Newbie with 65 gal, need help/advice

[oracledba72]

I had my 65 set up for about 6 months with freshwater, but needed more colorful fish so now switched to saltwater. Here is my current setup:
65 gal. all-glass
1 emperor 280
2 penguin 550's
1 visitherm 200w heater
1 underground filter
50 pounds atlantic crushed coral
Misc. rocks for decoration (not Live rock)
Just set up the tank 2 days ago, and added 2 yellowtail damsels last night. How does this setup sound? Is there any more that I need to do right now? Do I have enough filtration? Thanks for any input, i would greatly appreciate it!
James

 

[marty]

I have not used an emperor 280, so I am not sure about your filtration needs. Just commenting on some thoughts I have for your set up.
1) Your underground filter - I have heard here that this is not the best choice for saltwater as stuff can get trapped underneath and cause high nitrAtes.
2) crushed coral - I bought this too when I first started along with live sand. After 9 months, I wish I had not bought cc. Too much work (i.e. you need to vacuum it when doing water changes, etc..) Does not look good in my opinion.
This is what I would do:
1) Take back the damsels (damsels can be aggressive, be careful if you keep them, plus you are asking them to stand the stress of a cycling tank - i.e. high ammonia and nitrites which to them are toxic)
2) Remove the underground filter and cc
3) Buy some play sand (use search function above) and buy some live sand to "seed" the play sand.
4) Check emperor 280 filteration stats
5) purchase a small amount of live rock
6) Let the tank cycle for 3-6 weeks checking the water parameters until ammonia and nitrItes are zero
7) Buy 1-2 fish to start, possible cleaning crew addition
In the meantime, purchase some books and magazines and read some posts here. It is amazing what one can learn from just reading.
Hope this helps.
Marty

 

[oracledba72]

Thanks for the reply. The emperor 280 does 280gph. The 550's do 145gph. Man, i hope i didn't make a mistake with using my underground filter and crused coral. Crap. I would like to go with live rock. How much in pounds would you recommend? Can live rock take the stress of new tank syndrome?
Thanks again, james

 

[stacy]

You should replace the emperor. Go with the emperor 400. I run 2 on a 55 gallon. It never hurts to have to much filtertration.

 

[jla9508]

If you buy enough live rock the 280 will be fine. I have a 55 gal with 50 lbs of live rock and a 280. The live rock will be biological filtration. If I were you I would get about 60-75 lbs of live rock.

 

[jim672]

James,
Welcome to the board!
You'll get lots of different opinions from the people on this BB about tank set-up. Let me give you my $.02.
Dave is right.....undergravel filters are just not effective for long in a sw tank. Crushed coral, as mentioned, if not cleaned frequently and thoroughly, will cause you problems. If I were you, I'd take the 2 fish back to the lfs where you bought them and take the ug filter and cc out of your tank. Do a search on the bb for "filtration" and decide which way you want to go....mechanical, biological or a little of both. This decision will determine how much live rock you'll need in the tank, too. Also, you'll want to investigate substrates and what you want to do there. Crushed coral, over time, can absorg phosphates and leach them back into your system causing algea problems. Live sand is a great asset in biological filtration....again, do a search on live sand or dsb (deep sand bed).
Once you have acquired your rock and substrate, then you will have to allow your tank to cycle. Normal cycling time is 4 to 6 weeks....again, if you search for cycling you'll be better able to understand what is happening in your tank during that time.
After your cycle is complete....you've tested your water and the parameters are within acceptable levels....then the fun really begins and you can start stocking with fish.
Notive I didn't tell you it would be easy....but it sure is fun

Good luck!
Jim

 

[yellowtang]

I don't anyone has told you this yet, but you can use shrimp (from the store) to cycle the tank. this way no life will be lost. lr and ls will also help cycle it.
Welcome to tbe board, sit back, read some post and you'll learn more then you ever thought. If you have questions, ask before you buy/do something.
Good luck with the tank.

 

[oracledba72]

Thanks to all who replied.

 

[lurch694u]

Just do a 1 inch sand bed you don't need a DSB. Also make sure if you get playsand make sure it doesn't have silcates in it. Southdown is the best playsand out there. Home depot carries it. Ditch the emperor and get 1LB of live rock per gallon and a good protien skimmer. Then maybe seed your sand bed with a couple pounds of live sand from the store.
Thats my opinion...

 

[jeo]

I agree with Lurch694u, getting a 50 lb bag of southdown will cost $4 and will look a lot better than cc -IMO of course, but most people would agree- and seeding it with a few lbs of ls won't be expensive. I would direct most of the money you saved on the dsb on lr because it is one of the most prominent things in the tank and has many benefits already mentioned. as far as a skimmer goes I think a prizm or a backpac would go a long way on improving your water quality- also with a skimmer you don't have to worry about replacing media like you will with the emperor. I actually have a new prizm that I bought for a smaller tank buit then decided to get a bigger tank. So if you do happen to go the skimmer route and are interested email me at rusczek@yahoo.com. Good luck

 

[heavenly damsel]

I wish I had found this board before I set up my first tank. Most folks are just telling you what they have learned from experience. My first tank had cc substrate, hang on filter and decorative rock that I paid too much for.
My second tank has DSB, LR (1.5 lbs per gallon) a protien skimmer, a sump and a refugium. I am much happier with the second tank. We just set up our third tank and it is the same set up as the second. We spend too much time cleanng the first tank and a great deal of time enjoying the other two. Hope that helps.