First timer questions

B

bridget111188

Reefing newb
Hello my name is Bridget. I bought a 55 gallon tank at a dollar per gallon sale about 6 months ago. I'm planning on starting up a saltwater tank. I have years of experience in fresh water and about a year experience in maintaining saltwater at work. But I have never started up a saltwater tank. I'm planning on housing fish and coral in this tank. So I have the tank, fluval led reef light, net, 55 gallon heater. I need a lot more supplies please let me know if I'm missing anything. This is where I need your input.

I have no idea what would be a good stand for a 55 gallon. Is there a stand out there that is heavy duty? What do you guys use?

What do you think about skimmers and UV sterilizers? Are they necessary and what brand is best?

What is the best live sand/coral to use?

I know I need two power heads. What ones should I use for a 55 gallon tank? How much power will I need?

I don't think I'll be using a sump is that a good idea?

I love my Marineland 70 gallon I don't think I'll have space for a canister filter. Is this a good idea?

What is the best salt mix to use?

Do I need to add any additives to the water before add fish and coral?

I know I also need a hydrometer, thermometer, test kit what do I need to test for?

How long should I wait to put fish and coral in?

What is the best way to start a tank? Is the one small shrimp method the best?

Ok, now that we have that all set. I think I have a fish and coral figured out. Tell me what you think please. I wont be offended by your thoughts. I'll list them in the order of placement in the tank. Time also added.

Step 1 first fish adding soon after the tank has cycled (2 weeks to 1 month)
2 to 4 Chromis or maybe 1 to 4 clown gobies

Step 2 clean up crew adding a month or two after the chromis (1.5 month to 2 months)
10 Blue leg hermit crabs
5 Turbo snails
10 Spiny star astreae snails
10 Nassarius snails

Step 3 interesting cleaners added (2 months to 3 months)
1 to 2 Two spotted gobies

Step 4 more schooling if needed may not add added (3 to 5 months)
1 to 3 Anthias

Step 5 cleaner for worm pick up added (3 months to 5 months)
1 Sunrise dotty back

Step 6 movement fish added (4 to 6 months)
1 or 2 Red headed fairy wrasse or leopard wrasse

Step 7 pretty cleaners added (4 to 6 months)
1 cleaner shrimp


Step 8 I would love to have an angel but may not need added (4 to 8 months)
1 Coral beauty

Step 9 if needed more cleaners may not need one may not add (4 to 6 months)
Brittle starfish

Step 10 I would love an anemone and I know clarkii (8 months to 1 year)
1 to 2 Clarkii clowns
1 Condi anemone or long tentacle anemone what are clarkiis more likely to bond to?

Step 11 easy coral life that spread fast added (8 months to 1.5 year)
Fancy blue, red and curly mushrooms

Step 12 easy to house and easy to frag added (8 months to 1.5 year)
Toadstool and finger ​leathers

Step 13 very nice hard coral added (8 months to 2 years)
Montiporas

Thank you so much for all of your info. Any thoughts will help. I know it's a lot but if you have any experience good and bad with starting up a tank the equipment and fish would be wonderful.
 
bridget111188 said:
Hello my name is Bridget. I bought a 55 gallon tank at a dollar per gallon sale about 6 months ago. I'm planning on starting up a saltwater tank. I have years of experience in fresh water and about a year experience in maintaining saltwater at work. But I have never started up a saltwater tank. I'm planning on housing fish and coral in this tank. So I have the tank, fluval led reef light, net, 55 gallon heater. I need a lot more supplies please let me know if I'm missing anything. This is where I need your input.

I have no idea what would be a good stand for a 55 gallon. Is there a stand out there that is heavy duty? What do you guys use?

