New and doing research! What would you suggest for a new 55 gallon reef tank?

[ARae]

Hello everyone!

I am just beginning my research adventure because this June I am moving to a new place and inheriting a 55 gallon tank, and I would like to start my first saltwater adventure!

I have been reading and watching lots of videos over the past few days, but I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed. I just thought I would reach out and see what you guys think.

What are some general suggestions/setups/fish suggestions that you might have for a beginning 55 gallon reef tank?

Thanks for the help!

 

[thegrun]

Read through the stickies at the top of this forum"setting up, how to"
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

 

[thomas.torode]

Make sure the video's you watch are giving you correct information.
A lot give you advice that will lead to the death of your fish ;o;
Research everything you do.
It doesn't mean anything to do something without understanding why you are doing it.

Good luck and send pics when it is setup!

 

[Hal]

Somebody needs to give you the Welcome banner.

First congratulations on the new tank. And congratulations to you for knowing about and reading on reef central. Your use of this website is the single best thing you can possibly do to ensure success for your new tank. Read, read,read here. You will save yourself thousands of dollars and avoid numerous fish deaths.

As far as fish, you have lots of choices. It looks like you've already decided that you want a reef tank, So that rules out many pretty fish who will eat corals. Good decision by the way. Corals are very pretty. Your next decision is whether you want aggressive species or not. E.g, clown trigger, lion fish, groupers. If so, then that rules out a lot of smaller fish who would be prey.

After that go to live aquaria.com and browse through the marine fish section while looking at the minimum recommended tank sizes. That also have a compatibility chart so you can see what species get along with other species. Also note the level of care required and stay away from "expert only" fish, fish that require live foods, or multiple daily feelings unless you are willing to make that commitment.

Personally, I think every tank that isn't an aggressive tank should have two clownfish and a flame angel.

Many people will rightfully tell you that a 55g is too small for most tangs, including the tomini tang recommended above.

 

[CStrickland]

Welcome!
Lots of good advice above. Def make sure to confirm things you learn on YouTube, I almost made some really bad mistakes getting started because all the you tubers are so confident and many are way off base.

For now I'd just focus on getting your head around the basic functions of a tank: how the bacteria process waste; how to balance nutrient import and export to achieve enough food for the creatures you like, but avoid a surplus that will fertilize algae; how to keep necessary elements like calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity in balance for coral growth. Most of us work backwards - we get a tank and muddle along until things start to go sideways, then we learn what we did wrong. Since you have some time to play with you can get a real leg up by researching that background info now. You will avoid some problems and be better positioned to address others as they come.

Besides the link that the grun posted, I've found the stickies in the reef chemistry forum really helpful, and also very good in the beginning is this list of "tank of the month" (totm) winners: http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/totm-list Each month is a diff tank that is successful and beautiful. They are all different, so you can get an idea of how many ways there are to have a nice tank, and inspiration for how you'd like yours to be. Make like a folder or something to save pics of your fave tanks, and the diff fish and corals you like, so you can organize the info to be less overwhelming.

EDIT: Tanks are generally categorized as reef (has coral) or fowlr (fish only live rock). If you want coral you should look for "reef safe" fish. Also some fish eat snails and other inverts which people like to keep for algae-eating, and other fish are predators of smaller fish. Those considerations as well as natural territoriality make chosing fish a bit more complicated than fresh water, since our fish are often taken straight from the wild.

Corals are categorized as soft/mushroom, lps, sps; in that order of difficulty as far as what light they need and how tolerant they are of mistakes with water quality and such.

What are you inheriting? Starting from scratch with just a tank is really dif than taking on a running tank.

Good luck!

 

[ARae]

Thank you all so much for this wonderful advice and first step information! I really appreciate it!

I am so excited!!!

This is the tank that I am getting (It of course doesn't come with the fish and everything inside it. It is coming with the filter and the lights and stuff but it's currently a freshwater setup so I'm assuming I'm going to have to redo a lot of stuff and get new light fixtures, etc.)

 

[lifeoffaith]

I can't see the photo, but from what you're saying there are a few things I'd suggest. Take the plunge and either get the tank drilled or buy a drilled tank that will fit the stand. Then set up a sump. I have had several tanks and am just getting to the point where I will set up a tank with a sump. Trust me that you'll be better off that way. You can hide all your equipment in the stand this way too. I would suggest not using the filter and lights you have. If you truly want a reef, the lights won't be strong enough and the filter will become a detritus trap (huge difference going from salt to fresh when it comes to hang on back/canister filters). You're on the right track starting with research, you'll be so much better off once you get to the point that you are able to set up the tank. Also, I would personally suggest going with LED reef lights, but you'll have a variety of opinions on that. Either way, decide what kind of reef you want (softie, LPS, SPS or some combination, though I wouldn't suggest too much mixing starting off) and have fun. This hobby can be a lot of fun and you'll be addicted before you know it. Welcome!

