What should I buy next?

[wiegel24]

I inherited a 55 gal FOWLR from my sisters classroom when she moved. She had the tank 4 years ish and I have had it almost 2. It has 2 clowns, not sure what kind but both are different. Had a green goby die and a blue damsel day a few months ago I have added a purple dottie back and 3 coralline snails. The tank also has 1" of sand and I really don't know how much Live Rock maybe 20-30Lbs. I think it was grayish in color and pretty normal shapes.

What else can I add or should I wait until I have all the right equipment?

I don't know how she kept any fish alive with the equipment she was using. I have been slowly upgrading. Tiny HOB filter upgraded to Fluval 406. Upgraded lighting from a 1 bulb florescent to an Odyssea Quad T5, ballast went out I think? Only 2 bulbs working now. Don't know if I should fix it or get a better fixture??? I added a Reef Octopus BH1000 Protein Skimmer, new metal heater (I keep it at 80 is that right?) and purchased a BRS rodi water filter. Only thing I haven't upgraded yet is the powerhead, its a cheap one maybe 500-750 gph? Was thinking about getting a bigger one but don't know if I need to with the filter and power head at opposite ends and the protein skimmer in the middle. Looks to move pretty good but fish kinda look bored.

Red Algea has also decided to move in but im trying to get rid of it with weekly 10% water changes and just ordered Phos-X to put in the 406. Was thinking 2 bags of carbon and 2 bags of Phos-X along with adding more fluval type bio balls. (I'm gona fill the basket up all the way with them unless that's to many?)

So my main question is, do I finally after 2 years have all the equipment I need to have happy health fish or am I missing something? Do I need a phosphate reactor? or is running it in my filter gona work just fine?

And what fish and cleaning crew members should I add? If you think I am even ready for that?

p.s. sorry I wrote a book

[MondoBongo]

upping the flow can help you to overcome red slime. it tends to prefer low flow or dead spots.

have you thought about a sump? they can be quite useful for a number of reasons.

as far as the temperature, you're well within the acceptable range. i keep my tank at about 77 degrees to give it a few degrees in either direction. usually this is only a concern in the spring, when you have windows open but the temps can rise and fall fairly significantly. 80 is perfectly fine though.

before adding more livestock, you might want to think about a quarantine setup as well. there are some major advantages to having a QT protocol in place. they don't have to be expensive or complicated to use, but they can save you and your fish quite a lot of frustration, and possibly death.

the lighting in a fish only tank is largely your preference. if you decide to start adding corals at any point, that's when you will need to reevaluate your lighting, but with fish only, as long as you find the lighting sufficient for your viewing, and pleasing to your eye, you're all good.

one of my favorite pieces of kit i have is my auto top off (ATO) system. it saves me from having to pour fresh water in every day to account for evaporation. i like anything that cuts down on my maintenance, and the ATO is probably one of the best items in that category.

clean up crew, you will get varied responses to. some people have different preferences than others. i, personally, like a mix of hermits, emerald crabs, shrimp, several different snail types, and some of the hitchhikers like mini brittle stars and bristle worms. if you have an idea where you want to head with the tank in the future, that can also dictate good options. for example, if you ever plan on getting a hawkfish, trying to keep shrimp as part of your CUC might not work out so well, they will probably end up being a meal.

[wiegel24]

Thanks for the info, could you recommend a powerhead or 2 that would work for me?
My tank is 3'x2'x'2 55gal

[MondoBongo]

depends on your budget and preference. i very much like the vortech powerheads. they move a lot of water, they have a low in tank foot print, amount of water being moved can be adjusted, they can be programmed with different modes, and no in tank wires. the down side is that they cost an arm and a leg.

for a good intersection of budget and functionality, i've had good results with Koralia powerheads. in my 75 gallon i have a vortech mp40 on one side, and a Koralia 1050 on the other side.

[wiegel24]

$150 or so would be my budget. Bought a Koralia and it broke in less than a month. I would rather have quality but maybe I got a dud?