What do you think about skimmers and UV sterilizers? Are they necessary and what brand is best?
I personally do not use a UV sterilizer because it not only kills the bad things, but the good things too.
What is the best live sand/coral to use?
Most people just use dry sand because it is much cheaper and will turn live relatively quickly. As far as corals go, they are living creatures, so I guess they would all be "live". I think you may be thinking of live rock. Live rock can be pretty expensive as well so most people just buy base (dry) rock and add a few pounds of live rock to seed the tank.
I know I need two power heads. What ones should I use for a 55 gallon tank? How much power will I need?
It is recommended to have 2 or 3 on your size tank. Its best to have a couple of low power ones rather than one high power one, so that there won't be any dead spots. I would think 2 koralia 750s would be ok. Koralia is a relatively cheap brand that works pretty good for the price. Of course, there are better powerheads out there if you are willing to spend the money.
I don't think I'll be using a sump is that a good idea?
You don't HAVE to use a sump, but it is recommended. It will add more water volume so that your water won't fluctuate too much. A sump is also used to hide equipment that can detract from the look of your display tank such as skimmers, heaters, etc. A sump can also allow you to have a refugium so that you can grow macroalgaes to get rid of nitrates and phosphates as well as provide a place for animals such as copepods to grow.
I love my Marineland 70 gallon I don't think I'll have space for a canister filter. Is this a good idea?
DO NOT get a canister filter. All the crap gets stuck in there with no where to go and becomes a nitrate factory. It really is not worth it unless you clean it out every 2 or 3 days. When I had a canister I could not get my nitrates down. Within 3 days of me taking it out my nitrates dropped from 80 to 20.
What is the best salt mix to use?
There are many different kinds, and I am no expert. But many people use instant ocean.
Do I need to add any additives to the water before add fish and coral?
No, not usually.
I know I also need a hydrometer, thermometer, test kit what do I need to test for?
A hydrometer is not very accurate, so it might be good to invest in a refractometer instead. Most general tests you need right now are for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph
How long should I wait to put fish and coral in?
You have to make sure your tank cycles properly, then you can start adding. Make sure to take the fish nice and slow so that you won't have too big of a bioload.
What is the best way to start a tank? Is the one small shrimp method the best?
Yes, use the shrimp method, not live fish.
Ok, now that we have that all set. I think I have a fish and coral figured out. Tell me what you think please. I wont be offended by your thoughts. I'll list them in the order of placement in the tank. Time also added.

Step 1 first fish adding soon after the tank has cycled (2 weeks to 1 month)
2 to 4 Chromis or maybe 1 to 4 clown gobies
Maybe not so many clown gobies, I'm not sure if they would fight or not.
Step 2 clean up crew adding a month or two after the chromis (1.5 month to 2 months)
10 Blue leg hermit crabs
5 Turbo snails
10 Spiny star astreae snails
10 Nassarius snails
You can add a clean up crew basically after your tank has cycled. Maybe add some cerith snails or dwarf cerith? Maybe some nerites? I would maybe have less turbos because they tend to knock things over. Other than that it's pretty good.
Step 3 interesting cleaners added (2 months to 3 months)
1 to 2 Two spotted gobies
Not too sure if they will fight.
Step 4 more schooling if needed may not add added (3 to 5 months)
1 to 3 Anthias
Seems like its starting to be a little too many fish.
Step 5 cleaner for worm pick up added (3 months to 5 months)
1 Sunrise dotty back
Seems ok
Step 6 movement fish added (4 to 6 months)
1 or 2 Red headed fairy wrasse or leopard wrasse
I've never had a wrasse, so I don't know.
Step 7 pretty cleaners added (4 to 6 months)
1 cleaner shrimp
You can add shrimp even sooner if you want.

Step 8 I would love to have an angel but may not need added (4 to 8 months)
1 Coral beauty
Watch out, it might nip corals
Step 9 if needed more cleaners may not need one may not add (4 to 6 months)
Brittle starfish

Step 10 I would love an anemone and I know clarkii (8 months to 1 year)
1 to 2 Clarkii clowns
1 Condi anemone or long tentacle anemone what are clarkiis more likely to bond to?

Step 11 easy coral life that spread fast added (8 months to 1.5 year)
Fancy blue, red and curly mushrooms
You can add corals as soon as the cycle is over, make sure you start easy
Step 12 easy to house and easy to frag added (8 months to 1.5 year)
Toadstool and finger ​leathers
no need to wait so long, corals do not add to the bioload.
Step 13 very nice hard coral added (8 months to 2 years)
Montiporas
I love montiiporas, especially the caps! They grow so fast!
Thank you so much for all of your info. Any thoughts will help. I know it's a lot but if you have any experience good and bad with starting up a tank the equipment and fish would be wonderful.
Click to expand...

I think I answered most of your questions, but I don't really know about the stand. For a 55 gallon it would be best to stick with only 5 or 6 fish, maybe 7 eventually. So you probably need to cut down on your wish list. Hope it helps! Others will chime in.
 
