In Progress: Sumpless 55g Tank
- Thread starter hhoang
- Start date
hhoang
New member
I am thinking of getting one for my tank actually. I think it will be a nice addition to any tank.
hhoang
New member
I ordered dry rock, I can't wait to get it.
In total I ordered 60 lbs of dry rock from http://www.marcorocks.com and I plan on getting 10lbs of live rock (I'm pretty sure it's already been cured but I'm going to do a hypersalinity bath just in case), a HOB skimmer, sand and saltwater from the Seattle Aquarium and then the cycle begins :headwally: I'm so close. Now it's time to start thinking of tanking options for this weird shaped tank.
I also ordered a master test kit, powerheads and a refractometer off amazon today. My wallet hates me and I feel a little bit of buyers remorse, I'll get over it. I should be cycling my tank in about a week or so. yayyyyyyyyyyyy
In total I ordered 60 lbs of dry rock from http://www.marcorocks.com and I plan on getting 10lbs of live rock (I'm pretty sure it's already been cured but I'm going to do a hypersalinity bath just in case), a HOB skimmer, sand and saltwater from the Seattle Aquarium and then the cycle begins :headwally: I'm so close. Now it's time to start thinking of tanking options for this weird shaped tank.
I also ordered a master test kit, powerheads and a refractometer off amazon today. My wallet hates me and I feel a little bit of buyers remorse, I'll get over it. I should be cycling my tank in about a week or so. yayyyyyyyyyyyy
Pigpen17
New member
Awesome. You are on your way!
It is an odd shaped tank for fish stocking, but it has potential to be really cool. In fact, that’s what drew me to it. The depth is awesome and the height is very dramatic. Wait till you get water and rock in it, it’s looks fantastic. I am trying to kill Ich in mine now, so I have about 2 more months until I can add fish. Lots of time to decide stock, but I love the fact that this is more than just the typical rectangle tank. It has huge potential. My new light will be here Tuesday, and I can’t wait.
It is an odd shaped tank for fish stocking, but it has potential to be really cool. In fact, that’s what drew me to it. The depth is awesome and the height is very dramatic. Wait till you get water and rock in it, it’s looks fantastic. I am trying to kill Ich in mine now, so I have about 2 more months until I can add fish. Lots of time to decide stock, but I love the fact that this is more than just the typical rectangle tank. It has huge potential. My new light will be here Tuesday, and I can’t wait.
hhoang
New member
You've got ich in your tank? How'd that happen?
Pigpen17
New member
I am not sure if I always had it or just got it. When I broke down my 65, about 7 years ago, I kept my live rock in a 30 gallon cube. Just to have something to look at, I did stock a single, Cinnimon Clown. It did fine forever, but I added a new fish and it got sick as heck! Ich, and popeye and maybe a fungus infection too. Horrible.
I was fishless after this and decided to upgrade my tank size. The rocks and cleaner crew in the new 56 are from the 30, so yeah, it has Ich. I am fallow for 72 days, and then I can add stock. I hope.
One day at a time.
I was fishless after this and decided to upgrade my tank size. The rocks and cleaner crew in the new 56 are from the 30, so yeah, it has Ich. I am fallow for 72 days, and then I can add stock. I hope.
One day at a time.
hhoang
New member
That's too bad, I've never had to deal with ich, but I've dealt with fin rot, velvet and fungus...but that's usually because I "rescue" them.
This guy recovered from finrot. I found him on a dusty shelf, pale and listless. He's now in a 5g planted.
Good luck, that's a terrible case of the nasties.
This guy recovered from finrot. I found him on a dusty shelf, pale and listless. He's now in a 5g planted.
Good luck, that's a terrible case of the nasties.
Pigpen17
New member
Hey, hhoang, check out this guys thread. He has the same tank, I think, but doing a much more involved set up.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2381319
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2381319
hhoang
New member
I would add a sump if weight wasn't an issue, but I'm on the third floor. We don't plan on stocking this tank too heavily.
hhoang
New member
Update: All the misc stuff (test kit, refractometer, powerheads) should be delivered today. I decided to go with black sand (I know some of it can be magnetic, can show crud easier, and is a pain in the butt to clean but I really like it). I found some that won't mess with the ph and the grains are all pretty much the same so any bottom dwellers won't have an issue sifting through it. I went and checked out my friends tank and he has black sand in his mixed reef, all the pretty colors just popped. My dry rock will be here in about 4 days and that same friend offered to help me speed up the cycling process by transferring some things from his tank to mine (some including filter media since he also runs a canister filter, but he uses a mix of matrix and carbon. His tank is super duper healthy and has remained steady for 2 years, no diseases or anything. I'll be able to jump start my cycling here by the weekend.
Pigpen17
New member
Right on. Love getting stuff in the mail. Please post a pic when you have everything in the tank. I would love to see this up and running.
