My 55 reef

[convict]

Hey all, I just wanted to share some pics of my 55 reef.
Tank Stats
48 coralife power compacts
fluval 405
Red Sea Prizm deluxe protein skimmer
4 Aqua clear 20 power heads
75 pounds live rock
5 inch live sand bed

Livestock
2 yellow tangs
4 chromis
six line wrasse
true Percula clown
flame hawk
2 clown gobies
coral beauty
2 fire shrimp
7 large turbos
blue leg hermits
green bubble tip anenome
long tentacle anenome

Colt
2 large yellow fiji sarcophyton
galaxia
frogspawn
cabage leather
green star polyps
purple mushrooms
zoanthids
red modern
purple/green mushroom rock

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0044.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0043.jpg

[Chanas4]

Wow that looks nice. How long have you had it up?

[TripleP]

that is cool

[convict]

I started the tank from scratch last February, having never owned a fish tank of any kind. I had visited my in-laws house and they had a goldfish tank which my son who was 6 months old at the time, loved to sit and watch. I decided that I wanted to get a fish tank and had the intention of just getting a freshwater tank. When I went to the LFS, I quickly changed my mind and decided that saltwater was the way for me. So after shelling way too much for full retail price, I had a saltwater tank that was just going to be fish only. In about may, I figured I would change some things around and get some live rock. That soon led to a few softies and then a few more and the next thing I know, I have a full grown expensive habit. I tell you this is worse than gambling!

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0057.jpg
Glown goby in yellow fiji taken with Fuji Finepix s602z
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0055.jpg
Tiny bubble anenome after rescue from inside of Fluval
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0062.jpg
Perc with Anenome
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0065.jpg
Zoas

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0070.jpg
clown goby with colt
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0071.jpg
Yellow Fiji Sarco
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0072.jpg
Side view

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0094.jpg
Hermit with Turbo
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0095.jpg
Galaxia
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0111.jpg
frogspawn

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0112.jpg
Goby with Cabbage Coral
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0113.jpg
a little closer
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/DSCF0115.jpg
My favorite shot!
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank005.jpg
Macro cabage

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank024.jpg
GSP with Purple Shrooms
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank025.jpg
Purple shrooms
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank027.jpg
Detailed shroom
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank030.jpg
Toadstool

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank035.jpg
Perc
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank038.jpg
modern red
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank039.jpg
Yellow fiji

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank044.jpg
Flame Hawk

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank081.jpg
Carpet Anenome
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank076.jpgAnemone crab
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank071.jpg
zoas

[Direct Marine]

looks great, how do the 2 tangs get along?

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank070.jpg
carpet anemone
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank069.jpg
pink pallies
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank068.jpg

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank066.jpg
Pink Pallies
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank060.jpg
carpet

[convict]

looks great, how do the 2 tangs get along? They actually get along great! They are always out, never fight and follow each other around the tank. I wish I had room and I would get some more.

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank084.jpg
shrimp doing the hibbidy dibbidy :p
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/fishtank085.jpg
Anemone and crab

[vessxpress1]

The tank looks cool but you have way too many fish for a 55 gallon. It isn't just my opinion. It's as a rule. The general rule of thumb is that a single tang needs nothing less than a 75 gallon. Those 2 yellow tangs are very large.

Chromis will fight with each other and eventually the weakest one gets picked on until it dies. Then the next weakest will get picked on until it dies, until you're left with one. I've heard of this happening time and time again. You really need a very large tank and a little luck for a school of chromis to get along for the long term.

For a reef tank, 1 inch of fish per 7.5 gallons is about all you want to do. I'm not trying to lecture you to pi$$ you off. I've done the same thing. I've been down the same road when I was starting. I had 7 fish in my 38 gallon. The ammonia spiked and I couldn't get it down and it wiped out everything. Fortunately, I hadn't gotten into corals yet.

Also, unless you have a huge refugium to use up the nitrates, you're likely going to have nitrate problems if not now, down the road. My 38 is a reef and I only keep a Maroon clown pair and a purple pseudochromis in there. I consider this the max for this size tank.

I have a 55 gal RR Perfecto that I will be setting up down the road and I may add a Coral beauty and a goby to that list but that is it. That's really about all a 55 can support long term. Especially with coral.

I hope you don't take it personally because I've seen a lot of people that do. I'm just trying to save you a ton of money and anger. The more fish you have, the more risk you have of losing one while you're out of town which can have a domino effect on the whole tank and wipe everything out. It's happened to me.

You also have saltwater ich that is always present in the water in some form or another. The parasite is there all the time. If any fish gets stressed, they will catch it and the more fish there are in a tank, the more likelyhood there is for the ich parasites to find a host. Ich can devastate a tank and it cannot be treated with copper based products in a reef without killing all the inverts.

I would strongly recommend taking the tangs and chromis back at least. If they were out of the tank, you would still be at or near the limit for a 55.

My e-mail is available if you want to talk off the forum.

