[Twan013]

hey guys, i'm going to convert my 55gallon to a saltwater aquarium, and here's my proposed setup..

35 pounds of foundation rock
80 pounds of livesand
45 pounds of fiji premium liverock

i know some of the fish i want to have, but someone from another forum said i shouldn't get some of them because one gets too big (yellow tang), and the other is agressive towards even a bigger fish (yellowtail damsel)... but i know i'll end up with at least an ocellaris clownfish, and a diamond watchman goby. i want at least 5 different species of fish, because any less seems to be too few for such a big tank... i just don't know what else to get.

back to the setup...

Reef Cleaner Pack (for 55gallon aquariums from liveaquaria.com)
the Beginner Coral Pack (also from liveaquaria.com)

well, that's my basic setup, but as i said, i just don't know what kind of fish to get.. also, i don't know what kind of filter system i need to get

[RyanG]

Most people pick the berlin system. I wouldn't put a tang in a 55 gallon, way to small, but a lot of people still do this.

[volitan_fa]

Yeah, and Berlin system would be pretty good if you're getting that much rock. I wouldn't put a damsel in a community/reef tank either. They do get very aggressive and territorial.

[volitan_fa]

I would stick to the clowns...get a pair of your favorite kind of clown. Some other safe fish would be gobies and blennies. If you're feeling confident you could get a dwarf lion . (Sorry I'm just so partial to lions)

[Twan013]

the berlin system, that only consists of the liverock in the actual aquarium, a protein skimmer and some stout lighting, correct? and about the yellow tang... i guess they're similar to oscars in a freshwater system, huh? as in, everybody says not to do it, but everyone does it anyway? i saw a pretty sweet tank the other night in a restaurant in birmingham, AL.. i don't know what size it was, but it was big, and it had 2 clowns, 3 yellow tangs, another kind of tang that was purple with a yellow tail (not sure what kind it was), a bunch of yellowtail damsels, and i think 5 pajama cardinal fish.. oh, and also a coral banded shrimp, and a tiny green starfish of some kind...

can someone do me a favor? go here, http://liveaquaria.com/general/gener...al_pagesid=206 , and tell me if this is a good idea to try? not exactly this setup, but changing some of the numbers to match my 55gal? i think that is a very broad variety and i like the idea of how it would look in the end... of course, i would add corals, inverts and fish at a much slower rate, and do a water test every day or every other day, but would it still be too much stocking?

[volitan_fa]

Yeah, the Berlin method generally consists of using only a protein skimmer and natural biological filtration to stabilize your water.

And usually when you see a pretty stocked tank like that, there's some behind the scenes workings. Maybe a large sump/fuge? You never really know.

I just got finished reading that article from LiveAquaria, and I don't know if I trust it all that well. How do you know the tank is cycled in 4 weeks? And the PC lights don't seem all that strong for corals (very soft ones at most). Other than that, it seems like a good time line for adding things. Just make sure you're watching your water parameters and not just waiting 4 weeks to add stuff.

[Twan013]

well, as i said, if i do decide to go with this setup, i won't go by it exactly.. having stronger/better lighting, adding one or 2 things at the time, and checking the parameters everyday until it does go back to 0.... right now, the most frustrating thing to me is the lighting... t5, VHO, MH, PC, etc. etc...will i get the same results using t5's as i will mh? i've found 4 semi-specific light setups, 2 of them call for t5 HO's... another one says "2 36inch 96 watt bulbs, and 2 48 inch 110 watt URI VHO (super actinic) Custom Sealife Moonlite"...... and the last one says "150watt, 10K MH and 2x VHO 110watt 48" actinic bulbs... the only problem i have with using a 48" light system, is that my 55 gallon has a center bar going across and i'm wondering if that will cause a shadow that prevents anything from growing in that strip... my 2 current lids/light housings measure roughly 23x11 and some odd change... is there a replacement lid/light housing that i could use 2 of that will fit the holes? i suppose, if i had to, i could dremel out that center strip and use a 48 inch system... but to me, that's like a last resort... i don't like jeri-rigging stuff, and DIY type things...

