55g reef tank

[William Chiavetta]

I recently had a huge Ich outbreak and had everything die. When I start back up again (July 6th) it will basically be starting over. No survivors. I want to eventually to upgrade to 125

Bank account balance: -$4290
I eventually want to have corals but don't own any yet

QT tank:

Tank: Topfin 40 gallon
filter: PF75 power filter top fin
Heater: Interpet Life thermal 50 gallon submersible aquarium heater
Treatments: Fritz copper safe

Space reserved for more build details:

• Tank: Aqueon 55 gallon
• Stand: FB marketplace
• Light: NICREW Classic LED 27 watt aquarium light
• Pump: none
• Powerhead: Aqueon ACP950 950 GPH
• ATO: none
• Skimmer: Reef Octo 2000 HOB
• Filtration: Fluval 407
• Heater: 150W Aqueon submersible
• Rocks: 50 Lbs macrorock reef saver
• Sand: Aragonite Caribsea
• Automation: none
• RODI system: Icecap
• Salt: Instant ocean
• Investment in equipment: $1398 (not including taxes)
• Investment in dead fish: $474 (not including taxes)

Fish stock list:
Powder Blue tang (I realize that I will have to upgrade eventually)
Regal Blue tang (same with the PB)
Black Ice Snowflake Clownfish (Cute little guy)
Melanurus Wrasse (I've heard some great things about these guys)
Darwin Clownfish (another cutie)
Coral Beauty Angelfish (One I'm sure about)
Starry Blenny (Hopefully will help sift the sand)
Diamond Goby (same with starry blenny)
Mandarin Fish (I am planning to get this second to last and am aware of the difficulty)
Dwarf Golden Moray Eel (They are great and the only sort of reef safe eel)

CUC:
Nassarius snails x8
Nerite snails x5
Banded trochus snail x3
Collonista Snail x6
Lettuce nudibranch
Red (Fomia) Starfish
Short spined urchin
Flame scallop

current water parameters:
PH: 7.75
Kh: 9.5 dKH
Nh4: 0.5 mg/l
No2: 0 mg/l
No3: 10 mg/l
Po4: 0.1
Ca: 280 mg/l
Cu: 0

Goals:
Get this thing started back up
Get parameters better
Get a lid for QT tank

 

[monfilsi]

That seems like a lot of fish in order for a 55g tank. Go slow. If you want to add coral in future you’ll need to upgrade the light.

Have fun! Send pics when you get a chance.

 

[William Chiavetta]

That seems like a lot of fish in order for a 55g tank. Go slow. If you want to add coral in future you’ll need to upgrade the light.

Have fun! Send pics when you get a chance.

Thanks so much for the advice I will definitely do more research before getting coral.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I’d love to see pictures of the tank!

 

[William Chiavetta]

I’d love to see pictures of the tank!

Im working on getting pictures uploaded! I'm excited for this project to progress!

 

[TX_REEF]

blue tang and powder blue in a 55g? Not smart or kind to the fish... either one ALONE needs much more space than 55g.

Also, the fish you have on order, are they all coming at the same time? I can easily see you running into trouble there by overloading the biofilter with a group of new additions at once...

The dwarf moray is also concerning. It can and will eat small fish and crustaceans (your shrimp and firefish are likely to become dinner). It also needs a tightly fitted lid, or it will end up on your floor eventually. not a matter of it, but when.

I'm really not usually a downer, but it seems like you did no research or were given really bad advice by someone

 

[William Chiavetta]

blue tang and powder blue in a 55g? Not smart or kind to the fish... either one ALONE needs much more space than 55g.

Also, the fish you have on order, are they all coming at the same time? I can easily see you running into trouble there by overloading the biofilter with a group of new additions at once...

The dwarf moray is also concerning. It can and will eat small fish and crustaceans (your shrimp and firefish are likely to become dinner). It also needs a tightly fitted lid, or it will end up on your floor eventually. not a matter of it, but when.

I'm really not usually a downer, but it seems like you did no research or were given really bad advice by someone

When the tangs get big im shipping them to my friend and the orders are all scheduled out over 9 weeks. The specific DGME im looking at is very peaceful and lives with lots of crustaceans already. I have a VERY tight lid. dont worry lol. thanks for the concern though

 

[TX_REEF]

to each his own - best of luck

 

[William Chiavetta]

to each his own - best of luck

thank you!

 

[William Chiavetta]

Goals:
upgrade to a 125g (I am planning to get too many fish for a 55g)
get a good skimmer (The fish I have on order are way too dirty for a fluval 407)
get calcium up to at least 400 (my calcium is way too low)

 

[Mwatts12]

This is very sad and frustrating to read.

