55 Gallon Frag Tank

Well I fought tooth and nail to keep the 55 in the living room and it still ended up in my room. Oh well between what I saved on equipment and bringing it in here I managed to talk my mom into letting me only have half of it as frag space so we officially have a mixed tank that I can enjoy. Now im debating if I want to merge the 10 and get rid of the YCG when I get SPS or leave them as seperate tanks. Either way its time to send john a message and see what I can get happening.

Okay so this is my shopping list from foster and smith for the tank.


Item # Description Price Qty Cost Remove
CD-133426 Mag Drive Pump 1800 (MD18) $135.99 x 1 = $135.99
CD-18773 Thermometer 2-1/4" x 1-1/2" $7.99 x 1 = $7.99
CD-18781 Pure-Flo II RO Units 24 gpd 3-stage $112.99 x 1 = $112.99
CD-27178 Reef Master Test Kit Liquid Test Kit $23.19 x 1 = $23.19
CD-32889 Eshopps Overflow Boxes PF-1800 $75.19 x 1 = $75.19
CD-32978 Ocean Pulse Wavemakers Quadra $84.99 x 1 = $84.99
CD-70088 Eshopps In-Sump Protein Skimmers PSK-150 $169.99 x 1 = $169.99
CD-70397 Auto Top Off Float Valve Float Valve $22.39 x 1 = $22.39
CD-73755 Aqueon Circulation Pump 1250 $44.99 x 4 = $179.96


Merchandise Subtotal = $812.68

Okay the shopping list has changed slightly however I have everything picked out and still have $150+ for food and other odds and ends I run into the need for. Since it dosent seem the forum is active and im lazy im not going to type everything out so youll see when it all comes in

inactive? what ever could you mean? hehe

Hmmm...I have absolutely no idea

Okay so I did a little budget/expenses write up to see what I have to play with. This is obviously just going with minimal coral to get started since I figure as long as I have coral to begin with I can trade for more. So anyway heres what I got. Again this is just so I can know what I have to spend on equipment and im of course going to try to have even more left over than planned atm.


Zoa Pack: $200
Rock: $175
CUC: $45
Lights: $340
Random $#!*: $200
Total: $960


Sweet part is all of that is free shipping So currently my F&S order is $817 after shipping so I still have $223 left for whatever. Im going to keep looking at diffirent things for fail safes. right now some of the little un needed luxuries included are a auto fish feeder for dry. Spot feeding will be obviously done by hand. A new heater just because I dont trust anything that comes stock from petsmart. and I consider this a neccesity in this endeavour but a refractometer. Granted I got the cheap one because im a cheap scape like that but you know im awesome anyway.

Just had a REALLY REALLY epic idea. I dont know if I told yall this but I devised a way to plumb the 10 and the 55 together. Long idea short I wonder if I could plumb them together and keep a GSP (Green spotted puffer in this case) in the 10...I think its a bit small swimming room wise but otherwise I think I could work it out. Il have to do a little refreshing on my puffer knowledge. If it comes to a size issue though itll be a no go. Otherwise I might just plumb in another 10 gallon for a fuge under it and go with dwarfs. Idk im just going crazy over the though of having the 55 back

You can sure fit a lot of stuff in 55 gallons!

I dont know if you can but im d#$@ sure going to try lol. Anyway tap PH is about 72 so I figure my RO water will be about the same. I think il put the coral rubble in media bags in my holding and mixing containers to buffer it up to around 8.0 before I add any to the tank(s)

Looks like a lot of progress has been made!

I like the way you did your frag rack.

Yea its been changed around with everything going on. Up to date pics and thread is on NR

What's the deal with the tank now?

Umm right now im waiting on tax money to hit. It should come in within the next 3 days then im ordering all my equipment and rock. Just finished my livestock list this morning.

