new to site

[Iminpa2380]

I just got into marine aquarium about 2 months ago. I picked up a 55 gal. 48x12 tank. Using a Marineland Emperor BIO-Wheel 400 power fileter, Submariner UV Sterilizer 9W 2 Powerheads, a 200W heater. i am using CaribSea Tahitian Moon Reef & Marine Substrate. Got about 60 lbs. of live rock. Got 2 Ocellaris Clownfish, 2 Yellowtail Damsel's, 1 Blood Red Fire Shrimp, i started with 6 Astraea Conehead Snail, but only have one left, and have 6 Sand sifting snail not sure on the exact name of them. and 20 blue legged hermit crabs. Still working on the lighting want to get a 500W metal halide light fixture just getting the money together. current using 2 hoods that came with the tank i did up grade the lights in them with18" VHO Actinic white and blue lights. i am also using a tap water filter

Any suggestions would be apperciated


Thanks,
Eric

[techguy]

Welcome to TR Eric!!!

I am glad you found us. There is a great group of friendly helpful people that make this a great place.

We love pictures so feel free to share some shots of your tank

[Iminpa2380]

Here is a picture its not that great hope it comes out. I have ordered a all glass top and plan on upgrading light in the very near future well its a work in progess tell me what u think be honest

[techguy]

Your off to a good start.

When you say tap water filter do you mean an RO/DI filter?

What are your plans for stocking? Is this going to stay FOWLR or do you plan on going reef?

[Iminpa2380]

Im not Real sure on the filter so i took a picture of it. My buddy has 3 saltwater tanks and highly recommended it so i purchased it.

[Iminpa2380]

As far as stock goes im not real sure yet i got the two clowns and yellow tail damsel's. I was looking at tangs biut the tank isn't big enough. i want something that will get a little larger than the damsels and clowns but be ok in the tank and suggestions??

[techguy]

I am sure someone more experienced will know what the filter is. Like I said there is a wealth of knowledge to be had on here...I am not the one holding that knowledge

[CarmieJo]

Hi Eric and to TR!

It looks like that is a DI filter. Do you know what the TDS is of the water you are getting from it? A 55 is a nice size tank to start with because it is big enough to be stable. Do you know what your tank parameters (i.e. ammonia (NH3), nitrate (NO2), nitrite (NO3), specific gravity (SpG), etc) are? The bio-wheel filter is fine for your fish only tank but could be a problem further down the road if you want to have corals. How much flow are your powerheads pushing?

The yellowtailed damsels may be a problem down the road. They are pretty well behaved, for a damsel. Damsels have the well deserved reputation of being the tank bully and have killed many a more expensive fish. I know more than one person who has torn their tank apart in order to catch and remove a damsel. I would consider getting them out of my tank ASAP. As far as fish go, what are

I don't use metal halides but I would say that a 500 watt metal halide (MH) would be overkill. A MH is generally said to cover a 2x2 area. If it was my tank I would be looking at 2 - 250 watt MH. You will have more even light coverage and IMO a better looking display.

[Iminpa2380]

Hi Eric and to TR!

It looks like that is a DI filter. Do you know what the TDS is of the water you are getting from it? A 55 is a nice size tank to start with because it is big enough to be stable. Do you know what your tank parameters (i.e. ammonia (NH3), nitrate (NO2), nitrite (NO3), specific gravity (SpG), etc) are? The bio-wheel filter is fine for your fish only tank but could be a problem further down the road if you want to have corals. How much flow are your powerheads pushing?

The yellowtailed damsels may be a problem down the road. They are pretty well behaved, for a damsel. Damsels have the well deserved reputation of being the tank bully and have killed many a more expensive fish. I know more than one person who has torn their tank apart in order to catch and remove a damsel. I would consider getting them out of my tank ASAP. As far as fish go, what are

I don't use metal halides but I would say that a 500 watt metal halide (MH) would be overkill. A MH is generally said to cover a 2x2 area. If it was my tank I would be looking at 2 - 250 watt MH. You will have more even light coverage and IMO a better looking display.

Thanks for the Reply Carmiejo
I don't have a TDS meter so im unsure of that
As far as ammonia 0, nitrate 20, nitrite 0, specific gravity 1.025 , Calcium 400, PH 8.2
Flow of the Powerheads are 170gph there are two of those, and my uv sterilizer is 211gph
I was going to do a water change this weekend cause that nitrate lvl went up a little in the past coulple weeks
I have heard alot of bad things about damsel's my LFS said if i ever wanted to get rid of them he would give me a store credit. was thinking of buying a couple Blue/Green Reef Chromis
As far a corals go it will be a while before i get into those i will probably buy a whole new tank before i do that. Probably keep this tank as a FOWLR
was going to buy a 125gallon tank around income tax time.

[CarmieJo]

I would measure the water coming out of the DI filter and make sure it doesn't have any nitrates. I am a fan of a weekly 10% water change. I don't think that water changes keep nitrate down but they do keep trace elements in balance. I don't dose anything except kalkwasser in my bigger tank and 2 part in my nano.

If it was my tank, since you already have the HOB (hang on back) filter, I would remove the bio-wheel and just use it for flow. For a FOWLR tank I would have a minimum of 1000 gph to help prevent dead spots and promote a healthy environment. I have over 2000 gph in my 54.

[Iminpa2380]

Thank everyone for all the replys. Well i have decided to do some upgrades to my tank over the next few months. I Bought a light this weekend i should have it next monday 7/12/10

Light:
http://shop.aquatraders.com/ProductD...ductCode=54205
Im going to get this light I hear the MH bulb are junk in it. So i will have to replace them down the road. anyone have any suggestions. I want to be able to house corals and a Anemone. Any suggestions on Ballast and light combinations.

Protein skimmer:
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...4&pcatid=13924
I think i will get this skimmer. A friend of mine has run his for over 3 years without a problem

RO/DI:
http://filterdirect.com/product_info...c582aa600d682b
This unit is for aquarium and drinking after seeing the video of rob tearing his apart i don't think all be drinking city water anymore i have always drank bottled water anyway. It should save me a little money in the long run

Sand:
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...4&pcatid=16764
I can get this agronite sand in the fine Oolite. I have been looking all over for it. Cant find the new castle sand dry sand

plan on getting more power heads for flow and eventually getting rid of that biowheel filter

[V]

welcome to the party bud. Glad you found us.

Although it wasn't that hard to find us, carmie drew the short straw & was on the roof with a big fluro sign saying "Over Here" lol