My 1st 55g build (after 1 month)...

FSU3NOLES28

FSU3NOLES28

New member
I have to admit I love this forum and I love learning more and more about the hobby.

I wanted to share my tank so far and also have a place to ask some general questions about things available around Rochester.

My g/f bought me a basic marineland freshwater kit. It came with led lighting which I hope to change soon.

I went with a crushed coral substrate... about 40 lbs.

I currently have about 25lbs of live rock and 1 piece of "dead" rock. I wanted to have something plain and see it change over time.

Just purchased a 750gph powerhead and I'll be getting another one pretty soon.

Only live stock I currently have are 2 Fancy Oscellaris that I got about a couple of weeks ago.

Pretty basic for now.

Thoughts?

tank3211.jpg
 
Its a nice start. word of advice. Get the best protien skimmer you can afford. Consider ditching the crushed coral for sand. What are your tank parameters?
 
Looking into skimmers and lighting. Not sure which I'm going to get first.

Got a basic testing kit for now.
ammonia - 0
ph 8.0
nitrates 5.0
nitrites 0
refractometer says salinity is 1.024

Why do you recommend sand over crushed corals? Most people steered me into crushed corals.
 
great start.

some advice:
*don't listen to "most people". Research a person's credibility.

*get a good protein skimmer BEFORE you get good lighting
 
Not to throw you off here but I would recommend getting a sump. You can make one for cheap (relatively speaking compared to other equipment in this hobby). HOB skimmers do a good job but an in sump skimmer would be far better and you quickly appreciate not having any equipment in your display.

Buy quality items. Trying to save at the beginning will generally cost you more in the end. I know from experience.
 
Tonynlo said:
Not to throw you off here but I would recommend getting a sump. You can make one for cheap (relatively speaking compared to other equipment in this hobby). HOB skimmers do a good job but an in sump skimmer would be far better and you quickly appreciate not having any equipment in your display.

Buy quality items. Trying to save at the beginning will generally cost you more in the end. I know from experience.
Click to expand...

I'll take that into consideration. Thanks.
 
What they said. I've had my first SW tank for about 16 months now and I went with a sump from the beginning with a good skimmer (Reef Octopus NW110 on a 56 gal tank, 66 gal total volume). My husband kept asking why I was making things so complicated, but once I showed him the logic (and ways I could minimize the chances of a flood ;)) and once I got used to it, it's been great.

I didn't drill because I was impatient, but I've had good luck with the Eshopps overflow so far.

I like the aquascape; it should allow for good flow around the rocks. Don't be shocked when your rocks turn brown (diatoms), then various shades of green! Totally normal! When you do start to see these, it's time to get your clean up crew (CUC) - snails and some hermit crabs.

Stick around. This is a fantastic group!
 
FSU3NOLES28 said:
Why do you recommend sand over crushed corals? Most people steered me into crushed corals.
Click to expand...

I have read (and please correct me if I'm wrong) crushed coral has two potential issues: (1) over time it tends to solidify and (2) because it is a product of a living organism, it may have a negative impact on nutrients as it degrades over time.

Some aspects of this might be putting the cart before the horse. What are you interested in keeping in the tank at this point?
 
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Depending on your stand, the only problem with a sump on a 55 gallon tank is fitting it underneath!
 
hey great start! +1 on buying good products with good reviews from other active aquarist.. i went the cheap way on my first 75 gallon setup and i just sold it because i couldnt stand looking at it now im making a good setup for my 40 gallon and i've never more excited. In the long run it will be worth it! i lost a good amount of money from buying cheap
 
5380 said:
I have read (and please correct me if I'm wrong) crushed coral has two potential issues: (1) over time it tends to solidify and (2) because it is a product of a living organism, it may have a negative impact on nutrients as it degrades over time.
Click to expand...
I've never heard either of these before!
 
Gary Majchrzak said:
I've never heard either of these before!
Click to expand...

The first one is probably occurs most often in freshwater or low pH saltwater tanks over long periods of time and the second one is probably nonsense I read somewhere I think the rationale was that crushed coral sand was harvested from highly polluted water off the coast of ____________.
 
5380 said:
I have read (and please correct me if I'm wrong) crushed coral has two potential issues: (1) over time it tends to solidify and (2) because it is a product of a living organism, it may have a negative impact on nutrients as it degrades over time
Click to expand...
correction time!

crushed coral doesn't have the potential to solidify any more than other aragonite substrates. In fact, smaller size particles of aragonite (such as sugar fine sand) are more likely to fuse together than the larger sizes of aragonite IME.

CaribSea offers many sizes of "crushed coral". I ran FCC (Florida Crushed Coral) for a number of years. I now run "Special Grade Seafloor". All of these substrates originate from living organisms which are (surprise!) corals. These substrates don't degrade. It's the crap that hides between the sand particles that you should concern yourself with ;)

I would think that since this fella already has crushed coral in his aquarium he should leave it for now.
 
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