New 55g reef setup help?

hello all I'm new to the hobby this will be my 1st tank i have a 55g glass tank that I've had for awile and its time for the ocean in my girlfriends living room.

pretty much ive been looking to start for a couple of months now and ive come up with this so far

Light
48 Inch 4x65 Watt AquaticLife PowerCompact CF Light Fixture w/ 4 Lunar LEDs


Filter
JBJ Reaction 4-Stage Canister Filter + UV EFU-25


Skimmer
CPR AeroForce Recirculating Protein Skimmer


Salt mix kit
D-D H2Ocean Magnesium Pro PLUS Salt Water Mixing Kit

I know i'm missing things but these are what i can come up with atm (very tired just got done work). I was gonna order this stuff today but i figured dont wanna waste alot of money unless the stuff is good

my next question is what else do i need powerheads,pumps,hoses,test kits whatever. Also whats a good site to get live rock from stuff dosent need to be fancy i was looking to get maybe 90lbs of rock and 50 of indo black live sand

thank you in advanced

 

have you ordered the light setup yet??? you might want to look at a t5 setup for that big of a tank.. i wouldnt worry bout that filter thing. maybe look at an overflow on tank and building a sump/stand. you might want to read alot before you order anything up yet.. theres alot of free info here that could save you a bunch of money.

 

thanks for the reply, no i did not order anything yet. as for the light whats wrong with it ? I see alot of people on here dont like power compacts.

as for the filter also why go sump? and what would you suggest?

also what else do i need ?

 

A sump will give you more overall volume and a place to put equipment.
Go with t-5's too

 

The reason being is because t5 are more energy efficient, come in many more color spectrums, and run cooler in general. My pc's run pretty hot they raise my water a few degrees. You don't need a sump they are just for perfect water conditions. Though, if your going to have corals it will help alot.

 

Yes def look into a sump and then you could pick up a used skimmer that would be better and less of an eyesore for hob. PC's will be ok for you if your going to go with softies (you will need to keep them middle to uper part of tank). If you want to start gettign into harder corals then upgrade your lighting. As far as powerheads I think 2 k2s in each corner would suffice with a return also added to the mix. For test kits just go pick up your basic saltwater test kit which contains ph/nitrite/nitrate/ammonia. That right there is only bout 15-20 bucks and is all you need for right now till you start diving into the reef more. Plz look into craigslist cuz you can find stuff on there for people gettign out of the hobby! score some killer deals

 

I agree, you should look into T5 lighting. After the first time you change the bulbs in the PC fixture you will have lost money over the T5 fixture. You will also have many more options as far as coral and other photosynthetic animals. Check out the T5 fixtures on this site:

Aquatraders - Wide selection of Aquarium Lightings including T5 HO, Power Compact, Metal Halide

I would skip this. Canister filters are a flawed design when it comes to a reef tank. Most corals need very little nitrates in the water. A canister filter traps detritus from the water in it's filter media. The detritus is then allowed to break down into nitrates at a fast pace. A better plan would be to take the money you had allotted for the canister and put it into a better skimmer or sump set-up.

Look into an Aqua C skimmer. I hear nothing but good reviews of them. I believe the Remora is an HOB model.

Definitely a good idea to do plenty of research and get the good stuff the first time. Try posting some of these questions in separate threads and you will probably get a lot more responses.

You are definitely going to need a few more things.

You will want to get some power heads to get a good amount of flow going in there. What kind of corals are you planning on keeping? A good place to start will be about 20x tank turnover per hour. About 1100gph worth of flow. Two Koralia Ones should fit the bill nicely here.

You will also want to get a heat source. I like to use two heaters slightly more powerful than half the tank volume each. This way if one sticks on it does not have enough power to over heat the tank, and if one dies and doesn't turn on the other will have enough power to keep the tank above dangerous temps. It's very rare that both will fail at the same time.

Another thing you will need before getting your tank going is a refractometer. This is for testing to be sure you have the right salt content in your water.

You should also pick up some basic test kits before beginning your cycle. I would recommending picking up: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, carbonate and carbonate hardness before you even fill the tank. While your tank is cycling I would recommend you also get tests for calcium and magnesium.

The last thing you need to think about is your water source. Tap water in most locations is very bad for a reef tank. It contains too much nutrients and sometimes harmful things such as copper. You can buy a RODI unit to make your water, but most people starting out will just buy water from the LFS.

I actually wouldn't recommend using all live rock or all live sand. Live rock carries a lot of hitch hikers. Some wanted some not. You can buy dry rock, which is cheaper, and a small amount of live rock to seed the dry. Dry rock with just a small amount of live rock turns into live rock very fast.

Live sand is an interesting term in my mind. It is shipped and stored dry in bags therefore it's not really live anymore. Essentially all your doing is putting a bunch of sand in your tank with dead bacteria in it. Dry sand is also cheaper and will seed from the small amount of live rock also.


Keep asking questions and taking it slow. It will pay off in the long run.

 

thank you all, I looked at the site you suggested for the light ,my god i can save alot by buying that vs the pc. As for types of coral i guess start with soft and make my way to the others. sump idea's? I have a 20 gallon tank laying around i guess i could use that ? pretty much buy a pump put LR and (?) in there ? and add a skimmer in there vs hang on ?

 

would this work?
wet/dry
Reef Aquarium Filtration: Eshopps Wet-Dry Filters
Pump
ref=3475&subref=AA&srccode=cii_5784816&cpncode=24-61424701-2
Aquarium Water Pumps & Water Movement: Lifegard Aquatics Quiet One Pumps
skimmer
Reef Aquarium Filtration & Protein Skimmers: Eshopps In-Sump Protein Skimmers

 

ok so now i got this about to buy? also was gonna order the odyssea light

yay or nay


Master Liquid Test Kit Saltwater $17.59 x $17.59
CD-116658 Hydrometer 1.000 to 1.030 specific gravity $7.19
CD-14143 Quiet One Pumps Model 1200 $27.99 x 1 = $27.99
CD-18773 Thermometer 2-1/4" x 1-1/2" $7.99 x 1 = $7.99
CD-27331 Coral Pro Salt 55 gallons $19.99 x 1 = $19.99
CD-29129 Koralia Water Circulation Pumps Pump 2 $37.59 x 2 $75.18
CD-32893 Eshopps Wet-Dry Filters WD-100CS $189.99 x 1$189.99
CD-70086 Eshopps In-Sump Protein Skimmers PSK-75 $119.99 $119.99
CD-71381 Marineland Visi-Therm Heaters 300W $22.89 x $22.89
CD-71397 Arag-Alive Hawaiian Black $19.99 x 2 = $39.98
Merchandise Subtotal = $528.7