55 Gallon Long vs 45 Gallon Tall

D

Drewhop

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Jun 28, 2008
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In the next week I will be purchasing supplies for one of these two tanks.
This will be my first SW Aquarium but not my first aquarium. I have been keeping FW fish for about 5 years now and very experienced in taking care of them.
I am looking to put together a tank centered around Clownfish.(My son has a nemo doll that he has not put down in about 4 years) Time for him to get his real nemo.
I am hoping that if I get all supplies bought and start cycling the tank I might be able to get the clownfish for one of his Xmas presents. (Doubt it but might be possible)
I am looking for a list of what I would need to get it all going.

First competitor is my 55 Gallon Long
Standard size 55 gallon 48Lx12Wx21H
What all would I need to start up.
Filter/Skimmer/Heater/Lighting/Sand/Live rock

Same for my 45 Tall
Dimensions 36Lx12Wx24H
What all would I need setup wise

I would like a anemone for them if possible and definately a nice supply of cleaners. I have some very natural setups so I am not afraid of live plants/corals/shrimp or snails.
Which would be best for these type of fish/friends.

Thanks for any help

Andy
 
i would go with the 55g just for the fact that you will hav that extra 10g of water and the larger footprint is always nice. Now if you scared of corals and stuff id steer clear of an anemone until youve done your research because an anemone can be rather hard to care for because they needs tons of light and need to bed fed and they wont stay where u want them at lol. also anemone like an established tank meaning a tank that is 6+mon old and has stabilized quite well. another question do you plan on running a sump/refugium and what kind of lighting do you have planned for the tank
 
If it were me, I would do the 55 as well but be aware that both of the tanks you have listed will be difficult to aquascape due to how narrow they are. Have you looked into a 40 of 50 Breeder or a 65 gallon? These tanks are 36" long and 18" deep so you have a nice footprint but it isn't a cube. A 40 breeder is actually 45 gallons. The difference between these tanks is height. The 40B is 16" high so you can get away with less lighting. I think the 65 is 24" high. If you were to go with a T5HO light, the cost of a 36" fixture and bulbs would be less that the 48" fixture/bulbs on the 55.

As far as what you need to get started it really depends on what you want to keep. Sounds like you want corals so I would get either a T5HO or halide fixture. You need roughly a pound of LR per gallon but you can get away with less if you don't plan on overstocking fish. Same with skimmer. You don't have to have one but they provide an added level of safety should something go wrong. Are you planning for a sump or go sumpless? 40 pounds of sand (live or dry) should be enough for about any of the tanks mentioned but I would not make a sand bed deeper than 2-3". Having extra sand around is good because you will likely lose a little when you "lightly" vacuum your sand bed now and then. You can also go bare bottom if you like that look and don't intend to keep animals that require sand for a home. A 150-200 watt heater should work for these tanks.

You will also need some powerheads to create flow for corals and suspend detritus and waste to be filtered out (sump, HOB filter, skimmer). Koralias are popular and inexpensive with Vortech and Tunze being quite a bit more $ but lots more functionality. My advice is to spend a little extra for quality on all of your hardware so you don't have to buy it twice. Good luck and ask all the questions you need.
 
55 Gallon, it's always best to go as LONG as you can :)
 
I could easily buy another tank. But I have a 55 and 45 laying around so figured I would see if either would be nice for a Clown Setup. I am not thinking about going crazy stocking wise for my first saltwater. I want to get a few clownfish and maybe a couple other fish as well as a interesting cleaner crew. If a anemone likes a established tank setup I would wait on that until after the tank has ran for a while. Then I could upgrade the lighting to work with the anemone/corals in the future.

My main concern is getting all the starter equipment that is needed to possibly get a tank setup so my son can have a clown for Xmas.
 
Ok, I see, go with the 55 then for sure. If you want to have it to the point where you can add 1 or 2 clownfish buy Christmas you'd better get a move on! blue2fyre is correct about taking your time and the last thing I think you would want to do is get your son a fish only to see it die if your tank isn't ready.

It can be done IF you can buy some FULLY cured liverock from your LFS or know another reefer that has some. Try to keep the rock submerged when transporting and until you get it in your tank. Even then you still need to let the tank run for at least a week and get the water tested before you add fish. I would get about 20 lbs to support 1 or two clowns (you can add more later to support more fish). If you are doing a sand bed go ahead and get some sand but if you can get a cup or two of sand from an established tank that will help too. Assume no sump so you can get a good HOB filter (recommend Aquaclear 110), remove the media and get some filter floss and some Chemipure Elite and or Purigen. Look into a HOB skimmer as well. Reef Octopus makes sme good ones. Also get powerheads. 2 Koralia 3's should be good unless you want to drop the $ on something like a Vortech.

Fill the tank with RO/DI water and mix the salt directly in the tank with no rock or sand. Once the water is mixed, you can add the sand and rock (keep in mind displacment).

You will still be pushing it somewhat but if you get some good rock with established bacteria you should be ok with 1 or 2 fish in a 55. Oh and add a small CUC before you add your fish. Just don't plan on adding anything else for a while. Keep asking questions if needed. Happy to help however I can. Be prepared for water changes
 
one other thing... maybe it was mentioned and I missed it... Get a test kit. test for Amm trite and trate regularly at first.
 
My LFS was really helpful tonight. He does carry live rock and most of his has been in his growout tanks so it is pretty setup. I could probally talk him into hooking me up with a few scoops of cultured live sand. I am trying to find a craigslist complete setup that is still active that I can just purchase and move all to my place. If that dont work I will be buying everything I need on Wednesday I may try to get everything setup before Xmas but I will not rush a tank if it is going to endanger the fish. If I can get the tank to cycle fast and regulate its self (cough mollies cough).

I always buy liquid test kits and the saltwater tank will be no exception. 30-50 dollars for a kit and they improve fish keeping to a level that some people dont understand.

I did let my son look at a few of the clownfish tonight and I am afraid I may just go bigger from the start. He wants Dory as well and from what I understand they need minimum of 75 gallons
 
I recommend a 6ft tank for blue tangs (Dory). Going much smaller will be a problem in the long run. Honestly, a 75g will be a bit too cramped. I've tried it in the past and it just isn't fair to the fish.
 
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