[wiegel24]

Is there such a thing as an in tank quarantine? I have no room for an extra tank. Wife would kill me

[65Stang]

+1 on getting powerheads for more movement to combat the slime.
+1 on Koralia for price conscious. I have two that are 2+ years old on a controller that cycles between them with good flow and no issues.

[Salty Cracker]

Trust me your wife will kill you if keep losing fish and having to replace them. Ask me how I know. Spend the couple extra bucks, it's worth it to set up a QT tank.

[MondoBongo]

Wiegel, how did your koralia break?

[wiegel24]

I really don't know just stopped running. I still have it if you think its fixable? I will go pull it out to see.

[wiegel24]

hmmm, just pulled it out cleaned it, pluged it in wouldn't work. Cleaned it again and ran for 10 min and stopped again. Now its going but don't know how long. It feels free after I clean it then all of a sudden its really tight??? Can I Run it in Hot water and vinegar to get it really clean? Or what do you do???

[MondoBongo]

I've had mine sometimes fail to start, or start in reverse. Sometimes if you clean them out you can get them to start again.

[Reefer54]

a couple good books are always a great investment

[MondoBongo]

I usually use vinegar and a tooth brush. If it is new it may be worthwhile to try to contact koralia about it. Maybe it will be warranty, or they can give suggestions as to how to keep it running.

[Duke4life]

Originally Posted by wiegel24

Is there such a thing as an in tank quarantine? I have no room for an extra tank. Wife would kill me

Had the same issue, but told her about the stories on here and now I get to put a 20 and 10 gal temporarily in the dining room

I'm still in the setting up process as well, if you were to ever get a tang chances are high for ich it seems. Save yourself the time and trouble, plus you still get to enjoy the fish. Would hate to see another horror story.

What are you looking for, ie; reef or FOWLR?

[wiegel24]

Duke, FOWLR for now as I don think I can afford the light for reefs. I only have 3 fish right now. Any suggestions of fish that wont break the bank and get along with clowns and a purple dottie? Or send me a link of a good compatibility chart? And I will have to talk her into a 10gal QT somewhere.

[wiegel24]

Originally Posted by MondoBongo

I usually use vinegar and a tooth brush. If it is new it may be worthwhile to try to contact koralia about it. Maybe it will be warranty, or they can give suggestions as to how to keep it running.

Thanks, its up and going now. I think there was something stuck inside of the prop where the metal rod goes but who knows. Thanks for saving me some MONEY!!!

[MondoBongo]

My pleasure. There is usually a little rubber o-ring that sits in there as well that can sometimes get misaligned and cause issues.

[Duke4life]

Originally Posted by wiegel24

Duke, FOWLR for now as I don think I can afford the light for reefs. I only have 3 fish right now. Any suggestions of fish that wont break the bank and get along with clowns and a purple dottie? Or send me a link of a good compatibility chart? And I will have to talk her into a 10gal QT somewhere.

Here are a couple I like:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/c...lity_chart.cfm
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/saltwa...lity_chart.php

Were the clowns inherited (Post was a little vague on this)? And at this point with the research I've done, your pretty much gonna have to build around them. Think I read somewhere that 1 may claim about 50 gal or so, and are or can be a bit aggressive. With that in mind what about something that would stay upper to midlevel swimmer, and maybe a hawk?

Phil

[wiegel24]

Originally Posted by Duke4life

Here are a couple I like:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/c...lity_chart.cfm
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/saltwa...lity_chart.php

Were the clowns inherited (Post was a little vague on this)? And at this point with the research I've done, your pretty much gonna have to build around them. Think I read somewhere that 1 may claim about 50 gal or so, and are or can be a bit aggressive. With that in mind what about something that would stay upper to midlevel swimmer, and maybe a hawk?

Phil

Yes the clowns came with the tank, I'm working on their id. Common type but ones is big and light orange and the other is smaller and darker orange, same age though. They do seem to get along most of the time but the bigger clown is king. Hawks might be ok but I was wanting shrimp. I really like the Dwarf Flame Angel.

Setting up a QT tank now and after its established will start with my CUC. So I have some time to research.