55 gallon reef log

[oddballfanatic]

Hey guys,
I just wanted to keep record of my new 55 reef tank comments, suggestions, etc. are appreciated.

Tank: 55 gallon long
Filters: whisper 3 and an aquaclear 70
Lighting: Corallife
Power Head: aquaclear
Temperature: 78
Salinity: 1.030 (trying to bring it down)

here as my stocking plans as far as fish go (suggestions would be great):
3 spotted cardnial fish
midas blenny
dwarf flame angelfish-or-a coralbeauty
six line wrasse
sissortail dartfish
2 percula clowns
firefish

here are some pics of my tank...

this is when I first recived the tank:

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15921

Here is a recent one:

15922



I just ordered 30# LR and should be here tommorow (there will be more later, but for now this is what i could afford)

oddball

[jojo22]

Looks like the start of a great reef my man!!!!

[Michael Marino]

Looks GREAT! Congrats on starting my friend! Should be great reef tank!

[oddballfanatic]

thanks guys

[Michael Marino]

Salinity: 1.030
To bring this down, well heres a good tip, Dilotion is sultion to pulltion <---- SPELT TOTTALY WRONG :)

Basicly get rid of some of your water and add some fresh. That should help alot!

[oddballfanatic]

yeah im doing that now, thanks

[Reefscape]

The start of a great tank there Oddball...Glad to see things are starting to come together mate..

Niko

[Salihan]

Very nice start. Keep us posted!

[oddballfanatic]

thanks guys... My LR should be here soon!!

[Michael Marino]

you have probley told me this, but you are adding your 2g tank goodies into your 55 correct?

[Germanman]

looks very good! nice start

[jojo22]

Did you get the SG down yet???

[LordsSoilder]

Lookin nice!

I like your pic of base rocks, looks like your gonna have a nicely shaped reef...

-LS

[oddballfanatic]

thanks guys..
My SG is at 1.027 but im still trying to bring it down..
I ordered my LR wensday with overnight shipping and they still arent here yet, my dad is going to call them today

[oddballfanatic]

also, how many peices of rock would 30 pounds be (avarage sized)???
Can someone give me a list of corals I can put in my tank??

thanks

[jojo22]

Really depends, I have rocks that are the same size one is 2 lbs and one is almost 6, the density has a LOT to do with how much volume you get per pound!

[oddballfanatic]

thanks jojo, you have always been helpfull

any suggestions for corals anyone, can someone give me personal experences with your favorie corals??

[jojo22]

I am a brain guy, more in my tank than in my head!!! LOL

But really brain corals have always been very attractive to me!!

[oddballfanatic]

LOL!!
i like them too but they are expensive, but so are every other coral lol, looks like i'll be saving for a while!

[jojo22]

I have 3 in my nano, a moonstone, an open, and a maze, all are different shades of green, the open moon seems to glow under my 14K 70W halide!!

[oddballfanatic]

nice!!
how much was the open moon??

[jojo22]

$42

[oddballfanatic]

wow, cheaper than i thought

[jojo22]

I think my moonstone and maze where both just under $60. Here is a pic of the open Brain. I can post pics of the others if you like!

[oddballfanatic]

thats sooo nice!!
yeah post more if you can

[jojo22]

Here ya go, didn't want to hijack your thread!!

[oddballfanatic]

its ok, im inspiriated lol!!

[jojo22]

Well then if you need any more let me know.

[Catpicklesdog]

Well then if you need any more let me know.

how about a new thread with photos of all your tank. It looks stunning and deserves a thread of it's own.:thm: I for one want to see loads more!!!!:dance2:

[jojo22]

Will do!!

[oddballfanatic]

yeah lol

[Michael Marino]

yeaaa man that whould look insane! I never actually saw your whole tank!

So hows the Live rocK?

[oddballfanatic]

i didnt get it yet, its on back-order but it will be here tuesday

[Michael Marino]

LIVE ROCK !?!?!?!

[oddballfanatic]

yeah...
my cousion has a friend who breeds fish and he is getting rid of his tanks... he gave me a percula clown and a baby snowflake eel (3 in.). I have them in my 2.5 gallon for now just until i get my 55 gal set up, is this ok??

