55 gallon slow'n'steady tank- stocking ideas?

[TommyP]

^ nice tank man. Marsh, I have a 55 as well. I was going to recommend the reef octopus bh-100 skimmer it works wonders I love it. It's hob as well. May of been a little cheaper but Just read through this now. Get a reef test kit handy so you can watch your cycle. You have to wait until your tank is done cycling before adding any fish. Looks great so far!

 

[marsh]

jj- whoa very sick tank! I dream of having one that nice! I'm really happy with the pick up today here's the CL link it's still up while this guy tries to sell his tank.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/for/3515359004.html

One of the two fixtures is still in the box and those 4 bulbs are new :
2x 54 watt 10,000K SlimPaq daylight T5HO
2x 54 watt 460nm Actinic Blue T5HO

Should I use these? The seller let me know half the bulbs were done on the lights that were open and he used them for 1 year. I tested it and I've got one blue and one white working plus the fan. Are the replacement bulbs you got similar or more powerful/wider spectrum or something like that? (Where from too btw)

I'm stoked to try coral in the future, yours look rad.

Tommy- I get a salt water master kit from F&S tomorrow, but the reef kit is for more or different tests? Any overlap or are all the tests different?

My lfs sold me a sailfin Molly for my cycle, then he tossed in a fairly mature scooter blenny because his fish shipment was arriving and blenny was last to go, in the way for a big clean out I guess. Lucky for me he is eating well, if I researched him first I would have hesitated to get him but sales guy was convincing (free!)

Also coming are two koralia 750's, Dr Tim's one and only and some other stuff. Blanking ATM because I've been impatiently waiting a week hehe

Let's see if I can get photos to load on this iPhone... Oh ps refrigerator ordered tonight, delivery next week! I have a cooler packed with ice with frozen misis shrimp and blood worms exclusively, all our drinks are on the deck(cold too)

 

[jjamontan]

The bulbs are from eBay cheeper than in the stores the brand is ATI they are top of the line bulbs. If you search ATI bulbs you will find it I ordered the ones called any lot of 4 bulbs $99 with free shipping. The corals are my favorite part if the hobby and the fish are just a bounce to me. I would use the new bulbs you have and replace the ones that are a year old. When I get home from work some time tomorrow I will let you know the eBay sellers name.

 

[marsh]

^thanks!! Recent shots.. Blue bulb on~

 

[TommyP]

The only overlap is the nitrate test.

 

[TommyP]

Nice Benny! I'm thinking about adding a scooter after I add a clown (to make it 2 clowns)

 

[marsh]

I love my scooter, lots of action. He liked bloodworms more than mysis shrimp in today's taste test!



New macro algae! Went back to dolphin pet village, nearly all the fish sold and plenty of discounted pretty corals left. Ill wait 5-6 months before I make that leap, but at least I got two big softball size handfuls of this nice green and red macro

Oh and excuse those nasty wires! I got a black/blue fade background at the close out sale too, need to figure out how to get it attached without moving the tank, about 4 1/2" to spare lol. I'm not willing to screw it up either I'm too OCD to look at bubbles on the back of my tank

 

[TommyP]

Looks really nice

 

[marsh]

Looks really nice

Merci!!

 

[Kristy3693]

Isn't that macroalgae going to take off and grow wildly in your tank?I thought that is why people put it in a refug. I like it in the tank, I was just under the impression it wouldn't stay that way just in that spot.

 

[jjamontan]

I wouldn't put the cheto in the tank. Did you say that there was only 4.5 from your tank to the wall?

 

[marsh]

Isn't that macroalgae going to take off and grow wildly in your tank?I thought that is why people put it in a refug. I like it in the tank, I was just under the impression it wouldn't stay that way just in that spot.

I'm just barely grasping the macro algae purpose- originally I was told to get some to grow Copepods for my scooter blenny-- however he eats great on frozen food. Then I heard it helps reduce nitrates-- well I have none yet but my planted fresh tanks are full of plants and have less than 5ppm always, and my old water tested about 10-20 ppm untreated. So the more plants the better no?

I'm used to pruning back my planted tank weekly. Plus I'm looking into building a fuge too.

 

[jjamontan]

Most people put the chito in the fuge or stump

 

[marsh]

Most people put the chito in the fuge or stump

Is there a problem that I need to expect besides fast growth? I like how bright the green is and the red is awesome, just like local seaweed or kelp I get stuck in my hair all the time. Hehe

 

[marsh]

I wouldn't put the cheto in the tank. Did you say that there was only 4.5 from your tank to the wall?

Yes there is about 4 and a half inches of space, max 5 between the wall and the aquarium. The cabinet is a few inches deeper so there are a few extra inches of flat countertop behind the tank. To be honest the background is really my last concern, ill hang a black sheet on the wall or some nice blue batik for the time being.

It's probably insanely frustrating to glue that sheet onto an aquarium even if its empty. Maybe if I relocate my tank to another room ill give it a go.

My hob skimmer just fits in the gap behind my tank. Like a glove

 

[jjamontan]

I don't think there will be a problem with having it in your tank. With only 4" behind the tank a overflow may not fit.

 

[marsh]

New photos: added 30 more lbs of rock and my new powerheads. The DR. Tim's One and Only was cloudy for a few hours but cleared overnight. All the rearranging caused a lot of the cloudiness too most likely.

My tests results on day 15 of this fish-in cycle before adding the "Dr. Tim's" were not what I expected, really low nitrates(<5.0) and unreadable ammonia or nitrites. My specific gravity is up slightly to 1.022. PH was at 8.0.

My lighting is back to the T-12s I got for free on the tank, my logic is to save the brand new T5HO bulbs for when I start bringing home corals. This will be a FOWLER tank for at least 6 months. Is there any drawback to cycling partial cured rock mixed with Live with less powerful lights? For example would coraline spread more rapidly under the T5HO's?

I also thought the T-12s might inhibit the macro algae from regenerating too fast

 

[marsh]

Any rock scape critiques welcome


22/75 lbs of my rock was live tonga the rest base and cured rock. Does that explain my low ammonia?

 

[TommyP]

Looks good - a lot of rock and the coral placement seems endless with the way you have the scape - i like it. lots of holes and crevices for the fish to swim through

 

[Daniel Fishy]

Tank looks great, nice rocks!! Most hob overflows will fit. Check out eshoops 800 with a mag7 for your tank.