Next Piece of Equipment

[ChPolack]

I have a 55 gallon reef tank that has been running for about 3 months now. I have about 8 fish in the tank along with corals and invertebrates. Everything is doing fine, but I would like to know if anyone has any suggestions for the next piece of equipment I should get for my tank. I have a protein skimmer along with all of the other essentials, but are there any "must have" accessories to a tank? I've looked at calcium reactors but I have no experience using them and it seems to me they are a hassle to use and expensive. I also have to deal with a lack of space issue.

The tank is a long 55 gallon corner overflow tank, manufactured by DeepBlue Professional. I also have a Sicce Voyager 3 inside the tank. Below in the stand, I have a CoralVue Reef Octopus NWB-110 Skimmer, along with a heater and Sicce Syncra 2 to pump the water from my sump. The sump is a single chambered setup (water level constant throughout) with a bioball trickle filter and sponge.

As for livestock in the tank I have 8 fish along with about 10 other small corals including LPS. In the future I would also like to add an anemone, so I am wondering if there is another piece of equipment I could add to make the environment more stable and allow for more growth of the anemone. My previous tank was a 14g Biocube, and my several attempts at having an anemone always ended in the shrinking and death of the anemone. I want to be sure that I will be able to successfully keep one if I were to put one in.

 

[ChPolack]

I also have one 48" DeepBlue SolarMax HO Double T5 fixture (one daylight, one actinic) 108 watts total.

 

[softchxntaco]

would get more lighting if you wanna keep the nem

 

[R3verb]

I would advise getting rid of your bio balls. They become nitrate factories and your live rock should take care of the bio filtration in your tank without them. Just remove a handful every day so as not to shock the tank. I would maybe look at a phosban reactor, they can really help with algae down the road and are pretty small. You could also look at getting some nice lights. I have the AI Sol LEDs and those will keep any nem you can think of. Also, im sure you know this, but you are about at your stocking limit. The only other thing you may look at would be like a MP40 powerhead if you dont already have a wavemaker. Wavemakers will greatly improve coral health and growth. Just a few ideas!

 

[snyderju]

I agree with everyone else. Upgrading your lighting would be the best thing you could do right now.

 

[marcah]

when you remove the bioballs ( which I agree with doing) I would throw some rubble rock in its place.. I would also change the lights out to at least a 4 bulb t-5 ( if the LED'S are out of reach ).. One like these
Catalina Aquarium
or

Catalina Aquarium

 

[ChPolack]

Will upgrading the lighting cause a significant rise in temperature? Will I need a chiller as well or just need to top off the tank more often?

 

[ChPolack]

Also, I have a glass canopy setup that would likely need to be replaced if I were to replace the lighting. The glass completely covers the top of the tank with only a small area on the sides for cords, and the light sits directly on top of that. Any suggestions for canopy setups or lighting types and companies? I'm fairly new to the hobby so I'm not exactly sure where to find the best value at a reasonable price.

 

[FishyReef]

If you upgrade your lights to LED you won't have to worry about temps or a chiller. They run very cool. I also have the AI Sol's under a canopy and even the built in fans rarely come on.

Aside from lights, do you have an RODI unit? If not, that would be a good next piece of equipment to get!

 

[FishyReef]

Oh, and as far as the canopy, yeah you should ditch the glass canopy - they retain temps, limit light, and really restrict oxygen supply. I would go either with no top, or if you have jumpers in your tank I would recommend making your own screen top (see the DIY section) - you can get most everything you need at Lowes or Home Depot, and then pick up some clear screening material from bulk reef supply for a few bucks.

 

[Northstar24]

I think everyone pretty much has you covered. If you really want to keep a nem, you need to do two things:

1) Wait a while - 'Nems need incredibly stable water, and with a tank being only three months old, your water is not stable enough. Most people recommend waiting at least 1 year before considering a 'nem. This is because it really takes a year for your system to get broken in to the point where it is considered stable

2) Lighting - The watts per gallon rule is pretty much outdated know, but even as a ballpark - 2 watts / gallon of T5 is not going to be sufficient for keeping anemone's long term. So if you're looking for a gadget to buy for your tank, I would seriously consider new lights. LED's will run cool, and you don't have to replace the bulbs. Depending on your budget, I would look at the following: AquaIllumination Sols, EcoTech Radions, or the new spotlights from Kessil

Also, your tank will be better off if run open top. This will slightly increase water evaporation, but it will also promote much better gas exchange, and your tank will retain less heat. If you have fish that are prone to jumping, look into a screen top from BRS