55 Gallon RR - My First REEF Build

[ReeferRick]

The 55 gallon reef tank is coming together. The tank was purchased from Tropiquarium almost two months ago at which time I ordered the stand. During my wait for the stand to be built I went ahead and took the risk on building a DIY sump. I was not sure it would fit but I could not pass up the dollar a gallon sale at PETCO. I also set out to paint the background a flat black with a small paint roller and my wife thought I was crazy but I am happy how it turned out.

The sump did not fit in the base of the new stand so I had to build a false bottom to allow for the extra width of the tank. After all the modifications I made the setup was ready for water. I even tried to do some aquascaping of the tank. The floor was braced from below with some 2x4’s in preparation for the water but carrying water up the stairs did not appeal to me. I ordered extra tubing to connect the RODI unit directly to the tank from the basement below. I plan to mix the salt directly in the tank on the first time around. I hope to be cycling the tank next week.

I am going to take it slow and focus on beginner soft corals for now.

Thanks for your support.







Some lesson I learned in this process.

• I saved a lot of money ordering from Tropiquarium but I was not aware that the Reef Ready tanks were all with black silicone. Not my first choice but it looks good.
• Reefrocks.com gives you free reef sand with your order of 50 lbs of rock. That was a nice bonus.
• I wish that I planned for a better media tray in the sump and glass cutting takes some practice.
• Should have held off on the HOB skimmer purchase I made because I could have a better in-sump one for the same money.

DETAILS:
TANK: Deep Blue Professional 55gal Reef Ready
LIGHT: Green Element EVO - Reef Capable 32x3W LED
STAND: Maple Dynasty Xtreme Cabinet
FILTRATION: 29gal DIY SUMP W/FUGE, Venturi in-sump skimmer (AquaC Remora on standby)
PUMPS: Mag 5(?) return pump, Mag 5 for skimmer, Hydor Circulation Pump 1050-1150 GPH
HEATER: Aqueon Submersible 250W (may add a second one)
RODI SYSTEM: BUCKEYE HYDRO Premium 50 GPD
SALT: Reef Salt by Seachem
ROCK: Florida dry rock, Cured Fuji rock will be added from old tank.
SAND: Florida Reef sand and Fuji Pink mix.

CURRENT LIVE STOCK:
FISH: Ocellaris clown, Sargent Major damsel (looking for a new home)
INVERTS: Peppermint shrimp, Turbo snails (x2)

PLANNING FOR:
FISH: Six line wrasse, Midas Blenny, Royal gramma, Kole Yellow Eye Tang, Blue Reef Chromis (x3)

 

[kschweer]

Looks great! Welcome to the club. Lots of friendly people here willing to give good advice. If you ran your ro from the basement to the upstairs I would double check the ratio of
"Good" water to waste water. Ideally you want about a 4:1 (waste:good) ratio. The extra head pressure may affect this. Best of luck and keep posting pictures of the progress.

 

[AnthonyJerseyShore]

Tank looks good bud! The stocking list is a little heavy for a 55 gallon tank though. Really should be 5-6 fish max in a 55 gallon tank. Looks awesome though! If you're looking for a good person locally to buy corals from PM me. I'll introduce you to a buddy of mine over in Parsippany that would help you save a ton of money.

 

[ReeferRick]

Looks great! Welcome to the club. Lots of friendly people here willing to give good advice. If you ran your ro from the basement to the upstairs I would double check the ratio of
"Good" water to waste water. Ideally you want about a 4:1 (waste:good) ratio. The extra head pressure may affect this. Best of luck and keep posting pictures of the progress.

Thanks so much! I have already received some great advice on LED lighting which will come in handy if I go hardcore SPS.

I am a total numb with RODI stuff so I appreciate your suggestion. I am adding 25 feet to my modest setup but I will revert back to the standard 10 foot to the 55 gallon storage container for regular water changes.

 

[Zippy69]

Congrats on the 55. Was my first choice with getting serious in this hobby. I bet if you really like it you will upgrade.lol. What is your coral of choice? Lps, sps, softies or a mix? Most start soft and after a while go to the sps side! FYI, I will be breaking my 55 down in the next 2 months and will be gifting a buch of coral away, you may want to swing by.
Pete

 

[iTzJu]

welcome!

setup looks good so far!

can't you return the Remora and exchange it for an in sump skimmer?

I would also suggest taking the invite from Pete! his tank is a treasure chest!

 

[ReeferRick]

Thanks! Maybe I can skip the Blue Reef Chromis (x3) but the top half of the tank will be a bit bare. I appreciate the offer however and once I get control of my parameters I just may take you up on that.

