Just getting started.

[sacker8472]

I have been reading this forum for the last several months and have found it to be very helpful. I recently registered so I could ask some questions of those who know. I recently moved and had to tear down my 55g freshwater and would like to try my first saltwater. I have read two or three saltwater aquarium books, but some of the advice seems to be dated.
I have been doing as much homework as I can, but have had some trouble finding some answers. I would like to do a combo fish/ invertebrate tank with just a few fish: a naso tang, a small damsel, a goby, and possibly a clown. I would also like to keep some crabs and shrimp, and am most interested in anemones. I am not sure if all of this is too much for the 55g. I have been sold on the live rock and the DSB.
My questions are these:
Given the specimens I would like to have, which is the better filter system, sump, wet/dry, or canister? If anyone has any experience with the Ehiem canister wet/dry, please comment on it.
What is the difference between a sump and a wet/ dry filter?
I am VERY concerned about a possible overflow (onto the floor, not into the sump), is there a filter choice that will help minimize this?
I would like to do this right the first time, so please feel free to comment on alternatives or better practices. Thank you all for your guidance.

 

[nacl-man]

Originally posted by sacker8472
I would like to do a combo fish/ invertebrate tank with just a few fish: a naso tang, a small damsel, a goby, and possibly a clown. I would also like to keep some crabs and shrimp, and am most interested in anemones. I am not sure if all of this is too much for the 55g. I have been sold on the live rock and the DSB.

One thing you will need to do is read up on lighting, anemones need varying amounts of light... if you find out what specific species you would like to keep I'm sure someone on this board could give a light recomendation. Also, watch out for the Tang police.... there are quite a few varying opinions on what size tanks Tangs need / like. Just a warning
LR and DSB are the best choices you could make.
I can't say that I've heard of peoples tanks overflowing onto the floor... i don't see how that would happen unless you are dosing it with large amounts of additives or adding topoff water automatically... but I could be mistaken.
There are a few people here that don't even run a filtration system... your live rock and DSB should be enough filtration for you. IMO I would get a canister filter to run every-once-in-a-while with carbon or filter floss to polish up the water. A sump is a great idea and you may want to use that in place of a canister filter, should be more versitile and useful (something that I may do in the future... but right now space is limited under my tank ) I've heard good things about the Ehiem wet/dry's, but if you get the right amount of rock and setup your DSB correctly you may be better off saving the money and using it for lighting.
Cheers!

 

[sacker8472]

Thank you for your suggestions. I am not sure if this will affect anyone’s advice, but the under tank space is about two to three times that of the tank, so space should not be a problem. The tank will essentially be a built in and can have direct access to a water line (w D/I or R/0) and a drain. I need to plan everything far in advance to allow for under and over tank space, behind tank clearance, etc. I guess I am looking for that one ideal system, if such a thing exists. (in a 55 gallon package).
Also, I really like the idea of using the skimmer in a sump, after reading about a few of the drawbacks of hang on skimmers. Some posts indicate that a skimmer is mandatory, regardless of the rest of the setup. Do you agree?

 

[lfd-143]

Sacker,
I Myself have the same setup, but I don't have that much room under my tank. If you have all that room I would suggest puting a sump/refugium under there. One reason is the more water volume the better, and the fuge is a great filter in combo with live rock,DSB, and macro algae.IMO As NaCl-man stated the tang might not be a good idea because they need a lot of room to swim and a 55G is just not big enough.(And no I am not part of the tang police.)
If you want more info on the fuge do a search on "Refugiums" in this board and in a day or two when you are done reading all the post, you should be an expert on them.
Good Luck
Frank

 

[nacl-man]

Originally posted by sacker8472
Also, I really like the idea of using the skimmer in a sump, after reading about a few of the drawbacks of hang on skimmers. Some posts indicate that a skimmer is mandatory, regardless of the rest of the setup. Do you agree?
That is one of the reasons i want to build a sump, I do not like my hang on tank skimmer. IMO a skimmer is a big big help. Mandatory? No. Makes life easier? Yes. A few people on the board run skimmerless and have no problems.