Noob aquarist with a 55 gallon tank.

[Mikek]

Hi all, first let me admit, that I have moved a little quicker than suggested by most experts and fellow hobbiests. I started this whole process about a month ago.

I have a 55 gallon tank that came with a Topfin 75 HOB. I started with 40 lbs of RS, and 20 lbs of LS, and a Coraline 65g Protein Skimmer (which I am STILL trying to figure out exactly how this is supposed to work properly) and started everything up.

About a week later I put in 2 Blue Damsels, 3 Trochus snails and about 15lbs of LR (unfortunately one of those rocks came with Aiptasia and some Bristle Worms, I pulled out the rock and returned it, and seem to have removed any worms).

A couple of days later I added 4 Red-Legged hermits.

A week after that I added a Neon Dottyback (thinking about any remaining Bristle Worms) and a Firefin Goby

A few days after that I added 2 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
I replaced, or added a Cascade 1000 Cannister filter at about this time as well

About a week and a half later (today) I went a little nuts since all my levels have stayed good, and added 9lbs of LR, 2 Oscellaris Clowns, a Mushroom Coral, a Hard Coral, and finally, a Heart Sea Urchin.

My intention is to now monitor everything for 3 to 4 weeks, at which time I intend to add perhaps a Yellow Tang, another 6-8" fish, and more coral (in stages of course)...and possibly a Decorator Crab (very neat looking one at my LFS), as well as more cleaners as needed.

As of today my levels were 1.021-1.022 salinity, 8.0 pH (working on gradually bringing that up a little more), "Ideal" Alk, 78-80 temp, and no Ammonia or Nitrate...I feed the fish Omega One Marine Flakes with Garlic in the morning, and that with some dried blood worms thrown in at night... and THAT is this Noob's new tank. :D

 

[Marinne13]

you only waited a week before adding fish?? did you even monitor the cycle

you added some stuff really fast

 

[reefnoob]

+1 Marinne13. And I think you're already pretty close to reaching your limit of fish. I don't recommend a yellow tang for a 55 gallon. There just isn't enough room for them to swim, which could lead to stress, and in turn, death.

 

[wontonflip]

Welcome to the site!

Definitely slow down a bit. Also, you might want to make sure to add live or base rocks to your tank. Typically you'll want 1-2lbs per gallon. Monitor your levels because you don't want ammonia spikes to kill your livestock.

And a tang is definitely not going to do well in your system. They typically need 75g or more. You can look at liveaquaria.com to see what each fish requires in terms of tank size.

 

[Mikek]

Thanks for the Tang info, I had read 55g on most sights, and of course most of the ones I have seen have been younger fish. But hearing from those with experience puts a different perspective. And though still early I admit, my time was off, it was 2 weeks before I added the first fish, everything was good so I decided to take an early stab with the damsels. I know I am near limit, my intention is about 8 fish, with most being 3-4 inches (I have read everything from 1 inch per gallon to 1 inch per square ft of surface area, so I figured I'd come somewhere in between, as long as they didn't look physically crowded), and I do check my ammonia and other levels at least every other day right now. I do appreciate all the advice however...and I will run with the suggestion on live rock as well. I wasn't sure if I should be adding all 50+ lbs at once, or go gradually as well, which is why I am at about 20lbs right now.

 

[Marinne13]

I believe the rule for saltwater is 1 fish per 10G unless it is a larger fish then it goes down

you already have 5 fish so I wouldn't add anymore for awhile...you def need live rock

 

[wontonflip]

You can add all 50lbs now. In fact, I'd go with just base (dry) rock because if you add live, you run the risk of die off and another cycle. Since the tank's up, save yourself some $$ and get dry rock. It will be live in no time at all.

