New 55 gal. Need advice

[newbie65]

I have a new 55 gal. aquarium. I want to set up a saltwater fish only setup.
I am using:
Fluval 405
African Cichlid Sand
Regular Flourescent lighting 24"
R2 48" Moonlight
Aqua Terra 3D Background (Tanganyika)
What other equipment should I purchase?
I kinda figured a protein skimmer, powerhead is all thats left I need not to forget the instant ocean mix.
I at first wanted to setup a cichlid tank but converted when I saw how beautiful saltwater fish were.
My main question was about what kind of decorations should I use in a fish only saltwater setup. I dont want it to look cheesy so I was thinking about Texas Holey Rock. Would this be a good decision? I would like some inverts: brittle star, cleaner shrimp, etc. I plan on keeping clowns, tangs, and no sure of what others yet.
P.S. maybe in the future I will invest in some live rock for this aquarium but I want to start out slow.
Any advice welcome!!
Cheers!
Thanks

 

[lion_crazz]

If you were going to go with texas holey rock, I would just get live rock. Live rock is so much better for saltwater aquariums.
Everything looks okay. You will definitely need a skimmer and at least 2 powerheads.

 

[mr.clownfish]

yeah he is right u have to build ur tank out of live rock. VERY VERY important! without it nothing will survive in ur tank. because it is a form of filter that keeps ur tank clean and healthy. its good to make many caves and hiding spots in there for the fish because it would lessen the amount of stress. and sorry if i disappoint u but u probably cant keep more than 2 tangs and only smaller ones that don't grow to be over 8 or 10 inches.
(which most do) some good tangs might be kole/yellow eye tang. a yellow tang, Scopes tang, or some other baby tang. try to get them as babies. u can keep most angel fish and maybe a trigger but they are aggressive. i think the most fish in a 55gal is 10 fish but that is still too much. or u can have a school of some kind of damsels. that would be very nice. maybe 15 or 20 fish. but that and maybe a tang out be all u can put.
or u can make it an aggressive tank with puffers and triggers, maybe wrasses.
good luck

 

[dwmcnic_stu]

Wow - holy hyperbole here...
You could definitely keep a fish only tank thriving without any live rock at all. I agree that live rock is fantastic for a tank as it brings a beautiful realistic look and works as a natural biological filter, but to say you won't be able to keep anything alive in your tank is an exaggeration I disagree with. If your budget allows, definitely use all live rock. If not, I would suggest doing base rock (like the Texas holy rock you mention) and add small amounts of live rock as your wallet permits. I know I've seen a hefty $6/lb DIFFERENCE (that's per damn pound!!! craziness!!!) between base and live rock and I know it is a hell of a hit to do it all at once. Oh, and also, by setting the live rock on the base rock will, in time, turn your base into live rock (I haven't experienced this, but have read it from multiple sources).
Powerheads, as another poster said, is a must. For a fish only, I would suggest you want at least a 10x gph turn. So you want at least 550 gph flowing in your tank.
Being a fish only tank, the necessity of a skimmer is debatable, especially since you're not using a wet/dry.
From zooming around to a lot of different places, I've seen some passionate debate about Tangs and the size tanks they belong in. All I will say is this -- I suggest you look more into this before making that purchase and decide for yourself.

 

[wfd1008]

+1 on the tangs, but as far as a skimmer goes, i would add one for sure. IMO they are a must just because they "deep clean" your water by getting out alot of dissolved waste. JMO

 

[srfisher17]

Of course you can keep SW fish without LR. LR is really a fairly new find in the SW hobby. I sure wouldn't try a reef tank without LR, however.

 

[srfisher17]

1.)Of course a tank can thrive without LR. just be sure the rock you use is SW safe. Limestone is good, its just very old and dead LR anyhow and will turn into LR eventually. LR is preferred, but is really fairly new in the hobby. 2.) I'd paint the back of your tank (black or dark blue), you'll want to sooner or later. The FW (or any, IMO) backgrounds just don't look natural. 3.)I wouldn't put any tang into a 55, ever.It just is not long enough to provide swimming room. 4.) I'm not sure your AC sand is SW safe. I know it is for hard water fish, but it may contain minerals that are very dangerous in SW. SW will dissolve a lot of stuff (mostly metals) that are no big deal in a FW tank. If you can't find out for sure, use a SW substrate. It doesn't have to be expensive. 5.) Keep asking questions!, You're off to a great this way. 6.) Patience. Go slow after you've done reasearch, one fish at a time; in most cases. I'm the world's most impatient person; this hobby has taught me plenty.