Just bought my 55 gl now what?

[kristia_2004]

So i just bought my tank, its a 55 gl. I bought it from a lady down the street and she used it as a freshwater tank. I am in the middle of scrubing it with soap. I am new to the whole thing and am wanting to start a reef with bubble coral and a few other diffrent types. So what do i need to do now? I know i am gonna need filters, lights, protein skimmer, Sump/fuge....
So what type and size do i need for my tank? Also which would u suggest? sump or fuge?
Also will a Quietflo-600™ OVERFLOW Wet Dry Filter REFUGIUM work for my tank as my filter? or should i go with a Amiracle wet dry filter with overflow box, liflt pump and with that will i still need a sump/fuge? With some like this do i need a protein skimmer to? this type was rated for a 65 gl tank...

 

[kaledrina]

First off.... You're going to be doing a lot of water rinsing on that tank withOUT soap. Soap is toxic to fish, even a little bit off your hands can seriously irritate corals. Second... Make sure that copper-based medications were never introduced into the tank. My understanding is that copper can stick around in the tank and in the long run will kill your corals and inverts.

Nothing ever happens fast. If it helps, make sure you have everything equipment-wise before a drop of water and a salt grain touch the tank. Research the hell out of what you're doing so that you don't end up paying for it in the end. What flow rate are you going for? If you want to keep SPS (hard branching corals with small polyps) you'll need metal halide lighting ($$$$$), or at least T5 ($$$) lighting. In addition you'd need more flow rate than you initially planned on.

Generally with the filtration people with reef tanks use a combination of water flow, a good clean-up crew, protein skimmer, a sump with a refugium (either remote or in the sump), and the liverock is also important. Protein skimmers generally don't work as well as the boxes claim, bigger is usually better. Mine is rated 2x of what my tank is and still doesn't seem to be strong.

If you want to go bare-bottom (no sand) you'll need a considerable amount of water flow, but SPS corals will thrive. If you want sand, you have to be more mindful of the water flow.

Then there's the fish choices, the coral choices, etc etc. Perhaps go around on a DFWMAS tank tour and get an idea of the variety of things people do, in addition go out to a bunch of fish stores and look at their display tanks.

Its a lot of information so soak in but if you get a notebook and just write down pros and cons, prices, what you think you'd want in the long run, you'll eventually have a thriving reef tank. Theres so many ways into the hobby and a lot of ways to seriously screw up, but if you do it right the first time you'll be greatly rewarded.

 

[DaveJ]

Ack.. okay first thing... NEVER EVER wash it with soap again Make sure you rinse it out VERY well... I would get some white vinegar mix it in water and then use that to re-do the cleaning. Hose it out for a very long time.

Since it is not reef ready you will need an overflow. I recommend the lifereef overflow. I'm biased... and just happen to have one for sale... but they are the best ones and rarely, if ever, need help restarting. If you do the overflow, a sump is going to be needed. The design of the sump will depend on what you will keep. But I would recommend you get one with 3 chambers in it. First will be the overflow section this is basically a smaller section with a bubble tower for your water draining into the sump. It can also be used as a refuge with macro algae (youll need a light above it). It will then flow into a center chamber where you will have a heater and skimmer (if you go internal) this will then flow into the 3rd chamber which will contain your return pump. Between the 2nd and 3rd will be a bubble baffle, basically 3 pieces of acrylic or glass about an inch apart in first lower, send higher with a gap at the bottom and another lower so you can get all the bubble out of the water before pumping back into the tank.

Next is lighting. If you plan on keeping any corals, you will need some decent lights. Soft corals or some LPS can be kept with VHO or T-5 (preferable), if you decide later to keep corals that need more lighting, youll need the t-5s or metal halides.

Once you get the tank setup and with water in it, youll need liverock... keep an eye on the for sale forum for someone selling established LR. its cheaper and easier to add existing LR to your tank. You'll have a short cycle time if you go this route.

Youll need to decide to go with sand or no sand. That is a visual preference, but if you bare youll need powerheads to keep the bottom cleaner. Usually i recommend a shallow sand bed of an inch or so for newbies with a couple of powerheads for water movement.

I would recommend you get a list of the animals you want to keep then post them here for input and feedback. The animals could change your equipment needs.

 

[bimmerzs]

Hi,

Here is one site that has a lot of information. If you have a question....just use the search function and you will probably find it. It pretty much reinforces the above comments and also gives you some visuals on sumps/refugiums etc. http://www.melevsreef.com/tanks.html

Cheers!

 

[grim-bob]

One thing that has not been mentioned clearly so far is that no one is recommending a wet/dry filter. In a reef tank they will do nothing but cause you trouble down the road. Instead a sump (w/ a refugium if possible) is what you are looking for.

I know you are probably itching to get started but I would step back and do some studying on what you are diving into. It can be very rewarding if you have the right information. It will be very frustrating and potentially expensive (more so than it already is) if you don't do your homework up front.

One last piece of advice: AVOID IMPULSE BUYS OF ANY SORT!!! If you see it and think you want it, come home and research it first.

We are all here to help and want to see you succeed. Keep reading here, asking questions and you'll be on the right track.

 

[Firewolf4]

Kristia,
Welcome to the addiction...er... hobby.
As you've already heard, Soap + anything dealing with Saltwater tanks= BAD. this includes sponges, rags, brushes, etc. I agree with other's inputs on this but I have to add 2 CRITICAL items to your "things you must have" list.... SALT and a refractometer. The salt used in a reef tank is not rock salt or table salt. the jury's still out as to what the best salt is to use for a tank but if you do a search of the forums, you'll be able to get a good handle on what works for you. The second critical item I mentioned was a refractometer. That's a big word for a piece of equipment that will tell you what your salt level is. You can find them at times on here in the sell/trade forums, on Ebay (just make sure it's the right one for Salinity) or at many of the local Fish stores. many stores will try to sell you something called a hydrometer (Petco is famous for this). that is a poor substitute so avoid it.
Above all else... be patient, read and ask questions as we've all gone through the learning pains and hopefully one of our experiences will save you from making mistakes we have.