Ok, BIG thread.

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I agree with brenden, cycling the tank with damsels is cruel and not nessasary. Buy 2 large shrimp from your local food store throw those babys in there and let em rot away, it will spike your ammonia way up in a few days and that will get the ball rolling with your cycling process.. Although im a hypocrite because sad to say, with my "fish only" tank i did do a damsel cycle, but i do regret this, its not fair to the fish. Hmm around a 55 gallon tank nice basic setup i would say, get an emperor 400 filter, about 40 or so pounds of argilive live sand, live rock is up to you but it does nothing but help your benifitial bacteria.... if ur startin off fish only dont worry about your light... Basicaly this is what i would ask santa for, a emperor 400 filter, 200 watt heater, 40 pounds or more of aragilive sand "however much live rock you want" a hydrometor, a good saltwater master test kit, and a nice 50 gallon bag of instant ocean if money will alow a nice protien skimmer, tho not a must have on a fish only it will only help in the long run. Oh yeah ebay most of this crap, you will get a better deal, or do what i do negotiate with your local fish store, they will bargen with you, let them know ur starting a sw tank.
ps. you will hear you dont need live sand and its true you dont, but live sand will save you time and keep your nitrates low, but over time all sand will turn into live sand.
 
I already have a heater, I am not sure how many watts it is but what is the lowest watt that is acceptable. If my heater is less than that, then I will know to get a new one! Also, I was thinking about getting a Fluval filtr since everyone loves them so much. Would you reccomend the Emperor or a different one? I want a really nice filter that will do a good job but nothing that exspensive. My LFS sells live corals, so I COULD just tell "Santa" to get all the stuff and then let me go to the LFS and pick out what I want. Or should I wait, and let the tank cycle like you said, and get LR and LS and fish to start. Thanks!
 
yeah i would say 200 watts is the min, ur heater now may be fine, once u get it runnin u should tell if its oky, remember to get a lil thermometer to put in ur tank.. the fluvals are very good, i would say a 404, the only reson i like the emperor 400 is they have a biowheel and they are pretty good, and they arnt much money... DONT GET CORAL NOW!!!! THEY WILL DIE IF YOU BUY THEM NOW.. you need to wait till your tank is completly done cycling b4 u consider getting them..... u can start off with the liverock and if you going to do a damsel cycle then you can.... but like i said i would do a fishless cycle, but im not going to tell you what to do..... just dont buy coral now..... anyother questions??
 
Corals should not be in your immediate plans. After you add a fish see how it goes. Get some experience maintaining your water parameters correctly. Corals are not tolerant of changes in water parameters like fish. Also get a second heater to run in your tank. One may be enough but redundancy is crucial in this hobby.
 
Ok, well mine I am still not sure, but I will get another one. What watt should I get? Also, when I DO get corals, eventually... what type of lightbulbs will i need. I have the cover, I just would need the special kind of bulbs. Should I get 2 powerheads or only 1? What powerhead(s) should I get? Should I get a really accuate themometer also? The one I have looks pretty crappy.
 
I want one with all the colors, and really neat little things that grow. I dont know what it is called. I think it is the reef.
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This is a reef tank and has corals. If this is the plan for your tank start researching now. Reef tanks cost a lot of money and have special lighting requirments. You will also need to pick reef safe fish from the start.
Also, if I buy live rock, will the corals and little plant things grow on there own?
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It really depends on the where the LR comes from. Some comes with various coral colonies on them, some comes pretty much "bare". Corals are mostly added seperately.
Also, the cycling part... when I do buy the fish after letting it cycle for 5 weeks, do I turn the powerheads off? Or leave them on. When I am cycling, why should I buy damsel fish? What do they do? Thanks again!
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You can leave the powerheads on. The circulation will be good for the tank. Remeber, after the initial cycle it is very important to add fish SLOWLY. Start with one fish every few weeks. This will give the tank's biological filtration time to catch up with the increased bioload. Adding too many fish too rapidly will cause a tank crash, then its back to square one.
 
binaryterror said:
Ok, well mine I am still not sure, but I will get another one. What watt should I get? Also, when I DO get corals, eventually... what type of lightbulbs will i need. I have the cover, I just would need the special kind of bulbs. Should I get 2 powerheads or only 1? What powerhead(s) should I get? Should I get a really accuate themometer also? The one I have looks pretty crappy.
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For a 55 hallon tank I would go with 2 250 watt metal halide pendants.

It is wise to wait around 3 months or longer before adding corals.

The coral life digital thermometer is what alot of people, including myself, use.

Many people including myself like the maxi jet line of powerheads. I personally run 2 maxijett 1200's. For a reef tank you want to turn 15-20 times the ammount of gallons of your tank. So 2 or 3 maxi jet 1200's should be good.

I really cannot stress enough on reading.

Good luck.
 
Ok, well mine I am still not sure, but I will get another one. What watt should I get? Also, when I DO get corals, eventually... what type of lightbulbs will i need. I have the cover, I just would need the special kind of bulbs
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Unfortunantly, you will need to invest in a whole new lighting fixture. The standard NO flouresent fixture you have will not produce the amount or intensity of light needed to maintain corals. Now is a good time to research the types of corals you would like to keep and we can help you build a lighting system that will work for you.
Should I get 2 powerheads or only 1? What powerhead(s) should I get?
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two are better then one. It will help you produce a more caotic water current in your tank.
 
I am getting a book tommorow on reef aquariums. i am really REALLY into this hobby now. How many fish do you think I will be able to have for my 55 gallon tank (with a reef eventually).
 
I am getting a book tommorow on reef aquariums
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(y) Which one?
It is important to keep a lower bioload in a SW tank. Like I said, stick with fish that are reef safe. Clowns, a royal gramma, goby, purple firefish, sixline wrasse are some good suggestions. I am also a fan of the blue/green chromis.
 
Here is a list of things I want to buy (tell me if they are good or bad):

Powerhead (1200 model [2]) http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4609&N=2004+113040

Filter (204 model) http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3601&N=2004+22777

Thermometer http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12745&N=2004+113769

Test Kit http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4452&N=2004+113074

Substrate http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=7321&N=2004+113554

Salt mix http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4854&N=2004+113009

Protein Skimmer (up to 100 gallons) http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4400&N=2004+113771+22735

Hydrometer http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4952&N=2004+113761

Thermometer http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=11368&N=2004+113767

Let me know if these are good or not...Thanks! Also tell me if I am missing something (besides LR and fish)
 
it all looks good but the fluval 204 isnt even close, you need the 404 which is expensive thats why i said the emperor is a good deal, the rest of the stuff looks good tho...
 
hi all just wondering on a new tank
when putting live rock in dose the pH & amonia allways upset the tank
an how long will it take to settle down and how often to i check if
 
Where can you buy these books?
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You can buy them at any of the big bookstores or even your lfs. You probably won't want to buy every book though. Maybe buy one or two of the best. Most folks here recommend "The Consciencious Marine Aquarist". Don't forget that your local library can find most of these books for you, too. That way you can read lots of them without having to purchase so many!
:D
Signed, your local librarian
 
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