My new 8 week old 55 gallon

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mike406

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Sep 4, 2012
Messages
94
Location
New york
Any feedback would be appreciated. :)

Michael
 

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Looks great, love the aquascape, but I see one flaw. Don't know if you have a sump so when there's an emergency water drains down there leaving the tank partly empty. If you do, or if a lot of evaporation occurs, that heater might shatter, better to play it safe and lower it IMO. Haven't seen many tanks with a light sky blue background and I like it more than the "standard" blue that's used. What do you have in it and what do you hope to keep?
 
obscurereef said:
Looks great, love the aquascape, but I see one flaw. Don't know if you have a sump so when there's an emergency water drains down there leaving the tank partly empty. If you do, or if a lot of evaporation occurs, that heater might shatter, better to play it safe and lower it IMO. Haven't seen many tanks with a light sky blue background and I like it more than the "standard" blue that's used. What do you have in it and what do you hope to keep?

I have a Tom rapids rp3 plus with a 3.5 gallon auto fill. And built in protein skimmer. Should I upgrade the heater to an inline ? I have a fox face, a cardinal, and a box fish with 2 blue chromis so far. Also 4 turbo snails 4 hermit crabs 1 sand sifting star and 1 serpant star. I hope to upgrade in a few weeks and get a naso tang, Picasso trigger, dwarf lion fish, Niger trigger maybe. What do u think. I don't want ur common salt fish. Oh also an eel. Help me with ur advice
 
Oh I'm sorry I just realized u advised me to lower the heate. I'm doing it now. Thanks
 
mike406 said:
Oh I'm sorry I just realized u advised me to lower the heate. I'm doing it now. Thanks



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Better for now. I way a 125 drilled. This is my first tank ever and I am hooked :)
 
mike406 said:
Better for now. I way a 125 drilled. This is my first tank ever and I am hooked :)

I'm getting the mp 40 wave makers in a few days and hopefully an eel. What do u advise as far as the eel is concerned ?
 
I have a Tom rapids rp3 plus with a 3.5 gallon auto fill. And built in protein skimmer. Should I upgrade the heater to an inline ? I have a fox face, a cardinal, and a box fish with 2 blue chromis so far. Also 4 turbo snails 4 hermit crabs 1 sand sifting star and 1 serpant star. I hope to upgrade in a few weeks and get a naso tang, Picasso trigger, dwarf lion fish, Niger trigger maybe. What do u think. I don't want ur common salt fish. Oh also an eel. Help me with ur advice

I don't know how you could fit the heater in the canister or wherever, just lowering it would work for the time being and later you could cover it up with something. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but a lot of those fish would be fit for 180 gallons or more not a 55. No amount of filtration is going to handle the bio-load you want to force on this system. Plus, isn't this a fairly new setup? Yes they are oh so small and cute, but they will grow and become more territorial and aggressive. Plus those fish are messy eaters and that would raise the nitrates even more. The lion fish would probably eat those chromis. I think even a foxface is pushing it in that tank, as in that should be your largest possible fish. Those are very aggressive fish that get huge and should not be kept in such a small tank.

Lastly, don't know if you know this, but the boxfish can also grow over a foot! If that's not enough to consider taking it back, they will release a toxin when stressed or when they die that will kill your entire system. You'll find yourself having to cycle the tank all over again and take out your beloved fish and rinsing everything off. Even my friend who has a 300 gallon tank definitely did NOT want to put a boxfish in his aquarium, even though he doesn't have much in there now. He doesn't want to take down and re-setup up his tank and I don't blame him!
 
I think a snowflake eel would be okay, but that would be the only other fish to add. After that, I wouldn't recommend adding a lot more fish. Might find one of your fish missing one day b/c of the eel.
 
I am absolutely upgrading the size of the tank soon. Like real soon. I will start to look at 180 gallon or larger. This is my only vice as of now so cash at this point is not an issue. I thought this size tank was ok but the more I read on this forum and the more I research online about fish the more I love it so I will not be adding any more fish until I set up a new tank. I gave an acquaintance who is big in the hobby and very informative. I am going to have him build a wet dry filter and help with the set up. Any advice on what equipment would best suit my cause would be help full. I want to start aquiring all of it ASAP. Thanks so much for your time.
 
Oh awesome. Sounds like a plan then. Wet/dry would work for a FOWLR tank, but I think a sump with a refugium would be better. Either way is fine. With FOWLR higher nitrates/phosphates wouldn't be a huge problem except for cyano or hair algae popping up. I've seen some really cheap 200 gallon tanks on craigslist. Wish I could get them :lol:
 
So when you get this other tank, you're going to have both tanks running? If so, leave the cardinal and chromis, box fish (and even the foxface til it gets bigger) in the 55g. Otherwise, they'll just be lunch for the predators in the other tank. And put the eel, tangs, lion fish- basically all the predator fish- in the bigger tank. Until the foxface gets to be a good size, he wont be safe either. Then you'll have a predator tank and a community tank. Best of both worlds. :)
 
Still don't recommend keeping the boxfish. For me, I wouldn't want to risk the money I spent on all those fish and time setting it up and all. But if you don't mind having it and knowing the dangers then go ahead, but please, put it in the 180 when you get it.
 
I would put in the 180 when it gets a little bigger- it looks pretty small right now.
 
I was actually putting this 55 gallon in my office and replacing it with a much larger tank. How do u feel about the filtration system he talked about. ?
 
mike406 said:
I was actually putting this 55 gallon in my office and replacing it with a much larger tank. How do u feel about the filtration system he talked about. ?

Which filtration? I know nothing about sumps and overflows, sorry!! I have Fluval canister with aqua C skimmer and lots of LR.
 
Beengirl said:
Which filtration? I know nothing about sumps and overflows, sorry!! I have Fluval canister with aqua C skimmer and lots of LR.

So I can get a new 155 bow front. It's really nice I might just go smaller on fish maybe. Idk yet but do u have any web sites that I can check out for bigger tanks ? Yea u r very helpful with ur advice. I appreciate ur help

Michael
 
mike406 said:
So I can get a new 155 bow front. It's really nice I might just go smaller on fish maybe. Idk yet but do u have any web sites that I can check out for bigger tanks ? Yea u r very helpful with ur advice. I appreciate ur help

Michael

Btw how big is ur tank. And y don't u have pics up ???? Just wondering
 
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