50 gallon setup (hopefully)

[L0L_Z]

Holy cow….I found an old 50 gallon in my basement so why not make it a reef tank. I guess More water is better. It will be sumpless

Equipment
Marineland penguin 200
lominie g50 light
coral box qsp5 or AI Nero 3 (idk yet)
Aqua one heater

Stocking
naoko wrasse
picasso clown pair
cleaner wrasse
Lined bristletooth tang
tri Color wrasse
target mandarin
blackcap basslet
yellow head jawfish
Black nox or golden angelfish

imverts
cleaner shrimp
gold ting cowries (5x)
astrea snails (5x)
tuxedo urchin
porcelain crabs
pom Pom crabs

corals
Zoas
hammers
torch
frogspawn
trachyphyllia
toadstool
acans (lordhowensis mostly)
mushrooms
leathers
pulsing Xenia rock
Blastos
montipora
birds nest
candy cane
Sun coral
scolymia
gorgonians



Please tell me if any problems with this list I could fix

 

[L0L_Z]

Bump

 

[dedragon]

First welcome and a quick second you dont really need to bump a 20 minute old thread.
The fish list is too long and angelfish would be a quick no in that sized tank (unless dwarf and then you have to worry about corals and clams, golden and nox are some of the largest dwarfs so no for them).
That light (lominie) will not suffice for corals, it isnt powerful enough. For a low priced mostly LPS and softie tank with some sps up top there are options but will be more expensive. 2x smatfarm led or 2x noopsyche will work for this sized tank but there are more options as well if you want something more expensive
The hang on back filter isnt powerful enough for this tank and probably isnt a good option. There are better ones but they are more expensive and honestly it makes more sense to drill for a sump. Maybe 2x very large hob filter would be better something like the seachem tidals but again sump is easier and better for many reasons.
I also wouldnt ever run a heater without a temperature controller anymore as they can be had for very cheap. Inkbird has good options for that.

Last thing I will add is that you dont want to start a tank with subpar equipment, you will probably end up losing livestock and then buying the more expensive alternative in the long run.

 

[dedragon]

The tang is also too large for this sized tank

 

[Idech]

Look at Tunze internal filters. They’re excellent when you don’t have a sump. They do take room in the tank but no risk of spill or leak, so easy to maintain and practically silent.

Tunze also makes internal skimmers. I have both in my sumpless tank and I couldn’t be happier. The skimmer is powerful so I only run it 12 hours per day. I do have a small/medium bioload though.

 

[L0L_Z]

Could i use 2 penguins (together rated for 100gallons) ? Alright ill rethink the stocking and remove the tang from the list. The lominie should work as a couple of people use its lights. Ill most probably upgrade later but not rn. Although i would like a sump, its tempered and cant drill. And im scared of hob overflow box leaks. The tunze ones are impossible to find here in au. Maybe ill use a canister but idk yet. 2 kessil a80?

 

[dedragon]

I would say 2 would be the bare minimum to use for mechanical filtration (used only short term for qt and with siphoning the bottom of the tank every couple of days). They clog up very fast and need to be changed out frequently. I actually think aquaclears do a better job with modification. Another choice is to use a drop in aio like those from fijicube. Mechanical filtration like most stuff in reef aquarium care isnt needed but it is the first protection from skyrocketing nutrients. Physically removing it so it doesnt break down, and the easier it is for you to replace the more frequently you are likely to do it. I have had a cannister filter before and honestly it is more of a pain than the hob filters.
I think you might be thinking of the lominie asta (a few use as extra light for a spotlight but only very close to the top of the tank) or people are using that light in a much shallower tank than a 50 gallon. If it is this one it is not up to the job of keeping corals in a 50 gallon other than maybe the top 6-10 inches or only soft corals (maybe for soft corals)
Kessil a80s are too small for your tank you would need 2x a160we at best for kessils.
This light correct?

 

[Reef Psychology]

Could i use 2 penguins (together rated for 100gallons) ? Alright ill rethink the stocking and remove the tang from the list. The lominie should work as a couple of people use its lights. Ill most probably upgrade later but not rn. Although i would like a sump, its tempered and cant drill. And im scared of hob overflow box leaks. The tunze ones are impossible to find here in au. Maybe ill use a canister but idk yet. 2 kessil a80?

I'd stay away from a HOB overflow box. Used to use them back in the day and they were more trouble than they were worth. The back glass on most aquarium's isn't tempered and they sell thin overflow kits.

You didn't mention how you'll deal with evaporation. Without a lid, my 45g losses about 2-4 gallons a week depending on weather. Without a sump, you'll have to do it by hand, gravity or by sensor. All three have their downsides. Here's a pic of my rehabilitation/QT tank. With a HOB filter and skimmer the bare bottom gets REAL dirty REAL fast - even with a pump on crest mode.

 

[L0L_Z]

I think I’ll deal with the canister filter, and instead of a reef tank I’ll just do a fowlr with A 75 gallon. I’m tearing my Oscar tank down so why not take the canister filter and tank. I’ll try To make an aio but I don’t really want to… I’ll have a lid ofc, as it’s gonna be wrasse dominated and don’t want any carpet surfing happening. Sadly this tank is fully tempered and can’t do anything about it. BTW can I use tap water for first. Fill then use rodi/distilled?

 

[L0L_Z]

Bump

 

[L0L_Z]

Bump

 

[Kathy Floyd]

You really don't need to bump, someone will respond.
I wouldn't suggest using tap water.

 

[dstockwell]

I don’t see any problem using a HOB overflow box. I use one on my 55, doesn’t loose siphon, my return is set to not flood.

 

[L0L_Z]

Alright I won’t bump as much. Wont have Any inverts and just tap water for the first fill. Ro di after.

stocking
Black Nox angel (I can have one now )
Pyramid butterflyfish
naoko wrasse
yellow eye kole tang
banana wrasse
harlequin tusk fish
tri Color wrasse
exquisite fairy wrasse
Target mandarin
clownfish pair
basslet blackcap
cleaner wrasse

Ive seen waaay too many horror stories regarding hob overflow boxes. So I don’t want to risk it.

equipment-
Aqua one nautilus 1100 (this canister filter is absolutely massive for this tank)

some cheap light

aqua one heater

a powerhead (idk yet)

 

[Smith.Tyler]

I also 2nd not using tap water

 

[L0L_Z]

Only protein skimmer for filtration? Will it work? Extremely oversized doe

 

[L0L_Z]

Bump

 

[Smith.Tyler]

When do you plan on setting this tank up

 

[L0L_Z]

Feb to march 2023, most likely

 

[Hemmdog]

Do not use tap water ever