Starting out

[Andrew v.s wild]

Need some help on setting up a 55 gallon reef tank.
Is this the right size should i increase decrease?
Not sure what to get or use. This wont be my first tank, but im coming from
a bio cube 8g so im clue less! Not even sure what a sump is?
I know i want corals i have in my cube a BTA and some toadstool leathers
so corals and inverts in that genre. And i want some zoanthids.
I just want to know what i need to have fish ex. lighting, skimmers, powerheads?
And the price on this?

[hobogato]

first, you need to think about what you want to keep in the tank. while most setups will need similar basics like live rock, sump, and skimmer, other things can be more specialized. lighting is one of those things that can vary greatly.

are you going fowlr, soft coral and fish, lps also, mixed reef with or without sps, sps dominant? i know - i answered your question with alot more questions......

[Mr3plus1]

55 seems about right stepping up from an 8. I wouldnt get any bigger fish like tangs, but clownfish, an angel, a hawkfish, hell even a mandarin arent gonna be an issue for a 55. Before you jump into any of that you need to set up things like lighting, filtration, and all the wiring/timers.

[Bill S]

Mr3, please don't take this personally:

Andrew, being new here, it's probably good advice to listing to the Board Member with 5000+ posts. He has good advice. Decide what you want to keep, THEN we can help point you in the right direction. I'd avoid large angels in a 55 (that's everything but a dwarf - and only 1), and a mandarin is out of the question UNTIL the tank is mature OR you get one that eats other than naturally occuring tank critters - in other words, one that eats frozen food. I have 2 mandarins, have had them for years, and I've never seen them eat what I feed the tank.

[ErikH]

A 55 is too small front to back. If you want a four foot tank, get a 75.

[alton]

I agree with ScorpiNO with the 75, 18" width is better. Get a Reef Ready Tank. Take your time, look at other MAAST Member tanks and take from them what you want your tank to look like. The only other thing I will add is filtration, wet/dry/-w-fuge and an external Panworld pump.

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

I think you will find the bigger tank is easier to keep in general. If the animals you keep are more difficult though then it is another story.