[BPSEOE]

im new to saltwater and my question is this... I have a 55 gallon tank, i have an emperor 400, a whisper 60 and a ugf with two power heads.ohh and a stealth 200 watt heater. i really want to get rid of the ugf because of some things ive read. are the emperor and the whisper enough or should i go ahead and get a protein skimmer aswell? i want to keep fish only in this tank. also, should i use crushed coral or would sand be better? thanks in advance for any feedback

[carmanimports]

get a skimmer for sure u will need it also on the emporor get rid of the bio wheels as for sand any agralive sand is fine depending what u want in the tank and make sure u load up on LR it is a must have and for most when u have the money upgrade to atleast a canister filter and most of all have paticnce good luck and welcome to the RB

[NATIVEVAMAN]

For a fish only tank you can get by with the emporer and the wisper is ok too.Get a good fine live sand for your substrate and you will be fine.If you get a lot of fish you might want to get a skimmer to replace the other filters.I predict it wont take long for to decide you want to go full reef and we will be here to help.

[BPSEOE]

yes nativevaman you are probably correct about going full reef...thanks

[Taras1]

I second nativevaman. Go with sand. I used a mix of argalive sand and regular sugar sized sand about 50/50. Saved a few bucks. Did the same when it came to LR. Went 50/50 with a good quality LR and basement rock.

I did cheat though with BioDigest. Added 2 ampules when I first set up and then 1 each week for 3 weeks. It really sped up cycling.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Now now tristan lets not get orlando started off on the wrong foot with all those additives.They dont cure problems,they mask them or make more problems.

[Taras1]

Originally Posted by NATIVEVAMAN

Now now tristan lets not get orlando started off on the wrong foot with all those additives.They dont cure problems,they mask them or make more problems.

Welllllll! BioDigest is a just a blend of nitrifying bacteria to help seed the tank. I'm not big into additives either, except 2 part Ca/Alk (I agree with you -- additives tend to cause more problems than they're worth.) and an occasional "shot" of phytoplankton (though my refugium supplies my tank quite nicely.)

[BPSEOE]

ok guys im going with the emperor 400, the whisper 60, a coralife needle wheel skimmer (125 gph), a 200 watt stealth heater, and for substrate im going with caribsea fiji pink aragalive sand. what do you guys think.....

[Taras1]

Looks like a good start...what's on the books for lighting?

[BPSEOE]

for lighting i have a double bulb strip light (48 inch) one bulb is a vho super actinic and the other is vho white actinic 110 watts on each bulb

[NATIVEVAMAN]

One more of those vho's and you will be ready for coral.well after you get some live rock,say 80 pounds.

[Taras1]

Looking good -- now comes the fun and the patient waiting-- setting up and cycling

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Orlando you didnt mention if you have a sump on that tank.Is it drilled?

[BPSEOE]

no its's not drilled...one more question. i also have an air pump (whisper 100),and two power heads, is it necessary or will the power filters and the skimmer provide enough aeration in the tank. im so excited thanks guys...

[BPSEOE]

man you guys im really thinking about just going ahead and going all the way with this....

[NATIVEVAMAN]

The skimmer is our aeration,you wont need that air pump at all.You can get that tank drilled for around 75$'sand then you can have a sump and refugium.

[Taras1]

If you can afford it, it's a lot easier to get the basic plumbing with an overflow box or the tank drilled right off the bat.

Your skimmer will do the aeration for you. If you go with a sump, you can put your skimmer and heater in it. It helps remove the clutter from your tank. The drawback is that you'll need a return pump.

Nativevaman -- what do you think, about 400 - 500 gph for the pump?

[NATIVEVAMAN]

If I was getting it drilled I would go 1 1/4 drain 1 inch retur and around 800 gph.the name of the game is flow.Someone made up this silly rule of 10x the tank volume minimum flow.Prsoally I would get over 30x.