Hello...new to the forum and saltwater tanks. I have a 55 gallon tank...with two 30-60 AquaClear filters, Walmart special, I had Cichlids in the tank for a year, now I have an empty tank, got rid of the Cichlids and want a Reef tank, corals and a few fish. I just dont know where to start on my equipment, and would appreciate it if anyone can give me a list of the equipment I need to set up, lights, skimmer, pumps, powerheads, heater, also want to try and keep costs as low as I can, though I know thats not always possible. Id like to keep an assortment of corals, anenomes, and a few fish, nothing large or major, maybe a tang or small trigger, so I guess that means hard and soft, please correct me if wrong. Actually Im looking for a list of the basics I need, size, power wattage and all include, and hope that I may find some assistance...thanks to all in advance and hope to hear from you....Regards Frank
New Setup
- Thread starter Rascus
- Start date
drummereef
Team RC
Start here, read the sickys -
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1031074
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1031074
crumbletop
New member
[welcome]
This is a good thread to start with:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239848
This is a good thread to start with:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239848
t5Nitro
New member
1. Get at least around a pound of live rock per gallon, you can do base rock and maybe 10 pounds of live rock but it will take longer to get the rest live.
2. For lighting, for anemones/clams/SPS corals, they like bright lighting. Metal halides would be a good way to go, but for costs, you can do a good T5 setup. T5 set ups are good if you pick the correct bulbs and get a decent company to have good reflectors (ask the lighting forum which to get).
3. Skimmer. A skimmer is not needed, but if you plan to go reef and hold more than a low fish load, try to get a skimmer. A skimmer such as a coralife superskimmer will work well on that tank and keep costs low.
4. For heaters, the stealth heaters are a good one. They are not glass and you can adjust the temperature with a dial on the top.
5. A good powerhead to get would be the new hydor koralia, tunze, or seio. The seios will run a little less money than the other two, but be about the same watts used for not a lot of flow. The koralia 4s have 1200 gallons per hour at 8.5 watts while the seio 620 is 620 gph at 8 watts. Tunze are high end expensive and the koralias are said to be right up there with them and they are low prices, they cannot be controlled I don't think.
Was the 55 gallon tank ever dosed with any type of medications? If so, it probably isn't too safe to run a reef. A good way to tell if you forgot if you used any copper is if the silicone on the tank is a green/blue color. Copper is not good for invertebrates or reefs in general.
2. For lighting, for anemones/clams/SPS corals, they like bright lighting. Metal halides would be a good way to go, but for costs, you can do a good T5 setup. T5 set ups are good if you pick the correct bulbs and get a decent company to have good reflectors (ask the lighting forum which to get).
3. Skimmer. A skimmer is not needed, but if you plan to go reef and hold more than a low fish load, try to get a skimmer. A skimmer such as a coralife superskimmer will work well on that tank and keep costs low.
4. For heaters, the stealth heaters are a good one. They are not glass and you can adjust the temperature with a dial on the top.
5. A good powerhead to get would be the new hydor koralia, tunze, or seio. The seios will run a little less money than the other two, but be about the same watts used for not a lot of flow. The koralia 4s have 1200 gallons per hour at 8.5 watts while the seio 620 is 620 gph at 8 watts. Tunze are high end expensive and the koralias are said to be right up there with them and they are low prices, they cannot be controlled I don't think.
Was the 55 gallon tank ever dosed with any type of medications? If so, it probably isn't too safe to run a reef. A good way to tell if you forgot if you used any copper is if the silicone on the tank is a green/blue color. Copper is not good for invertebrates or reefs in general.
