new 55 gallon tank. need help!

[jscholfield]

I am new to saltwater aquariums and I have watched alot of videos and have read alot of sites on how to start and maintain a saltwater tank and I need just straight forward no bullshit advice.

 

[DFost]

Well your in a good place to start, Find a LFS you like and just ask ask ask learn from years of others mistakes and experience never be scared to ask stupid questions or ask for explanations most people in this hobby love to talk about it

 

[jscholfield]

Thank you! But one other thing. I've seen some tanks with and some without a sump. would I need one?

 

[54seaweed]

I have run tanks with out sumps for years with no major complications (BUT)
now I found out the benefits a sump can give for certain applications


It all depends on your future plans and what you expect from your tank
give us a idea of what you want for your tank and we all can give you a more accurate answer

Almost forgot welcome to AA

 

[jscholfield]

I want a tank with real live plants and coral i'm done with the fake plastic stuff it doesn't give off the same look. I want a couple clownfish some gobies and maybe a small snowflake eel. Just a nice colorful tank.

 

[MacDracor]

You do not *need* a sump, but they provide numerous benefits.
Increased water volume (stability)
A place to hide equipment (skimmer, heater, etc)
A place to cultivate macroalgae for nutrient export
A place to grow live food such as copepods, amphipods, mysid shrimp, etc.
There are not many true plants for marine aquariums other than seagrasses, but there are tons of beautiful macroalgae species available.
I wouldn't advice a snowflake eel in a 55, especially with small fish such as gobies. While snowflakes primarily prey on small crustaceans, they are not above eating fish. They are also incredibly strong escape artists. Lid must be weighted or otherwise secured.

As for straightforward no bs advice... Slow. Best word of advice I can give. Read every day. Browse the forums and read from start to finish, any thread that catches your eye. Read up on every type of fish, algae, coral, or motile invert that you are even thinking about contemplating to dream of buying.
Don't rush the cycling process, or skimp on equipment. Get what you will need before you need it.
And if you don't know something, ask! We're happy to answer!

 

[jscholfield]

Thank you. I'm going to my local fish store tomorrow to ask about the equipmeny I need

 

[Sniperhank]

This is pretty easy to answer. Get yourself some sand, many like pool filter sand but I prefer aggregate based sand personally, some rock, either live or macro based rock, and some salt. Pick up a master saltwater test kit so you can watch your cycle/parameters. Add an uncooked live shrimp and your cycle is off and running, will take about a month.

With that out of the way, we can start talking about what all exactly you want to have in your tank. This will state what kind of lighting you'll need, how much flow...ect. In terms of a sump, I continue to support them for the information stated above. We can help you out with that as well...it will break down into if you would prefer a drilled tank or overflow... There are many benefits to a drilled tank, infact though I have never had a drilled tank I would support this. But without knowing anything about your tank and that it is probably tempered glass...you will have to go with an overflow if you decide to go the route of a sump.

 

[jscholfield]

I was thinking about going with an over flow. It is a tempered glass tank not a new one either i'm buying it from someone and it is a few years old I believe

 

[Sniperhank]

Well allow me to suggest the CPR overflow. Mine does a great job. I run it in tandom with an aqualifter pump to make sure that it does not loose siphon and overflow my display tank.

It might be a good idea to skim through my thread, Upgrade 55 gal build. It seems to be along the same lines as what you are trying to accomplish. There was alot of input in the beginning with discussions about lighting, corals, sand, and disgust for seaclone skimmers.

 

[jscholfield]

Thank you! I well definitely go look at that.

 

[MacDracor]

You can use nitrifying bacteria colonies from a bottle to speed up the cycling process, but just make sure to have an ammonia source while doing it. And be absolutely sure the cycle is complete before adding any animals.

 

[Steve silbernagel]

My suggestion would be use bagged live sand 1 lb per gallon and buy cured live rock also 1 lb per gallon rule of thumb. That's what I did and flew through my first cycle. Although my marcro was per seeded (out of an established tank). Take your time though it's all very tricky at first but then it's alrite once u get the hang of it

 

[MacDracor]

Steve brings up a controversial point. Live Sand.
The claim is that it contains all the bacterial colonies you'll need, along with other micro organisms. The rebuttal is that after being collected, bagged, stored, shipped, stored again, shipped again, then displayed at the LFS, there is nothing left alive in it.
Frankly, there is no way to tell if any given bag of live sand contains any life. At best, it contains some bacteria, and some dead matter to serve as an ammonia source. At worst, it's expensive sand.
One way around this issue is to buy dry aragonite sand and layer to your desired depth, then take a cup of sand from an established tank and gently layer that on top. That will contain all the life you need to get started.
The same principle can be applied to live rock. No doubt using all fully cured live rock will speed up the cycle, but at the price it goes for, it can be very daunting. Dry rock is often 1/3 the price. So what many do is purchase MOSTLY dry base rock, along with a few pieces of fully cured live rock. The bacteria and encrusting organisms will very quickly colonize the dry rock and make it "live rock". Granted, this does take a little more time. But, if you add an ammonia source and a bacterial additive, this will be sped up considerably.
By all means get as much Live Rock as you can, as it contains far more than just bacteria. But don't be afraid of using dry rock and sand as well. They become live very quickly. Before long, you'll see asterina stars, micro brittle stars, bristle worms, stomatella snails, and much more!

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Totally agree, but on the other hand the way I went about it in my tank it seeded so well it's amazing. I just got a good connection at my LFS. 2 1/2 bags of sand was 50 and my rock was 5 lb and over two weeks I built up 40lbs. Either which way works I'm just impatient so I liked finding short cuts