55 Gallon Tank

[Bettababe1011]

As some people know, I was saving up for a 29 gallon biocube, but recently got a 55 gallon tank. I was planning on using it for goldfish, but have decided that it might be better for my saltwater tank. It has two of the bigger aquatech filters, and a titanium(I think) heater. What else would I need? Would it be worth it to replace lights and get all the equipment, or should I just save up for the biocube? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Bettababe1011]

Oh, and my stock will be this:
2 occelaris clowns(1 regular, 1 b&w)
1 orange lined cardinalfish
1 yellow banded possum wrasse
6 sexy shrimp
And a few various corals. I have a list on my computer, but I don't have access to it at this moment. How many more fish would I be able to get with the 55 gallon?

 

[Nosaj81]

with a salt water tank you dont really need filters other then live rock about 1-1.5 lbs per gallon. a protein skimmer is a good thing to, you will want some power heads to move the water for a fowlr you want about 10 x flow so for a 55 gallon you want 550 gph or for corals you want 20 x flow

 

[Bettababe1011]

What about lights?
Some of the corals are:
Brain Coral, Favites
Candy Cane coral
Button polyp
Think finger leather
And there was maybe one or two more I can't remember right now.
So the filters would be useless, and I would need powerheads... what else for mechanical equipment? I already know about the live rock and stuff.

 

[redsea]

What about lights?
Some of the corals are:
Brain Coral, Favites
Candy Cane coral
Button polyp
Think finger leather
And there was maybe one or two more I can't remember right now.
So the filters would be useless, and I would need powerheads... what else for mechanical equipment? I already know about the live rock and stuff.

I wouldn't say that the filters are useless, just not a necessity. As for other equipment you would need a protein skimmer.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Oh, yeah, the protien skimmer. What would you reccomend for that? I can also go to my lfs sometime this week to look at what equipment they have.

 

[Bettababe1011]

What about a sump? What size tank would I need for it?

 

[Nosaj81]

you dont really need a sump i know ppl with 100 gallon tanks with out one. as for lights your going to want some t5s how many is dependent on how deep the tank is basic is 3 watts per gallon, and skimmer thats the big one im currently up grading from a coralife super skimmer 65 personally i would stay away from them, with a skimmer i would double the capacity so for a 55 gallon tank you would want a skimmer rated for a 110 gallon
Reef Octopus Hang-on-the-Back 2000 OCT-BH2000 - English this is the one i just purchased

 

[Bettababe1011]

I also want to add some more fish, since its a larger tank. Would an Orange Stripe Prawn Goby fit in with my other fish? I will make a list of possible other fish for you guys to give your opinion on.

 

[Bettababe1011]

you dont really need a sump i know ppl with 100 gallon tanks with out one. as for lights your going to want some t5s how many is dependent on how deep the tank is basic is 3 watts per gallon, and skimmer thats the big one im currently up grading from a coralife super skimmer 65 personally i would stay away from them, with a skimmer i would double the capacity so for a 55 gallon tank you would want a skimmer rated for a 110 gallon
Reef Octopus Hang-on-the-Back 2000 OCT-BH2000 - English this is the one i just purchased

That protein skimmer is WAY too expensive. I need the cheapest possible setup that will still work well. I don't have any income, cause I'm only 14.

 

[Nosaj81]

lol skimmers are not cheap for good ones but if you cant afford one you dont really need one you would just have to up your water changes and they can get expensive for the salt and RO water that would be used

 

[Bettababe1011]

I'm starting to wonder if I can even afford to try saltwater...

 

[iadubber]

I'm starting to wonder if I can even afford to try saltwater...

Not cheap to get going that's for sure.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Not cheap to get going that's for sure.

The tank was already 125, and I don't know if I could get my mom to pay much more for me... I will have to see... I can also see what the price of a skimmer would be at my lfs. How often would I do water changes with a skimmer? I know its different from freshwater...

 

[Mpfaff77]

You should do about 10% water change every 2 weeks.

The seaclone 150 protein skimmer is far from top of the line but it is one of the cheapest on the market. I used it for about 4 years and it produced. I now know with my reef octopus skimmer how not to great the seaclone is. But I think now it's about 100 bucks And it is good for beginner and it also is hang on or in sump.

 

[Nosaj81]

with skimmer you want to change 20% of water every 2 weeks use only ro water reef crystals are fairly expensive im in ontario canada and IO reef crystals are $64 for 160 gallon pail ro water is around $2.50 for 5 gallons so as you can see its very expensive to do salt water

 

[Bettababe1011]

I'm gonna check my lfs too, along with looking online for myself... I'm looking at live aquaria to get a list of possible fish to add to my stocklist. I never got an answer for if the goby would fit well or not.

 

[Bettababe1011]

I am planning on buying an RO unit. It'll save money in the long run. I'm trying to find a good light fixture that's affordable too... I may have to do some major sucking up to my mom, along with tons of help around the house........ lol

 

[Bettababe1011]

Okay, for fish I might want to possibly add to my future stock:
Yellowhead Jawfish
3-4 Zebra Barred Dartfish
Firefish
Royal Gramma
Black Axil Chromis
6 Spotted Cardinalfish

 

[Bettababe1011]

What about a Banded Coral Shrimp? Will those be aggressive toward the sexy shrimp?