Just got my LED's today. Marineland "reef ready".It's basically a toy, but holy shiz! What a difference! I love it! No pic can show how brilliant these are. For real, I have tried. They are such an improvement. I know it's a bottom of the line LED, but I can't imagine them being much brighter! Wow!
I understand that is far from full spectrum. It has only white and blue, but I am digging it! I could try some med light soft corals. I just might.
That's it on the tank cash for a while though. Time to start setting up my QT. I could actually be buying fish in a month!
Before:
<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/user/pigpen_/media/IMG_0552.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/pigpen_/IMG_0552.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0552.jpg"/></a>
After!
<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/user/pigpen_/media/led.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/pigpen_/led.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo led.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/user/pigpen_/media/IMG_0557.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/pigpen_/IMG_0557.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0557.jpg"/></a>
Yeah, the photos just don't do it.
Just got my LED's today. Marineland "reef ready".It's basically a toy, but holy shiz! What a difference! I love it! No pic can show how brilliant these are. For real, I have tried. They are such an improvement. I know it's a bottom of the line LED, but I can't imagine them being much brighter! Wow!
I understand that is far from full spectrum. It has only white and blue, but I am digging it! I could try some med light soft corals. I just might.
That's it on the tank cash for a while though. Time to start setting up my QT. I could actually be buying fish in a month!
Before:
<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/user/pigpen_/media/IMG_0552.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/pigpen_/IMG_0552.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0552.jpg"/></a>
After!
<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/user/pigpen_/media/led.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/pigpen_/led.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo led.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/user/pigpen_/media/IMG_0557.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/pigpen_/IMG_0557.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0557.jpg"/></a>
Yeah, the photos just don't do it.
hhoang
New member
That looks great! I love the way the purple on your rock just pops out.
When you get some fish in there it's going to look awesome & I love what you've done with the aquascaping.
IMO my lights have too much blue, I wish there were more red leds to balance it out. I almost want to replace my actinic bulb with a pink actinic bulb and see how that looks. I think I might actually get a dual bulb so I can run a 50/50 and a pink actinic bulb.
When you get some fish in there it's going to look awesome & I love what you've done with the aquascaping.
IMO my lights have too much blue, I wish there were more red leds to balance it out. I almost want to replace my actinic bulb with a pink actinic bulb and see how that looks. I think I might actually get a dual bulb so I can run a 50/50 and a pink actinic bulb.
Pigpen17
New member
Yeah. That is the bummer with this light. I am stuck with what it has out of the box. I also thought that it could run over an open tank. I don't know where I got that idea, but I was sure of it. But no.
Crazy. My shrimp seems mesmerized buy them. When I first turned them on, it climbed to the tallest rock and then reached up as far as it could!
Oh, but my first reaction after the shock of the brightness is they lack the warmth of fluorescents. Not the one that came with the tank. That sucked. But it is a lot cooler that my old lamps. Maybe that's the pink you refer to as well.
Crazy. My shrimp seems mesmerized buy them. When I first turned them on, it climbed to the tallest rock and then reached up as far as it could!
Oh, but my first reaction after the shock of the brightness is they lack the warmth of fluorescents. Not the one that came with the tank. That sucked. But it is a lot cooler that my old lamps. Maybe that's the pink you refer to as well.
Pigpen17
New member
HA! I know where I got the idea you could run the light over open water. Marineland has pictures of it over an open tank!
I put it on there last night just to see how it looks. It's sweet. Might risk it.
<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/user/pigpen_/media/DSC00076.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/pigpen_/DSC00076.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DSC00076.jpg"/></a>
I am thinking of maybe mounting a sheet of plexi to the light as it's own cover, or something. Not sure. Also have a question out to Marineland about it. Maybe if I wipe it down often.
I put it on there last night just to see how it looks. It's sweet. Might risk it.
<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/user/pigpen_/media/DSC00076.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/pigpen_/DSC00076.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DSC00076.jpg"/></a>
I am thinking of maybe mounting a sheet of plexi to the light as it's own cover, or something. Not sure. Also have a question out to Marineland about it. Maybe if I wipe it down often.
Pigpen17
New member
Good advice. I will take a look tonight at the housing for potential danger points. This is way too cool looking to just say "you can't do that."
hhoang
New member
You can have a successful reef with no sump. I have a 55 reef with the same eshopps skimmer, phosphate reactor, and a canister with uv and a surface skimmer installed. Don't over feed or overstock, and I have 0 nitrates. I Clean my canister monthly.
It's always so nice to see people reaffirm a sumpless system. Makes me feel a little more confident.
I'm running a canister but was told if I'm running a HOB skimmer to run matrix and carbon through it with filterfloss instead of the ceramic rings, sponges and water polisher. Your opinion kjboggs?
I love how you did your rock btw.
Similar threads
