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