[volitan_fa]

T5's will give you a pretty good result, especially for the amount of money you're going to be spending on them compared to metal halide. MH lights are almost always gonna give you the better result...but they're also twice the price or more. IMO, go with either a MH setup or a T5 setup (or even a combo of both).

If you could suspend your lights above your tank (via either legs or suspended from the ceiling/overhead fixture), the center brace won't be a problem. I'm with you, dremeling the thing would be my last resort.

It sounds like you pretty much know what you're doing....good luck , and keep asking questions!

[volitan_fa]

PS: using a VHO system will end up costing quite a bit and producing a lot of heat. I would find a system that combines T5 HO actinics with 10,000K or 14,000K MH.

If you're looking into an all-in-one system (ie MH + actinic lights), the Current Outer Orbit series is pretty good.

[Twan013]

Originally Posted by volitan_fa

It sounds like you pretty much know what you're doing....good luck , and keep asking questions!

heh, words of encouragement...

hmm... outer orbit... my only concern with that is the measurements... i mean, i suppose i could get it from marinedepot... but it being 15 inches wide, and from looking at the picture, it won't fit on my aquarium, unless the legs are adjustable (meaning you can move them closer together)... or unless i hang it from the ceiling which i don't want to do..

my other option is this : the Current USA PC Orbit.... but now the question is either 1 130 watt light, 2 130 watt lights or 4 96 watts? so that's 130, 260, or 384... well going by the general rule of thumb for 3-5 watts per gallon, the 260 would be perfect... but looking at the prices, that costs 70 dollars more than the 384 (4x96watt bulbs)..... so would i be better off getting the 4 bulbs?

oh wait, here's another one i missed... current USA t5 nova extreme.... 48" 8x54W t5 HO + 4 lunar lights..... $477

[Beeker325]

I have a question concerning the setup? On this link http://liveaquaria.com/general/gener..._pages id=206 there is a reference to the Deluxe Algae Attack Pack and is states that you should have so many cleaner animals per size of tank. The question is do you scale the amount of cleaners like the skimmer size you buy? for instance if you have a 100 gallon tank and a 40 gallon sump. do you buy cleaners for 100 or 140 gallons worth. The $ amount can change drasticaly and can you have too many cleaner animals?

[FisH NooB]

twan... i like the set-up, the instructions may very a little but each set-up is different... remember too, for marine, a 55 gallon is relatively small still... hell a 100 gallon is still relatively small for some species out there, as for the fish; i've got yellow tails in with other damsels and stuff and the big one is a little aggressive but the blenny keeps him in check and i have other fish to keep him occupied... also, i used to have angels with him and he never attacked them, and they weren't much bigger at the time... it's all about there environment and how many fish are actually in with them... as for the tangs; the guy who help me set-up has a 90 gallon like mine with like 8 yellow tangs in it... he tells me its all about swim space with them... the more rock, the less space, the less chance of keeping them happy... he keeps them with no gravel or rock in the tank... just a few turbo snails a good bit of algae and an excellent filter... i'm still a noob so i dont know about all the lighting stuff... i do know they make adjustable legs for the lights tho... i found them at petland, if u dont have one u can go online at Petland :: Pets Make Life Better! and look up one close by... i'll try and catch the brand and post it for ya.... as for adding stuff... i added damsels with in a week... of course i was using live sand and bottled bacteria... those damsels are very tough and are great cycling fish... the yellowtails anyway... as for the cleaning crew... i would say an equal amount of crabs and snails once u start developing nice algae on the walls but not necessary in the very beggining... but about 1 crab and snail per 10gal is about right... u can always feed them if u dont have enough algae (yea right, not enough algae..) LoL.... i'm still a noob but i read alot so i hope this helps...