A great protein skimmer is the
AquaC Remora. It`s $164.00. Ive got one on my 65 gallon. Along with 1.25 pds
of rock per gallon, its been doing great.

I got my rock on eBay at only $2.19 a pound---a fraction of what it costs
everywhere else. This was my big "find"---check it out.
There are more rock dealers on eBay with low prices.

Skimmer url

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewIt...idproduct=ACRM

Rock url

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=150081673993

"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:sOzvh.7529$SE6.6121@trnddc03...
pm3009 wrote:

What would you recommend for the following based on a 55 gallon tank ?

First off, most people find it difficult to stack enough live rock in a 55
gallon tank. They aren't wide enough from front to back to leave much sand
bed after the rock is in. YMMV.

Protein Skimmer

I have no recommendation here.

Power Heads

Hagen heads are very good quality, but I just replaced all of mine with a
Tunze 6060 circulation pump, and I've very pleased. The circulation might
be a bit much for a 55, though. I have a 125, and I sometimes wish I had
bought a larger Tunze. Advantages to the Tunze are that it uses less power
and heats the tank up less than power heads for the same water flow. For
only your left arm, you can even buy a housing for the thing that looks
like a chunk of rock.

Heater

I've had Tronic heaters for over 10 years now and like them very well.
They're submersible and easy to adjust. You want two of the 100 watt units
for a 55. Two heaters will give you redundancy if one fails, it's
impossible for one to boil your fish if it goes haywire, and it's easier
to control the tank temperature with two.

Do you have a good online resource for acrylic tanks, and the above
equipment?

Here are a couple ....
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/Shop.cfm?N=2004
http://www.marinedepot.com/homepage.asp

Aquariums are usually better bought locally, though. Shipping is a pain.


If I go with live rocks and live sand, is the Protein Skimmer and Power
Heads adequate, or do I also need a mechanical filter?

You don't need a mechanical filter.

Do you feel that 2lbs of live rock per gallon is necessary? I've heard
numbers between 1lb and 2lbs, so figured right in the middle might be
good.

I've got a little over 1lb/gallon. I like the effect so far, but it
doesn't seem to be handling the nitrates.

Does the live rock decrease the amount of fish you can have in your tank?
If a inch of fish requires 3 gallons of water, but I have 80-110 lbs of
live rock in a 55 gallon tank, do I need to treat it as if it were only a
30 or 40 gallon tank ?

Yep, but you might consider getting a sump or setting up a refugium. Your
sand bed can go in there, and it increases the gallonage (and capacity) of
your system. Your skimmer can also go in there. One of your heaters can
also go in there (I wouldn't put both in the sump myself). All this hides
under the stand.

How close to the wall can the tank be, to allow room for the protein
skimmer/power heads ? (will make a difference on where I can fit the
tank and what size/shape I get).

I find that 6" is about right.

George Patterson
No one ever says "It's only a game." when his team is winning.