Need Advice

sdieckhaus

sdieckhaus

New Member
My wife has an interest in saltwater fish, so she started a tank not too long ago (April-May). As of right now, all we have is a 55 gallon tank with two clownfish and a damsel. I know that we need more live rock (right now all we have is about 5-7 pounds), but what else do I need immediately? I am planning on buying some of this stuff for her for Christmas, so any immediate advice is greatly appreciated. I have heard her say something about needing live rock and a protein skimmer. Please help me by being VERY specific (this isn't my thing quite yet).
 
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big911dog

Guest
get her the best skimmer possible. to recommend a skimmer, we need to know if your wife has a sump (a tank under the show tank which is used to house things like a skimmer, heaters, etc). if she doesn't have a sump, you'll need a HOB (hang on back) type.
if she has a sump, i would HIGHLY recommend the Euro Reef CS6-1. That will take care of your tank nicely. If you need a HOB, I would recommend the Aqua-C Remora.
In terms of live rock, it is a biological filtration area for the beneficial bacteria to gather and grow. most recommend 1-1.5 lbs per gallon depending on type (some are more dense than others).
P.S. If anyone sees my wife asking for suggestions, I WANT A BUILT IN THE WALL LAGOON WITH AN EQUIPMENT ROOM!
 
sdieckhaus

sdieckhaus

New Member
I appreciate the advice greatly. She (my wife) does not have a sump. I will probably look for the Aqua-C Remora based on your advice...unless someone tells me otherwise. Dang it - I'm too easily persuaded.
 
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kpatrick

Guest
I agree with Bigdog on getting a good skimmer. I would add more live rock as well to help with filtration. However, before adding more rock I would determine if you plan on keeping the damsel because it would be easier to remove it now then it would with 100 lbs of rock for it to hide in. (personal experience!)
 
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kpatrick

Guest
damsels can get very aggressive over time and a lot of people start out their tanks with damsels but eventual remove them before adding other fish. Basically you dont want your $5 damsel to pick on, stress out, and kill your $50 fish. Its all personal choice but if your wife knows what fish she is wanting to get in the future then you may want to make sure the damsel wont bother them. It can save you a lot of head aches and money down the road.
 
meadbhb

meadbhb

Member
Hiya,
This may be somewhat of a cop out, but you could get her the skimmer and a gift certificate to one of her favorite stores, or to this website, if they have one. This will allow her to purchase things that may be on her "wish" list that you may not be aware of. ::Grin:: I'm hoping MY family does this for me!!!
Also, since the tank has been up and running that long, it's probably cycled. You don't want to go adding large quantities of live rock to the tank. It will start another cycle. HOWEVER, if you have a store that is within 15-30 minutes of your house and can transport large quantaties of LR in buckets of salt water you could probably get away with adding a lot of live rock.
If you decide to order more live rock, and it needs to be shipped, you will need to recure it. Which is a simple matter, just a large plastic trash can, salt water, a pump for circulation, a heater and possibly a light. The rock will need to sit in there until that rock has fully cured before you can add it to the established tank.
Welcome to the board....and a new addiction.
Meadbhb
 
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