New and looking for advice

[bricepetty1116]

Hello all!

I'm new to reefing and this community and wanted to start off by getting some advice on equipment, fish, and corals.

Equipment:
55 gal display, 15 gal sump, 60 lb live rock, 50 lb live sand, deep sand refugium, GFO & Carbon reactor, protein skimmer. Approx 55 gal total water volume. Total flow between return and power head should be about 1270gph (23 X display volume/hr)

Personal Habits:
Very conservative feeder, I like to keep the tank at the border of being overstocked (the more the merrier for me), pretty solid maintenance habits, I feed only mysis shrimp or other higher end foods. (I try and stay with food that dissolves as little as possible, maintaining low nutrients is important to me)

Experience:
I kept a discus tank when I was in high school pretty successfully for around 2 years. I'm very comfortable with keeping fish and high quality water chemistry. I'm an engineering student and have a good mind for chemistry and access to tons of lab equipment and testing materials. The thing about the reef tank I'm striving for that scares me the most are the corals.

Goal:
Lot's of happy, active colorful fish. Hardy colorful corals with lots of movement. Crystal clear water.

1st off I'm looking for a protein skimmer that will fit in a (5.5' x 6') area inside my sump. The water level is usually between 5-7 inches but I'm still at a point where I make pump adjustments every now and then so that could change a tad. My budget is $150 and I'd like for it to be reasonably quiet and appropriate for my water volume.

2nd I'd like some advice on fish to order once my aquarium is done cycling (should be soon. I'm reading 0 ammonia, about 20-40 nitrate, and a detectable but unknown level of nitrite guessing 1-2 ppm)

I really enjoy LOTS of color and activity. I do know I want a pair of clowns, a tang, and a mandarin. There's still a bit of room left and I'm looking for some other good tank mates that fit the bill. I've been looking at a few dwarf angels and I really enjoy their colors. I'm just concerned about them nipping at corals. Some say they do, others say they don't.

3rd How many fish could I put in my tank at once if I absolutely had to after the cycle is complete? Unfortunately I live in a more rural area and I don't have access to a decent fish store with a quality selection and reasonable prices. It seems as though I am going to have to order my fish from the internet. I'm also a just a college student so my budget is pretty tight. If at all possible I would like to order a bunch of fish all at once and put them in the tank to save on shipping costs. I know this can be stressful and really strain your biological filter, but if there is a way to surpass that I'm interested in taking it.

Perhaps keep feeding to an absolute minimum and a 20% water change every day for a week after adding the fish until the bio-filter can build up to size?

4th Does anybody have any recommendations on a place to order fish? Preferably somewhere with a decent warranty and reputably pest-free, good prices are a plus too. I really know I should quarantine my fish, but it's a relatively small system and I really don't have the real estate in my apartment nor the resources to set up a quarantine system.

5th I want to get my fish established and comfortable first, so this is a bit down the road, but can I get some recommendations on corals? Once again I do enjoy lots of color but in corals I seem to prefer movement. I love all the soft corals and how they sway with the water flow. I've never kept corals before so I'm interested in some relatively inexpensive, fast growing, hardy corals. I'd really love to start with tiny frags and watch them grow and fill up the whole tank with life.

Let me know what you guys think!

[nmotz]

1. You could go with an HOB, but for that small amount of space I can't think of an in-sump skimmer off the top of my head. The Reef Octopus BH 1000 or 2000 would suit you just fine though. Aquamaxx also has a nice HOB skimmer that you could put on your sump.

2. This depends on what kind of fish you want but I recommend you do some searching through the stickies on recommendations on fish for your specific tank size. I'm not an expert on which fish need what size tank but there is really great information in the stickies about this. Also, liveaquaria.com lists the minimum tank size requirement for each fish they sell. This is a great reference point as well. You mentioned tangs and some other fish that might need a bigger tank.

3. This depends on a lot of things, but in general if you're going for max bioload then you'll need a decent export system. I would recommend an algae turf scrubber if you can't find a decent protein skimmer (or both if you can manage it). Also, you might try growing some macroalgae down in the sump. The more LR you have, the better able your tank will be at completing the nitrogen cycle and ridding your tank of excess nutrients. I would not recommend ordering a bunch of fish at once. Again, read the guidance in the forums on the best way to stock a tank from the beginning. This includes how frequently to add fish. Most people also recommend setting up a quarantine tank to avoid introducing diseases or parasites into your display. There are too many cases to count where people have wiped out their entire tank because they didn't quarantine.

4. There's no fish store in the world that can guarantee pest free fish, but liveaquaria is a really good place to order fish online. I'd start there if I were you.

5. Depends on what you want again, but I'd start with soft corals (they demand less light and flow), then move up to LPS after a while. If you want SPS someday, you'll need higher flow than what you are planning right now. Do some more reading about the different types of corals because in the end you can answer this question for yourself better than anyone on here can.

In summary: read, read, read....there is tons of great information in the stickies that can get you pointed in the right direction. Try to avoid just buying a bunch of fish all at once with no long term plan in mind. Good luck!

[bricepetty1116]

Thanks :)

[deleau]

In addition to read, read, read, also ask questions on this forum. You'll find a lot of answers by reading, but reading will generate more questions. People here love to help.

I would also suggest being active here will get your post count up to be able to fully use the buy/sell forums. You can find excellent deals there since you are on a budget.

I would also really try to make a QT work. A 10 gallon QT on your desk/eating table/etc. would be a much better solution than a wipeout.