5 Orange Lined Cardinals
Red Banded Shrimp/Wheelers Shrimp Goby
McCoskers Flasher Wrasse
B&W Percula Pair

Okay quick update. I cut out almost all my livestock so im only buying 30-35 pounds of base rock and il use the 20 or so in the 10 also so itll be more than enough for a fish or 2 and a CUC. I should be putting in the orders sometime today, I would already have them in but I went to my cousins yesterday and forgot to do them before the party started and didnt realize it until 6 so I figure I have until monday.

Sick. Good luck with your orders.

Just put in the first 3. Waiting on restock on almost everything else. Hopefully il have the lights and rock ordered within the next week. Moneys going quick so I gotta get the orders out before I get nickle and dimed out of the rest lol.

First 3 orders all have an ETA of thursday. After that pretty much all il need is lights and rock. Both out of stock right now go figure.

Well iv got everything for the tank ready and set up accept rock...apparently that order didnt go through. Just redid it it should be here next week.

Well I figured since iv been cannibalizing everything I own to keep the tank running on 0 funds still I should take a minute to hop on and see wassup. At the moment my little tiny bit of chaeto is being nursed up to size under one of the metal halides. Got pods living in it...quite a bit...The biggest thing I have alive in my tank now thanks to no one having "seen" my melafix until a week after all my fish died is; A turbo snail! Basically all in all my chaeto died out from not having any nitrates to consume almost completely and for the past months it been slowly but steadily growing and is now about the size of a golf ball.

I need to spread it out again. Seems if you pull it out to sort of un clump it it grows back into a clump faster. Maybe its just a combination of a placebo effect and the fact that it visually looks thinner until it grows back in some.

Skimmer pump went out on me about a week ago and with all the plumbing work iv been doing on it just got around to actually taking the pump out today. Its uhh...Not pretty...Il post the pics I sent to foster and smith. Asked if I actually NEEDED to send it in since its obviously completely F%#$&!. Hoping I can just get a replacement sent out.

Removed the split in the 3/4" return line to feed the phosphate reactor and gave it a dedicated azoo 1700 or 1300 or whatever they are (cant even remember anymore sorry) and actually was getting a few replacement parts for the return line and ended up getting 1" when I had 3/4" so I just went and picked up 2 45 degree fittings and a coupling and simplified the entire return.

Return now goes from the slip/male threaded 3/4" coupling that came with the pump, Up to a female/female threaded 3/4" coupling, Then to a male threaded 3/4"/1" slip adapter, And, On up to a 45, Which also is shifted to point a bit back to the wall, To be a solid return all the way up while still going behind the tank, Then another 45 to return it straight up and 2 90's for the inward feed and I took a cap I got and a spare 90 I picked up and made a spray bar. I need to refill the spray bar holes and drill new ones though because they point straight down along a wall which is obviously digging up sand.

The return is also now on the completely opposite end than the overflow instead of just in the middle of the tank. Added the old koralia nano (Yep it magically started working again...Still dunno why it stopped) to the display for surface agitation.

STILL havent got my CUC (one excuse after another -.-) However, With reef cleaners having the $5 off deal going on atm and money coming in monday I have already made it clear that I will be ordering the CUC I have been promised for 4 months whether they like it or not.

So, Theres a bit of good news in the sea of bad (no pun intended...okay..well...now that I think about it sure why not...)

Auto feeder fell in the water and is ruined. I need to ship it off to foster and smith. I am however 100% convinced that my 3rd chromis died because of the auto feeder going out. I know they are supposed to be fed at least twice a day and it was rolling out 4 small meals/day then all the sudden I was hand feeding once a day when I managed to remember.

Anyway aside from me wanting to replace the bulbs for better 14000K possibly 20000K bulbs and needing a few various odds and ends thats about it. I just realized I have also been forgetting to stir the top of the sand bed to prevent anoxic black spots (like a plague I swear...) So I htink il do that tomorrow. Spent yet another day today working on the tank non stop.

Pretty much microbial and other smaller life aside I had my stocking list up to: 1 Zebra Hermit, 2 Scarlet Hermits, 3 Blue Green Chromis, 1 Margarita/Black Turbo Snail, 1 Zebra Turbo, Fauchea (dosent grow much in low nitrate systems but its still got a few tiny bits holding onto a few spots) Gracilaria, And the zoa frag.

