Pics of my 55 Gal.
- Thread starter rmleal
- Start date
skirrby
Active Member
well, a 55 gallon is a nice tank. i have one myslef. but i see a few things that i would change if i was setting it up. felt i would tell you and give you some constructive critisism.
first i see that you have what appears to be crushed coral. which alot of people start with, and alot of people have, and alot of people still do. The problem with crushed coral is it can lead to high nitrates if not taken care of properly. so unless you plan on vacuming it all the time, id consider a switch to live sand.. there are alot more benifits to live sand woth looking into, one being that it looks alot better.
second, i see that you are running a undergravel filter. again another nitrate factory. id remove it. it really us more hassel than its worth. and honestly not needed.
third, you dont really need the power filters on the back, they arent bad, good for running carbon, and extra flow in the tank. but they arent needed like the lfs might suggest.
fourth, get more live rock, its expensive i know, but get good cured, quality live rock. it will filter your tank better than both those h.o.b filters will, and make the tank more natural, and give the fish places to hide.
those are just some quick suggestions i have. in no way am i trying to be rude. you got the makings for a good tank. those are just some things i could see that would help you improve it.
you also might want to look into adding a sump and a refugium to the tank.
first i see that you have what appears to be crushed coral. which alot of people start with, and alot of people have, and alot of people still do. The problem with crushed coral is it can lead to high nitrates if not taken care of properly. so unless you plan on vacuming it all the time, id consider a switch to live sand.. there are alot more benifits to live sand woth looking into, one being that it looks alot better.
second, i see that you are running a undergravel filter. again another nitrate factory. id remove it. it really us more hassel than its worth. and honestly not needed.
third, you dont really need the power filters on the back, they arent bad, good for running carbon, and extra flow in the tank. but they arent needed like the lfs might suggest.
fourth, get more live rock, its expensive i know, but get good cured, quality live rock. it will filter your tank better than both those h.o.b filters will, and make the tank more natural, and give the fish places to hide.
those are just some quick suggestions i have. in no way am i trying to be rude. you got the makings for a good tank. those are just some things i could see that would help you improve it.
you also might want to look into adding a sump and a refugium to the tank.
dacia
Active Member
Live rock is expensive, but I believe that this website has a great deal on it. You get free shipping, and the quality is excellent. Two of my tanks that have live rock were supplied solely by this website.
Do you have a protein skimmer? For a 55, I would go with either a CPR Bak Pak Dual or the AquaC Remora Pro. They will help remove any dissolved wastes in your water.
Are you going to have a reef? If so, post more pictures when you have it stocked with your corals! :jumping: I love looking at other people's corals...
Good luck with your tank!:happyfish
Do you have a protein skimmer? For a 55, I would go with either a CPR Bak Pak Dual or the AquaC Remora Pro. They will help remove any dissolved wastes in your water.
Are you going to have a reef? If so, post more pictures when you have it stocked with your corals! :jumping: I love looking at other people's corals...
Good luck with your tank!:happyfish
dacia
Active Member
Your lights looks to be a Current USA orbit fixture...4x65W over a 55 gallon tank which would be perfect for soft corals and LPS. You should also be able to keep a BTA when you get more experience and your tank has been stable for a few months. What corals are you looking to get?
midwest reefer
Member
LR is expensive, and like mentioned before this site has a good deal on it. One way you might be able to save some money is to put some cheap base rock on the bottom and stack LR on top. You still would need more LR for filtration purposes, but you can save some money by adding base rock as well as the LR. I did that in my first reef and after about 6 months I couldnt tell the difference between it and my LR.
Also, Im not sure if this was a given, but when you remove the undergravel filter, you might as well keep the pumps in there because they will add to your flow rate, which is very important.
Also, Im not sure if this was a given, but when you remove the undergravel filter, you might as well keep the pumps in there because they will add to your flow rate, which is very important.