In the next couple of weeks I will be getting my hands on a 55 gallon tank. I have not really checked it out so it might be bigger. The point is I have a 30 gallon now and will be putting the rock and the inhabitants in it. I want a fresh start. I do have a budget and am rather handy so I will be building the stand and any other thing I can. So I guess what I am asking is with a budget in mind how would you set it up. I mean everything from the ground up.
Kinda new 55 gallon setup.
- Thread starter raidencmc
- Start date
Birch Wood ..cause Birch looks good...or go oak.. solid sturdy woods...avoid fir and pine ...sealed or not they are moisture sponges.
Mylar the interior of the canopy (Mylar indoor gardening reflective material for lights).
Use that 30g for your sump if its 30g long you may get away with a fuge to.
It will be a FOWLR but maybe a reef later. From what I understand a reef tank that is 55 gallons is a bit difficult cause it is small and any change in the water parameters would be rather intense.
I am not to concerned with the stand I got that pretty much figured out. I am more concened with the other things. With my 30 gallon I got away with a HOB filter, a couple power heads, frequent water changes and hardy fish. I understand that this will be a bit more complicated than that. I also have on old 10 gallon tank I think would fit in my stand better than my 30.
Actually the smaller tanks are more of a chore...the larger not so much and since you are going up in gallons it'll be more easy to keep parameters in check. Its more difficult with the 30g you had in comparison and without a skimmer even more of a chore and more are larger water changes.
55g tank no sump...no corals
Then it seems all you have to do is just get the sand ,rocks, and protein skimmer to have the tank manageable. I imagine being FOWLR it should be easy to get up with less money invested vs Reef for sure.
Another thing to consider if you say you really may go the coral route later.
The lights can be bought later and set up....thats one less bill to deal with now.
But the headaches of getting the sump up and plumbing done ...you can do it now also. Thats up to you of course.
The sump you would need a Overflow Box (suggest the CPR ones with aqua lifter pumps).... PVC which is dirt cheap.... and a mag pump probably 100bucks.
I think getting it sump ready before you start would be good.. then you can hide all that equipment to enhance your display..at the same time you can convert over to corals by just adding on lights vs messing with your tank thats already set up.
I guess its a matter of do you wana deal with the chore of it all now or later I guess. You don't have to go sump..I just think its the better route to go.
I know several people that have (or formerly had) a 55g reef tank with no sump. I find a 55g to be hard to use as a reef more so because it's so narrow front to back, making it more difficult to have any sort of creative rockscape. I wouldn't be so concerned about fluctuations in a 55g... People successfully keep reef tanks under 20g pretty regularly now. But, I guess it all depends how diligent you are and how a proper maintenance routine fits your schedule. I keep a stand alone 15g tank up and running for the local club as a frag tank with no real issues, but it has only a single fish in it. I try to do water changes every two weeks, but the daily top-offs are really the hardest thing to keep up with.
If you want to progress to a reef down the road, I would set it up now as much as possible like you would a reef tank, minus the reef lighting. I would encourage you to get a sump, and to DIY one yourself. The cost of a custom or pre-manufactured sump is ridiculous for what they are. Since it's a 55g, I would imagine the glass is tempered, which means no drilling. You would need an overflow box to move water to the sump. I would not suggest a CPR overflow or any overflow box that requires the use of an Aqualifter pump to operate. For about the same price of a new CPR overflow box that would require an Aqualifter pump to function properly, you can buy a LifeReef u-tube overflow box that is guaranteed to not lose siphon during a power outage (called pre-filter / siphon boxes on their website) and requires no other equipment to function. You can choose whatever return pump that fits your needs for that height you'll be pumping water from the sump back to the display tank, prices will range up to a little over $100 online, depending on the brand and model you select. It's important to note that if / when you buy or DIY a sump, be sure you know how big the area is to hold the skimmer and make sure an appropriately sized skimmer will fit into that area. The last thing you want to do is buy a skimmer, only for it to not fit into the part of the sump designed to hold it.
When chosing a skimmer, keep in mind that the rating on the skimmer is for a lightly stocked tank. Let's face it, out of the dozens of marine tanks I've seen (both FOWLR and reef), I wouldn't categorize more than one or two of them as lightly stocked. Generally, when shopping for a skimmer, if you cut the rating in half, you're much closer to what the skimmer can handle with the stocking rates most typically seen. For example, if a skimmer is rated for up to 120g, it would truly be undersized for the average tank that's larger than 60g or so.
Since you're starting off as FOWLR, the amount of flow in the tank doesn't need to be as high as it would in a reef tank. You would still want at least a couple of powerheads for flow to keep detritus suspended, but not as many as you would if you were looking to set up a reef.
From there, it's pretty standard equipment... basic lighting to see your fish, a heater or two, thermometer, and so forth. Depending on how much live rock you put in the tank, you may want or need a HOB filter or canister filter, but both of those can be avoided with enough live rock in the tank (1 - 2 lbs / gallon, which really depends on the density of the particular live rock you choose).
Good luck, and keep us posted!
If you want to progress to a reef down the road, I would set it up now as much as possible like you would a reef tank, minus the reef lighting. I would encourage you to get a sump, and to DIY one yourself. The cost of a custom or pre-manufactured sump is ridiculous for what they are. Since it's a 55g, I would imagine the glass is tempered, which means no drilling. You would need an overflow box to move water to the sump. I would not suggest a CPR overflow or any overflow box that requires the use of an Aqualifter pump to operate. For about the same price of a new CPR overflow box that would require an Aqualifter pump to function properly, you can buy a LifeReef u-tube overflow box that is guaranteed to not lose siphon during a power outage (called pre-filter / siphon boxes on their website) and requires no other equipment to function. You can choose whatever return pump that fits your needs for that height you'll be pumping water from the sump back to the display tank, prices will range up to a little over $100 online, depending on the brand and model you select. It's important to note that if / when you buy or DIY a sump, be sure you know how big the area is to hold the skimmer and make sure an appropriately sized skimmer will fit into that area. The last thing you want to do is buy a skimmer, only for it to not fit into the part of the sump designed to hold it.
When chosing a skimmer, keep in mind that the rating on the skimmer is for a lightly stocked tank. Let's face it, out of the dozens of marine tanks I've seen (both FOWLR and reef), I wouldn't categorize more than one or two of them as lightly stocked. Generally, when shopping for a skimmer, if you cut the rating in half, you're much closer to what the skimmer can handle with the stocking rates most typically seen. For example, if a skimmer is rated for up to 120g, it would truly be undersized for the average tank that's larger than 60g or so.
Since you're starting off as FOWLR, the amount of flow in the tank doesn't need to be as high as it would in a reef tank. You would still want at least a couple of powerheads for flow to keep detritus suspended, but not as many as you would if you were looking to set up a reef.
From there, it's pretty standard equipment... basic lighting to see your fish, a heater or two, thermometer, and so forth. Depending on how much live rock you put in the tank, you may want or need a HOB filter or canister filter, but both of those can be avoided with enough live rock in the tank (1 - 2 lbs / gallon, which really depends on the density of the particular live rock you choose).
Good luck, and keep us posted!