 

[CStrickland]

So, you have some options. Probably the most valuable thing you are inheriting is the stand, it looks really nice!

Almost all the rest of it is going to be incompatible for a reef tank. The 55g is probs one of the worst tanks you can get, sorry
- Most 55g tanks are made of tempered glass, which will shatter if you drill it. So you have to either run without a sump (a second tank that holds your equipment), or use a special wdiget to get the water up and out of the tank - usually some kind of siphon which is not as good as drilling.
- 55s are a very narrow footprint. That's good for freshwater tanks because everything is right up front, not so for saltwater. You're going to need between 2/3 - 11/2 pounds of rock per gallon of water in there. This is the main filtration for your tank. It's awfully hard to get that in there and looking nice without resting against the walls. Search for info on "55 gallon aquascape" for more.
- The low ratio of surface area to volume also means that flow in a 55 can be tricky. You need to pass enough water over the surface to keep it oxygenated.

Since the stand is nice and fits the tank, you'll need to decide whether to deal with all that or not. I had a lot of fun with my 55 but I'm glad to be moving out of it. If I were starting again I think I'd listen to folks that said sell it for a 40 breeder, buy a 90 or a 75 and use the 55 for a sump, or use it as a planted fresh water tank.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Since the stand is nice and fits the tank, you'll need to decide whether to deal with all that or not.

That stand is the same stock one that came with my 30g and 75g.

If I were starting again I think I'd listen to folks that said sell it for a 40 breeder, buy a 90 or a 75 and use the 55 for a sump, or use it as a planted fresh water tank.

If its free I might consider it but if you have to pay for it, I personally would pass on a 55g. I've owned a 30g, 75g and currently have a 40B set up as a reef and can say from experience that a 12" wide tank doesn't cut it as even 18" is barely enough. Having run both a 75g and 40B as reef tanks, I can honestly say the 40B is my favorite size so far, especially for a starter tank. I got my 40B at the $1/g sales that are run fairly regularly as well as the metal stand for it. Sure, I added panels to the stand to close it in but even open it's functional.

Good Luck,

 

[nuttyd]

I have a 55 now. Definately would upgrade to a pre-drilled with corner overflow. Depth is limiting but not impossible. Good starter tank to learn before you upgrade to something bigger.

 

[Hal]

Sumps are nice to hide equipment, but are only really necessary if you have a protein skimmer. Remember that the live rock will be providing most of your filtration. A skimmer is a nice upgrade (in addition). If you are going sump less you could keep it really simple and use some type of canister filtration for holding carbon and floss. You won't need the ceramic doodads in the canister because your live rock will be filling that function.

If you aren't going to drill your tank look at the lifreef brand siphon overflows. They don't lose siphon if the power goes out, and automatically restart once power resumes. There's probably other brands too.

 

[NurseReefer]

So I know I'm new at this but I've done freshwater for years and just moved into saltwater/reef. Listen to what the people above are saying. I have the same exact tank you're set to receive for a freshwater setup, and I can tell you it just won't work for a reef unless you're really good at it. Doing the aquascaping with the live rock will be next to impossible and then you'll have to spend A LOT of money on the lights due to the depth of that tank. Remember you can't rest rock on the back of the tank, you need to be able to get your hand and tools back there to clean. My suggestion is take a look on craigslist for a new aquarium. There's always people getting out of the hobby so you could probably get a tank much more suited to reefkeeping (think drilled tanks or ones with overflow boxes) for very cheap. You might even get some of the needed equipment out of it, but make sure you know beforehand what you're getting and research if its good or outdated or not. Checking craigslist everyday for two weeks yielded me a phenomenal deal that got me started out in a good place. And when in doubt, research here on Reef Central; the community is just fantastic. There might even be a club of local RC user in your area like there is here in Arizona. Good luck!

EDIT: I have a CPR brand overflow box on my tank and it works flawlessly, I like CPR products

 

[Hal]

I wouldn't worry about needing special lighting for a 55. It's not that deep.

 

[kyle.nagel13]

Just a quick word of encouragement, do your research, and roll with the tank you've got. Plenty of people have nice reefs in 55g. It will be a little more challenging to get your rock in, but that's part of the fun! Get some acrylic rods and drill/epoxy until you get it where you want it.

As far as flow, maybe look into mounting a gyre 130 vertically on the back glass. It will make a circular gyre through the tank, keeping everything suspended. I'm currently running a gyre 150 on a 125g vertically and it creates nice flow everywhere.

At the end of the day, take it slow, enjoy every step, and remember this is supposed to be fun!