 

[ReeferRick]

Congrats on the 55. Was my first choice with getting serious in this hobby. I bet if you really like it you will upgrade.lol. What is your coral of choice? Lps, sps, softies or a mix? Most start soft and after a while go to the sps side! FYI, I will be breaking my 55 down in the next 2 months and will be gifting a buch of coral away, you may want to swing by.
Pete

Very cool! I work in that area so it would NOT be hard to swing by. It would be great to make a visit when I have a stable system. I would like to start with beginner corals if that is something you have. Thanks!

 

[Zippy69]

Not a problem. Let me know.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Looks great. If you are keeping the clown I would skip the three damsels, they might do OK to start but when they grow it will be too much I think.

 

[ReeferRick]

Hello, the cycling is going well at this point but I ran into a problem with the DIY sump. I have 1 ¼ inch overflow that is gurgling like crazy. I reduced it down to a half inch outlet with hose connections and it resulted in a slight reduction in noise. I have a standard Durso overflow with an air hole at the top but I am wondering if I should drill out the hole and add an airline tube or get to work on a bubble tower in the sump to help with the gurgling noise. If you have any ideas please let me know. This is my fist sump based system and I am happy to get this far with it. I have included pictures so that you can see what it is that I am working with.
Thanks!

 

[d5332]

Did you reduce the size the of the overflow drain line? If so, remove that fitting, don't reduce the size of your drain lines over time it can easily become clogged.

The gurgling noise can be relaxing after you get use to it but it if bugs you, try to figure out if the durso pipes are setup in the best manner possible to minimize the noise.

Tank looks nice, I've never had a six line wrasse but most folks with standard size tanks end up having to remove the six line wrasse because it is very territorial and in smaller tanks it becomes a pain in the butt.

 

[Zippy69]

My 55 does the same, never totally silent. The best way to reduce noise is decrease return flow. It will slow down the overflow and reduce the noise. If you plan on a refugium section in the sump with macro algae, the reduced flow will also help with macro algae removing nutrients. Increase flow in the DT with wp,koralia, mp etc.

 

[kschweer]

+1 to the above comments. I would not reduce the drain line and if possible have the water return to the sump above water level in the sump. With the drain under water in the sump you will have some back pressure which can also lead to the gurgling.

 

[ReeferRick]

Did you reduce the size the of the overflow drain line? If so, remove that fitting, don't reduce the size of your drain lines over time it can easily become clogged.

The gurgling noise can be relaxing after you get use to it but it if bugs you, try to figure out if the durso pipes are setup in the best manner possible to minimize the noise.

Tank looks nice, I've never had a six line wrasse but most folks with standard size tanks end up having to remove the six line wrasse because it is very territorial and in smaller tanks it becomes a pain in the butt.

Thanks I try some adjustments with the airline tubing from the top. So far my wife has not complained about the sound but if I can improve it she just might notice. The six-line wrasse was my first choice as a reef safe peaceful fish. Individuals can become aggressive but I have heard mostly good things about them. I would consider another species of wrasse if there was a reduced risk of aggression.

 

[ReeferRick]

My 55 does the same, never totally silent. The best way to reduce noise is decrease return flow. It will slow down the overflow and reduce the noise. If you plan on a refugium section in the sump with macro algae, the reduced flow will also help with macro algae removing nutrients. Increase flow in the DT with wp,koralia, mp etc.

This would not be my first choice. I would consider a lower wattage return pump if I decide to reduce the flow. This is a reasonable suggestion however.

 

[Rwc]

55 was my first tank not even reef read had a PITA overflow box ugh, served its purpose for a year but its a gate way drug into the reefing world best of luck. Just think of the gurgling as ambient noise like wave at the beach hah

 

[ReeferRick]

I have some good news regarding the tank noise. Adding airline tubing to the vent hole on the top of the Durso standpipe has reduced the gurgling sound. The bubbles in the sump are much smaller and much quieter. The sound of the overflow is still a bit noisy but running water is not so bad. I could get a longer standpipe to reduce the distance that the water has to fall but this would make the tank cover not fit. The other option is some foam pads to reduce splashing.

 

[ReeferRick]

Good news (I think) the water tests are showing a spike in the nitrate at 2PPM so I suspect the system cycle is maturing. For some reason I did not see any ammonia spike but it may have occurred between testing. The rock is showing increased coralline and hair algae growth even while keeping the lighting down. Setting up some macro algae in the sump may help at this point.

Over the weekend I purchased a beautiful Midas Blenny and a firefish now in the quarantine tank. I realize that these fish have been known to have trouble coexisting in a small tank. I hope they get along in their new home however.

 

[ReeferRick]

White bugs are appearing now in the tank. I am not sure what they are but I did see some pods online that seemed to match. Have a look at the video and see for yourself. Please let me know if these are good or not. - Thanks! Happy Reefkeeping.

[video]youtu.be/fzNZH0Ksdrk[/video]