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

Im gonna be positive here, so good luck. Be careful in you up coming decisions, like getting rid of that canister filter. Us who are reefers find that they are breeding grounds for nitrates. Your salinity is way to low for corals, should be .025+. What do you have for lighting? Im scared your going to be out of this hobby quickly because your bioload is so high and nothing to deplete it. Welcome aboard

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

Welcome too the forum. I think you're slightly crazy for adding corals so fast :p. But hey, you may get lucky (should of waited 3-6 months with LR before doing it). Also, check out Macro Rock (Google it) for some Base Rock. 20-50Lbs of LR is more then enough to seed some Base Rock(I'd get like 50lbs or so to put you at about 100Lbs of LR/BR total). Also, don't put any 6-8" fish in a 55 gallon. They are a bit large for a tank that size (I know 55 sounds like it's big, but as far as salt water goes, it's still relatively small). If you are looking to add one more fish, I'd throw a Watchmen Goby in (Whichever one you like) for a little help cleaning your sand(Wait a little bit before doing it though, like 1-2 fish a month). A bunch more hermit crabs, and a few more snails (Once you have some actual algae build up). You could even do some Serpent Stars (They are pretty cool, and relatively cheap :p). As far as corals go (from the advice I've been given) you should wait until you see these pink algae spots build up on your tank before adding them. That's a good indicator that you're ready for corals.

Sorry about the essay lol, but once again, welcome too the forum. Good luck, and hope everything works out well for you. :)

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

Also, some people disagree, but I'd bring the damsels back to the LFS. They are aggressive as hell and highly territorial. But, you may be willing to deal with that. Just my :twocents:.

 

[noy]

love the fake plants (think they are fake) - looking good so far.

 

[Mikek]

:question:Will any base rock from an LFS eventually seed, or is there specific types of rock that work better than others? Admittedly the coral is a test with some inexpensive hardy coral. As for the Damsels, I'm lucky I guess because these are very non-aggressive. My Dottyback can be a bit of a bully, but overall the fish all seem to get along so far.:D

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

I am sure they are a test as well as all the fish in there too. This is my whole point. We are not her to test, we are here to learn. If it hasent worked for others, dont do it. All that is happening is money down the drain and a loss on something that didnt need to die. If you wanna do it right, return all your fish and coral for trade on lr. Start over. You soon will be having a hard time because of aglae problems and constant mini cycles. Please dont sound like you have it figured out, its not luck, its a matter of time

 

[Mikek]

I am NEW to this and LEARNING. Unfortunately, sometimes learning comes from experience both good and bad. I realize this process may have unfortunate results at time, and unfortunately for every bit of good advice, there is contrary advice out there claiming equal merit (everything from number of fish to time between stages), so part of MY learning process is weeding out that which is correct. I am finding some very constructive advice in here, in between the reprimands, and for that I thank you.

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

If you're saying that towards me I apologize if I came off as nasty.. Wasn't my intention.

And yes, most base rock is fine to add with LR. It takes 2-4 weeks for BR to become live, but months before you see any outward appearance changes.

 

[Mikek]

Thanks Anthony, and no, I wasn't offended by anything you said...really wasn't truly offended by anything said by anyone so much as surprised. But I guess when we take on a hobby, we get passionate about it, and tend to have very strong opinions, and I'm realizing some of the mistakes I have made and am a little sensitive to being a little stupid. But thanks to everyone's feedback, I intend to get a bunch of base rock today, and probably a 20% water change to get some "clean" water in there as well.

 

[Marinne13]

sounds like a good plan...remember to mix your new saltwater for several hours before adding, I usually do 24 hours

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

Okay good :). I wish you the best of luck, and hope everything works out with the corals. Most of the fish you have would probably survive a mini cycle anyway (I actually called my LFS to find out for you :p. The dottyback was the only one he said he'd be worried about). Also, just my opinion, you should probably wait a little longer before adding any more coral. During the first few months your tank is establishing you will have fluctuations in the water that could potentially kill things off. In the end, it's your tank though :p, so it's ultimately your choice. Good luck, and I look forward to your tank growing :)

 

[reefnoob]

What they mean by "seeding" is taking live rock from the LFS and putting it in your tank. You can buy all base rock (the dry ones) and then add maybe 1 or 2 pieces of live rock (the ones with bacteria on it) to seed the rock. It's much faster getting the bacteria from rock that is already live rather than waiting for them to grow. And it's also much easier on the wallet to buy base rock than live rock.

 

[ErinCahir]

Welcome, first of all.

What kind of water are you using? What kind of lights do you have?

For the record, bristleworms are good guys. They are an invaluable part of your clean up crew.

You should also get those decorations out of there. They're meant for freshwater tanks and will make for serious problems down the road for you.