 

[OctoReef12]

Welcome to Reef2Reef, I hope you look around some and digest as much info as possible!

I personally am not an expert, I've only had a saltwater tank for almost 2 years. Leading up to actually having water in the tank though, I probably spent a year at least, going over and planning each aspect of my planned tank. What animals work together, size limitations, lighting, filtration, etc. It's amazing how much info is online and on this forum.

All that being said your list of critters is concerning to me and others I bet. Please don't take this as an attack, but I want to bring to light some concerns based on your list, and hope that you look into each species a little more before it's too late. We as reefers get a lot of flack for "recklessness" on how we handle our animals and coral. I personally feel obligated to give as much attention to details to their environments and how to ethically manage these living beings.

1 Blue hippo tang (have) - These get big, not sure how big yours is, but it will get bigger and is too small for a 55g.
2 ocellaris clowns (have) - Perfectly fine for your tank, I love clowns.
1 powder blue tang (have) - Same as the other tank, and you have 2 in one tank.
1 cleaner shrimp (have) - Great inverts, they tend to do great at avoiding predators, but it can be a concern.
4 firefish (on order) - I'm not sure why you got so many, I had two and they constantly fought, maybe that was just mine.
Dwarf golden moray eel (on order) - TX_Reef already called my concerns out as well, and I agree. It's a matter of when it will happen.
Linkia sea star (on order) - Great CUC fun to watch.
Caribbean sharpnose puffer (on order) - Not 100% if reef safe, but will snack on inverts, shrimp, etc.
Mandarin fish (on order) - These are very picky eaters, and usually require a separate system to grow enough copepods to feed them regularly.
Short spined sea urchin (on order) - The puffer might eat this guy.
Leopard wrasse (on order) - They need a large tank (90g+) and deep sand.
Coral beauty angel (on order) - Can be aggressive to other tank mates, and some enjoy eating corals.
Nudibranch (I want to get but aren't 100% sure about them) - Generally they have a very specific diet of certain pests and such, if they eat all the pests, they die off. Usually used as treatment to something.
Scallop (on order) - Not sure which scallop you have on order, but if I had to bet, I'd imagine a flame scallop, if so those have a very short life, you may be okay with this.

Once again, I'm not trying to call you out or discourage you from being in the reef hobby, quite the opposite. I just hope our cause of concern, leads you to investigate further on each animal you introduce into your tank. This is a great hobby filled with all kinds of methods, no two tanks are identical. We are all very passionate about this hobby and our animals. I hope you take the time I spent here under advisement and pause for a moment. You will hear it many times in these forums, this hobby is a slow hobby when done correctly. But the rewards are amazing!

 

[William Chiavetta]

That seems like a lot of fish in order for a 55g tank. Go slow. If you want to add coral in future you’ll need to upgrade the light.

Have fun! Send pics when you get a chance.

I have added a picture and need to update it since getting 3 new fish lol. I plan to upgrade to a 125g and just got a reef octo 2000-HOB

 

[William Chiavetta]

Welcome to Reef2Reef, I hope you look around some and digest as much info as possible!

I personally am not an expert, I've only had a saltwater tank for almost 2 years. Leading up to actually having water in the tank though, I probably spent a year at least, going over and planning each aspect of my planned tank. What animals work together, size limitations, lighting, filtration, etc. It's amazing how much info is online and on this forum.

All that being said your list of critters is concerning to me and others I bet. Please don't take this as an attack, but I want to bring to light some concerns based on your list, and hope that you look into each species a little more before it's too late. We as reefers get a lot of flack for "recklessness" on how we handle our animals and coral. I personally feel obligated to give as much attention to details to their environments and how to ethically manage these living beings.

1 Blue hippo tang (have) - These get big, not sure how big yours is, but it will get bigger and is too small for a 55g.
2 ocellaris clowns (have) - Perfectly fine for your tank, I love clowns.
1 powder blue tang (have) - Same as the other tank, and you have 2 in one tank.
1 cleaner shrimp (have) - Great inverts, they tend to do great at avoiding predators, but it can be a concern.
4 firefish (on order) - I'm not sure why you got so many, I had two and they constantly fought, maybe that was just mine.
Dwarf golden moray eel (on order) - TX_Reef already called my concerns out as well, and I agree. It's a matter of when it will happen.
Linkia sea star (on order) - Great CUC fun to watch.
Caribbean sharpnose puffer (on order) - Not 100% if reef safe, but will snack on inverts, shrimp, etc.
Mandarin fish (on order) - These are very picky eaters, and usually require a separate system to grow enough copepods to feed them regularly.
Short spined sea urchin (on order) - The puffer might eat this guy.
Leopard wrasse (on order) - They need a large tank (90g+) and deep sand.
Coral beauty angel (on order) - Can be aggressive to other tank mates, and some enjoy eating corals.
Nudibranch (I want to get but aren't 100% sure about them) - Generally they have a very specific diet of certain pests and such, if they eat all the pests, they die off. Usually used as treatment to something.
Scallop (on order) - Not sure which scallop you have on order, but if I had to bet, I'd imagine a flame scallop, if so those have a very short life, you may be okay with this.