[convict]

Anyone else want to share their opinion on the subject? I have had this ammount of fish for a good while, and haven't seen any real problems. I know that sometimes it may take awhile, but as of yet no problems.

[Devildog's Doll]

Yeah...doesn't it seem like everyone is an expert when it comes to tank-keeping? It's very obvious to tell when fish are stressed out, but if the fish seem happy and your corals are positively thriving (as can be seen from the pictures) then I wouldn't worry about it. I think you have a fully stocked and finished tank. You say you've had it stocked that way for a while?

Psshhht. You're fine. Sounds like someone else just had bad luck and someone who didn't take care of their fish well for them while they were out of town. Sucks for them. If you lived your life in fear of an Ich breakout, then why have a tank at all? Everyone has had it happen to them at one time or another - especially just starting out when you don't know the signs to look for. From experience, it usually seems to occur after buying a fish with an outbreak from a pet store where the fish are thrown together haphazardly and the clerks could care less whether or not they sell you sick fish. That's the only time I ever remember some random Ich outbreak happening to us. We lost all our livestock too. We learned all about Ich and what to look for. No outbreaks since in the same tank the problem occurred in. You don't quit having children because you're afraid they're going to catch TB do you? It's an unfortunate fact that happens sometimes in the lives of all aquarists. Don't let Ich keep you from having the tank you've always wanted - and it looks like you've definitely got it.

The general rule is supposed to be two inches of fish for every gallon of water, blah-blah-blah - that's what they tell beginners so they don't go nuts. You already know that. You also have fish that are using less oxygen (gobies, hawkfish) so it makes sense that your tank is doing so well. It's balanced. Don't worry, my friend...if the fish are happy, your corals are thriving, you pH's and all other tests are coming out in the clear...then trust your gut and your judgment and don't listen to naysayers.

Sure looks like a lovely, healthy tank to me.

[smooth]

I think your tank looks great.
That said, both vessxpress and devildog are raising valid points, in my opinion.

Some of your fish, specifically the tangs, *will* become too large for your tank. Regardless of the bioload, they will eventually physically outgrow the swimming space of a four foot long tank. When or if that has happened is a subjective point, however, as people cram all kinds of things including schools of tangs into small spaces.

The problems, as devil wrote, are observable and treatable.
Fish do need personal space, or territory, to feel safe, secure, and be healthy and happy. If they become stressed, then you will be better served to remove the fish.

Your nutrient load can be checked with vigorous skimming, a rDSB, and heavy waterchanges. You're not too far away from free water that you might as well get some 55 gallon drums so you can dolarge water changes throughout the month in the case of emergency.

So the short answer is that you have too many fish in there, but you may get away with it for a while depending on size, filtration, and water changes.

If your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates are in check, though, I wouldn't say you'd have to change anything.

[vessxpress1]

I've been doing this for 5 years and this has been my main hobby for most of that time. I've learned new stuff almost every day. I still believe 1 inch of fish per 7 gallons of total water volume is a decent rule. I am over that in my tank but it's a good guideline IMO to let you know when you're pushing the envelope.

Fish only tanks can have more fish and a heavier bioload without problems. Most fish can handle higher nitrates easily. You seem to be transitioning into a full blown reef now which is natural. That's fine, but a successful reef really requires very few fish unless you have a huge total water volume, because corals are very sensitive to toxin build up in the water. It's really hard to have the best of both worlds.
The flesh on your candy cane seemed a little retracted which can be a good indicator that something isn't quite right. Your calcium alkalinity or magnesium may be low or nitrates may be a little high.

Sometimes people get away with very heavy bio-loads by employing a over-sized skimmer. I'm planning on putting either an H&S A110, A150 or a Deltec AP 600 on my 55. Haven't decided yet.

Ich is hard to kick in a reef. It is always present in the water even if no fish have it on them. As long as the fish stay healthy, their immune systems will keep it off of them. As fish age, over-crowding and fighting over territory can lead to stress which impairs their immune system.

BTW, you probably already know but Chromis are a high energy schooling fish that do require a lot of oxygen. And I don't have a problem with tangs in a 4 ft tank (although I think 6 is much better for them) I am concerned about the water volume. I'm just trying to help you out. You're welcome to take it or leave it.

[Redeye]

I do this for a living
and I still break most the rules

As long as you keep up with your WC's and give your tangs good flow, you should have no problem with them

My buddy has a yellow tang in a 20g reef for over 2 years now, healthiest yellow tang, also has a 6" engineer collapsing rocks, green clown goby, 6line, perc, Bta, and numerous other corals

I agree with Vess about ich, but my cleaners, and my buddies cleaner shrimp have kept ich to 0

My 29g sps tank has 7 fish :)
2x neon gobies, 2x black occelaris, 1x pink goby, 2 chromis, and a pistol shrimp

[smooth]

Ich is not always present.

[iVgOnMaD]

It is, unless you run your tank fishless for more than 6 weeks to erradicate it. You would also have to quarantine your fish for 6 weeks before introducing them into the tank.

