New tank.. New keeper

[canardman]

Originally Posted by joephys

Anemones aren't best suited for beginners, and corner tanks are hard to light because of their shape, and you probably won't be able to spot the tank with anemones. Most of them get fairly big.

The red and white shrimp you are referring too is a coral banded shrimp. Oh, and as a note, the fish in the aquarium in finding nemo aren't all compatible. blue tangs need a lot of room, they get about a foot long.

Stay away from my Cheerios!!!


Ok.. maybe some kind of polyps, no Blue Tang, but instead... maybe a boxfish

[joephys]

lol, sorry to rain on your parade.

Smaller box fish would be ok, but I have read that they are very hard to keep. There are some smaller puffers that might work, if you like that route. Only catch with either of those, they will eat the shrimp. (sorry, more rain.)

[OrionGirl]

Box fish will target inverts as well as nip some polyps. Same for puffers and tobies.

Sorry.

[canardman]

I just can't win!!

[joephys]

Naw you can win, just gotta play the game right.

[DaKineDiscus]

Great thread. I recently inherited a 55g sw tank from my business partner who was deployed to Iraq. Now Ive had a sw tank many years ago when I lived in Hawaii. Now I did not mess with any chemicals just got the water from the ocean as well as the corals and fauna. Now though Im in the Middle of nowhere Nebraska and find myself needing help/

I have recenly joined the marine society which you might want to see if you have one locally. It is there where I met a few people from Hawaii.

Well I made the move last week in getting a 75g RR tank from a business going out. Now I just purchased 760 watts of lighting. Some have told me overkill while others say that I do anything tthat I want.(true or not?) I also purchased a euro reef skimmer and am now wanting a 30g sump. Anyone have any plans to build a 30g sump? I have the tank and the plexi glass. But I dont know exactly what to do next.

Im sorry if this should be in a seperate thread. Please move if this the case, and accepy my sincerest apologies.

Mahalo, ike

[joephys]

Nothing wrong with posting that here since its a general thread, but it might get more exposure as a separate post in the marine DIY forum. Check out Melevsreef.com - Welcome! he has some sump plans.

[canardman]

Ok... How about 1 clown (saw somwhere that clowns don't get along with each other) some polyps, coral banded shrimp, and.... maybe... a Wrasse?

[joephys]

A pair of clowns should be ok. I had a pair of ocellaris clowns (the ones that look the most like nemo), and they never had a problem. I think the issue might be if there are two clowns and one anemone.

Some wrasse should be ok with the coral banded shrimp some aren't. Generally the smaller ones should be ok. Emg had a six line wrasse eat her peppermint shrimp, but I never had a problem.

gobies, chromis, cardinal fish, should be ok with the setup you described.

[Emg]

You could get a pair of ocellaris or true perculas Canard. If you buy them small and get one that's a bit larger than the other...the larger one will become the female. Ocellaris and perculas generally get along pretty well. You should be ok with 2 of those. They aren't as aggressive as the maroons and tomato clowns are. They are definitely a fun fish to have...not a bashful bone in their little bodies ! They'll be front and center all the time !

And yeah, my six line ate my pepps.....he's on his way out. I'm taking him to the next reef meeting next weekend. I have a buyer for him....very nice fish..fat and pretty, but I need shrimp in my tank !

What about one of the dwarf angels ? They are a very colorful group of fish. The coral beauty and flame angel are supposed to be easy to keep and generally not as aggressive as most angels. I'm planning on a flame angel for my 50.

[joephys]

I believe that clarkii clowns are ok in groups too. The are one of the largest clowns if you want something bigger. They tend to be more yellow than orange.

[canardman]

Well enough about the fish for now. How about the important stuff. These are the things I am looking at as my setup. Please let me know if any of it is unnecessary or is there a cheaper, yet good quality route to take.



Reverse Osmosis Aquarium Water Quality: Maxxima RO/DI Units

Aquarium Protein Skimmers: Coralife Super Skimmer Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer

Water Pumps & Wavemakers: Hydor Koralia Water Circulation Pumps

Aragamax Aquarium Sand

Compact Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Coralife Aqualight Double Compact Fluorescent Strip Lights

And after this I will need to get a second job

[Emg]

Lol about the second job !


Looks good Canard. I have a dual bulb coralife over my tank. If your tank isn't very deep it should be good enough for soft corals, but probably not enough for anemones. I have 2-96watt bulbs in my fixture and my tank is about 18 inches deep. One of the bulbs is actinic, the other is a 10,000k daylight.

Hydor koralias are great little powerheads. For a 52 corner I'd at least get 2 of the #2s. They're 600gph. A wavemaker isn't really necessary. If you have to cut back on anything I think that would be the first to go of the items on your list there.

A protein skimmer is a good thing to have, though I don't have one on my tank...I wouldn't mind if I did. I don't know anything about the coralife skimmers, but I have heard a lot of good things about Aqua C skimmers. A friend of mine bought one after going through alot of them in her 10 years in the hobby...and she found the aqua C to work the best. I'm on the lookout for one for my 50.

