55 Gallon First Timer ~~ Here we GO.=]

[triplejjj031]

Hey everyone, so I am now starting to set up my first ever salt water tank. I have been doing a lot of research, but it seems like in this hobby there is never a definitive answer to many questions you have. So throughout this journal I hope I can share my journey with you on my first ever salt ecosystem.

So my goals for starting a salt tank is to eventually work my way up to SPS corals. I know this is a very long process, of making sure everything is perfect, which will take time and patience. I know I will run into a lot of panic attacks where I will be paranoid about the tank and any fluctuation to the tank, or any new form of algae. It will just take time and patience to ensure I get a good tank.

I plan on building this tank in different stages.
1) assemble my DIY stand for my 55 Gallon tank and 20 gallon sump.
2) Buy live rock and live sand and cycle
3) Once fully cycled add cleanup crew and skimmer
4)start with easy hardy fish
5) slowly start with easy corals (aprox 3-4 months down the road)
6) Explore SPS and more difficult coral

Yea I know pretty much the same steps everyone takes I will get into a little more detail though on what equipment I will buy and use during these stages. This is not a cheap hobby and I dont have much expendable cash, but I know not to skimp out if you want a great final product.

Here is a list of the equipment I plan to use on my system.
Reef System - Digital Aquatics Reef Keeper Lite Plus
Lights - 5 HO T5 Fixture with ATI bulbs with moonlight led's
Skimmer - Reef Octopus 110
Powerheads - Two Koraliya 750
Return Pump - Mag Drive 500


1. Building Stand and tank set up and cycle
The equipment and supplies I will buy/need for this stage are:

• Main tank - 55 gallon
• sump - 20 gallon (2 10 gallon breeders modified) with DSB Refugium
• Return Pump- mag drive 5
• Live rock 60 pounds
• Live sand around 1inch deep in main display
• Powerheads- 2 750 Ko Evos
• test kits
• Plumbing
• Stand

So I decided to build my own stand for a 55 gallon tank. I found many sites that give you a exact outline of what you need and how to make it. If you google it you will find it. This will save me a lot of money and also allow me organize my electrical and plumbing the more easily. Also allows me to choose a outer color of my choice. I think I am going to go with the sleek black look.
For the tank I am using a 55 gallon tank 48x13x20. Bought it used off CL, used to be a fresh water tank. fairly clean, but I am in the process of disinfecting it with vinegar and a little bleach. I have a water pump in there for water movement. Planning on leaving it like this for a few days until I have time to go buy the materials needed for the stand.
Now for the DIY overflow I have in mind, it involves some pvc piping and flex tubes, fairly simple. The only thing I worry about is that i have to drill some holes in the tank. I might just take it down to the local fish shop and get them to do it, this will save me some money on the special diamond tip drill bit that you would need. Since really I have no other use for it other than this one time. For an idea of my overflow check out this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHn7_ZqZljs
props to this guy for the idea. (think he is also canadian)
I plan on running a similar system that this guys is running. I really like the simplicity and overall outcome.
In the sump which will be made from two 10 gallon breeder tanks. I plan on going with the traditional 3 stage.
1)Holds skimmer and live rock
2)DSB Refugium
3)Return pump and heater

For the first month or so while I am cycling my system, I plan on putting in around 60 pounds of live rock in, around 20-30 in the display and the rest in the sump. I dont want my display to look all cluttered, but at the same time I want to give them many places to hide.

I dont know if I need to put lights on during this stage, I am reading mixed reviews about it. Some say if you leave them on your are just wasting light and promoting algae growth. Others say that they help by allowing the live rock to acclimate to the extreme lighting. I dunno I will most likely just keep the lights on while I am exploring the tank, and keep it off for most of the time.
I also will not be running the skimmer until I am just about the put livestock into the system.

ALso I did want to talk about the sand bed for a moment. I was originally going to go with a deep sand bed at around 4". Although the many positives I realized that there were some downsides to getting a deep sand bed in the main display. In order to get a 4" deep sand bed in a 48" X 13" surface would require around 400 pounds of sand. Which is around 500 dollars. That's a lot of money for sand... So I decided to keep it relatively shallow in the main tank, around 1/2" - 1", but add a 6" deep sand bed with miracle mud in the refugium. This will help with the overall filtration and consumption of nitrates or nitrites? I dunno...

So really in the first stage it's all about balancing out the system and making sure it is stable. Once stable I will move on to the next stage which is the live stock.

BUT until I get further into my build I will not get into live stock. Because I think I have talked enough for tonight. I am sure I have left out some things in the description, but it's too long for me yet alone anyone willing to read it lol.

But I did have some questions that I hope I can get answered by reef vets.

• Do I need to run my lights during cycle. And for how long?
• What Beneficial algae do you recommend I put into the refugium?
• Got any tips? pointers? for a newbie.
  
• Does Ph play a big deal in the Cycling process. If so what am I aiming for?
  

Thank you for reading my first journal post. There will be more to come with pictures to.