I have been wanting to start a reef aquarium for years now. A friend sold me her 55 gallon with stand 30 gallon and 5 gallon for $200. They did come with two placostamos's that are fairly large 12inches. I wanted a 100+ gallon tank but the 55 gallon will have to do to start with.
I am going to do some more reading and then compile a list of hardware to start buying over the next couple weeks. Is there a website that the forum members here would recommend?
Before you do anything else get yourself several good books on state of the are SW reef systems and read them. You are about to spend a lot of money on equipment and livestock. Find out what you really need and what will work.
You are going to need to figure out what you want to maintain in the tank. This determines what equipment you need.
Don't be afraid to ask about what you intend to purchase. There is a lot of junk equipment out there. There are also a lot of fish and other livestock being sold that doesn't belong in your tank, you need to be aware of what they are so you don't buy them.
Always buy top quality equipment. It's cheaper in the long run. Be prepared to replace everything. What is used for SW systems is often much different.
Iain, you are on the right track, that is, posting your plans here before you actually make a move. There are many knowledgeable people here on the RAG such as DaveK who always seem to be willing to share their years of experience. So I'd say before buy, post here first. I don't know your financial situation but bigger tanks cost more to set up and get looking decent but smaller ones are a bit harder to maintain but like I said, you can get a lot of help here either way. Good luck and welcome.
I bought The New Marine Aquarium by Paletta last year and I am re-reading it again now that I have tanks. I am mostly interested in a soft coral reef tank not thinking of anything too complicated or too many fish. I'd like to have a tank with at least live sand and live rock started settled in by January.
In every hobby thereis disposable crap equipment I'd like to avoid that fate.
One note about The New Marine Aquarium by Paletta. When if comes to filtration the book is a bit out of date. Rather than trickle filters, the preferred filtration system today is a berlin type sump and large skimmer.
Not that trickle filter don't work, it's that they tend to become nitrate factories because they are so effective at reducing ammonia to nitrate.
Berlin sumps and a large skimmer work a bit different. First a filter sock removes large particulate matter. Then the skimmer removes most of the small and liquid waste products. By doing this, there is less material to break down. What remains is easily handled by the live rock in the system.
Wow six years old and dated : )
This hobby must evolve pretty fast.
I was expecting to not be able to use any of the equipment that came with the freshwater tanks.
I was planning on protein skimmers and lights as my first purchase. The hood lights I have don't look safe to me.
Which berlin sump and skimmer combo would you recommend for my 55 gallon? Can I use equipment rated for a 100+ gallon tank or is it better to get equipment that is rated for the tank size I have or as close as I can get? Is over engineering a bad thing here.
I use and A. E. Tech skimmer and sump on my 125 gal reef. It's a larger version of what you are looking at. I find their products to be of excellent quality and can highly recommend them.
If you go with them, I'd go up one sump size. It's only $30 more, and I believe it would still fit in your stand, but check! The larger sump gives you more water volume,
One thing you'll notice about A. E. Tech is that the don't offer overflows. You'll need some sort of overflow for your tank. Ideally this should be an internal overflow, but that requires drilling the tank. Many 55 gal tanks are made of tempered glass and can not be drilled. The alternative is an external overflow. The best one of these I have found is made by Lifereef. See them here - http://www.lifereef.com/home.html I use a Lifereef overflow on my 125 gal reef, because that tank can't be drilled.
Lifereef also makes sumps and skimmers so take a look at them also. They also make an excellent product.
Can you find a better price? Well, maybe, but usually you have to give up something. If it costs a lot less, it's going to be of lower quality. Corners were cut some place. Acrylic plastic sheet and tubes are expensive, and that usually translates into expensive equipment.
Some people also build heir own sump. They use a tank similar in size to the sump they want and add the necessary baffles and other things. This is a good way to save if you are into DIY projects.
The larger unit would fit and $30 extra is a nobrainer.
I have been trying to find pics of other tanks plumbing systems as that seems to be step 2 and one of the most important. Do you have a photo of yours with the overflow? I'm afraid no drilling on mine.
Lifereef equipment looks good but seems to be more expensive. I looked for an overflow on their site but couldn't find it do they call it a prefilter box?
I would DIY but I want to make sure it is done right the first time : )
Medium Size Tank Planning - 55 gal to 225 gal
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