I'm considering a 55g salt tank.

[haysanatar]

I've got a 55 gallon tank I'm thinking of turning to the dark side..
right now its just an idea..
its a fully stocked fully planted tank..
but.. I think I want to go salt...
I know most of the basics..
as of now it'd be fish only live rock.
lots of rock.
thoughts?
what should I stock it with
I'd obviously get a skimmer hydrometer scrub everything down and get new sand and the like..
input?
talk me into it out of it
give me ideas for stocking etc.

 

[Tangs Rule]

Wash it with vinegar after you empty the freshwater. That helps remove all the crap in the tank.

A 55 is kind of small for a FOWLR, but you can get some nice anthias (really colorful) and a dwarf angelfish, any type of clown fish, and maybe a smaller wrasse or two.

 

[sweeTang21]

i dont think its to small at all. There are obvious limits of fish that can be kept. You are certainly able to keep reef fish, with out corals, and then would be able to add corals down the road when your used to saltwater. Adding a new light at that time will be required of course.

i think 60-70 lbs of rock will fit okay but anything more then that and your talking about a lot of lost water and swimming room. use your judgment and what ever looks you like are what you should go with, just bare in mind you may not be able to keep more fish, etc.......

 

[Tangs Rule]

How about go with a 30 gallon sump, and keep most of your live rock in the sump. It gives you the same benefits as having it in your show tank and allows your fish more swimming room.

sweetang, I don't mean a 55 is a small tank but by FOWLR standards a 55 is relatively small. Heck, if you read books they tell you anything less than 200 is small.

 

[BIGgourami]

sweetang, I don't mean a 55 is a small tank but by FOWLR standards a 55 is relatively small. Heck, if you read books they tell you anything less than 200 is small.

books from the 60's, lol
the movement toawrds nano tanks and recent advances in filtration/techniques leads people to smaller and smaller tanks

i had a 10 gallon FO, then it went FOWLR, then reef.. small is small, large is large.. i dont think type of system would have much to do with it

if anything FOWLRs and FOs could be smaller as you don't need quite the stable requirements of a reef to keep just fish or things like shrimp and feather dusters

 

[haysanatar]

well.. I am buying stuff piece at a time for my tank..
I just got a 170gph powerhead..
I'm going to get either one more AND a wave maker
or .. one more or a wave maker
I don't want to overdo water movement..
or under do it
the live rock I'm getting has huge purple areas
totally cured!!!!
I do have a 5 gallon tank I could turn to a refrigium..


I'm looking at fluidized bed filter too..
so thats like 300 gallon filtration of my 55 gallon tank...
plus my live rock which I estimate to be like 75 pounds..
and a hopeful 5 inch deep sand bed of argonite..


think thats enough