Tank equipment

[tbrow21]

I have a hang on filter for a 55 gallon reaf tank and I was wondering what other equipment I should have to sustain a healthy equarium

 

[saxman]

What will you be keeping?

 

[tbrow21]

Well I'm transferring from a 30 to 55 and I have a blue devil damsel a chocklet chip star fish and an earchent I want to get Corel bul I don't want the star fish to feed on them

 

[saxman]

If you want coral, you'll need to lose the choclolate chip star. In fact, I don't trust them or any of the knobby stars, as they're opportunistic carnivores that will have no trouble taking down a sleeping fish.
Your urchin might be a problem too, depending upon which one you have.
As for the damsel, if you want to keep other fish, I'd try to get rid of it, as it will likely pick on any newcomers to the tank.
Filtration-wise, if your HOB filter is oversized, it MIGHT work for you (It should be at least rated for twice the volume of your aquarium), but I'd go with a sump-based system, esp. if you're planning on keeping coral.

 

[tbrow21]

What about a canister filter I know a lot of people who use them and love them and as far as a sump all the ones i see are expensive and im low on cash any suggestions.

 

[saxman]

I ran a canister for a few years and it worked, but you really need to keep up on maintaining them at LEAST every-other week. The biggest concern is rinsing out the sponges in used tankwater from your waterchanges. Again, you'll want to oversize the canister.
You can look into other vessels for your sump when the time comes...it can be an old tank, or some peeps use sturdy "tupperware"-type bins as their sump.

 

[tbrow21]

What size sump should I use and I don't really know anything about sumps so any information is helpful

 

[florida joe]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TBrow21 http:///t/393605/tank-equipment#post_3502294
What size sump should I use and I don't really know anything about sumps so any information is helpful
if you dont know anything about them why do you want one

 

[tbrow21]

So I can learn and expand my knowledge of my hobby and provide the best environment I can for my fish

 

[florida joe]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TBrow21 http:///t/393605/tank-equipment#post_3502301
So I can learn and expand my knowledge of my hobby and provide the best environment I can for my fish
And to that end you should do research as opposed to me or someone else telling you to get a certain size sump IMO

 

[saxman]

Here's about the best explanation on how a sump works that I know of...
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

 

[florida joe]

Quote:
Originally Posted by saxman http:///t/393605/tank-equipment#post_3502313
Here's about the best explanation on how a sump works that I know of...
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html
a light in the darkness