Filtering Salt Water

[Silentking]

I just got a 55 gal tank and I want to make it saltwater but I don't know what type of filter unit I need. I'm looking to get some clown fish and some reefs, plants (alive). I getting Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix which I hear is really good but I don't want to get a filter that will stripe the water of what the fish, plants, and the reefs need can anyone help me?

 

[enjoiskater158]

if you got 55 lbs or more of live rock it will filter your water and you could add a power filter just to get bigger stuff out of the water. a protein skimmer would be good for the tank, it would keep down ammonia nitrates and nitrites but will also take out alot of stuff that corals need i at the moment do not have a skimmer and just liverock and a power filter and everything is doing fine

 

[Ranger]

I just got a 55 gal tank and I want to make it saltwater but I don't know what type of filter unit I need. I'm looking to get some clown fish and some reefs, plants (alive). I getting Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix which I hear is really good but I don't want to get a filter that will stripe the water of what the fish, plants, and the reefs need can anyone help me?

Your going to want to have approx 1 pound of LR(Live Rock) per gallon minimum. For a tank your size a skimmer is recommended if not necessary. You'll need powerheads, enough to have 20x the volume of your tank circulated per hour. Thats it as far as filtration goes for a basic SW tank. Certain types of fish need special "filtration". As far as I know protein skimmers are not bad for corals. All they do is take "gunk" out of the water.

 

[k.o.d]

Filtering by using the Berlin method would be exactly as said above

1lb of live rock per gallon of seawater
minimum of 20x circulation ( with circulation ensuring no dead spots in the tank )
protein removal by use of a high powered protein skimmer ( the skimmer does not remove ammonia and nitrites but removes the protein based waste that would turn to nitrogenous product during the nitrification process )

I take it by reefs you mean corals? You will need good circulation and adequate filtration for most corals to flourish.

Steve

 

[Ranger]

I just got a 55 gal tank and I want to make it saltwater but I don't know what type of filter unit I need. I'm looking to get some clown fish and some reefs, plants (alive). I getting Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix which I hear is really good but I don't want to get a filter that will stripe the water of what the fish, plants, and the reefs need can anyone help me?

Just a heads up, as the above poster mentioned, if by plants/reefs you mean corals, you are going to need special lighting.

 

[Silentking]

I just got a 55 gal tank and I want to make it saltwater but I don't know what type of filter unit I need. I'm looking to get some clown fish and some reefs, plants (alive). I getting Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix which I hear is really good but I don't want to get a filter that will stripe the water of what the fish, plants, and the reefs need can anyone help me?

Just a heads up, as the above poster mentioned, if by plants/reefs you mean corals, you are going to need special lighting.

what type of lighting?
all i have so far is a tank and a stand

 

[Silentking]

i'm looking for somethings like this

just to give u an idea of what i'm talking about

 

[SkiFletch]

Lol, you like my pics huh? . Thats what people refer to as a full reef setup. The first few pictures in 1024x768 are of one of the show tanks at my LFS. The keeper of that specific tank has been keeping reefs for 15 years, so dont be surprised if you have trouble duplicating his beauty from the start . The rest of those shots are of my own tank, which you can probably replicate if you go slow and research a lot.

If you want a really stunning reef, IMO, you'll need a sump. I have seen some people go sumpless and have success but I have also seen many go sumpless and have fits with their aquarium. Might want to start researching sumps at melevsreef.com. Your work doesnt have to be as beautiful as melevs, but having a sump is a BIG plus when keeping a fullblown reef.

As for lighting for a 55g I'd either do 4x54watt T5s, or a dual 175watt metal halide setup. If you're handy, you can retrofit either systems into a canopy for a 55g, or if not, you might want to buy a complete fixture.

Also, if you want lots of corals as pictured, a skimmer will be nearly essential. The make and model will depend if you're US or UK and if you have a sump or dont.

 

[Silentking]

yea those r really nice and thanks for the info b/c some of these website for the products don't tell you what they work with or don't and i don't know anything about salt water other then their awesome. i'm really good at building stuff my downfall is the shopping for it. not many places out here where u can go in and talk to someone in there and believe they know what their talking about so anymore help u can give me would be great

 

[SkiFletch]

If you're good at building stuff (especially if you like plumbing), you'll love this hobby

Lets start with the basics, is it a standard 55g (the one that isnt very thick front to back)? And is it made by all glass aquarium?

 

[Silentking]

If you're good at building stuff (especially if you like plumbing), you'll love this hobby

Lets start with the basics, is it a standard 55g (the one that isnt very thick front to back)? And is it made by all glass aquarium?

no its shorter but thicker then the standard one 18" W x 19.5" H x 3f L and it looks all glass

 

[rhysiboy]

all glass aquriums are the make of ac tank. also its good to know the materials its made from and if any of the panels aare tempered.

 

[Silentking]

it looks tempered. its kind of blue but how would i know for sure?