[turboTSI]

So what do u guys think.. not a bad start eh?

55g with stand (crappy shot)

CoralLife 50/50 bulbs

Carb-Sea Aragonite sand 40lb bag

Canopy with light fixture (came with tank)

Insant Ocean salt and hydrometer (55g worth)

2 Versa Hoods

not a bad start eh? I bought the 2 power sweep poweheads, 1 300w stainless heater from bigalsonline.. I should have them next week.. then I will begin with the setup

Dave

[Reefland]

Cool Dave!

Let's see if we can help you out a bit. See if you can take the tops back for a refund; leaving the top open is needed for gas exchange and to keep heat down. If your planning on "jumpy" fish, look at some eggcrate instead. Now that you got a bit extra cash from the tops, get more sand; it's going to take a bit more than 40lbs to do anything for the bottom and if you are planning for a DSB, your going to need about 3 more bags.

Scott Z.

[turboTSI]

ok I will consider it and prolly return them

Dave

[patsfan1130]

Originally Posted by turboTSI

ok I will consider it and prolly return them

Dave

I agree with returning the tops. I love having my tank top "open"

The powersweeps are a great concept but they almost always fail mechanically in a short period of time (they stop sweeping)

[turboTSI]

OK I changed the power sweeps out for the Azoo Powerhead 1200 so they should be just as good right?

Dave

[patsfan1130]

Originally Posted by turboTSI

OK I changed the power sweeps out for the Azoo Powerhead 1200 so they should be just as good right?

Dave

Azoo are ok but again...they have a tendency to fail. They also are suction cup mounted which means...over time they can fall. One of the best PH you can buy for water current are the maxjet 1200. these little buggers push a ton of water and are very dependable. I have owned many PH over the years and wouldnt use anything but the maxjet today. They are not very expensive either.

[Poseidon]

Yup ditch the tops... Get the eggcrate from home depot or Lowes.... better for cooling and gas exchange....

[turboTSI]

egg crate???? does anyone have a pic of what they are referig too?

btw I took the 50/50 back and I am safing it till I get the coralife lights.. I might as well get them now since with fish they are fine and then down the road if I add corals etc then I will already be prepared now in using those will I still need to get rid of the versa tops cause I wont use the canopy either but I do have two cats and I dont want them going after my stuff or falling in


Dave

[Poseidon]

It is the white plastic stuff I am using here to hold up the rocks... It is about $10 for a 2'x4' piece. About $20 for chrome!!!

[turboTSI]

AH ok... got it... Now do u guys think the Coralife 260 4 bulb will be enough for a thriving 55g reef setup?

Dave

[Reefland]

That lighting will only be good for a fish only system. If you plan to keep any corals, you will want to upgrade that lighting to something with more punch like VHO, PC or Mh dependng on what you plan to keep.

Scott Z.

[turboTSI]

ok is there something u can recomend that is like 300 or less?


Dave

[Reefland]

Before you decide what kind of lighting you need, you need to consider what kind of corals you plan to keep. Coral are collected from many different depths of water from different regions. For instance, coralimorphs and zooanthids come from depths that will allow them to be kept under minimum artificial lights as were acropora sp. coral come from the shallows and should only be kept under the most intense artificial lighting.

So my recommendation is to determine what type of coral you wish to keep and then look at possibilities from there.

Scott Z.

[turboTSI]

I am mainly just wanting a few anenomies.... im not to worried about all the corals.. I can be happy with some here and there

but I dont want to pay TOO much right now for lighting

Dave

[patsfan1130]

Originally Posted by turboTSI

I am mainly just wanting a few anenomies.... im not to worried about all the corals.. I can be happy with some here and there

but I dont want to pay TOO much right now for lighting

Dave

Most all anemone require intense lighting. E Qauds (bubble tip) & S Haddoni (saddleback, carpet) will do well under PC or VHO. Almost all other anemone require metal halide lighting to be happy. You can pick up a nice PC or VHO setup for under $300 but if there is one thing I have learned...It is to not skimp on lighting. Other than overall water quality, lighting is probably the most important piece of equipment you will ever purchase. Do it right the first time. Get something you can grow into down the road when you want to get some SPS or clams.

Mark

[turboTSI]

ok so when it comes right down to it.. what is the setup I should get.. if u could paste a link for me to actually look at it and see a price

Dave

[orion25]

I got a 2 X 96watt PC set up from Marine Depot for my 55gallon. I soon added another 2 X 96 watt so I now have a 4 X 96 Watt. No matter what you do, do not skimp on the lights. You can cut corners anywhere else but without the lights you will be keeping fish only.


RB

[orion25]

Your best bet would be Metal Halide though. See what you can find in the 2 X 175watt range. Here is a link http://www.innovativelights.com/ You need to factor in the price of bulbs for this one though. Hope this helps

[turboTSI]

with the setup I want that is 4.8watts a gallon... no problem IMO.. I mean I dont need MH's in a 55g

260watts of PC ig good enough for most any anen or coral

Dave

[patsfan1130]

Originally Posted by turboTSI

with the setup I want that is 4.8watts a gallon... no problem IMO.. I mean I dont need MH's in a 55g

260watts of PC ig good enough for most any anen or coral

Dave

watts per gallon is not a widely accepted method of determining lighting needs. A lot of LFS still do but that doesnt suprise me since most are clueless anyway. As I stated above...Most anemone require much more light than you currently have. On a good note, The BTA is a popular choice for a lot of people, in which case you are ok. 260w of PC is not good for most any coral. Shrooms, zoos & most softies will probably do well but any other anemone other than a BTA & most all corals will not.

I mean I dont need MH's in a 55g -- The size of the tank really does not dictate ones lighting needs. It's about what livestock will be kept.