HELP: Never had a tank, just got a 55 gallon...

[AlwaysImproving]

Saying I'm fairly new to tanks would be an understatement. I have never owned one in my life but just started a 55 gallon reef tank. Any help/suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated! What my tank consists of right now....Tank life is now...3 hours and 34 minutes and 14, 15, 16 seconds..
- 35 lbs of premium live rock (already cured) from Fiji
- 30 lbs of sand, 10 of which is live sand
- Seop 1000 pump? ( sticks to tank with magnet and makes the tank water flow)
- 260 watt light system (4 bulbs )
- 2 aqueon power filters (325 gallons per hour) Only one is hooked up right now but will be running two once I get some extra outlets
- THAT IS ALL

My salinity is good but how long do I have to wait until I can add fish. MY plan is to throw in a clean up crew gradually 2-6 weeks until they are all in there.How many of each cleaner should I put in for a 55 gallon.

My goal is to get alot of corals growing but after the cleanup crew I want to add one anenome...10 days later will add one clownfish....then 2 weeks later add a yellow tang. Am I on the right path here?

Also How long should I leave the lights running a day?, Man they are BRIGHT.

What is a good test kit to buy and anything else you can help me out with would be immensely appreciated!!!!! Im ready to throw my cell phone number up so I can receive help via text messages. ONCE again thank you all and hopefully this forum can help me get started! :)

 

[BigH55]

First of all your lights need to be on about 10 hrs once you get some critters in there. Also, you need to add some more live rock to the tank. Based on the filters you are using, you will need at least 2 pounds per gallon in the tank. Your tank needs to cycle probably for 4-6 weeks before you can even think about adding anylive stock to the tank. Start this by throwing a chunk of raw shrimp in there and monitor it with test kit. Unfortunately, with the lights you have, and anemone will not grow and thrive. It may live, but it will slowly wither away. Clown fish DO NOT need an anemone to live. Also, if your going to keep corals, you will need a protien skimmer so I would consider building a sump for the system. Next, dont think about adding fish. Resist the urge at all costs. We all thought we were the exception at one time, and our fish would make it, but quess what, they died. Patience is a must. Also, if you get hardcore into corals, consider upgrading those lights to at least T-5's.

 

[Sharkie]

yea def upgrade the lights if you're gonna do corals, standard lighting isn't good enough to keep any corals alive.

For testing things go out and get a complete kit that includes nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and ph. i also have a calcium test kit and a phosphate one too... its always good to have your kits and keep doing them everyday.

and +1 on the nem... they need mature tanks, i think everyones went out and bought one at one time (my pops bought me one.. oops) and they usually end up dying or killing other things, your clown will find something else thats way better IMO. ours at the LFS hosts to a beautiful leather coral :) just get your corals going and don't worry about a nem, they are messy lol.

 

[AlwaysImproving]

The lady who sold me the lights at the specialty saltwater shop told me they were good for corals but not the "stony kind" whatever that means...SO running 2 filters will effect how much rock I have? If I dont have any live critters in there is the light still necessary for just the rock? I keep reading about the raw shrimp. How much do i put it? After it decays and all my nitrate and everything else levels to 0 then it safe to add a coral and fish? Cost is a major factor so I can't affor any more rock for a while...

As far as the filters go, will running one be efficient? The tank has already cleared up real nice and its only been 6-7 hours. My one live rock looks like it already has bad things growing on it but I will post pics tomorrow to get opinions, THANKS for the help.

Justin

 

[ndepratt]

clearly for lighting you have 4 65W powercompact bulbs... the person you talked to has no idea what they're doing. Sorry... trying to not be a jerk.

 

[yote]

I agree with all the above posts.
As long as you stick with low light corals,your light will work.BUT You want stay with the low light stuff like mushrooms for long.
Start looking and researchig sumps and protein skimmers.You need a good skimmer on ANY saltwater tank IMHO.
Take your time.Research everything you want to keep untill you know by heart what it takes to keep it alive,healthy,and thriving.Then when you think you completely understand it,research it again.
Its a fun hobby,but dont expect it to be relaxing for the first year:D

 

[daugherty]

welcome to the site as said with the lights you have you will be stuck with all softies for corals and may be a couple LPS.

 

[BigH55]

You dont have to turn the lights on for just the rock, but it will help grow coralline on the rocks if you leaveit on. Also, Don't ever talk to that lady again. She has no clue.

 

[Sharkie]

Its a fun hobby,but dont expect it to be relaxing for the first year:D

+500million yote! LOL... even tho i've been working with saltwater critters for the past 5 years i've never had a tank of my own, at least, with reef fish.. give me something from the CA coastline and i've got those down, but this is a whole new area and my 5month running tank has taught me a lot about paitence. we just finally got my sister some chromis' for her tank after 3 months of waiting for the cycle...


i just went to the seafood counter at my grocery store and the guy let me buy one big shrimp and i just stuck that in mine

 

[stagofdoom]

Looks like everyone has you covered. You will never know how long the cycle will last, you just have to keep checking the water. I never threw in the raw shrimp, I just let mine sit until the cycle was over then started adding stuff.

Dont even think about a anemone until a year has passed, they need very mature tanks.

Remember the best thing in this hobby is PATIENCE, and RESEARCH.

www.liveaquaria.com pretty much will have info on whatever fish you need. Go look around and see what fish you might be interested in. Once you do get a fish wait a few weeks before adding another one so you dont overload the bioload and crash your tank. It sucks, I have no patience but its what you have to do to be sucessfull in this hobby.

Good luck and let us know if you have anymore questions.

 

[sen5241b]

Sounds like you have a great setup. If you're new, it may be too early to get advanced corals that need more light than you currently have. So don't worry about your lights.

To get nitrates down (a big challenge) consider a cheap solution: a refugium with a big bunch of chaeto and a cheap but strong plant light.

 

[Bifferwine]

Your lights will be fine for low light corals, but not "stony" (also called SPS corals), and definitely not anemones, which need a lot more light than most stony corals do. Anemones are pretty much highest up on the list when it comes to lighting requirements.

It may take your tank several weeks to cycle. You shouldn't add any animals (cleaner crew or fish) until it's done cycling. After that, you can add one fish every 3 to 4 weeks. It'll be slow going in the beginning -- saltwater tanks are frustrating like that. But if you rush it, it's really easy to kill off everything in your tank.