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What to do, what to do (50gal project)

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by corey.nolta, Jan 22, 2017.

  1. Jan 22, 2017 #1
    corey.nolta Waterloo

    corey.nolta

    244
    Waterloo
    Ratings:
    +79 / 0 / -0
    Over the holidays I really fell out of love with my tank, with the hustle and bustle of work and family, I really let my tank go. I even contemplated getting rid of it. Since the new year however, I've made it a point to get it back into shape and I can officially say I'm back to loving my tank again. :)

    I Did some moving around of my fresh water fish, so now I have a NON-DRILLED 50 gallon tank with no fish in it. At first I was just going to take the tank down, but got to thinking about maybe doing something salty with it.

    I'm not looking to drill it / add any plumbing to it, and there is no room for a sump in the stand anyways (I would just utilize the canister filter for mechanical filtration). I have plenty of extra equipment laying around, so here is my question....

    What should I do with it? I'd prefer something a little more low maintenance than a full reef. I was originally thinking of maybe a large carpet nem and clown? Seahorses/planted tank? Large frag tank (I really don't have much for corals to grow out, so seems like a waste?)? Predator tank? Let's hear some ideas!!! :)
     
  2. Jan 22, 2017 #2
    Waterrat41 Des moines

    Waterrat41 Addicted Reefer GIRS Member

    297
    Des moines
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    I've always told myself if I found myself in that situation I would have a fish only for some of the "not reef safe" fish...but the question would be, is a 50 big enough for the ones one would want?:confused:
     
  3. Jan 22, 2017 #3
    blackx-runner Cedar Rapids, IA

    blackx-runner Administrator Website Team Leadership Team

    6,044
    Cedar Rapids, IA
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    +738 / 5 / -0
    Sounds like a decent size for a sump on a larger tank. :D

    Softy tank with corals suited to dirtier water. Xenia, anthelia, GSP, other "invasives" that you really don't want in a reef tank because of the way they spread, but they really do look nice and add some nice motion to a tank. Maybe some of the cool looking macro algaes. Fish only tank for some of the smaller not reef safe fish. I think seahorse are pretty delicate, not sure if they are the low maintenance you are looking for but haven't researched them much.
    Nem and clowns would be fine, but honestly pretty boring if that is all you have in there. Guests and kids would enjoy it, but really its just a couple small fish that spend 90% of the time swimming only in the nem LOL. You can do that in a 5 gallon and they would be fine with the space.
     
  4. Jan 22, 2017 #4
    jeremy Davenport, IA

    jeremy Acro Addict

    2,382
    Davenport, IA
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    Display refugium with a few softies with some cool smaller fish maybe some pipe fish or sea horses or just some nano fish.
    The simpler the better.
     
  5. Jan 22, 2017 #5
    corey.nolta Waterloo

    corey.nolta

    244
    Waterloo
    Ratings:
    +79 / 0 / -0
    @Waterrat41@Waterrat41 - A 50 gallon definitely would not cut it for the non reef safe fish I'd like to get. Plus most of my corals in my 90 are still pretty small, so it kind of looks like a fish only right now lol.

    @blackx-runner@blackx-runner - RIGHT! I'm actually in the process of researching a plywood build. I have the perfect spot for one in my office. Would be roughly 250. But convincing the ol' ball and chain is what will take the most amount of work ;) The reason I initially thought nem and clown is because I had a HUGE carpet nem (good 14" across) until one day he decided to take walk and cuddle up next to the heater and kicked the bucket. I'd love to get another, but would not put it in my current 90.

    @jeremy@jeremy - I like the idea of some nano fish! Maybe I'll get a dwarf lion (non that it's a nano fish lol)?!

    I really like the idea of a grow out / frag tank, to help with cost and trades, but that just sounds like it would look boring :D
     
  6. Jan 23, 2017 #6
    Fence13 Des Moines

    Fence13 Experienced Reefkeeper

    1,226
    Des Moines
    Ratings:
    +300 / 1 / -0
    There are a couple not-reef safe fish that would go well in a 50gal. You could even supplement them with some extra fish you enjoy. I have one SPS tank that requires lots of maintenance and so my other two tanks are very low key. Makes life less stressful. Clown and carpet nem would be a great idea as it's low key and really limits the amount of fish you can have (nem eats them).

    I'd avoid the lion unless you find a good HOB skimmer, I haven't found a good HOB skimmer.

    I would avoid seahorses because i'm not sure you would like having to feed them 2x a day. Apparently seahorse biology is rather crappy and they don't eat very fast, or get a lot of nutrients out of their food so they're always eating.
     

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