setting up 55 galon reef aquarium
- Thread starter marty7975
- Start date
Bifferwine
I am a girl
The 48" Current Nova Extreme Pro would be exactly what I'd recommend for your tank. They are pricey, but they will allow you to keep anything you want.
If they are too expensive, you can go with the regular 4-bulb Current Nova Extreme lights. I ran those over my old 55 gallon tank and had no problem keeping whatever I wanted.
But you are on the right track -- T5s will be the best choice for a tank that size.
If they are too expensive, you can go with the regular 4-bulb Current Nova Extreme lights. I ran those over my old 55 gallon tank and had no problem keeping whatever I wanted.
But you are on the right track -- T5s will be the best choice for a tank that size.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Why 36"? A standard 55 gallon tank is 48" long. Is your tank an odd size?
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Double check before you order your lights. It's rare to see a 55 gallon tank that is not 48" long.
I also have a marineland 400 for a filter.Will this do? I have had it running for about 4 days now.I just have 40 lbs of live sand in my tank right now that I got harvested from a private inlet in florida,and my live rock will be here this week.Can I start adding live stock after that. Still have to purchase a skimmer
Bifferwine
I am a girl
You have to wait for the tank to cycle before you add any livestock. The cycle usually takes between 3 and 8 weeks. Saltwater is very different than freshwater -- you can't just add stuff right off the bat.
Once you add your live rock, you should put a piece of shrimp from the grocery store into the tank, and let it rot. As it rots, it will produce waste -- the same waste your livestock will be producing. The bacteria in the live rock will grow to numbers high enough to process this waste. You can't add fish until your bacterial population is established.
During the cycle, ammonia will first go up, then nitrites, then nitrates. Ammonia and nitrites will then fall back to zero. After ammonia and nitrites are at zero, your cycle is considered complete, and you can do a water change and add your first fish. Don't add any more than 1 or 2 fish every 3 or 4 weeks in a new tank.
Once you add your live rock, you should put a piece of shrimp from the grocery store into the tank, and let it rot. As it rots, it will produce waste -- the same waste your livestock will be producing. The bacteria in the live rock will grow to numbers high enough to process this waste. You can't add fish until your bacterial population is established.
During the cycle, ammonia will first go up, then nitrites, then nitrates. Ammonia and nitrites will then fall back to zero. After ammonia and nitrites are at zero, your cycle is considered complete, and you can do a water change and add your first fish. Don't add any more than 1 or 2 fish every 3 or 4 weeks in a new tank.
Leslee
Reef enthusiast
Well it seems Biff's got you covered! Good Luck! We love to see pics!
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Even if live rock is identified as fully cured, there will be some things that die off in transport to your tank. You'll still need to check for ammonia and nitrites. A lot of times, with fully cured rock, you can skip the cycle altogether, because there isn't enough die off to do anything. But you don't know that for sure unless you are testing for ammonia and nitrites.
If you add the rock to your tank, wait a week, and after a week, everything is still at zero, then you can assume that having fully cured rock skipped the cycle.
You can add a small clean up crew as soon as the tank finishes cycling. You will get several algae outbreaks at this point -- that's totally normal for a new tank. The CUC will help with the algae. Don't add too many at once though. A lot of people add a ton of snails and crabs, only to watch half of them starve to death within a week or two because they've quickly eaten all the food in the tank.
If you add the rock to your tank, wait a week, and after a week, everything is still at zero, then you can assume that having fully cured rock skipped the cycle.
You can add a small clean up crew as soon as the tank finishes cycling. You will get several algae outbreaks at this point -- that's totally normal for a new tank. The CUC will help with the algae. Don't add too many at once though. A lot of people add a ton of snails and crabs, only to watch half of them starve to death within a week or two because they've quickly eaten all the food in the tank.
