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rutz15

rutz15

Member
I am new to this site and im wanting to start up my 55 gallon tank and i was needing a lot of advice such as:
what type of Lighting
Filters
Protein Skimmers
Fish (how many and if a tang would be to big for my tank)
How deep for sand what kind of sand also
How much LR
Do i need an Overflow Box
And whatever else i will need to know about my tank
I hope you guys help me out a lot
Thanks Rutz15
 
ryanhayes9

ryanhayes9

Active Member
the lighting depends, if you want a reef you will need brighter light. for example i have a 29 gallon and i have a coralife aqualight. it puts out 2X65 watts. it cost me bout 150
 
ryanhayes9

ryanhayes9

Active Member
i use a hang on back filter. if you ever did freshwater, they have a lot of these. the ones that hang on the back. it is a whisper 40.
protein skimmer is a debatable thing, in my opinion you will need one. its like a 2nd filter sort of. some people just run a skimmer. i use a hang on back also
I dont really know a lot about tangs but i think it might be ok. but noty for a lot of them. please correct me if im wrong
for a 55, i would do live sand. it's not really "live" but it has more stuff liek copeopods etc. It will help you boost the cycle of your tank. but some people use play sand. but there is a specific type. i think its southdown playsand but don't hold me to it.
I would use maybe 2 pounds of live rock for each gallon in your tank. (110 pounds)
i dont have an overflow because my tanks a 29 gallon
make sure you get a book on saltwater fish. a good one is "the new marine aquarium"
 
rutz15

rutz15

Member
does that filter keep your tank really clean with the skimmer bc i know a lot of people on here use a refugium and they say thatis good but i already have a whisper i just want something that keeps my tank crystal clear and about the overflow do you think i would need one since i have a 55 or is it not needed?
 
ryanhayes9

ryanhayes9

Active Member
if you havent started your tank yet, make sure you plan it out.
i was on the high that a saltwater would be so cool. because i sort of mastered the freshwater aquarium. i guesses i would spend 100 bucks but i have spent over 200 and will spend prolly over 200 more. and thats just for a 29 gallon
 
rutz15

rutz15

Member
what is a powerhead and how much do they cost but i appreciate all the help you are giving me and please keep posting lol and what is the difference between a reef tank and just a regular one
I live in Washington IL how about you
 
ryanhayes9

ryanhayes9

Active Member
well a reef is a tank with Live rock AND corals.This is what my tank is. a normal tank is called a FOWLR it stands for fish only with live rock. That means you can have Live Rock but no corals. these tanks generally dont require any special lighting needs. so you could buy and hood with any lighting pretty much.
 
rutz15

rutz15

Member
I want coral in my tanks but arent there a lt of fish out there that arent coral safe because i still want a goof variety of fish and im willing to get the required lighting that would be needed for the coral because im also going to get anenome in my tank and i understand they also need a lot of light and aslo bright light
 
ryanhayes9

ryanhayes9

Active Member
a powerhead is a machine that circulates the water. you can learn about them here http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/pum...powerheads.htm
if you want a FOWLR then you should prolly have a minimum of an 8X turnover. but if you want a reef, you should have a mimimum if 15X turnover. without powerheads in your tank there will be dead spots. I think those are areas of dead items and places where things dont grow. Powerheads are measured in GPH or gallons per hour. when i say you should have a 8X turnover rate for a FOWLR i mean you should have a powerhead or two powerheads that do 440 gallons per hour. that means you can get one powerhead that does 440 or 2 that does 220. but you can always get more. Just make sure that if you do go with a reef which you should because they are a LOT cooler you should have a mimimum os 15X turnover and a max of prolly 25X
 
ryanhayes9

ryanhayes9

Active Member
if you search salt water fish, you will see there are ALOT of fish that are reef safe. I have
2 percula clowns( They do host an anemone)
1 firefish Goby
1 flame angel( highly reccomend one, beautiful fish. some say they might nip - corlas but mine doesint. and you can only have 1 angel per tank.)
 
ryanhayes9

ryanhayes9

Active Member
i am leaving in like 30 min to go somewhere but you can still post here until i tell you im leaving, then just email me at ryanhayes96@excite.com. you can ask me about ANYTHING. remember there is no stupid question. i must have e mailed a guy 30 times asking questions
 
rutz15

rutz15

Member
Alright im going to do a reef because i have looked at them and they are pretty sweet looking.....But i want to know what fish i will be missing out on bc of the fish that arent coral safe and i looked at the powerheads and if i was looking at the right thing they are pretty cheap right? And since i will be doing a reef tank how much lighting will i need?
 
ryanhayes9

ryanhayes9

Active Member
well the bad part about a reef is that there are SOME fish you cant get. Like if you look - them under salt water fishes fish for sale most will tell if they are reef safe. but i also do a google search on them.
i got my 2 poweheads off a REALLY well known auction site. i think you know which one. it starts with a E. mine do 240 gph and they were in a package deal. i got the 2 for 29.99 and the shipping was 5 bucks. that auction site for me is the way to find good, cheap aquarium stuff.
I run a lighing called coralife aqualight. It has 2X65 watts. so 130 watts total. mines 30 inches and on that auction site i found it for CHEAP. just search power compact aquarium on the auction site and buy the right measureing light strip. by the way you got my email adress right? i would like it if you asked me question through email. it brings me joy to help a new reefer like you.
 
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