New 55 gallon tank setup

[W.Glint]

Hello everyone!

So, heres the story: in a few months i will be setting up my new 55 gallon tank, but i have a few questions and i would like alll the suggestions i can get.

I plan for it to be a FOWLR tank ( and maybe some beginner corals down the road, who knows ), and i already have some of the fish going in it. currently i have a 40 gallon system, with 2 20 gallon tanks, one with my juvinille Snowflake eel, and the other has my clownfish, 2 damsels, and mycleaner shrimp. ( i know the eel and the shrimp could be a problem, but the eel has only been feed dead foods and hasnt given the small crab in his tank even a glance yet, but if its a problem, the shrimp will be relocated )

My big questions are:

1. i was curious about man made live rock (AgoCrete) , as i dont want to break the bank and buy the usual 50-60 lbs of live rock for the new tank, and i was curious about curing DIY live rock, considering it has nothing on it to start with? and how that whole process works ( i have a general understanding )

2. this goes with number 1, but how should i go about cycling the tank with the DIY live rock, and i would prefer to do a no-fish cycle.

3. my other system was my first SW tank, and i know i cut corners during set up and rushed through it, and i know my cycle and set up of my bio-filter was lacking, so i want to do it right this time.

4. would drilling the tank be a good idea? i plan to use one of my 20 or 10 gallon tanks as a sump to put my skimmer in, as well as the HOB filter and heater and ect. my other option would be a overflow box, but yet again, another expense.

Equipment that i do / already have:
1 penguin 350 HOB filter ( no bio wheels )
1 Aqua C Remora HOB protein skimmer
a few assorted heaters
1 20'' marineland LED light fixture (will get a second one when i set up my 55 )
2 24'' Coralife dual bulb light fixture (1 antic and 1 10k bulbs apiece)

i also have all the basic stuff - siphons, buckets, water testing kits, additives, ect

I would just like some suggestions and what would be good ideas, and stuff like that!


All input is greatly appreciated!!

 

[skinz78]

Have you considered dry rock? You can find it for about $2 a lb, and the cycle is way faster than man made rock.

 

[W.Glint]

Yeah i have, and actually, since i put this post up, a friend of mine has given me a 50 lb box of dry rock he had leftover from his setup for only 60 bucks! so, im set on rock now.

My new question is, how should i cycle all of this? can i put the rock, sand and water into the tank and add a shrimp and start the cycle? will this make the dry rock ''live'', and should i add a few pieces of true live rock from my other system during the cycle, or wait until after.

 

[skinz78]

Yes you are on the right track. Add everything you have and then a shrimp or some fish food and it will start the cycle. Then in a few weeks you should add some live rock to seed everything. Check your params and when everything looks good you are good to go.

 

[W.Glint]

thanks for getting back to me skinz. sounds great to me. ill post back in a few weeks when i get everything set up with some ubdates!