Need some help asap

[JGARCED1]

So i am new to the entire hobby. I have seen multiple videos on YouTube on how to's and no to's. I would love to get some feed back if I am doing anything right as well as anything wrong. As all of you know, I don't have to stress the amount of money that it takes to start it off and maintain so I would love to get it right the first time around. Plus, most importantly, I want to make sure that when I start adding fish and coral, they survive. All of my readings came back perfect. I have checked the Calcium, Ammonium, Nitrate/Nitrite, Phosphate, Water Hardness. Temp of the tank is 76.8*.

Info:
-56 gal square tank
-Aqueon 06079 QuietFlow 55/75 Power Filter, 400-GPH
-1 Hydor Koralia Evolution 1050/1150 Aquarium Circulation Pump, 1050-1150 GPH
-2 Hydor Koralia Nano 425 Aquarium Circulation Pump, 425 GPH
-Green Killing Machine Internal 9 Watt UV Sterilizer with Power Head
-Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light, 24 to 36-Inch
-Coralife BioCube Protein Skimmer for Aquarium Filter

*I have 40lbs of live sand in the tank and about 40lbs+/- of live rock. I know the whole 1lb per gal rule but I cant figure out a way to get more rock in the tank. Actually, I have been struggling with aquascaping since day one. I have attached a picture of the set. Please feel free to provide "constructive" criticism. I don't need anything just flat out putting negative or offensive remarks.

This is how I started
View attachment 339432

This is how I have it now
View attachment 339433


Thank you for your time!

 

[joshbrookkate]

I'm no expert but may I suggest keeping the rock far enough away from the sides so you can fit a scrapper to clean the glass? You'll be glad you did! Other than that, I like the look.

 

[Sapelo]

There's a GREAT "Setting Up" sticky at the top of this page that should be helpful.
One of the hardest things with getting started, I think, is deciding which voices to trust. Everyone has an opinion and a lot of those opinions are different.
If you hang around here long enough, you'll find the advice and voices that work best for you since every aquarium is different.

A couple of quick thoughts :
1. Kudos for reading and learning BEFORE adding fish or coral. It's much easier to correct problems before they happen rather than after you add 10 fish and wonder why things are going wrong. You seem to be taking your time and educating yourself and that is wonderful!
2. Almost no question you will ever ask here can be answered if your parameters "came back perfect." This is an exacting hobby and almost everyone will ask you for specifics. Now is a good time to start logging numbers -- real, hard numbers -- so that later when you do have a question you can look back and pull hard evidence to analyze.
3. I would go ahead an glue my rock together. It's a good idea anyway, but especially if you want to add coral later on, having a stable base for your setup will save you a lot of headaches. You'll also find that you can get more rock into the tank if the base is stable.

Welcome to the hobby! Good luck!

 

[JGARCED1]

I'm no expert but may I suggest keeping the rock far enough away from the sides so you can fit a scrapper to clean the glass? You'll be glad you did! Other than that, I like the look.

thank you very much for your feed back! I will def do that tonight!

 

[jsspallina]

Welcome to the hobby! good luck!
You are off to a good start, If i would change one thing i would look into a quality skimmer they help remove waist from your tank and are vital in a smaller and newer aquarium.

i had a Bio-Cube 29 gallon and that same skimmer and it left much to be desired.

I would do a search for Hang-On & nano skimmers and you will be very happy. your fish and coral will thank you.

 

[JGARCED1]

There's a GREAT "Setting Up" sticky at the top of this page that should be helpful.
One of the hardest things with getting started, I think, is deciding which voices to trust. Everyone has an opinion and a lot of those opinions are different.
If you hang around here long enough, you'll find the advice and voices that work best for you since every aquarium is different.

A couple of quick thoughts :
1. Kudos for reading and learning BEFORE adding fish or coral. It's much easier to correct problems before they happen rather than after you add 10 fish and wonder why things are going wrong. You seem to be taking your time and educating yourself and that is wonderful!
2. Almost no question you will ever ask here can be answered if your parameters "came back perfect." This is an exacting hobby and almost everyone will ask you for specifics. Now is a good time to start logging numbers -- real, hard numbers -- so that later when you do have a question you can look back and pull hard evidence to analyze.
3. I would go ahead an glue my rock together. It's a good idea anyway, but especially if you want to add coral later on, having a stable base for your setup will save you a lot of headaches. You'll also find that you can get more rock into the tank if the base is stable.

