55 Gallon Thread

[footballdude2k3]

Hello, I did a search and could not find anything, I would like to see some 55 gallon setups as this is what I am thinking about doing. FTS would be great, specs along with them would be even better. I would like to know what kind of equipment you all use, if you use a sump. Also if you are following a plan that you found online if you could please tell me where it is so I can take a look, so without further ado, lets see some pics! 75 and 90s would be very helpful too as they are still on my mind :)

[new2r1]

Click on my handle and check my gallery, I just posted some pics the other day of my new 55 gal setup. I have a custom acrylic wet dry sump that will be housing my new bubble magus protein skimmer that I just ordered as well as some live rock and heater. My return pump is Pentair brand Quiet One 6000 and my lighting is retrofit metal halides 300w. I am thinking of ordering a Koralia 3 or a 4 powerhead to get some additional flow inside the tank as there are quite a few dead spots.

[piscivorous]

I am still putting mine together, but it is a 55 with about 70-90lbs of rock. Two 175 Watt MH bulbs and two 48" actinics. 15 gallon tall sump that I designed from looking at other sumps online. Skimmer is a Euroreef...I've got two heaters...can't remember the wattage. I believe a Mag 8 for a return pump with a "squid" hooked up for alternating flow. The ballasts for the MH are coralvue...I don't remember the ballast I got for the actinics. I've also got overflows.
If I had it to do over again....I would DEFINITELY get a reef-ready tank with build in cornerflows instead of having overflows...which I think are a flood just waiting to happen. I would also upgrade to a larger tank. At LEAST a 75....I would really like a 120. The stand design is a store bought stand and has a single door opening in the middle of the stand. This makes things VERY tight and VERY difficult to easily access everything with the sump in place. A stand with two doors would be nicer. Also, a stand that was deeper (2 feet for a 120 gallon) would give plenty of working room. The 55 is just really narrow. It also proves challenging for aquascaping your rock...not much room left in front of the glass for open substrate space.