Just some recommendations on a 55 Gal

[toad268]

Tank Size & Description

Lighting: 130W Power Compact- 10,000k Premium Daylight & Ultra Actinic Lamp
Filtration: Emperor 400 Dual Filtration System
Protein Skimmer: Excaliber Skimmer
Pumps: Penguin 550
Heater: ViaAqua Aquarium Glass Heater 300W
Base: 40lbs Live Sand & 10lbs Aquarium Gravel

Fish

1 3" Tall Horned Bannerfish
1 3" Long Foxface Lo
1 1" Jewel Damsel
1 1" Green Chromis
2 1" Yellowtail Damsels
2 Sergeant Major Damsels, 1 2" long & 1 1" long

I currently have no coral or Inverts, but want suggestions on what to get, what you think works, and also, I am looking to get some live plants, just curious what kinds look best and are hardy for a starter.

 

[seaham358]

Not sure what you mean by Plants? Macro algae? caluerpa?
With that light IMO corals will be boarder line, maybe a kenya tree or some shroons. Inverts get a good mix or blue legged, scarlet hermits and cerith and nass snails.

No live rock?

 

[toad268]

no, like bigger plants that wave in the current, as you can see I don't know much about them... one question, why are corals borderline?

 

[roka64]

I don't believe there re "plants" in SW, you are loking for algae.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=490
Like these.
Seaham was saying your lighting might be enough, barely for some corals, i think...

 

[toad268]

What do they attach to? I have live sand and dead coral remains, I mean, say I go out and buy them, how do I put them in the tank?

 

[lando]

no, like bigger plants that wave in the current,

I beleive you are refering to corals. These are animals and not plants. Many do wave in the current.

What do they attach to?

The base for any reef tank is LR. This is the structure the reef is built upon. When you purcahse corals, many will come already attachd to a chunk of LR. It is just a matter of setting on the exisitng rock work.
Keep in mind that most corals are light-dependant animals. They require special lighting over them as they gain most of there energy from this light. 130watts of CF lighting is just enough to keep many corals species at all. Perhaps some polyps or mushrooms but that would be about it.

 

[toad268]

I know what corals are and they are sometimes separated from the rock, I know you can get these from the store for a tank and not have any Live Rock. I know that much, just not too much about the plants or algae as I was corrected earlier. I do have 130W subcompact, but with 20k not 10k as I said earlier...

Lighting: 130W Power Compact- 20,000k Premium Daylight & Ultra Actinic Lamp

Just let me know what works best.

 

[roka64]

about the plants or algae as I was corrected earlier.

Don't feel bad, I asked the exact same question.

 

[demodiki]

So you want recommendations on corals that will not or do not have to be attached to LR? Shrooms possibly? Without a base to anchor down to things tend to float away. With the weaker lighting it is preferable to have a LR structure so that you can keep corals up a little higher than the sand bed.

All kinds of ways to do a marine tank...there's just more challenges doing it certain ways.

 

[lando]

You need to be a bit more specific as the type of "plant" you are interested in. get a name, scientific name or picture at least.