Welcome to the hobby! Good luck!

Thank you very much for your input! I actually have the numbers at home just for that very reason, so thanks! And as for the scaping, I am making it a reef tank for than anything. I am just really lost when it comes to placing them nicely but i will look into the thread you advised. Thanks again!

 

[gone fishin]

Welcome to the forum. I don't know if the coralife skimmers have changed much but they use to be pretty finicky and did not really pull much out.

I like your rock work, the more important question is are you happy with it? It would appear to be pretty porous rock. Bulk reef supply (BRS) has a decent selection of dry rock reasonably priced and very porous if you choose to try and add a few more pounds.

 

[JGARCED1]

Thank you!

 

[JGARCED1]

Welcome to the hobby! good luck!
You are off to a good start, If i would change one thing i would look into a quality skimmer they help remove waist from your tank and are vital in a smaller and newer aquarium.

i had a Bio-Cube 29 gallon and that same skimmer and it left much to be desired.

I would do a search for Hang-On & nano skimmers and you will be very happy. your fish and coral will thank you.

Thank you!

 

[JGARCED1]

Welcome to the forum. I don't know if the coralife skimmers have changed much but they use to be pretty finicky and did not really pull much out.

I like your rock work, the more important question is are you happy with it? It would appear to be pretty porous rock. Bulk reef supply (BRS) has a decent selection of dry rock reasonably priced and very porous if you choose to try and add a few more pounds.

One day I am and the next day, the more I look at it, I feel like its a mess. lol.. And thanks, I will look into that this week.

 

[JGARCED1]

OH and i forgot to mention, so if anyone knows how to edit posts please let me know.... My tank is going to be a reef tank with probably 10 +/- smaller fish

 

[rsain]

FYI - for a reef in a 56 10 fish will likely be a bit high on the bioload. Others will have more specific info, but I always used the 1" of fish per 10 gallon approach - with some wiggle room. Lol.

Like someone else said please read the SETTING UP sticky.

-ryan

 

[JGARCED1]

FYI - for a reef in a 56 10 fish will likely be a bit high on the bioload. Others will have more specific info, but I always used the 1" of fish per 10 gallon approach - with some wiggle room. Lol.

Like someone else said please read the SETTING UP sticky.

-ryan

Thank you very much!

:thumbsup:

 

[Mackenze]

I would get as much rock off the sand as possible via aqua scaping caves and basic walls/pillars to suspend large assorted LR, allowing a good flow on a maximum amount of surface area and it keeps debris,poop,food,stuff from collecting in most areas. Flow is freed up and bacteria and copepods bring value to every open pore in the rock thats available.
Plus if you do it right nothing can hide from you

 

[Mackenze]

You can see i raised the majority of my LR off the sand with a clear breeder box you can kinda see behind the clam.

 

[JGARCED1]

You can see i raised the majority of my LR off the sand with a clear breeder box you can kinda see behind the clam.

Awesome hack! i love it. can't wait to go home to give it a shot

 

[ZeeSparrow]

Another suggestion to read the sticky. If you already have, feel free to read it again. There's TONS of information there, so much that I seem to always glean more from it each time I read it.

As Ryan said, that may be a bit too many fish for your size tank. I would also suggest posting your plans before you buy anything, then you can get feedback from more knowledgeable folks about your list. Also, consider setting up a QT tank.

Best of luck!

 

[JGARCED1]

Another suggestion to read the sticky. If you already have, feel free to read it again. There's TONS of information there, so much that I seem to always glean more from it each time I read it.

As Ryan said, that may be a bit too many fish for your size tank. I would also suggest posting your plans before you buy anything, then you can get feedback from more knowledgeable folks about your list. Also, consider setting up a QT tank.

Best of luck!

Much appreciated!