My 55

[nymxracer]

So it started with a 2 gal and 2 goldfish and my 7mo daughter showing alot of interest in those 2 little fish. Knowing that this pea sized tank doesnt stand a chance next to Dora the Explorer on a 42" plasma i figured i better even the odds a bit. One week searching on craigslist and i scored a brand new Perfecto 55gal tank with stand and canopy for $150.00 . Now i have as much patience as a 5yo with A.D.D. so with the help of a freshwater friend we ordered everything for the freshwater setup the same day . Next day i go into the lfs to see what kind of fish im doing and all hell breaks loose so now im going salt water with the support of a bud who works in the lfs. Feeling the a.d.d. kicking in we throw some damsels, a choc.chip star , some hermits, snails, emerald crab, and a shrimp and my daughter is loving it

and Doras gotta work hard for her attention. So i know its usually a mistake with the damsels but shes enjoying it and ill deal with them when the time comes. I wont pretend to know where my water is, my bud is taking care of that and almost everything else till im up to speed . I have an Eheim 2028 canister 159gal , seaclone skimmer, korilia 1 p/head, turbo twist uv , and a coralife 48" lunar series light. We will add more rock when some good large rock arrives and thats about it until it cycles again , then its more fish

. I do have a question about the canister filter, i saw some posts on dirty lines and water quality concerns. My bud told me "dont worry ill take care of it " actually he says that to almost everything, but he also wont take any money from me and id like to make life easier for him cause he spent alot of time on the tank already, he even helps me decide what to order online so i dont get hit over the head in the store with their 300% markup. Now i can return the filter and put the $270 towards a better filter if it makes sense or should i just leave it alone? Thanks in advance for the help and hopefuly my future posts will be more about the tank than how i was roped into this mess. Hope the pics work.

 

[sharkbait35]

Lookin good so far but i think your gonna need some more live rock.

 

[the_bandit]

I would say leave the Canister Filter. Im pretty sure that is the best brand you can buy. You just need to stay up on cleaning it every week or every other week or you are going to get alot of nitrates.
I would recommend returning the SeaClone Skimmer. I had one on my very first 55g and it did diddly squat. It didnt work at all. I would suggest you buy an Aqua C Remora skimmer. They are really good and can hang on the back of the tank. Just look on E Bay for them. They are fairly cheap and are good quality. I have two so I know what Im talking about.
You should also buy more powerheads. 2 Korila #3's would be good flow. The one you have now is for a nano aquarium.
I dont think you should start your UV steralizer yet. Im not positive but I think you will have trouble with your cycle starting because the UV will kill the diatoms needed to start growing bacteria.
Best advice that can be given is Do Your Research!
Dont spontaniously go and buy a Panther Grouper just because he looked pretty.

Unless they are extremely knowledgeable and even better if you know them personally, be very hesitant in listening to your Local Fish Store. They will say just about anything to make a sale. I would avoid ***** too when shopping for fish, coral, and inverts.
Dont hesitate to ask anyone on this website for any info. They helped me so much. I would have made giant mistakes if it weren't for these fine men and women.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by nymxracer
http:///forum/post/3139420
So it started with a 2 gal and 2 goldfish and my 7mo daughter showing alot of interest in those 2 little fish. Knowing that this pea sized tank doesnt stand a chance next to Dora the Explorer on a 42" plasma i figured i better even the odds a bit. One week searching on craigslist and i scored a brand new Perfecto 55gal tank with stand and canopy for $150.00 . Now i have as much patience as a 5yo with A.D.D. so with the help of a freshwater friend we ordered everything for the freshwater setup the same day . Next day i go into the lfs to see what kind of fish im doing and all hell breaks loose so now im going salt water with the support of a bud who works in the lfs. Feeling the a.d.d. kicking in we throw some damsels, a choc.chip star , some hermits, snails, emerald crab, and a shrimp and my daughter is loving it

and Doras gotta work hard for her attention. So i know its usually a mistake with the damsels but shes enjoying it and ill deal with them when the time comes. I wont pretend to know where my water is, my bud is taking care of that and almost everything else till im up to speed . I have an Eheim 2028 canister 159gal , seaclone skimmer, korilia 1 p/head, turbo twist uv , and a coralife 48" lunar series light. We will add more rock when some good large rock arrives and thats about it until it cycles again , then its more fish

. I do have a question about the canister filter, i saw some posts on dirty lines and water quality concerns. My bud told me "dont worry ill take care of it " actually he says that to almost everything, but he also wont take any money from me and id like to make life easier for him cause he spent alot of time on the tank already, he even helps me decide what to order online so i dont get hit over the head in the store with their 300% markup. Now i can return the filter and put the $270 towards a better filter if it makes sense or should i just leave it alone? Thanks in advance for the help and hopefuly my future posts will be more about the tank than how i was roped into this mess. Hope the pics work.

Welcome to the site, a great place to learn about the saltwater fish hobby!
You have a friend who is setting up your tank and won't take any money....a very good friend to have indeed. Don't fret about paying for his time. He is setting up a tank because he loves the hobby, and it is your dime. Your friend is out nothing, and I suspect likes your company as well.
Take lots of pictures as time and tank develops, it will make a great diary to look back on. Make sure to glean as much info from your friend as you can. Ask him lots of questions, and watch him do the water tests. Offer to do things while he keeps a vigil to make sure you have the swing of it. Otherwise it will be a tank only he can take care of, as you become the bystander.

 

[nymxracer]

Thanks for the info and the welcome

. So the other day i bring the water in for testing to make sure im 100% correct and the next thing i know is later that night were putting in some new stuff. Ive now officially entered the " Holy Sh.t " reaction stage of this tank with a clown and 2 anemones and the surprise entertainer an arrow crab. Again my friend wont take any $ and after some back n forth we realized neither is budging, he also said everything is running so well we shouldnt change the filter and mess with it, guess hes getting a nice Xmas present this year. My daughters has a new best friend and its the clown and the anemones, she looks at it like its the most amazing thing in the world and is jaw dropped and completely enamored by them, they even got a "wow"out of my wife

. Again thanks for the replies and im going to attempt to post some pics of the new additions. Fingers crossed......

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/29478...xwA?vhost=pets
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/22997...WdG?vhost=pets

 

[nymxracer]

Did a water test today and all was good , actually they tested it twice cause the ph was 8.2 and they said that abnormally high for a month old tank, but very good for it, so we put a Valentini Puffer in a bag and i was on my way. The puffer was THE fish i had in mind when i said ok to salt water and hes a cute little fish that entertaining to say the least. The tomato clown is living la vita loca and is now hosting 3 anenomes, he made them a nice sand bunker each , very nice guy but he also created a sand storm in the process, yay. The porcelan crab is hosting another anenome and all seems good on that side of the tank. The arrow crab molted and damm he looks bigger already ,and the emerald crab (rip)was passed around like a bong at a frat party, still not sure why he kicked the bucket. I noticed these tiny white things crawling on the glass when i was checking out the puffer and wanted to know is it possible for that to be copoids,copeds or whatever those little worms are? they look like teeny weeny ice cream sprinkles in white but my tank is not even 5 weeks old at the moment. Thanks again.

 

[nymxracer]

If everything i read about lighting is true then can someone explain this ? I bought this piece of dead coral from the lfs and this growth is within the last month. All i have is a 48" coralife lunar aqualight thats running the Actinic from 12pm -10pm in conjunction with the 10k's from 2pm-8pm and the leds the rest of the time. Im actually in the process of upgrading to a sundial t5ho so it will be an interesting test to see if its going to continue to grow under the new lights.