Hello and welcome to the site! That is one hell of an essay!
I use a uv sterilizer and love it. Good bugs are good but bad bugs kill fish. A "healthy fish" is not healthy and stress free running around with all the bugs after it.
Corals are living, most feed their corals here with some sort of "living or once living" organisms that break down and pollute the water. By far, corals are no tangs, but once your reef is built, it isnt all light that is going to keep them going. Please feel free to check out what the distributors use to grow their corals and follow their recommended care.
 
I don't use UV myself, but know several people who do.

Also, be aware that if your shrimps are small enough and your wrasses big enough you might be feeding the fish a nice shrimp dinner.
 
In a 55 gallon tank, I would not do more then 5-6 fish. I kind of skimmed through what you wrote before, and noticed a bunch of fish. Over-stocking is not recommended, even though it is done sometimes. For the sand bed, use sand, not crushed coral. Crushed coral traps poop and uneaten food in it. UV lights are really a personal preference. Canisters trap nitrates, so better to skip on it. A Skimmer is a great idea, pulls all the crap out of the water. 2-3 Power heads would be better, I'd do either 2 750s or 3 500s. If you plan on soft corals, i'd be worried about a coral beauty. And lastly, Clarkii's get big and mean. Pick fish that can go with them accordingly. Welcome aboard. :)
 
Ok so I have come to a conclusion on what fish to put in the aquarium. Please tell me what you think...

1 coral beauty
1 leopard wrasse
1 royal gramma
3 anthias
1 blennie
1 dottybacks neon, yellow, splendid or sunrise just a pair
2 gobies neon, two spot or yellow not sure but a pair
5 hermit crabs
5 nassarius
5 cerith

(it's a 55 gallon tank)
 
Last edited:
Ok would the cleaning crew be enough without the blennie? And then maybe get rid of either the dotty backs or gobies? that leaves me with...

1 coral beauty
1 leopard wrasse
1 royal gramma
3 anthias
1 dottybacks neon, yellow, splendid or sunrise just a pair
(or)
2 gobies neon, two spot or yellow not sure but a pair
5 hermit crabs
5 nassarius
5 cerith

The only fish that would be using a lot of swimming space would be the angel and they tend to stay in the rocks, the wrasse they need the most room, and the anthias group that would swim back and forth. The royal gramma, dotty back, gobies and cleaner crew tend to stay in the rocks and down in the sand. So why not enough room?
 
It's not allays about swimming room. It's about bioload and territory, if you share a house with another person your more likely to peacefully coexist than if you both lived in the same closit. The closer you get to providing the natural inviornment, the less stress your fish will have.
 
Anthias also can be kind of hard to keep. They have high metabolisms and need an established tank so they have enough food. I'd swap those out for something else.
 
I'm going to have a 110 filter for a 55 gallon tank so filtration shouldn't be a problem. And could you tell me why Anthias need an established tank? Are they hard to keep because of water changes or food?
 
Food (which is why I mentioned metabolisms). Even with a fuge for pods, they'll wipe out the population in a new tank.
 
I'd skip or wait on the leopard wrasse and anthias. Leopard wrasses are notoriously difficult and don't ship well - most don't adjust well to captivity and die within a few weeks. I'd look to get a smaller fairy wrasse instead of the leopard wrasse.

As Erin said, the anthias need an established tank and feedings twice a day. If you are really set on having them, then I'd stick with an easier species like the lyretail and still wait to add them until your tank has been established for a year. I'd also only put females into a 55 - I don't think it will be large enough for a male anthias (liveaquaria recommends 6ft of swimming room for lyretails - I have 2 small females and a male in a 90g and they are doing okay so far, but I wouldn't want to see the male in a 55, he just swims far too much to be comfortable). You really need an established tank for anthias for two reasons - so it produces a steady supply of food (plankton, copepods, etc), and so that your tank can handle increased bioload from feeding multiple times a day.
 

Similar threads

Mike
  • Sticky
Photo of The Month
Replies
0
Views
318
Mike
Mike
F
New to marine.
Replies
2
Views
1K
kbuser92
kbuser92
Mike
  • Sticky
New Member (Owner 😲)
Replies
0
Views
720
Mike
Mike
Mike
We're Back!
Replies
0
Views
654
Mike
Mike
L
New Member
Replies
0
Views
1K
lkt1954
L
Back
Top