what first?

[overlord09]

ok so i have a question i started a reef tank about a month ago it is all going good. I have the clean up crew of inverts like Nassarius snails, Turbos, and reef hermit crabs, i have a minimal amout of live rock (about 25 Lbs) in a 55 gal. tank. Now im wondering if i should get a protein skimmer or more live rock first or if i should start stocking fish i have already had a tang but he died because of a gill disease so my tank has already been cycled wat do i do please respond as i think i will be going to the marine shop by me on saturday. if u want to see my tank i will have pictures of it in my profile.

[hanas]

You definitely do not want to add any fish yet. Did the tang you have die of this gill disease in the current tank you're referring to?

I would put your money towards another 20-25 lbs of LR and a protien skimmer. Get everything stable and fully equipped before adding fish. PATIENCE is HUGE in this hobby, you'll save a lot of money down the road by spending more now on good equipment.

[hanas]

I asked about what tank the tang died in because if it was a disease like ick or marine velvet, you'll want to keep that tank "fallow" or empty for at least 6-8 weeks to rid any parasites that may still be in the water. Again, practicing patience now will save you $$ on livestock down the road.

[overlord09]

well im pretty sure my powder brown died of a gill disease but im not sure which one. but i also have to say about a day before it died i changed my filtration from 2 emperor 280's to a wet-dry sump. now im not sure if that could have caused it b/c i know he was stressed since i had just added my new lighting fixture, so i dont know if it was all to much for it or if it was gill disese. but i did notice the night b4 her died that he was breathing very quickly and he was not in his usual place in the LR i had. if that helps at all i really cant tell you any more. and i also have a question about the protein skimmer should i put it in the sump or hang it on the back? and about LR how much do u think i need i making 2 islands on either side of my tank and i was thinking about puchasing about another 25 Lbs. then adding some base rock behind it to flush it out but only see the live rock would that be a good idea? if your wondering about my lighting i have a nova extreme 4x54 T5 fixture with 2 actinics and 2 white lights. and thanks

[hanas]

The lighting you have is good for your 55G, I'm not sure if the Nove has individual reflectors, but it's good for LPS corals, zoas, mushrooms, and possibly SPS if they if the fixture does indeed have individual reflectors.

Considering it's a tang, it's a safe bet to think it had some parasitic disease, since they are very prone to it. Either way, if it was me, I would play it safe and not add any new fish for at least 6-8 weeks (I know this sucks, but it would suck more if you spent a lot of $$ on fish, to only have them perish due to a parasite)

As far as a skimmer, I would prefer one in the sump, but either way is fine. The sump obviously makes it hidden, which looks nicer.

Do you plan on adding corals?

I would add another 25 lbs of LR as you mentioned, you should be good with that.

Let me know if this helps or if you have more questions.