An RO/DI unit is a good idea. I believe they have systems at places like Home Depot and Lowes that tend to go for a little less than the ones you buy specifically for aquariums.....check around. Also check on the cost for replacement filters. You'll want something that isn't going to cost you a bunch every time you need to change them.

[joephys]

I wouldn't get an RO unit from a place that sells fish stuff. You are going to pay a lot for the name on the RO unit.

that maxxima is 24 gpd for 230 bucks. Here is a 75 gpd for a $150. I can't comment on them personally since I don't one, but there are others out there.
Bulk Reef Supply - Bulk Reef Supply

I don't think the coralife skimmers are the best bet. Remoras, and euroreefs are what I hear are the best. I have heard that there are knockoffs of these and that they work equally well for what its worth.

Never had a koralia but I have heard good things. As far as wavemakers, they do have some purpose, but they aren't required. I have heard people say that koralias shouldn't be hooked up to a wave maker.

Lighting, it really depends on what you want to do. If you plan on doing a reef and have any idea that you may eventually want to do hard corals, just get an MH light system now, so you aren't buying lights twice. Other wise, I like Compact Fluorescent Lighting Kits for CF lighting. Its all DIY, but they have some of the best reflectors and its very customizable.

[canardman]

I wouldn't get an RO unit from a place that sells fish stuff. You are going to pay a lot for the name on the RO unit

Ok, cool. I'll look around for a good deal, and available filter replacements.

[joephys]

I believe that filter replacements are standard sizes.

I have heard good things about bulk reef supply. I believe jinx bought one from there, I don't know if she is reading this thread or not, but I'll tell her too. They also carry the koralia powerheads as well.

[canardman]

Looks like I'm going to have to get this a little at a time. On the hunt for a skimmer right now. I don't want a bunch of junk hanging off of the back of my tank (found this out after I finished my 55g). I would like as much as possible piped into the tank and hidden under it. Is a cheap skimmer okay? Looks like they are really not much to them. Only real problem looks like maybe a low quality pump. Nothing else moves, so what can break? I found PVC instead of acrylic, would this be a problem?

I am going to probably drag this thread out for a while. I appreciate everyones patience and help. I want to avoid stupid mistakes made by lack of research.
-C-Man-

[Emg]

skimmers can be a pain.....I think it's best to get the best one you can afford. Do some looking around and find out what other folks have that works for them. I've heard good things about the Aqua Cs and I think they have one that might do for your tank for a little over $100.00

[joephys]

They seem like simple things, but everything I have read tells me that cheap skimmers just don't work very well.

[Slick Fork]

Stay away from the coralife skimmer. If you are going to spend large money on any single piece of equipment let it be a skimmer. Your first decision should be whether or not you are going to have a sump or if you're going to put a hang on back (HOB) skimmer on. for strictly HOB, the aqua c is ok but I think the one EMG is talking about is the aqua c nano which is too small for a 55, you will need to get the full size remora and for similar cash you could put a deltec on and have a (reportedly) nicer skimmer. Personally, I'm partial to the tunze system. I have a 9010 running on my tank (100g display, 40 gallon sump). The tunze could be mounted unobtrusively in the back corner of your display or set up in the sump so it's versatile. A 9010 or 9005 would be suitable for you.

For the Reverse Osmosis unit try Purely H2O the leader in home and aquarium reverse osmosis and ro di systems! Excellent prices, great service and good equipment. I would go with just the RO and not worry about the DI portion until you're ready for SPS corals.

I would go with at least 2 Hydor Koralia 3's. That should get you sufficient flow for most LPS and softies, again if you want to go SPS in the future you can always add more flow quite easily. Remember, you're not just blowing corals around, you're trying to keep the dissolved organics in suspension long enough to overflow into your sump or get sucked up by the skimmer.

Now for your lighting... I HATE CF lights, there... I said it, I'm sure someone out there is going to read this and think I'm a jerk for always being against them... My reason for hating them is simple, they get really hot and are horribly inefficient and aren't even a good deal at the store. I haven't seen the dimensions of the tank you're looking at so I'll use the 2x96 watt EMG mentioned. So for the price of $224 you get a 2 bulb fixture that burns 192 watts of electricity, as she mentioned it's ok for soft corals but not much else. Bulb replacement cost is about $45/bulb. If we compare it to this high output t5 light
36 inch 4x39W Sunlight Supply Tek Light High Output Fluorescent Lighting Fixture (36in Units )
So with the T5, you pay $320 +bulbs($20-$30/bulb) so a higher initial cost. However, you are only using 160 watts of power so depending on utility rates in your area you may see a noticeable difference on your bill. With 4 bulbs, you have an almost infinite ability to change the "colour" of the light rather than being stuck with 1 actinic and 1 daylight set. The t5 radiates much less heat into the tank then the pc's would. Finally, the winning point for T5's is you can keep absolutely anything under them. If you check out reef central or the european forums you will find people keeping SPS corals 24" below a t5 light fixture.

So, now that I've said all that... you may find lighting a corner tank to be a little tricky as far as even coverage goes. I have a feeling you will find a single 175 watt metal halide pendent will give you the best coverage rather than trying to squeeze a few striplights over it but you will have to experiment and see.