55gallon Salt

scubba word of advice my man i know your into your tank as well as I am I am also unemlpoyed and have money issues but trust if its just a matter of removing the undergravel filter I would look into it. The LFS i go to has even pretty much said they are useless in a saltwater tank I mean you have the skimmer coming.The main sources of filtertration should be the live rock and the skimmer. Canister filters are mostly for removing solid waste. So the skimmer is a plus also what type is it. An on another note you said when you do your water changes you suck up sand and stuff off that mature. The vaccume you are using I am assuming is the same as mines. The same one you clean rocks and sorts off with in a fresh water setup. Well in salt water I would say not to put the vaccume near the sand you will disturd the sand bed and open pockets of nitrates and ammonia. So the loose sand people are recommending should not be getting sucked up in the first place. I know your set on you current setup my man but honestly if your money is as tight as my money I would suggest going another route with it because combating nitrates is gonna cost your more money in the long run. In a since you would be planting a tree that would grow to be more problems you have the roots of the tree in hand do what you can to make it right before its starts to grow. Just a word of advice but i know how money is right now im in the same boat. I used to have a millinium hob filter i ended up trahing it because it did more harm then good. Here are some pics of my 55 I am also running PC lighting

 

Yea...... After thinking for about 2weeks... You guys are right. I somehow couldnt get the thought of the undergravel system trapping all the nitrates in my head.
Im going to remove the undergravel filtration unit, but not until i move in may.
Also im going to keep my crushed coral, and add Live sand with it. Kind of like a half and half mix.
Ive got a couple questions thou.
1. What is a good sand sifting star thats pretty hardy? and soloy feeds on dertius and flake food?
2. What would you recommend for a cleaner for fish. Skunk Shrimp, Neon Goby, Or 6Line Wrasse?
Thanks

 

honestly scubba its really hard for gobies to do there jobs with the crushed coral they sift out the sand a whole lot better. I loved the look of crushed coral in the begining and wanted to go with it but I just figured i would sacrafrafice the look for the head ache of cleaning it

 

Theres barly enough/ if not enough to cover the bottom in it.
Im going to add about 20lbs live sand to this mixture
Im not wanting a goby 4 sifting.
Im looking for something to keep the fish healthy and free of disease... As i purchased a yellow tang today and he had black spot.
I gave him a freshwater bath and it appears to have knocked it all off him.
But just incase i would like something that picks at the fish and cleans them.
Im thinking Skunk shrimp is my best option here.
But also i am wanting a hardy star to sift on my substrate

 

yeah cleaner shrimp work very well they are also very delicate so take your time acclimating it I would use the drip method thats what i do.

 

I would suggest a cleaner shrimp for every tank. They may not always clean the fish, but they do a very good job of scavenging and look awesome. As for the starfish, in general starfish are very hard to take care of, but one that has had more success and would be perfect is a sand sifting star, Saltwater Aquarium Starfish for Marine Reef Aquariums: Sand Sifting Sea Star Keep in mind though that they need fine sand to bury themselves and they can also get fairly large.

 

Well its been awhile since the update so here goes. the undergravel filter system is completly out. Im not having anymore Hair algea problems anymore, it used to build up in the undergravel tubes. On another note, i tried modifing my skimmer to accept more air. Big Mistake. I added an air pump and ran a line into the venture system...it was doing nothing but putting air in the chamber and no water... SO when i took the air pump off i had the reverse effect. Yup water quickly filled the reaction chamber, the collection cup, and about 2gallons on my floor. Luckly the power strips were mounted inside the cabinet, but the cords still got soaked so i quickly unplugged. Karma has fell into my hands though after this horrible disaster. I met someone who lives about 40 mins away who hooked me up with some frags!!
I got some more purple mushroom, some reddish zoanthids, and some pink star polyps!!!!!
I have also rearanged my Lr diffrently. Instead of the "Tumble looking effect" all across the back of the aquarium, I have seperated it into 2 islands. Giving the fish an open area to swim in. Unfortunatly i do not have a card reader for my laptop or i would get you all some good pictures. Tommorow i will get some, but only 2megapixel quality from my cell phone

 

Heres a pic of the new aquascaping

 

I use HOB filters, but I clean them once a week. Any longer than that and they get nasty.

 

I dont clean my filter pads, i change them out with new ones monthly