55g build

First topic message reminder :

my journal will start here for my 55g build.

I had the stand, and canopy. got a 55g plus from neptunes cove for $60.00, a over flow box,tubing,sump, and return pump off of craigslist for $80.00 water from neptunes cove, and extra sand from neptunes cove.

just need to get the rock, from banito(jimmy) to night and I will be rocking and a rolling.)

I've got the red prizm skimmer, and a aquaeon 30 power filter for mech.
with 40-60 pounds of live rock, and 6 red dart fish in it..

well heck....just switch tanks lol u have wat u need to get the job done as long as you dont over work it by overfeeding and overstocking. your filter puts out about 200gph...add the skimmer...you have a fair amount of movement , add a powerhead or 2 ....your LR is doing most of the work anyway

just did it the 55g is up but I still need 15-20g of saltwater and a powerhead. all I have is my nano 240gph hydor... what size hydor power head do I need... just got sps and kenya tree.. also need lighting, all I have is a t5 ho 24w 10k and a t5 ho 24w antic on one side of the tank...

found a used rio 1700 at neptunes cove for $10.00 and got that.

i woldnt have gotten any corals untill i was completely set up (..im not familiar with the brand..hydor. how many gph do u have total. your t5 should be fine on a 55, im running t5's myself. its a 24 inch light right?..ill let some others chime in on this one but.. seems like your rushing things. sps(dont know what kind you have) and kenya trees have fairly different needs... SPS.. generally high water very bright light..needs alot of calcium for proper skeleton growth.. kenya tree, low to moderate water. low to moderate light and moderate flow.

as far as what gph pwr head you need.. i dont know.. i dont need alot of movement b/c what im stocked with does better in low to moderate water but im LPS dominant with a few softies. sps id want more wather movement if i was switching to SPS dominant...

Thanks.... they where some frags, and they where zod's... I got more saltwater.. just need to get tubing for the return pump...

ended up geting a 5000 l/h circlation pump for 20 dollars new. it's a china sunsun brand got it from ddaa (leon)...

my 29g tank is for sale if any one is interested....

I have a friend who has either a 4x 65w or it's 4x96w power compact retro fit with ballast, reflectors and bulbs for $50.00 I might save up and get that.

not a bad choice and for 50 bucks.. its a really good price.. but you can get a 48 current t5 (which would be ALOT BETTER for the sps.) for about 129.00 brand new.(im sure you can find a used one really cheap, just takes a bit of looking)

If you plan on keeping sps's, or clams or an anemone, go t5.. since you already have a 24 in t5 you can get another 24 for the other side, works the same as a 48, just an idea. but the t5 set up will save you money in the long run b/c your gonna have to upgrade it if you plan on keeping anything needing high light(sps's, or clams or an anemone)...plus with the pc 4 bulb set up, thats 4 bulbs at roughly 30 bucks a piece they run hotter and use more energy and you have to replace them more often... t5's-2 bulbs for about the same price, less wats and longer bulb life. i have a 48in 4x65 PC set up collecting dust in my closet lol

south pacuifics systems bulbs are only 24.95 t5 are 19.99 so not to much of a differences. I ended up getting it.. so all I need now is tubing for my return pump, and a spray nossule.

got my water circ-lation pumps, oh and someone had to have messed with me. I hid a hydor sunday real good, went back monday couldn't find it tore up theunsed section of dna(dallas north aquariums, looking for it. steve help meand couldn't find it)... then I went back today and found it...

well since you already got it, run with it. lol i keep my filtration really simple lol but it works for me. im to lazy to maintain all that and too cheap to go canister filter/overflow etc. gimmie my HOB and my powerheads any day lol

and finely I find the camera....

ooooooo nice.

Thanks, not a big fan of the tufa but it works... wish it was all fijian...

looking good bro! now comes the hard part.. waiting on time to pass so stuff grows lol

yep yep, I've seen people selling fiji for $2.00 I might buy some, tanks not looking to good bad bulbs, need to replace all 4 power compacts, and I'm looking at 40-60 dollars each one. thinking I will just replace the 10000k first.... then the blues..

my friend bought a 4 bulb 36 inch wave point and wants to sell it for $150.00 don't know if that would be a good deal or not, and if I need that much light or not... would love to see a light chart comparing t120 vho/ho, power compacts, and t5 no/ho with one and another....

got brown spots on the front glass and sand, so i can't use my lights like I would like to so i've been turning my lights off and on.

well power compacts compared to t-5.. t5 will win.. its just a better designed, brighter system.. on a 55g 4x48inch t-5's is too much light

so 2 bulbs would work, what about 4 bulb t5 ho over a 25 way way to much light?.
also how much ro/di water do I need to add to my tank, it got up to 1.030 salinity, and I don't know how...and has green spot algae on the front glass...

oh yea! way too much light lol and try bout 5 gal water change, add fresh water, green algae will pop up all over the glass, just scrape it off

I also have about 20 gallons out of the tank, that I use to see to seed some live rock and rubble rock so I would havedie off in the tank... got a retro fit kit. used hagen glo ballast 36 inch reflectors, 2 6,700k, 2, color max bulbs, 2 blue life antic, and 2 uv super blue antics for 75.00 so I'm set on lighting.. now to find an algae pad. how many corals should I add at one time... and do I need to dose anything for corals, got xenia,kenya,zods,and leathers..

honestly..thats kid of up to you, ive added like 7-8 pieces at once before, depending on what ur adding for example, u can add like 10 different zaos..your not stocked heave so it really wouldnt hurt, as long as the tank is right.

cool, well got top off water well be going back in a few days for salt. everything was where it needs to be. only thing wasph was 8.1 said to give it a littlebit of buffer and I would be good... all I was going to add would be leathers, xenia, and kenya trees...

What kind of pH buffer?

seachem aquavivo 8.4

Ph of 8.1 is fine. was it tested in the morning or evening it make a differance because Ph rises throughout the day. I run my fuge light opposite the DT it helps keep my Ph up also Mrs Wages picking lime from walmart will do the same thing as buffer, I use it in my top off water. let me guess LFS advise???

it was tested in the morning around lunch time 11am-12:30pm and yes that was lfs advice, and my salinity when I tested it was 1.030 and when they tested it , it was 1.028 but I already know why it is high from evap... nitrates where just a little high nothing a 10% water change wouldn't fit about time to do one any way, calsium was 8 and they said 6-12 is where I wanted the caliusm to be.

everything else was good...

anything else I should know.. leathers,zods,xenia, and kenya are photo synsis right, so I just need to do 7-8 hours of light, don't need coral food do I what about favia, or a brain coral?....

I hate medical bills, and poop, health insurance... they aresticking it to the retired teachers here in texas, I'm on my mom's insurance... need my teeth check and clean. 1,000 deducable, and I seemy doctor again in a week, and got switched to a new med... only way for me to get by right now is for this set up to be sold. sump, tank, canopy and stand. :( .... planed a head and got a 29g and made it my saltwater tank....

will bepacking money away....

so I still have this tank, it not going any where. got rock and sand in it.. water, and its going good. just got my 48x4 bulb t5 ho light fixture tonight. even upgraded my skimmer and just need to get a pump for it. is a quit one 1200 any good saw petsmart clearancing them out for $25.00 dollars does 296 gph. now looks like i will have a good looking saltwater tank now....

that whats up! its a process unless your just ballin and rich lol were you asking if the pump will work for the skimmer or if it will work in the tank in general?