Just got a 55 Gal.

[SarahSmile]

Check out the odyssea t5 light. Pretty inexpensive and will provide you with the wattage you need.
Again, you want about 3-5 watts per gallon so 165-275 watts total. So look for a t-5 fixture that is for 54 watt bulbs and houses either 4 or 6 bulbs.

 

[Grouper954]

ha ha, I know, I'm so techinical, "the blue thing"
It is very doubtful that you can put higher wattage bulbs in there, I wanted to do that myself with my crappy hood and was quickly warned not to! T-5s are ballast specific.

Lol, the less technical the better ;)

Yeah I figured they were ballast specific. Oh well :(

I will work with what I have for now. So do you think this light would be sufficient for maybe a single mushroom and a couple basics (like a Maiden's Hair Plant?) Again, I am infinitely grateful for all your help Sarah :)

 

[SarahSmile]

Yup, I always tell people realllly dumb it down for me. I understand not wanting to spend more money. The only issue I see with keeping that light is, with lower wattage lights; they aren't great at supporting corals, but they sure are great at supporting algae! I just don't want you to have to deal with that. But, you can see how it goes and if it becomes an issue, perhaps then you'll be ready to upgrade, or get more snails!
I don't know about mushrooms with only 56 watts, I really don't, I hope so but I'm really leaning towards no. You're at 1 watt per gallon and I haven't heard of anyone keeping mushrooms at less than 2 watts. I'd say, cycle the tank, entertain yourself with a fish and arranging the rocks and getting some snails, get used to testing your water and water changes and then maybe try an inexpensive mushroom and see how he does.
The Maiden's hair requires strong lighting I believe, so, I think that's a no go.
Isn't this site great, so many people helped me start up (and still help me) and just think, in 6 months you'll be a pro and you can help other people start out :)
I'm glad that I can help you in any way. Gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Usually I have to drink a beer to get that.

 

[Grouper954]

Yup, I always tell people realllly dumb it down for me. I understand not wanting to spend more money. The only issue I see with keeping that light is, with lower wattage lights; they aren't great at supporting corals, but they sure are great at supporting algae! I just don't want you to have to deal with that. But, you can see how it goes and if it becomes an issue, perhaps then you'll be ready to upgrade, or get more snails!
I don't know about mushrooms with only 56 watts, I really don't, I hope so but I'm really leaning towards no. You're at 1 watt per gallon and I haven't heard of anyone keeping mushrooms at less than 2 watts. I'd say, cycle the tank, entertain yourself with a fish and arranging the rocks and getting some snails, get used to testing your water and water changes and then maybe try an inexpensive mushroom and see how he does.
The Maiden's hair requires strong lighting I believe, so, I think that's a no go.
Isn't this site great, so many people helped me start up (and still help me) and just think, in 6 months you'll be a pro and you can help other people start out :)
I'm glad that I can help you in any way. Gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Usually I have to drink a beer to get that.

Ok thanks. So what I'm thinking now is that I'll start off with a FOWLR system and eventually work my way into the coral scene. One more question, is a protein skimmer necessary while cycling my water? I still need to order one but I want to fill my tank and get the cycle going. Should I wait until I get the skimmer?

 

[SarahSmile]

No need to wait, get that cycle started!
FOWLR is a great wait to get going, just keep in mind when making fish selections that you may want to have a reef so you'll want to avoid those fishies that munch on corals.

 

[Grouper954]

Awesome!!!

One last thing, is natural seawater "better" for the tank than artificial pre-mixed saltwater? Worse? Or is there no difference? I live in extremely close proximity to the Atlantic (<5 min. drive) and I would love to take advantage of free water, LOL.

 

[SarahSmile]

Ah, you know, that's a funny one...a lot of people have done it with no issues but many more say that it caused problems for them. Pollution, contamination, it's hard to get stuff near the shore and not have it marred by these things. I would not recommend it, I'd say, go with the filtered stuff.
But, again, for every 4 people that say no, 1 will say yes, so you have to ask yourself, is it worth the risk?
Free water would be great though! Yeesh, I paid 10 bucks each for 5 gallon boxes of saltwater to start my tank. Had to hide that receipt when I came home!

 

[Grouper954]

Ah, you know, that's a funny one...a lot of people have done it with no issues but many more say that it caused problems for them. Pollution, contamination, it's hard to get stuff near the shore and not have it marred by these things. I would not recommend it, I'd say, go with the filtered stuff.
But, again, for every 4 people that say no, 1 will say yes, so you have to ask yourself, is it worth the risk?
Free water would be great though! Yeesh, I paid 10 bucks each for 5 gallon boxes of saltwater to start my tank. Had to hide that receipt when I came home!

Hmmmmm........interesting.

$10 per 5 gallons?!?!?
That would equal $110+tax just for an initial fill!!!
A friend of a friend has been using the local seawater (or so I'm told) without issues. He has a slightly larger tank though.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[SarahSmile]

Yeah, it was pretty pricey :) I don't always do things the cheapest way. Or the smartest way. But, I usually know how to suggest the smart, cheap way to others. ;)
My other alternative was to buy 55 jugs at walmart, bring them home, buy boxes and boxes of salt and I can never get the salt to dissolve all the way.
Try doing some google searches about the beach near you regarding pollution or other tank owners who use water from there. Some areas are ok, some are not. Can be a crap shoot and I hate to see something like that cause failure for ya. Water quality is THE most important thing in this hobby.

 

[Grouper954]

You definitely DO know how to give some great advice! I hope one day I can do the same :)

Here is a recent (<1 month before) water quality survey of my County.
Beach Sampling Results

Everything appears ok, but is taking the chance worth it?

 

[SarahSmile]

Interesting report, love that it has "fecal" as n/a. Always a relief. Ha ha. I dunno, this is a judgement call Grouper. Real ocean water can give you algae problems. It can have things in there that they do not test for that may lead to issues. OR, it may be just fine. People have used it with mixed results. I would hate to see you land on the wrong side of this one.
A lot of times in this hobby it does come down to, is taking a chance worth it? People go thru it when selecting lights, using tap water, putting in a fish without quarantining first, adding a nem that may die and ruin their tank, putting in a potential troublesome fish, it goes on and on. On this site we try (try being the operative word) to caution on the side of safe choices.
The SAFE choice would not be to do it. But, that is up to you and no one will judge you or say, "told you so" if it doesn't work. And we'll all be happy for you if it does work.
I know the ones who have had the most success with it get the water from 3 to 4 miles away from the shore.