[Germanman]

yeah...
my cousion has a friend who breeds fish and he is getting rid of his tanks... he gave me a percula clown and a baby snowflake eel (3 in.). I have them in my 2.5 gallon for now just until i get my 55 gal set up, is this ok??
wouldnt do that...and the clown may become food....

[Michael Marino]

Yes, german man is correct. Well you gotta make the choice now, do you want a Freindly tank or not you know. Like do you want lion fish eels and ect. or Clowns, butterflies, ect

[oddballfanatic]

hes doing fine with the clown, ive been watching him closly,may give him to a friend or sell cheap.
if i kept the eel what tankmates are ideal, yes i have been studying, but the only tankmates i could find were frogs and angelers....
S*** the UPS truck just drove by... still waiting for my LR!!!

[Germanman]

hes doing fine with the clown, ive been watching him closly,may give him to a friend or sell cheap.
if i kept the eel what tankmates are ideal, yes i have been studying, but the only tankmates i could find were frogs and angelers....
S*** the UPS truck just drove by... still waiting for my LR!!!
yes frogfish and lion and so on are fine...large clownfish like adult marron clowns are usually ok, foxface, large angels....but they all require lots of space...

[oddballfanatic]

i sold the eel to the LFS today... they were happy to see one lol... i got 15$ store credit.. i also forgot to mention my cousions friend also gave me some type of mushroom coral cant id (will post pics later)...
If someone could give me reccomendations for corals that would be great

oddball

[Germanman]

i sold the eel to the LFS today... they were happy to see one lol... i got 15$ store credit.. i also forgot to mention my cousions friend also gave me some type of mushroom coral cant id (will post pics later)...
If someone could give me reccomendations for corals that would be great

oddball
mushroom, zoos, most polyps, and most leathers.

[oddballfanatic]

ok thanks im looking up all that stuff now

[Germanman]

ok thanks im looking up all that stuff now
have u checked out this link? ill add more corals when i can...or even some other members maybe....lol its for us all to post on u know lol...:)
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104220

[oddballfanatic]

g-man i love you (in a friendly way lol)

[Germanman]

g-man i love you (in a friendly way lol)
lol thx! always happy to lend a hand!:)

[oddballfanatic]

heres my list of fish:

4 green chromis
1 midas blenny
1 coral beuaty dwarf angelfish
1 royal gramma
2 percula clowns
3 bagnai cardnial fish (or 3 pj's??)
1 fire fish
1 cleaner shrimp
1 chevron tang (???)

does this sound ok??

[Germanman]

heres my list of fish:

4 green chromis
1 midas blenny
1 coral beuaty dwarf angelfish
1 royal gramma
2 percula clowns
3 bagnai cardnial fish (or 3 pj's??)
1 fire fish
1 cleaner shrimp
1 chevron tang (???)

does this sound ok??
i would only do one bangai and prolly not the tang...bit much for the 55...but then u have my tank...lol...maybe in time the tang.otherwise it looks pretty good they should all get along...blennies can be territorial...but it just depends on the blenny itself.

[oddballfanatic]

ok thanks

[Germanman]

do we have a final list?

[oddballfanatic]

ok heres the final list.... i think lol

1 bagnai cardnial fish
4 blue/green reef chromis
1 royal gramma
1 court jester goby
1 firefish
1 coral beauty angelfish
2 percula clowns
1 cleaner shrimp

any suggestions of different fish you think would be better is appericiated (spelling)

oddball

[nate da fishman]

it would be cool to have a linofish and a snow eel, im not a sw expert but i like to look and petco

nate

[Michael Marino]

No Live rock?

[ashtonp]

how did you get away with not using a protein skimmer and live rock?

[oddballfanatic]

i have it.... its just not listed

[oddballfanatic]

1 bagnai cardnial fish
4 blue/green reef chromis
1 royal gramma
1 court jester goby
1 firefish
1 coral beauty angelfish
2 percula clowns
1 cleaner shrimp


sound any better g-man??

[Germanman]

sounding good to me chromis might be bit much when older(size wise) now...but...then look at my tank...lol i think u can handle it.

