New live rock aquascape

[KittyKatFishGrl]

Hello all,

I'm new to Saltwater, been cycling my tank since the beginning of June and she is finally ready for some inverts, a clean-up crew and last but not least fish.

This is the aquascape I put together and I would like some chime in on the set-up. If it's natural to a real reef, if it allows for water flow and no dead spots and overall aesthetic.

55G
2 1350 air flow pumps
2 350 marine penguin filters

1st photo from the front, the 3 middle rocks in the forefront are gonna be stacked and I'm creating a cave in the middle one.
2nd photo is from the top
3rd photo is from the left side
4th photo is from the right side
5 & 6th photos are from the back - which won't be viewable

Thank you in advance for all advice and tips!
KittyKatFish


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[KittyKatFishGrl]

Here is the finished 55G live rock aquascape....

Correction I have 1 1250 air flow pump & 1 950 air flow pump






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[KittyKatFishGrl]

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[Marty.h]

Hi

What are you future plans for the tank as in you going FOWLR or for corals.

If corals what types are you wanting to keep.

What fish stock are you planning.

I personally think you will struggle using those filters the sponges will harbour nitrates and cause you to have a lot of algae if nutrients get out of control.

You would be better of either running a large canister filter or running and overflow to a sump.

 

[KittyKatFishGrl]

I'm not going to do a sump but I was told that the canisters were the worse for saltwater...but I'm interested in your take on the canister vs the hob filters. Also what sponges? Are you referring to the filters?
Also what do you think of the aquascape - that was my main concern.


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[KittyKatFishGrl]

I'm going to do FOWLR for now but as I become more experienced and educated I want to add corals.


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[Skifflexie]

I ran a huge fluval HOB filter, that allowed me to stack my media and choose what type of media to use. I used a sponge, charcoal, Purigen, and bio clay rings. I personally had great luck with it, my nitrates were normally in the 10-20 range, and I was lazy about water changes. I had this set up on my 65 g. Also I never had more than 6 fish at time, but a whole crew of inverts.

I also had great luck with my original 10g, live rock, power head, and heater tank. That I just had inverts in. No filter at all.

I did just build a sump for my 65g, for a couple reasons, the hob skimmer I had was awful, the microbubbles from my filter were annoying, and I wanted a refugium/storage tank for isolation if I needed it (I also have a 10g QT simple set up-similar to what I mentioned above, rock, sponge filter and heater....) and added water volume.

I think there are a lot of people in the hobby that think there is just one way to do something... But in reality, if you're determined to make it work, research and always keep the livestock a best interest in mind, then things normally work out ok... Most of of learned from trial and error, or just our own success.

I will add that I had a friend that also had a 60g, and chose to use the marineland with bio well, and had issues with nitrates, and still does even after switching to a sump. I think the advantage to the fluval is that you can add whatever media you want, and the water flows from bottom to top, and doesn't collect junk in the bottom. So it's not a nitrate factory, unlike some filters that just run the flow of water across a cartridge of floss with carbon.

Also when I took my filter apart I found tons of pods, so I think it was a pretty healthy little filter.


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[Mr tap water]

Hi there
If you're asking for opinions on your rockwork it is really down to personal choice to a degree, but you are asking so here goes personally I think it's too one level on my liking you need to create different heights and bigger gaps for better circulation and more room for the fish to swim in and out of also have you left enough room behind The rock for circulation which in my opinion is a must if you're having Fowlr System also a Fowlr you do need a good flow with it for your Live rock to be able to perform to its peak. The end of the day the choice is yours.[emoji846]


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[KittyKatFishGrl]

So I took into consideration what you said Mr. Tapwater and raised the rocks and made more swimming room and openness.






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[Mr tap water]

In my opinion I would say that looks a lot better and Will give you better options when Buying corals as you know some corals need to be placed higher than others Plus looks better for the fish to be able to go in and out of as well.[emoji846][emoji106]


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[stevenht]

That rock formation is pretty awesome!

Keep it updated. I'm about to get into saltwater soon as I've been keeping freshwater fish for years. I need a change so I'm trying to read all I can about this stuff. I want to do live coral.

 

[Sniperhank]

Is the formations in the middle of the tank or up against the back glass? While cycling mess around with your power heads to ensure proper flow around things. This is something I messed up on early into the hobby and am still dealing with the fallout to this day.


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[KittyKatFishGrl]

No, it's in the center of the tank. I know what you mean, I'm trying to ensure the flow is constant


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[KittyKatFishGrl]

Question: What are some recommendations on Protein Skimmers for my 55 g


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