Now im down to 1 Zebra Hermit, 1 Possibly 2 Scarlet Hermits (Havent seen the fuge one lately) 1 Zebra Turbo, Chaeto and some pods and bristle worms. Dont see too much of the bristle worms but I did spot a couple a few days ago. Havent really been paying too much attention to the livestock lately, Pretty much just trying to get it back stabalized.

Also forgot to mention I do have CO2 enrichment almost ready to be put into place as well (Mostly just becausse I can use the resulting mash for moonshine...Southerner thing yanno ) and my ATO had a little failure in production that I put back together but in the process lost a nut that I still havent been able to find.

The story of the 3 Chromis (previously known as larry moe and curly) is actually pretty short. They came in was scared of the rocks and stayed in open water. Hid behind the frag rack legs in the corners at night and one died for no apparent reason after 2 weeks of bullying at feeding time so obvious idea there. The second one when I got him had a couple scales missing a bit of a yellow color showing where the scales were missing and he slowly just lost more scales and then died. The third one I believe was my terrible ability to remember to feed my pets.

Had to leave in the middle of typing that post so now I dont remember what all is/isnt covered so feel free to ask questions.

Pump Pics: https://s938.photobucket.com/albums/ad230/A_cedia/

Well...Interestingly enough at the end of it all I still managed to get...Well...Il just say I didnt get the money for the CUC. Havent even begun to handle the situation and in fact havent said anything yet somehow im supposed to have $50 tomorrow for it. Not sure how that ones going to work out. Honestly I wont even say we'll see and get everyones hopes up. Il just say we'll see how she tries to avoid me saying anything about her not keeping her word yet again.

Interestingly enough she came in the door with a pack of cigars today...Good god how many times am I gunna quit smoking before she quits bribing me with them?

Well boys idk if anyone even actually comes on here anymore but il get just as much views/replies here as on NR either way. That said today its on me, Had to make a trip to the doc I got a swolen lymph node and they want to check to make sure its not lymphoma so thats tomorrows appointment. Way things are looking though the money is going to be here soon regardless so assuming im not nice/stupid enough to give her time to blow the money il have it ordered by friday at the latest. If not then either this tank is just going to have to be deemed a total failure or im gunna put her .... in gear for her.

Okay so another doc appointment today and we still got a baby here we're taking care of for my cousin. Good news first since today has actually been a pretty good day. First off I got a "squash" plant thats actually a squash/zucchini hybrid and now stands 3 foot tall 5 foot around and is putting out 1' + long sqwinis as I have begun calling them regularly. Not to mention they're the size of a 2 liter bottle...Second I got the plumbing pretty much redone on the tank and now have the fuge return pump running 24/7 again so the tank should regain a good bit of stability.

And the kicker...I got my CUC ordered!...well...not really...Actually I just got told that unless my left cervical (neck) lymph node dosent go back down after 10 days of antiobiotic "Nuking" as the doc put it. Then I dont have to worry about cancer atm

So yet again I fail to deliver...feel free to shoot me while im in a good mood

CUC is ordered and will be shipped out monday. So we finally are back to making progress...Still waiting on foster and smith to e-mail me back about getting the pump on my skimmer replaced. Been a week now...Starting to get a bit annoyed...

... Boo.

....

Lol at least im not the only person that does that CUC shipped out yesterday give me a minute to eat and get my meds in me and il throw up everything I ordered.

Alright well I think its a little over sized given the way stockings going but ultimately im never right so yanno. Anyway heres our list:

50 Dwarf Cerith
20 Empty Hermit Shells
15 Nassarius Vibex
10 Nerite Snails (Small - Medium)
5 Virgin Nerites
1 1 Penny Macro Algae
1 Chaeto w/Pods
1 Red Gracilaria
5 Nerite Snails (Large)

Yes I got hermit shells...I like hermits what can I say >.>