[oddballfanatic]

wow that was the fastest response ive have ever seen lol... mabie i will eliminate the chromis... can i replace them with anything else??

[Germanman]

wow that was the fastest response ive have ever seen lol... mabie i will eliminate the chromis... can i replace them with anything else??
just see how it goes down the line...lol ull find that plan will fall apart...mine sure did...time changes things stick with what u have and give it a go:)

[oddballfanatic]

thanks g-man...
btw for anyone who cares lol... my LR came to today but i was at school and wasnt the to sign for it... so i have to pick it up at the post office tommorrow :(

[Germanman]

thanks g-man...
btw for anyone who cares lol... my LR came to today but i was at school and wasnt the to sign for it... so i have to pick it up at the post office tommorrow :(
wow that sucks....its gona be pretty stinky...lol

[oddballfanatic]

oh man :(
w.e. at least i got it :)

[oddballfanatic]

do you think the rock will still be live??

[Germanman]

do you think the rock will still be live??
um......padded opinion=sure it will!:)
what i really think=not much gona live.....lol

[oddballfanatic]

oh man......now i hate school lol

[Germanman]

oh man......now i hate school lol
im sure it will be fine though...bacteria is tough that should be alright as long as it didnt get to hot and stayed moist. other things though prolly wont make it like animals and coralline but u never know.

[oddballfanatic]

ok thanks... i had 4 shrimp in my seaweed stay alive for 1+ hours out of my tank... i have no clue why i just said that lol... and its fresh from the ocean

[oddballfanatic]

that was my medicine that i had to pick up :(

LR just passed through U.S. customs and is DEFFANATLY being shipped monday... they are also adding 10 pounds to my order (not rubble) and 5 pounds rubbble :)

so anyone have any good aquascaping techniques or sites???

thanks, oddball

[Catpicklesdog]

that was my medicine that i had to pick up :(

LR just passed through U.S. customs and is DEFFANATLY being shipped monday... they are also adding 10 pounds to my order (not rubble) and 5 pounds rubbble :)

so anyone have any good aquascaping techniques or sites???

thanks, oddball

Make sure it's solid and not likely to fall down!! For ideas try this thread http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/ which USCavalry19d recommended on another thread. Must admit I'm thinking of nicking a few ideas from there when I get my tank! :dance2:

[oddballfanatic]

thanks CPD, thats a great site (going under my favorites lol)

anyone else???

[oddballfanatic]

just checked my lighting... its only 40 watts and has refelctors (48")... im on a tight budget so links would be great... i only have a standard lighting hood, is it possible to put reef lights into that??

[Germanman]

sometimes u can get the light into a standard hood...but usually u have to make a custom one or buy a ficture.

[oddballfanatic]

thanks g-man, i think im going to go with a whole new fixture

i want to post some pics of a coral i recived a while ago, i cant i.d. it
(I cant post pics now b/c im not home)

anyway...
I think im going to do fish only for 1-2 years before i move onto corals
does this sound good...
if so can someone give me some suggestion of other fish besides my original list??

[oddballfanatic]

heres some pics of the unidentified coral.. anyone know what it is??

17421

17422

heres a pic of my clown who is currently hosting it...

17423

[Germanman]

looks like a bleached out "bumpy" mushroom to me
nice clown btw!

[oddballfanatic]

thanks g-man
for some reason the camra wont show the colors of the mushie.. it has a red disc with green "bumps"

do they (mushie & fish) look healthy??

[Germanman]

fish looks great like i said but i think the shroom still could have better color give it some good light and see where it goes.

[oddballfanatic]

its got 13w of metal hailide.. its alot more colorfull in person my camra wont show its color :(

[Michael Marino]

NICE WORK ODDBALL ALL COMMING TOGETHER!!!! CONGRATS.... wehre did u buy nemo :) ?

