Setting up a 55g reef

doog32226

doog32226

New Member
I am kinda new to the reef thing. I was just wondering if anyone can help me get started with it. Maybe suggest a filter system, skimmer, lights, etc.. I want to do it right from the beginning and not rush it. Right now I just have the tank full of water mixed with CoralLife salt. Current filter is a Bio-wheel filter, I think its a Penguin. Next will be the wet/dry filter and I would imagine live rock and sand. Am I doing this right so far? Thanks for any advice.
 
triga22

triga22

Active Member
A sump would be your best bet and a fuge. I would do T5 lights on the tank with individual reflectors.
 
aaron7405

aaron7405

Member
one important question is your budget, to see what is next, you can star with the things you have now and improve later to a better filtration sistem.
I think you will need a skimmer at some point, and one of the more important things is your ligths, so try to get the best you can, get some used but good ones. A good ligth will make your corals grow and you colors look alive.
Leter you can improve to a better filtration (canaster will be good) and is not as expensive as a sump fixture.
 
doog32226

doog32226

New Member
Was curious about your opinions on a Red Sea Prizm and Prizm deluxe skimmers? Are they good? Do you recommend I get one and I read that the Prizm Deluxe can also be used as a filter, is that true? Also, are skilters good?
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
i really dont think prizms are that good. if you're looking for a hang-on skimmer check out an aqua-c remora.
-Justin
 
soldier0117

soldier0117

Member
I wouldn't recommend a wet/dry because there is no need to waste money on one when Live Rock should be your main filter for a reef, which is biological. There is no better filter than the oceans natural filter. However I would make a simple sump with a smaller aquarium or even a rubermaid container or something. I was going to make a fuge but decided it wasn't worth it. With the sump you can keep things like skimmers, heaters, and other filter media like nitrate or phospate sponge. Just get an overflow box stick the hose in the sump and have a pump in it to return water to tank, and use that power filter for mechanical (solids) or chemical (carbon). Lastlt for a skimmer get either a Coralife Super Skimmer, or an Aqua C. Best of luck to you.
 
doog32226

doog32226

New Member
Thanks guys. You have been a big help. I think I will take your advice on the sump so it can hold the skimmer, heater, etc.. I will look into those skimmers as well. How much live rock should I use? I want to have a few fish. My ideas were a yellow tang, sailfin, either a diadem dottyback or royal gramma and a few chromis possibly a clown. Will all that be ok in my tank?
Is this the skimmer you are talking about?
 
darthsimon

darthsimon

Member
Another vote for the AquaC Remora Protien Skimmer. I have the Hang On, it works like a charm... I empty the cup every 2 days, and am amazed ot the grenish gunky water.... My fish would be swimming in this if no skimmer were present...
The Live rock for filtration usually is 1 to 1.5 pounds of LR per gallon of water in the tank...
 
browniebuck

browniebuck

Active Member
I currently have a 55g that I am turning into a reef. I have two hang on filters (filter media has been removed) and a rather cheap (for now) protein skimmer (Odyssea) along with 70+ LBS of LR. I have 260 watts of power compact lighting, which seems to be working quite well (corals seem healthy, coraline algae is spreading, and all fish are doing very well). I currently have two green ricordea mushrooms, pulsating xenia, and acrapora in the tank. These have all been in the tank for 2 or 3 months now and are doing very well. The xenia has already started to spread, the mushrooms went from singles to a double and a triple, and the acrapora has nearly doubled in size since I bought it. I am rather anal when it comes to water changes, testing, and cleaning, which I think is more important than the most expensive equipment.
Take your time and keep things on schedule as it pertains to water changes, cleaning, light timing, etc... and you should be fine. I decided to start with cheap corals first in order to see how well they would do with my set-up, which I think is a good idea (especially when I considered that the corals that I picked were attractive to me). Good luck!
 
doog32226

doog32226

New Member
Thanks for the info. I will do that. However, on the tang, I thought 55 was okay? My brother has one in his tank and its been very healthy. Does that apply to all tangs? What about a Scopas or a yellow eye tang?
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
Originally Posted by Doog32226
Thanks for the info. I will do that. However, on the tang, I thought 55 was okay? My brother has one in his tank and its been very healthy. Does that apply to all tangs? What about a Scopas or a yellow eye tang?
90% of the people here will tell you no, and most get pretty heated about it. 55s are just not large enough to support a tang's level of activity.
-Justin
 
doog32226

doog32226

New Member
Gotcha. Thanks. Thats last thing I want to do. If it won't work then I won't do it. Can anyone recommend a very colorful vibrant fish thats a decent size, say 2"-4" ?
 
doog32226

doog32226

New Member
I have salt build up on my glass, heater and filter. Why? I have never had that happen before. Please let me know why and what I can do to make sure this won't happen again.
On another note, I added 40lbs af Aragonite sand today. How much should I use for a 55g tank?
 
m0nk

m0nk

Active Member
Originally Posted by PrevWon
Howcome SWF.com says that the minimum tank size is 40gal for a Blue Hippo Tang?
This is a topic that gets some frequent attention, and causes a fair share of arguments on these boards, from what I've seen. I'm personally not an expert either, but there are a lot of people who say that a tang (any) needs a 6' long tank in order to have adequate swimming room since they're more active than many other fish that are kept in home aquariums. Some people will also say that you can have tangs in a 90 gallon, and some say you can have smaller/juvenile ones in even smaller tanks. The swf.com link you posted earlier is for a small blue hippo tang, 2 inches. These will grow to as big as 12 inches throughout their life, so while a 40 gallon may be adequate when they're still juveniles (many people will say that's not enough even for smaller ones, unless for an extremely short amount of time), it won't really work out in the long run. I've talked to people who have kept a tang in a 55 or 75 gallon for the first couple years of their lives and upgraded them into 100+ gallon tanks, but then have heard just as many horror stories of tangs that were stressed from the tank size and with their immune system compromised they got a disease and died. So, it's sorta subjective.
I hope that helps more than "no you can't do that".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top