Demm's 55g

[Demm]

Well i transfered everything from my 29g to my 55g. So things are lookin a bit ugly as of right now...lol

Specs:

-Tanks 55 (4 ft tank)
-Seio 620 power head (620 gph)
-Hydor Nano power head (260gph)
-Maxijet 900 power head (240gph)
(total about 20x flow compared to tank volume)
-Seaclone 100 protien skimmer
-About 50-60lbs of live sand
-About 45lbs of live rock
-Oddysea 130w (65 watt x2) PC light. 12000k day bulb and actinic bulb, with blue moonlights

Tests:

Calcium - 700ppm (i have an extremely high level, i've been adding calcium in my tank but never tested it until now when i got the reef test kit. it hasnt hurt nothing yet, but i am looking to get this level in check, dunno how to lower it. i guess just not add anymore and wait it out)

kH - 11dkh
Phosphate - 0ppm
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - about 5ppm or less.


i am also currently adding strontium, and megnesium and iodine to the tank as directed by the bottle i use. but i dont have test kits for those.

Current Stock:


-Button Polyps (hitchhikers)
-Brown and some Green Mushrooms
-Green Zoas, and Orange Zoas (i think)
-Torch Coral
-Clove Polyps
-Green Star Polyps
-Xenia
-Yellow Polyps
-Alot of Bristle Stars/Serpent Stars
-several Hitchiker Asterina Star
-4 or 5 Nassarius Snails
-1 Emerald Crab
-6 Reg Leg Hermit Crabs
-2 Engineering Gobys
-2 Ocellaris
-1 Emporer Cardinal
-1 Sailfin Blenny
-1 White Ring Urchin
-1 Spotted Mandarin

Ok well since i just moved everything over its kinda ugly...i have my 30" light on there, so its not fully lit yet lol

i am planning on getting a 48 inch Current USA Nova Extreme 4x54W T5HO with 4 Lunar Lights. i'm not sure those are any good? i'm gonna stick with LPS.
<a href="http/www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idP...ct~CU01122.html" target="_blank">http/www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idP...ct~CU01122.html</a>

Also i know the skimmer i have right now is...very very horrible. i have seen a skimmer at the store that i'm planning on getting. it's a Coralife Needle Wheel, there's one for an up to 65g tank and an up to 125g tank. not even sure if this is a good skimmer or not? would it be ok to get the up to 65g tank?
<a href="http/www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage...uri_system.html" target="_blank">http/www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage...uri_system.html</a>
it's the top one on that site.

here's a couple other pics.

i also plan on getting alot mroe live rock, i'm gonna fill up the whole back of the tank left to right with a reef like setting. so i'd probably be getting about 40lbs more making a total of 80 or 85lbs of rock.


Let me know opinions and if that skimmer and light is any good.

thanks!
-Demm

 

[Musho3210]

personally i dont like that light since the reflector sucks and you lose a lot of light that way. Other than that it does get great reviews. I wouldnt get it though.

Skimmer, well, its a hit and miss with those, the 65 gallon model isnt big enough IMO, really, if i were you, i would go with the 220 model since that one is the most popular one that seems to work the best.

 

[Demm]

what kinda of T5 light would be pretty good? not really the best of the best, but good enough to have a variety of LPS and softies?

also with that skimmer, would there be a better option then that 220g one for about the same price?

 

[Musho3210]

hmm, what country are you in? Tunze and deltec are great, but IMO slightly a waste of money in the US, Euro-reef is a good american company. Coralife get hit and miss reviews, as well as aquaC.

 

[Demm]

i'm in the USA (Texas).

i'm guessing the 216watt Catfish Lighting 48" Quad T-6 Light Fixture isnt any good is it?
[URL="http/www.catfishlighting.com/body_t5lights.htm"]http/www.catfishlighting.com/body_t5lights.htm[/URL]

its the one towards the bottom.


also what kinda of a clean up crew would be good for my tank with my current stock?

 

[Demm]

some new pics:

spotted mandarin

a little nassarius i found on the glass

clove

 

[QuotheRaven]

....Jealous I just have my small nano

 

[Demm]

nothing to be jelous about, the nanos are alot harder to keep i hear

oh and by the way, that's sand on the mandarian not parasites lol, i just looked at the pics more closely

 

[SkiFletch]

Hehe, my first thought was "wow that rock's clean"... And then I saw your urchin

Tank looks good

 

[Demm]

yea that urchin really gets the job done. in a couple weeks it will be going bye bye from my tank tho. my roomate is setting up my old 29g for his own and he will be putting the urchin in there. i mounted some frags with superglue, and the urchin undid the glue and threw my polyps off the side of the rock and i found them in the sand...so i kinda got mad at him lol

 

[Musho3210]

mandarins dont get most if any parasites on their body because of a special slime they secrete, the cons about this is that tehy are very sensitive to medication,

 

[Demm]

ahh ok thats good to know! i never knew that, thx for the info

 

[Demm]

Some new pics:

Cleaner Shrimp on my finger:

Xenia:

Yellow Polyps:

 

[Demm]

Update:

I got a peppermint Shrimp, havent really seen it much so no pics of it. i see it's tail sticking out way in the pack from time to time.

also got about 20-25lbs more base rock. figured i'd just wait and let them get "alive" over the next couple of months.

Also bought a 6 x 54watt T5 light, that is on it's way, hopefully will be here within a week or so.

pics:

New tang. other one was pretty skinny when i bought it, it didnt make it. so i learned to pay a bit more attention to the fish i'm buying. this one looks healthy, it's swimming around, and loves to play with the cleaner shrimp. It's eating and everything

Full tank shot:

And i also re-arranged a few of my corals:

will update again when i get the new light!

 

[SkiFletch]

Oooh can't wait to see the new light... GOnna really make those colors pop Make sure you take before/after pics