[oddballfanatic]

thanks...

my cusions friend gave him to me b/c he was getting rid of his tanks

my LR should be here today!!!! if its not im gonna go psyco lol

[oddballfanatic]

ok.. im having thoughts about my stocking...

as most of you know i love oddball fish (hence the name)

Im thinking of getting..

angler/frogfish
2 dwarf fuzzy lion fish
mabie an eel of some sort or an angel if possible

what other fish would be compatable with these.. (does not have to be an odd fish) (please respond)

remember these are just some thoughts.. would really love to see what you guys have to say...

thanks, oddball

[Germanman]

my frogfish at my dwarf lion....keep that in mind...frogfish will eat almost everything!

[oddballfanatic]

My LR is finally here!!!!:dance:
i got about 40-50 pounds, then i brought 17 pounds today... this is not my final setup.
sorry for the horrible pics, I will try to get some better ones later



18037

[Germanman]

looking good! finally they came! lol
got some nice pieces

[oddballfanatic]

yeah lol.. all the peices are covered in coralline. the peice all the way on the left may weight 30 pounds itself!

[Michael Marino]

Nice, Finnaly ahahah what are your ideas for lighting now?

[oddballfanatic]

i dunno yet, t-5's or MH but i have to save up

[oddballfanatic]

can you guys do me a huge favor??

tell me your favorite fish that is suitable for a 55g...i just wanna see your views and may steal some of your ideas lol....

[Germanman]

ROYAL GRAMMA! or flame angel...or bangai cardinal, or watchman goby....or tail spot blenny....

[oddballfanatic]

thanks g-man,

*news caster voice* And now for an update...


I have good news, my dad might buy me another 30 pounds of LR for my tank!!! :dance: :dance:

I re-did my aquascaping, what do you guys think???

18218

18219

[Coralaholic]

Your wave maker seems not able to cover the entire tank, buy a big one.

[Coralaholic]

Make sure the little 4 legs can support your tank, looks dangerous!

[oddballfanatic]

no its good i think....
its just a powerhead not a wave maker

[TRG07]

Hey just wanted say it's coming together nicely. Congrats. I'm like you had to piece mine together too. I made allot of mistakes in the beginning…so… be patient very, very patient and follow the great advice here in these threads. I will say this everyone experience is different and certain things happen at different time during the execution of your set up and when you starts completing you cycle. I’m no expert but I know that everyone’s tank acts and reacts differently. Good luck *S* BTW the way I like the Royal Gramma as well and I have a Green Mandarin Dragonet who is quickly becoming my favorite.

[severum mama]

Your stand is fine, I use the same one for my 55 discus tank.


tell me your favorite fish that is suitable for a 55g...i just wanna see your views and may steal some of your ideas lol....
yellow watchman goby and pistol shrimp, hopefully they pair
flame angel
coral beauty angel
lemonpeel angel.... very iffy when it comes to reefs, tho.
watanabe's angel (genicanthus watanabei)- but better suited to lower light setups.
Pretty much any centropyge angel will work, but some are less reef-safe than others. Genicanthus angels are said to be the most reef-safe, but most genicanthus spp will outgrow a 55. Any angel is a gamble from what I understand. Definitely stay from the pomacanthus angels.
ocellaris clown
percula clown
longnose hawkfish
bicolor blenny
royal gramma
firefish/purple firefish... Helfrich's firefish as well, but who could afford that, lol

Those are some of my personal faves.
Some say that a yellow tang or kole tang can be kept in a 55, but I'm not sure about that. Others say 75 gal minimum. Someone with more experience can give you a better recommendation on that topic.

Good luck with your tank, your LR looks awesome in there.

[Mgamer20o0]

looking good.

[SuperScro]

can you guys do me a huge favor??

tell me your favorite fish that is suitable for a 55g...i just wanna see your views and may steal some of your ideas lol....

I would suggest a dwarf angel even though they can be risky in a reef. Maybe keep one of the smaller centropyges like the Cherub angel Or Flameback. I think an angel can be kept in a reef as long as the Angel is feed. Feeding an angel 2-3 times a day and keeping him full could be the key. I love dwarf angels just becuase of their personality and looks. Its up to you though.

I like your rockwork. Try and get as much as you can into the rock pile to avoid any dead spots at all. Since it is close together, it is easy for dead spots to form.

Keep up the good work!