Once again, I'm not trying to call you out or discourage you from being in the reef hobby, quite the opposite. I just hope our cause of concern, leads you to investigate further on each animal you introduce into your tank. This is a great hobby filled with all kinds of methods, no two tanks are identical. We are all very passionate about this hobby and our animals. I hope you take the time I spent here under advisement and pause for a moment. You will hear it many times in these forums, this hobby is a slow hobby when done correctly. But the rewards are amazing!

Thank you so much for the concern. I have done some more research and have def changed some things. I really appreciate the advice.

 

[William Chiavetta]

This is very sad and frustrating to read.

I understand and have done some more research. I have decided to cancel a couple orders and I am upgrading everything, including doubling my tank size.

 

[William Chiavetta]

I’d love to see pictures of the tank!

I recently added a picture but just got back from picking up 2 firefish and a leopard wrasse

 

[William Chiavetta]

Bank account balance: -$4290
I have a reef tank that I let cycle for around 8 months
I have a fluval 407, a reef octo 2000-HOB skimmer, a heater that works idk the brand, NICREW Classic LED 27 watt aquarium light, and a great attitude
I eventually want to have corals but don't own any yet
I might return my cleaner shrimp. Just scared something I'll get in the future will eat it
1 Blue hippo tang (have)
2 ocellaris clowns (have)
1 powder blue tang (have)
1 cleaner shrimp (have)
2 firefish (have)
Leopard wrasse (have)
Dwarf golden moray eel (on order for a year from now)
Linkia sea star (on order for a month from now)
Caribbean sharpnose puffer (still deciding but cool to think about)
Mandarin fish (on order for 10 months from now)
Short spined sea urchin (on order for 2 months from now)
Coral beauty angel (on order for 2 weeks from now)
Nudibranch (I want to get but aren't 100% sure about them)
Scallop (on order for 3 months from now)

current water parameters:
PH: 7.75
Kh: 9.5 dKH
Nh4: 0.5 mg/l
No2: 0 mg/l
No3: 10 mg/l
Po4: 0.1
Ca: 280 mg/l
Cu: 0

Goals:
upgrade to a 125g (I am planning to get too many fish for a 55g)
get calcium up to at least 400 (my calcium is way too low)
get my stupid skimmer working (it's being a real pain in the butt)

There was a massive ich outbreak and I had my PB tang, my blue hippo tang, and 2 firefish die. I now have a qt tank setup to hopefully avoid this in the future

 

[RedOtterCoral]

I understand and have done some more research. I have decided to cancel a couple orders and I am upgrading everything, including doubling my tank size.

Now that you've had a complete loss I hope that you take the time to fully do your research.

Myself and others on this thread and other threads weren't trying to attack you, but trying to point out you were going too gung ho with little regard to the fish and their needs.

You were already overstocked before you added the pair of firefish and leopard wrasse, which needs expert care in an established tank.

This overstocking probably contributed to the stress that caused the ich outbreak.

I feel for you, I really do. I think crashes are a sort of 'initiation' that most reefers encounter during their time in the hobby.

This forum is a great resource with a ton of people way more experienced than both you or I. Take what others say into consideration, as we want you to succeed and the fish to have the best chance at surviving.

Best wishes on your upgrade and second go at it.

 

[William Chiavetta]

Now that you've had a complete loss I hope that you take the time to fully do your research.

Myself and others on this thread and other threads weren't trying to attack you, but trying to point out you were going too gung ho with little regard to the fish and their needs.

You were already overstocked before you added the pair of firefish and leopard wrasse, which needs expert care in an established tank.

This overstocking probably contributed to the stress that caused the ich outbreak.

I feel for you, I really do. I think crashes are a sort of 'initiation' that most reefers encounter during their time in the hobby.

This forum is a great resource with a ton of people way more experienced than both you or I. Take what others say into consideration, as we want you to succeed and the fish to have the best chance at surviving.

Best wishes on your upgrade and second go at it.

Thank you!

 

[X-37B]

Curious how long have you been in the hobby? Is this your first system?
Success is simple if you slow down and get a plan.
I have been in the hobby 30+ and most people that struggle have no plan.
You owe it to the fish and corals you are going to keep to do it right from day one.
My 2 cents worth of advice.