[convict]

When I first set up my tank, Within the first 3-4 months of operation, I did have an ich outbreak. I understand full well about how it can destroy a whole community if not treated properly and quickly. I ran my tank empty of all livestock for a period of about 6 weeks and have never seen any sign since. The cause of my outbreak was due to my naievity and trust in my LFS. I was sold a hippo tang which had just come in and were known to have ich, but I was told it wouldnt be a problem. Needless to say I lost about 7 fish and have since learned some valuable lesson; 1) QUARANTINE and 2) Never trust your LFS as they are normally just out to make a sale. As for the overstocking, I do understand that this tank will be too small for the tangs to become full size and either one of two things will happen. I will either be able to finally upgrade to the 125 that I want or I will be moving and find a good home for them. (unfortunate life of the military) I have been very careful to not rush into it and overload all at once. Each time I add a new tank mate, I watch closely and never add more than 1 within a particular month. During that time I carefully watch all of my parameters and make any necessary changes that are needed, ie large water changes of 25-40% until the situation settles and returns to normal.

I do take full advantage of the free water down at scripps and even test that water before I add it to my tank. I keep about 20-5 gallon water jugs in my garage to last me throughout the month and I do a 20% change every week. I am running the fluval 405, an aquaclear HOB filter and I am also running biomax in my skimmer. That plus the live sand and well over 75 pounds of LR seems to keep everything in order.

[vessxpress1]

I was reading through your livestock list and I don't think your two large softies are yellow fiji sarcophytons. They may have been sold as that but I'm guessing they're not. If you run a google image search for yellow fiji sarcophytons, you'll see what they look like. I think the polyps are too long on these to be that. They're likely just regular toadstool leathers. But they are cool. I like how it looks with the pair of them.

I was wondering what type of lights are you running over it and how old are they? The two large softies I was just mentioning, seem to be stretching for the light pretty hard. They usually only do this if they are being shaded by something or if they're not getting enough light. They're not in mortal danger or anything but they are telling you something. You probably already know, but the full spectrum is gone out of most bulbs around 12 months. I just went to T-5s which they say can go 12-18 but I'm still changing them at 12.

I really like those pink zoos and your goby there. Nice shots. That's a cool one with the (anemone?) crab in the carpet anemone too.

I don't know where you have the carpet anemone but they are notorious for catching and eating fish. In the other forum I'm usually at, I've seen the tail end of some expensive fish, disappearing into carpets. And heard of more than one person taking them back to the LFS. I hate to keep being the bearer of bad news but I had to mention it. Carpets are known for bad behavior and one guy lost 4 fish before he took it back.

[vessxpress1]

Just so you know I'm not making it up... check out this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1035309&highlight=carpet+anemone+ate


Kind of humorous. Sounds like the best thing you can do is keep it well fed at least but even then, no gurantees. These guys say they'll even eat clowns! I never knew that.

[DaChrisDude]

Very nice looking tank. Keep it up!


I still believe 1 inch of fish per 7 gallons of total water volume is a decent rule

YIKES! Then I should be arrested! I've got: 2 B/W clowns, 2 Blk/Gold damsels, 2 firefish, 3 neon gobies, wheelers goby, eyelash blenny, neon psuedo, and a pygmy angel....13 fish in 18.7gallons! That's roughly 24inches of fish in 18.7gallons.... which is 1.28" of fish per gallon!

[vessxpress1]

Very nice looking tank. Keep it up!



YIKES! Then I should be arrested! I've got: 2 B/W clowns, 2 Blk/Gold damsels, 2 firefish, 3 neon gobies, wheelers goby, eyelash blenny, neon psuedo, and a pygmy angel....13 fish in 18.7gallons! That's roughly 24inches of fish in 18.7gallons.... which is 1.28" of fish per gallon!

Way too small of a tank for a pygmy angel.

Are you saying he can get by with 70 inches of fish in a 55?

Every time somebody mentions a guideline on how many inches of fish per gallon or minimum tank sizes, there's always somebody to step in and say, "Look at me, I'm breaking all the rules." So what? You could throw 5 tangs in the tank too and they'll survive for a little while.

I can drive 120 mph on a 55 mph road. It doesn't mean you're supposed to or that it's the right thing to do, just because you can. I'm trying to be nice about it although most people won't be.

Again, in general, unless you have a very large over-all volume of water with heavy skimming, and you have a high bio load, sensitive corals will suffer. Or simply not be able to be kept at all.
I do not believe a fish only type tank and a reef tank can be combined long term. It's just not a good idea. The corals are simply too expensive to risk it. The more fish you have, the more it's like a time bomb. Eventually one will die and spike the ammonia and wipe everything out. The more you have to die, the higher the risk.

The more you have, the more food has to be thrown in the tank. Which all leads to more waste that is produced and all the more harder to keep the water clean. Everybody gets lazy over time.

I would never give anybody the advice that it's fine to pack a dedicated reef tank with fish. Anybody that's read anything on the subject will agree with me. Coral health will suffer and leads to territory battles which leads to stress which leads to ich which leads to death.

[convict]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/Convict27/lastminuteupload001.jpg
Me with my tank