Starting 55 gal FOWLR

I have been a pretty successful fish keeper over the years. Starting with a 10 gal freshwater community tank when i was younger. I then upgraded to a 20 gal for several years. My freshwater community tank started to get a little boring so i switched over to African Cichlids in a 55 Gal tank. Had a great run with the cichlids, no problems at all.

Now stepping into the saltwater world. I am currently setting up a 55 gallon FOWLR setup. Here are the following specs:

-Lighting - 36 inch dual GLO T5 - the bulbs are old, will be getting new ones in the next few weeks.
-Stand/Canopy - all DIY hand built and painted black
-Skimmer - found a used Reef Octopus BH 100F hang on back skimmer in the for sale section. Should be coming in the mail soon.
-Rock - about 45-50 pounds of Live Rock - most of it was fully cured. I should have a bit more, but this stuff is really expensive.
-Heater - Same heater from my last setup, i forget what brand. But it did the job.
-Subtrate - Pool filter sand. I did not realize that PFS and marine aqauriums do not mix. I have 40 pounds of live sand on the way.
-Power heads - 1 Hydor Koralia 240 Nano and 1 750 Evolution
-Background of the tank is painted blue
-Water - I have a RO filter being shipped to my house at this time, waiting for it to arrive so i can start doing some water changes.
-Aquaclear 70 filter - i have it setup with the carbon and sponge insert. I do not know if i am going to keep this going once i get the tank running with fish.

I started the tank off with tap water and the sand from my previous tank. Both of which were bad moves on my part. I am still learning the saltwater thing, learning more and more everyday. I am waiting for my RO filter and live sand to arrive in the mail so i do a water change. Most likely wednesday of next week will be the next water change day. Changing the sand shouldn't be a big problem, i have done it before with water in the tank.

I currently have the tank setup with everything running. PH 8.0, Ammonia .25ppm, Nitrites 0ppm, Nirates 20-30ppm(due to the tap water), and the Hydrometer is reading 1.020 (i will bump that up a bit). I really havent had a ammonia spike, mainly because i added fully cured live rock. After i get my live sand and RO filter, i am going to give it a good water change every week for about 4 - 5 weeks. Then i should be all set.

Any comments, please let me know. I am looking forward to getting some fish in here. I will take some pictures and add them to the thread in the next few days.

Looks like you are off to a good start!

just make sure you research the fish before you get them. Not every fish will do well in a 55 and not all fish will get along. Also, be aware of your stocking limit. You only want 1 small fish for every 10 gallons.

I would also highly recommend getting a refractometer instead of a hydrometer. The hydrometers can be wildly inaccurate and they go bad after 6 months. So after a year, the refractometer will pay for itself. You can get them for around $20 on ebay. Be sure to get the calibration oil as well ($3ish).

And go slow! Nothing good happens fast in this hobby :)

i kept cichlids as well, just remember... total different ballpark. Take your time when adding fish and don't trust your cured live rock, you can still have a cycle. If you're wanting to add more rock, i'd add base rock now... It will become live rock in no time and is a lot cheaper so it will help with a budget. Youre off to a great start though. Wheres the pictures? ;)

+1 to little fish with the refractometer, i bought one due to my hydrometer not reading accurately. It was 17$ on ebay including shipping and came calibrated from the factory so there was no need for the calibration fluid.

yea i saw that a refractometer is a good buy. i was looking on ebay a few days ago and saw some great prices. In about 6 months i will replace the hydrometer.

i was thinking once the tank is ready, adding a pair of Ocellaris Clownfish and a clean up crew. That will get me started for awhile. After that i really dont know, i still have to do some stocking research.

buddy08 said:

+1 to little fish with the refractometer, i bought one due to my hydrometer not reading accurately. It was 17$ on ebay including shipping and came calibrated from the factory so there was no need for the calibration fluid.

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You should still get the calibration fluid. Mine too was suppose to be calibrated but when i checked it against the fluid, it was still reading about .003 off.


And clowns would be a great start!

Sounds like you're off to a good start...

That sounds great for a FOWLR setup. Any ideas what fish you want to keep?

Bifferwine said:

That sounds great for a FOWLR setup. Any ideas what fish you want to keep?

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100 percent i want a pair of Ocellaris Clowns. i would love some sort of Tang, but after some research i believe my tank is too small for them. i have been looking at a Flame Angelfish and a Auriga Butterflyfish.

here are some quick pics of the setup. My point and shoot did a real bad job at taking the pictures. I will try to get some time next week and take a few pics with the DSLR.

Update: Last night i scooped out all the Pool Filter Sand, i got about 99 percent of the sand out. My live sand or dead sand whatever it is, should be here by tuesday. I ordered 40 lbs of it from Foster and Smith. Once my RO filter comes in i can do some nice water changes and get the ball rolling. I am extremely busy until the second week in June. It should be good to go by then.

you might be able to pull off a yellow tang in there. Im sure an expert will chime in soon with a yes or a no.

buddy08 said:

you might be able to pull off a yellow tang in there. Im sure an expert will chime in soon with a yes or a no.

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yea i was thinking that. there is plenty of swimming room.

You might be able to put a yellow tang in there, but personally i prefer to see them in 75 or larger.

I would also increase the amount of rock you have in there. You want 1-2 lbs per gallon

i was just reading up on Mantis Shrimp. when i put in one of my live rocks, 2 small little guys bolted out of the rock and disappeared. i found 1 a day later and killed it with the net. They were about 1/4 inch long, i am wondering if they were baby mantis shrimp. I was thinking of giving my live rock a quick freshwater dip to get rid of them, if there are any left in the tank. any thoughts??

They probably were amphipods. Google that -- does it look like them?

Bifferwine said:

They probably were amphipods. Google that -- does it look like them?

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yea. from what i can remember, thats pretty close. thanks!! i guess they are better then mantis shrimp

Yep, pods are great to have.

little_fish said:

You might be able to put a yellow tang in there, but personally i prefer to see them in 75 or larger.

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I fought you said that i wouldn't be able to keep a yellow tang in a 75 gallon?

StickShifty, probably the best tang for a smaller tank is a kole tang. It says on liveaquaria that they need 75 gallons+ and all the others are over 100 gallons+.

There really isn't a good tang for a 55. I think you should stay away from them all together...

I personally wouldnt put any tang in a tank less than 90 gals, but i have come to realize that many people are so desperate to own some fish that they will put it in any size tank they have so i at least try get them to keep it in something reasonable.