Any suggestions for my 2 55G???

PR_Reefer · 06/12/2012, 11:12 AM

Hi, my name is Steven. Me and my wife just got into the hobby about a month ago. I have 2 55g Long. The first one has about 3 weeks and it has about 50-70 pounds of live rock about 2 inches of live sand 2 domino damsel and its filtered by a Penguin 350, no sump. The second one has about 4 days and it has about 1 1/2 inches of live sand, about 20pounds of live rock and it has 2 penguins 350, no sump. The first one is going to be a combination of fish and sps but im still waiting for the cycle to finish. The second one is going to be a reef tank mainly to breed sps frags. I'm think im going to fast but my main tank, first tank is not doing bad, only nitrates are a little bit high (40-80ppm) and I think is the cycle spike but not sure. Ph is on 8, ammonia is on 0 and nitrite 0.

PR_Reefer · 06/12/2012, 11:16 AM

Today I did a water test and Nitrates started to go down to 20ppm after a 10% WC last Friday.

pootiethetang · 06/12/2012, 11:28 AM

Hi Steven, welcome to RC.

You are of course moving to fast.

Almost everyone does in the beginning.

The damsels should survive this last part of your cycle o.k. But just FYI, domino damsels are very aggressive. So be cautious about what else you pair them with.

We need more info to give more suggestions. Pics are good too.

But so far;

1) I would dump the penguin filters and get a couple of hang on protein skimmers. AquaC makes the Remora which is a good one that I used for many years.

2) more info..

what kind of lights do you have? Are you using RO/DI water? Do you have powerheads? if so.. how many? Hows your salinity?

Dubya_R_X · 06/12/2012, 02:06 PM

Flow is going to be key to keeping SPS. I've had Vortech's for a couple years and have been very happy with them

PR_Reefer · 06/13/2012, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pootiethetang

Hi Steven, welcome to RC.

You are of course moving to fast.

Almost everyone does in the beginning.

The damsels should survive this last part of your cycle o.k. But just FYI, domino damsels are very aggressive. So be cautious about what else you pair them with.

We need more info to give more suggestions. Pics are good too.

But so far;

1) I would dump the penguin filters and get a couple of hang on protein skimmers. AquaC makes the Remora which is a good one that I used for many years.

2) more info..

what kind of lights do you have? Are you using RO/DI water? Do you have powerheads? if so.. how many? Hows your salinity?

I know that the Filters I have right now dont do much, basically Im using them to catch any debris and to clear the water. The Skimmers and t5 lights are my next investment for the 2 tanks. Right now I have a 1300 GPH powerhead, I ordered 2 more that I will get today or tomorrow and 1 will go on main tank and the other one is for the second tank. No I still dont have RO/DI, I'm using tap water with the tap water conditioner or what ever and I leave it running in a container for at least 2 days so it gets mix well. Salinity right now is at 1.25.

Yesterday I started to see some algae growing and a lot of tiny white dots that look line bugs on the glass of the tank. do I need to be concerned???

Donkeykong · 06/13/2012, 09:45 AM

If you plan on going SPS, you will have to go with a RO/DI unit. Water conditioners will not give you the starting water quality you need especially for SPS. Also I would work on getting the filtration up. Do you have room under the tank for a sump? Even if the tank isnt drilled you could use a HOB overflow and get a sump up and running. It isnt a necessity but with a sump you will have alot better options for filtration. Focus on water quality IE RO/DI and filtration. When you get that all taken care of your tank will have started to mature a little and you will be ready to tackle lighting and then get some coral in there.

Braxibear · 06/13/2012, 09:45 AM

White bugs are probably pods from your live rock. They are good for the tank.

Remember, slow and steady! Jumping the gun and moving too fast will lead to problems in the future.

The tap water will give you some algae problems, so try to invest in the RO/DI unit sooner than better. Better quality water=healthier and happier tankmates.

Have you thought about a sump? the added benefits of it will help you greatly if you are planning on keeping corals.

06/12/2012, 11:12 AM	#1
PR_Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Spokane, Wa Posts: 116	Any suggestions for my 2 55G??? Hi, my name is Steven. Me and my wife just got into the hobby about a month ago. I have 2 55g Long. The first one has about 3 weeks and it has about 50-70 pounds of live rock about 2 inches of live sand 2 domino damsel and its filtered by a Penguin 350, no sump. The second one has about 4 days and it has about 1 1/2 inches of live sand, about 20pounds of live rock and it has 2 penguins 350, no sump. The first one is going to be a combination of fish and sps but im still waiting for the cycle to finish. The second one is going to be a reef tank mainly to breed sps frags. I'm think im going to fast but my main tank, first tank is not doing bad, only nitrates are a little bit high (40-80ppm) and I think is the cycle spike but not sure. Ph is on 8, ammonia is on 0 and nitrite 0.

06/12/2012, 11:16 AM	#2
PR_Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Spokane, Wa Posts: 116	Today I did a water test and Nitrates started to go down to 20ppm after a 10% WC last Friday.

06/12/2012, 11:28 AM	#3
pootiethetang Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: VA Posts: 75	Hi Steven, welcome to RC. You are of course moving to fast. Almost everyone does in the beginning. The damsels should survive this last part of your cycle o.k. But just FYI, domino damsels are very aggressive. So be cautious about what else you pair them with. We need more info to give more suggestions. Pics are good too. But so far; 1) I would dump the penguin filters and get a couple of hang on protein skimmers. AquaC makes the Remora which is a good one that I used for many years. 2) more info.. what kind of lights do you have? Are you using RO/DI water? Do you have powerheads? if so.. how many? Hows your salinity?

06/12/2012, 02:06 PM	#4
Dubya_R_X Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 77	Flow is going to be key to keeping SPS. I've had Vortech's for a couple years and have been very happy with them

06/13/2012, 09:45 AM	#6
Donkeykong Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Grover Beach CA Posts: 1,847	If you plan on going SPS, you will have to go with a RO/DI unit. Water conditioners will not give you the starting water quality you need especially for SPS. Also I would work on getting the filtration up. Do you have room under the tank for a sump? Even if the tank isnt drilled you could use a HOB overflow and get a sump up and running. It isnt a necessity but with a sump you will have alot better options for filtration. Focus on water quality IE RO/DI and filtration. When you get that all taken care of your tank will have started to mature a little and you will be ready to tackle lighting and then get some coral in there.

06/13/2012, 09:45 AM	#7
Braxibear Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 65	White bugs are probably pods from your live rock. They are good for the tank. Remember, slow and steady! Jumping the gun and moving too fast will lead to problems in the future. The tap water will give you some algae problems, so try to invest in the RO/DI unit sooner than better. Better quality water=healthier and happier tankmates. Have you thought about a sump? the added benefits of it will help you greatly if you are planning on keeping corals.