55g Reef Tank Progress Thread (my first!)

[Adam_T]

So I thought I would start out my progress thread with the custom stand I just recently built and the empty aquarium I just purchased.

The stand is made from AC 3/4'' Plywood, is 52in in length, 16in deep, and 28in high (then add the aquarium on top of that). Wanted to keep it relatively low as I did not want to have to get on a stand just to take care of my tanks needs. The tank is stained with a Red Mahogany base coat and then topped off with a Dark Walnut to give it a deep cherry looking finish.

Sorry if some are bad, I was using my g/f's cheap lil' camera and the flash drowns out the color of the stain. :-)

Once Christmas rolls around I will be drilling the tank (if I can find a place to do it :-(, maybe do it myself? LMK), getting a small sump, adding an in-sump skimmer and a Canister filter, adding 2 Koralia #4's, upgrading the lighting and adding my own DIY lunar LED's, and then adding the water, 55lbs of Premium Fiji Live Rock and 55lbs of live sand. I am going to let it sit like that and check/maintain my water levels daily for roughly 3-4 weeks before I add any fish. And when I do add my first fish I'm going to add a cheap small one just to see how it does for 2 weeks or so. If all is good and levels are still good I will be adding a Cleaning Crew. If all is still going well I will be adding a few more fishies. :-)

Thanks for checkin' out my thread!

 

[inactive]

55lb of rock is not going to be enough :) I have like 115+ in my 55g.

 

[Adam_T]

55lb of rock is not going to be enough :) I have like 115+ in my 55g.

Do you have pics of your tank with the 115+ in there? Everyone I talk to and everything I look up on the internet says 1lb per gallon.

 

[inactive]

Not everything on the internet is correct! haha

I have pictures and video.

YouTube - kraylen's Channel

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

Hope that helps!

55gallon is a hard tank to make a proper reef out of. If you ever have any questions let me know!

 

[Adam_T]

Actually I just saw your Tank Progress Thread...that's WAY too much live rock for me. I'm not going to be doing the wall of rock either. I'll be doing 2 or 3 islands of the new style. :-)

 

[inactive]

Actually I just saw your Tank Progress Thread...that's WAY too much live rock for me. I'm not going to be doing the wall of rock either. I'll be doing 2 or 3 islands of the new style. :-)

I hope you have a sump with more live rock or you are going to have a hard time keeping your tank in check. 50lb is not gonna be enough :)

 

[rendos]

I only have 170 pounds in my 240 gallon tank. I think it is plenty, and I have no problems keeping nitrates zero. Everything is very stable.

Here it is when I was first adding rock...

And here it is now...

 

[Adam_T]

Thx or the response Rendos :-). I didn't think 55lbs in a 55gal would be that bad. I've seen a few 55gals on the forums with that amount of rock and they look sweet! More room for the fishies to swim :-)

 

[inactive]

I only have 170 pounds in my 240 gallon tank. I think it is plenty, and I have no problems keeping nitrates zero. Everything is very stable.

Larger tank, I'm sure you are all sumped up as well. Smaller tanks benefit from more natural filtration IME. 55g with a hob filter and 50lb of rock is going to be able to handle a couple fish.

 

[reefpeeper]

that amount of rock is fine. dont worry about anything

 

[Adam_T]

Larger tank, I'm sure you are all sumped up as well. Smaller tanks benefit from more natural filtration IME. 55g with a hob filter and 50lb of rock is going to be able to handle a couple fish.

I will have an hob, skimmer and a canister filter :-). The only reason I would add more rock is if it looks empty...if not I am g2g. :smile: Thanks for the opinion though.

 

[reefpeeper]

I will have an hob, skimmer and a canister filter :-). The only reason I would add more rock is if it looks empty...if not I am g2g. :smile: Thanks for the opinion though.

i ran my tank for 2+ years with just a hang on the back and a skimmer. never had any problems. the only reason i made a sump/refugium is so i could hide all the gear.

 

[inactive]

I will have an hob, skimmer and a canister filter :-). The only reason I would add more rock is if it looks empty...if not I am g2g. :smile: Thanks for the opinion though.

I would ditch the canister filter and the HOB and look into a HOB fuge or modding a filter to hold macro algae.

Of course you could look into the cryptic fuge option with the canister filter. I used a can on my tank and it was a pain in the ***.

Just speaking from personal experience :) I would hate to see you kick yourself in the butt down the road from lack of natural filtration.

 

[rendos]

Here is a 33 gallon tank with 23 pounds of rock. Up and going after 2 years. Has 7 fish. There is no skimmer, only filtration is a bag of Purigen, and water changes...2.5 gallons per week.

92 Gallon corner tank with 50 pounds of live rock. I do have a sump on this one, but no other biological filtration. Was up and running for 4 years with 9 fish.

I wouldn't worry so much about how much rock you use...there is a trend now to have minimal rock work to create a more open look to the tank. I have been doing this for years. I also have lots of fish and bioload. Proper husbandry and maintenance are keys to success along with patience. Do not rush things. That is where most newbies make their mistake.

 

[rendos]

I will say this...in this hobby, you will find that different people do things in very different ways. Each of those ways may be valid, but finding the one that works for you is what you are after.
Some use skimmers...others don't.
Some use refugiums...others don't.
Some prefer metal halide...others T5's...other LED's...other VHO's...etc.
Some prefer bare bottom...others deep sand beds...etc.
Find what works for you, and stick with it. If it ain't broke...don't fix it.

 

[Adam_T]

haha thanks for the responses fellas. I knew I didn't need that much rock but some backup never hurt! Thanks again for your opinions.