56g Column Tank - What am I missing?

[mdeleon1]

I purchased the following tank and equipment. The pet store guy sounds like a SW encyclopedia so went with his recommendations. Looking for feedback as I have been reading post with differing setups.

56g column tank
Rena Filstar xP2 canister filter
Aqueon T5 Dual Lamp (package says for freshwater)
Fluval Biomax (to put into the canister filter)
1 - Aqueon circulation pump 500
Bottle of Prime water conditioner
Thermometer
Hydrometer
Water test kit
1- 40lb bag of live sand
2 - 50g bags of Instant Ocean salt mix

[rad1687]

I would return the canister and the light. A 56 gallon is a tall tank, and 2 T5 bulbs will not be sufficient for keeping corals. I would look into at least a 4 bulbs fixture, even if it is a cheap one from fishneedit.com or aquatraders.

[mdeleon1]

For got to include what I am planning for the tank.

Fish
Inverts
Live Rock
Anemone

Does that change anything?

[Peale]

What kind of nem?

[mdeleon1]

Nems for the clownfish.

[Peale]

You will need a much stronger light for a clown hosting nem. You will need either MH or a 6 bulb T5.

[mdeleon1]

What replaces the canister? MH appear to be too expensive so either a 4 or 6 bulb T5, right?

[mistaflicksta]

You are going to have to upgrade your equipment in order to have a successful tank. I have the same tank. You can see what equipment I am running in my signature.

Here is a pick just so you can see what your tank can be like
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m579/mistaflicksta/1101Meeting001.jpg

[vorm]

Bottle of Prime water conditioner


Take this back as well. Using tap water will cause you endless headaches.
Use RO/DI water instead.

And I agree with the others, you are going to need more powerful lighting if you're going to keep an anemone in there.

+1 on returning the canister filter. Get a protein skimmer instead. With a good amount of live rock and sand in there that is all the filtration you should need.

[mdeleon1]

So if anemone is going cause extra lighting requirement, I will hold off on them for now. I will use extra $$$ for an RO/DI and return canister for a good skimmer. With that said, is the Aqueon T5 Dual Lamp acceptable?

[Peale]

that light is fine for a FOWLR system.

[vorm]

Any light is fine for just fish as they don't need light to live, it's just for your viewing pleasure. Things like anemones and corals which get food from photosynthesis need a lot of light to survive and thrive.

[mdeleon1]

Now that lighting is squared away, on to returning canister filter.

This tank has no drilled holes and states not to drill due to tempered glass. Is a sump still an option? If not, what will work?

Also,until I get a RO/DI system, what is the recommendation to fill tank initially. I will use pre-mixed seawater for my changes to avoid using tap water.

I appreciate everyone's input. This is the exact challenge I was looking for with this hobby.

[Peale]

You can use a HOB overflow if you want a sump. They are not ideal, but work. The Lifereef overflows are certainly the best of the options out there.

I would call the tank manufacturer and see if the sides are tempered. Usually, it's the bottom that's tempered.

[vorm]

if you want a sump you can use a HOB (hang-on-back) overflow box. If you don't want to go the sump route you can get a HOB skimmer.

For water, you can get probably get RO/DI at your local fish store, or even pre-mixed saltwater if you prefer. Or, you can also get RO water from those drinking water machines at grocery stores, which is what I did when I first started until finally getting a RO/DI unit.

[mistaflicksta]

I have a Hang on back overflow. before I installed the overflow, I had a canister filter which I cleaned weekly. You can have success with the canister filter but like I said you would have to clean it religiously. The only purpose of my filter was to remove detritus and to run carbon.

[milesofreefs]

they make hob refuge/skimmer combos that would work well on your tank that