55 Gallon Mixed Reef

I am planning on making my current 55g Reef (Soft & LPS) to a Mixed Reef (Soft, LPS & SPS). It has been set up for quite some time now (~7 Months). However, I never really attempted the SPS & Clams. Now I feel I have enough knowledge to at least give it a try. Can't hurt, right? Right now I feel my lighting will not be enough to support SPS, so I am going to get a new lighting fixture. Anybody have anything good to say about this lighting fixture, Tek T5HO 6x54w? Because that's what I am planning to get. Anyway, enough jabber...here's my future stock list. Would it be okay? Is that too many fish for a 55g Reef?

~Fish
1 Yellow Eye Kole Tang
1 Green Mandarin Dragonet
1 Midas Blenny
2 Skunk Clownfish
3 Blue/Green Chromis

~Invertebrates
1 Brittle Starfish
1 Anemone (Not Sure Which Kind Yet)
1 Red Fire Shrimp
1 Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
1 Maxima Clam
1 Squamosa Clam
1 Purple Nudibranch
1 Emerald Mithrax Crab
Hermit Crabs
Snails

~Corals
Various Soft, LPS & SPS

~Equipment
Tek T5HO 6x54w
Protein Skimmer (Not Sure Which One Yet)
Hydor Koralia 3
Refugium
Misc. (Mag Float, Test Kit, Etc...)

 

cool, i love your madrain, i would sugest a yellow tang, and a diamond goby, if you take my idea subtract 3 fish from your list. if you stay with your list take out one cromis.

Why are you putting in a nudibranch?

 

Under The Sea

The Tex T5 6 x 54 watt - will certainly be OK for maintaining many SPS corals
location is important, some will be OK lower half but majority would be better off in top 3rd IME

flow that single K3 is not going to be adequate for many SPS corals IME
So you are going to need additional sources of water movement
( Min 50x tank volume and even higher is appreciated by many SPS corals)

herein lies one of the greatest balancing acts in a mixed reef which include SPS
in order to create an amount of flow in my tank , that I felt was keeping the SPS happy ( good poyp extension coupled with nothing being able to settle on them) my flow increased to over 66 x tank volume per hour of turnover - making life unpleasant for Bubbles, Torch, Elegance corals

another thing to consider is chemical and physical warfare, many soft corals are able defend territory and/ or encroach on the territory of other corals by releasing toxins which effect corals around them (make them shrivel up and get out of the way)
so running carbon 24/7 becomes a must and even then there are no garauntees

physical warfare
Nems are very opinion based - I would not want one in any tank with SPS in, in fact I would not want one at all to be honest. Anything that can move and sting has no place in my tanks

Just some opinions from me

Ill not comment on the clams - (no experience of them)
your stock list does look a bit on the heavy side (fish)
water quality is another key to success with SPS corals , and the more fish you have means the harder it becomes to keep that water pristine IME

SPS - best way IME is to start with a frag or 2 and see how that goes

Steve

 

Why take out the Chromis? I like Nudibranchs ;D

I was thinking about taking out the Midas Blenny and leaving the Chromis.

 

So do you think I should just go all-out SPS? That lighting won't be good enough? I think each lamp has individual reflectors as well. I have no problem changing my stock list and going all-out SPS.

Thank you so much, you were a big help.

 

10-12 inches of fish max for 55g. IMHO account for when they grow up too..

I currently have 8-9 inches of fish, and only have plans for 1 more fish.

 

Ok, thanks.

 

The lighting would be good enough to maintain and encourage growth in many SPS corals IME - MH may be better, you may get better colours and or faster growth , but T5 5 x 54 watt would support plenty of SPS corals
keep most in top 3rd , some like Montis and Birdsnests are OK at half way down under my 6 x T5s (I have not wanted SPS lower than that to be honest as all my sand would be pushed away due to the flow they appreciate)

having said that
going all SPS means there are lots of other things to consider
1 - flow - you need plenty
2- water quality - has to be exceptional and maintained in that manner
3- parameters - the big 3 , calc, alk and mag , need monitoring and supplementing


I would start with softies and LPS corals - which will do excellent under your lighting
learn how to control parameters
learn how to problem manage - react to issues
and once you have mastered those corals - then its time to move up

IMO
But having a frag or 2 of SPS corals in your mixed reef, will also be a great way to get the required experience

Steve

 

Thanks again Steve. Right now I only have 2x54w. All of my soft and Lps are doing fine. Maybe I should just stick to soft and Lps for now.

 

UnderTheSea

If I made it sound daunting, then I apologise
it cant be to difficult in reality or I wouldn't do it LOL

If you upgrade to 6 x 54 watts , your existing softies (depending on species) and LPS - will adapt to the more intense lighting
you need to bring it in gradually to acclimatise the corals to the light

but dont be put off, - its not rocket science (MMcDonald knows for a fact, its not rocket science)

a frag of a monti cap, and or birdsnest was how I got started, and over the ensuing months made the choices which meant having to remove some of the softies (chemical warfare concerns) and LPS (flow issues)
and I thus progressed to SPS dominated set up

try it, dont spend a fortune on it to start with, regular water changes with a quality salt mix, will provide enough calc and mag for a couple of small frags anyway so you wont be straight into the need for supplements and reactors or dosers etc

Steve