Trying to do it Right 55Gal

Alright so just as I thought, my appetite has not even begun to be satisfied with my ten gallon so I'm off to bigger. I've got the, "well, since you're probally going to do it anyway," speech from the parents I'm thinking of upgrading to a 55 in the next couple of weeks. This time around I'd like to plan it down to the letter and would like your help.

Lighting
I'd definately like to go with T5 but have no prefrence on brands. I've heard ATI is excellent, and the Current USA seems decent. (Insert your input here)

Filtration
I'd be making a sump with this tank for sure. If you've got links to the basics of baffles I'd appreciate it. I would really like to go without a skimmer at first, just in the name of cost but it would be an addition because my dad will be taking care of the tank while I'm off at college.

Plumbing
I've heard to go with pumps that will circulate the entire tank (X number of times) per hour but can't remember that number. I'd assume PVC piping is the most common plumbing material?

Heating
Pretty obvious I think, go with the right size according to tank. Can I put this in my sump?

If anyone can point me in the direction of a decent test kit that'd help too. Going up to the store is getting old.

Alright, anything else you can think of please list it.

God bless,
Cayman

EDIT
Forgot to mention that this is going to be a reef tank. Mostly LPS but with various softies and SPS. Going to try and keep it to maybe three to five fish.

 

This really don't answer any questions you asked but try to find s reefready tank to save yourself the headache also look into maybe 75g tanks they are easier to find reef ready. They are the same size but 6"? Inches deeper.

 

+1 to go with finding a reef ready tank and a 75 is amazing. The only additional input would be yes, the heater can go in your sump and I would recommend purchasing (2) heaters so if one fails you will be covered. Especially if you are going away to school, your dad may not pay as much attention as you do to temp. Good luck.

Jay

 

id defintitely go with a 75 gallon. 12" of depth in a 55 is no fun to work with. ati is very expensive, if u are gonna go to college than the sticker shock would scare u away from them. Id go with aquactinics t5 fixture, and if thats out of yer budget than a tek fixture, than if those are to much move to the current. as far as a sump, id get a 20 long and build it myself, heres a pic of the baffles on my new acrylic sump but this is the basic idea....





heres another example on a 29 i made




As far as a skimmer i think your best bet is a atb 840 cone skimmer and if thats to much than the vertex IN100 is a great performer for the dough.


most use hard pvc for their drain and flexible hose for their return, as far as circulation i think u are refering to how many times you cycle your total volume thru yer sump...if so than i try to keep mine around 3-5x per hour. A mag 5 return with a ball valve to turn it down would be a excellent pump for a 75 as a return. u will need powerheads for the main circulation in the tank.

You can put heaters in the sump, id get 2 150 watt heaters and hook them to a controllers like a ac jr or buy a ranco temp controller. Heaters internal thermostats fail and are garbage, definitely want a controller in control of them.

Dennis

 

I agree with the 75 gal for a reef tank as it certainly helps to have depth to lay the rocks in stages always leaving room for the magnetic cleaner and allowing room for the fish to swim in front. A 55 gal tank is tricky to aquascape but I've seen some good ones on this website. You also have to leave enough room to lay the rocks properly for corals. It's hard to put corals at a 90 degree angle and not have snails knock them off.

T5's are fine for most corals and are what I use. The better brands are ATI blue plus, UVL, GE and giesmann for your whites. For a 55 gal tank you could go with a 4 bulb fixture. A 75 gal calls for a 6 bulb fixture. T5's have many advantages over metal haliodes. They are cooler on the water and it's less likely that you will need a chiller$$$. Put the blue bulbs in the front and back and the white actinics in the middle with a 4 bulb fixture. You could go with three blues and three whites for a 6 bulb fixture. The other thing is with good bulbs they last longer and are more effective if you want a bluer look. IMAO

 

If your planning on going through the process of building your own sump then its really no additional work to make it a refugium also. I cant stress enough the benifits of having a refugium.

 

daninfamous & Kelley11, When you say a reef ready tank, is that one that is already plumbed, has lighting? I'm not sure what all a reef ready tank would have.

luvreefs23, HUGE props to you, that's exactly the kind of respone I'm looking for. K+

marlinman, Thanks for the bulb recommendations. I'm all for buying quality and replacing less.

mikejrice, I'm definately planning on having a refugium because I'd really like to eventually have a stable copepod population.

Sounds like I'll be researching some tonight. I love attacking a hobby like this.

 

Sounds like your off on the right foot. Welcome to the hobby.

 

Reef ready just means that the bottom glass is pre-drilled and has an internal overflow. Much easier that finding an overflow box to siphon the water out. I just bought a 65 gallon reef ready. Definitely will want to place a fuge in your sump. Have the drain split with a ball valve to control how much water goes into the fuge. I put my skimmer section on the left, return in the center with my two heaters and the refugium on the right. This way the skimmer and refugium have separate flow rates. FYI i'm doin flexible tubing on everything. You can do it either way, but flexible tubing on the return helps the flow cause with hard pvc you will have to use elbows that restrict the flow.
You can check out http://www.melevsreef.com/ for sump ideas

 

Alright, so I'm looking at a reef ready 55 this weekend. Should I just use it as ideas? If a 75 is more versatile and I'll be happier with it, so my question is should I hold out for it? Anyone know if there's a way to look Craigslist for an area, not just a city?