Setup 55g Tank

[Sealife]

Hello everyone

I am getting a 55 tank for free and would like to setup a reef tank with "some" fish. :-)
Have been reading the forums on this site and other information on the internet. But I would really like some advise on what people have running for a 55g reef system.

Was looking into a Ehiem 2227 but what about nitrates?

Should I use a RO/DI with the system or bag all that and setup a Refugium?

Many, many questions. :-)

Any advice would help!

Thank You.

Information overload.

[Achilles1208]

imo get a sump with a refugium....as far as water u can purchase gallons of distilled water or just buy a ro/di system

what type of corals are you going to be setting up?
what kind of fish?
what type of lighting?

[funkpolice]

I got my 55 for free from someone, and had to make a lot of changes once I started to learn what was what. I use an aqua c remora pro skimmer, and it works really well. I have a 250 watt heater which seems sufficient. For water movement I have two Koralia 3s. My lighting is 260 watts of pc, which isn't very much, but it's enough for my lps, softies, and zoas. I'm not sure how much live rock, or sand I have, but I'd estimate 60-70 lbs. I don't have a fuge yet, but I have a 20 gal tank I'm going to use for that, as of now I have a fluval 304 canister filter I run carbon in. Here's a couple picks of my tank.

This one is from 2-15-08


Here's one from 2-17-08 after I re-aquascaped


And heres a more recent one, about a month ago


hope this helps a little bit. I wish I had a bigger tank.
bill

[Sealife]

Thank you for the quick replies, as for the questions:

>>what type of corals are you going to be setting up?
>>what kind of fish?
>>what type of lighting?

I have not made any list up yet was just getting my filtering setup ideas then was going to pose those questions. :-)

For me I would like to start out simple till I get a handle on everything, so any suggestions on fish, coral or lighting would love to hear some ideas as I am waiting for my reef books to arrive.


Thank you funkpolice it does help, I love seeing what people have done.

[evallarta1]

Def. get a fuge. If your handy enough you can build one fairly cheap. Most people build them out of smaller tanks. I built one out of a 20 gal tank and siliconed baffles in it. If you look in the DIY section there are tons of post about it. Also regardless if you use a fuge or not you should use RO/DI water.

[bluespotjawfish]

I love my 55 without a sump! I have a good HOB filter, fuge for chaeto, CPR skimmer, and about a 3-4" sand bed w/LR in the tank. Nitrates stay at ) in this tank.

Anyway, I guess it depends on what you plan to keep! Mine is setup for my anemones and 3 clownfish. Take a peek:

[Tru2nr]

i would def. get a sump and fuge i love having it especially for producing pods/mysis not to mention the nutrient exporting qualities i also try to maximize the amount of the water that i have with my limited space