[oddballfanatic]

time for a big update...
my cycle has been complete for 5-6 days so I introduced my O. Clown 2 days after the cycle was comple and I was sure water conditions were stable. He was and still is doing great and is also eating very well...
So today i added a coral beuaty angelfish.. I accumliated (I know im horrible at spelling, lol) him over a period of an hour and he is doing better than in the LFS! He is more colorfull and less shy and is even comming out to greet me!
I have also changed my rock work...lemme know what you guys think!

oddball

heres some shots of the tank

19149



19150


I tried to get a pic of the coral beauty..sorry for the blurry pic


19151



EDIT- Can i add my feather duster into my 55, i only have 40w of lighting??

[oddballfanatic]

bump*

[musho3210]

i know this is personal opinion, but how about have 2 hills of live rock on each side of the tank, one taller one shorter, that way you can evenly distribute what coral goes where depending on lighting. But thats IMO and its my plan on my tank. Plus i like hills/mountains etc.

Nice tank, uhh on the camera, get a camera with anti shake, it helps A LOT with my photos.

I think its acclimate but my spelling sucks as well.

[Reefscape]

Looking good Oddball...

[oddballfanatic]

thanks guys....
i was thinking about the two "mountians", but i dont think i have the right shapes and sizes of rock...
for the camera... I dont know... I only use it for this and im not really big on photography, but thanks for the suggestion

oddball

btw my spelling sucks too lol

[SuperScro]

I tried the two mountains idea in my tank, where the rocks would start out high and slant to the center of the tank. Didn't work out though, tank not big enough nor was my rock shape right. Try it out, put your fish and inverts in a QT so you don't crush them when moving the rock around.

[oddballfanatic]

i tried already...it didnt work :(...

[oddballfanatic]

good news!
on friday im getting $50-$60 to spend on what ever i want!!
soo what do you guys think i should get??
will a dwarf lion be ok in my tank?
can I keep my feather duster under 40w of light??
sorry, Im in a rush

oddball

[jojo22]

Yes on both counts IMO!!!

[oddballfanatic]

ok im going now
and you said the dwarf lion was ok, right??

[jojo22]

Should be fine!!

[dorkfish]

FYI, feather dusters need zero light, there filter feeders, non-photo synthetic.

[oddballfanatic]

thanks guys... my parents just got home that means im going in like 5 mins!!

[jojo22]

If you don't post pics, we will hunt you down and force you to pet the lion fish.....YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

[jojo22]

Google is our friend WE WILL FIND YOU!!!!!!!

So please post some pics of you new fishies so we can see them!!!!

[oddballfanatic]

LOL !:rofl:
so my parents gave me $80:mwave: .....
I got a dwarf lion, a racoon butterflyfish and some spirinella ( sorry for butchering the english launguage). Every one is doing great but my lionfish, racoon butterflyfish, and coral beauty are not eating.My coral beauty made an attempt to eat but when i got close to the glass he shyed away :(

here are some pics...

My lionfish

19890

19891

And my racoon B'fly

19892


Do they look healthy??
I might take some more later...

[jojo22]

Hate to tell ya but that does not look like a dwarf to me. Looks like a real deal big boy. Try starting with some live food and then trying frozen.

[Reefscape]

i would agree that is not a dwarf lion, the comparison size of it, compared to the rock gives that away...

[jojo22]

Dwarfs also do not have the same finnage as the standard size lions, they are more solid and stubby.

[oddballfanatic]

really, he is only 1-2 inches
i guess ill bring him back

[jojo22]

Well they all start as babies!!! Look at some pics on F&S the difference will be obvious. That way you know what to look for, but he would do fine in your 55 for quite a while.

[oddballfanatic]

Well they all start as babies!!! Look at some pics on F&S the difference will be obvious. That way you know what to look for, but he would do fine in your 55 for quite a while.

thanks, my mom wouldent be happy if i told her i have to return it soon b/c I only gey half the money back:wall:

[jojo22]

I would argue that since they sold you an animal as something it is not. Would you return a husky if it was sold to you as a wolf hybrid??? I think so!!!

[oddballfanatic]

yeah you have a point there...
I will talk to the LFS

[Germanman]

yup its a vilotan lion...nice one though..shame u cant keep it.

[PufferFan]

nice tank