Reef Tank Testing Equipment

who in here has a 55 gallon Reef Tank?

I’m planning to set up a 55 gallon Reef Tank and I want to know what equipment do i need and also i heard that a sump is Better because there is where a protein skimmer is placed and some other Equipment so if there is someone in here that has a 55 gallon REEF TANK that can tell me all the Equipment you have from test kits to filtration i would appreciate it very much.
If its not too much bodering I would like to know every piece of equipmnet that i need and i mean every piece of equipment.

I have a 46g reef and am in the process of building a 75g reef. I highly recommend incorporating a sump because having bulky equipment in or hanging on your display tank is just an eye sore and the sump provides more volume to the system.

As for test kits, I’d go with the API (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals) Reef Master Test Kit.

Edit to add:

Different reefers have different standards in regard to what you MUST HAVE on your tank but I’d say to get things off to a good start, you really need the following:

- Lighting System to support the corals you intend to house. I prefer T5HO fixtures, myself. They’re highly efficient and you can configure various lamps to tweak the visual aesthetics of your tank. Depending on what corals you want to keep, I’d aim for a 4-6 lamp T5HO fixture.

- Timer. This isn’t an absolute necessity, but it’s definitely a time saver. It will allow you to run a 24-hour light schedule without having to be present to turn on/off the specific lamps throughout the day.

- Filter. You’ve got a lot of options here. I have a canister filter on my 46g tank and have a wet/dry trickle filter/sump on my 75g. In your case, I’d go with the sump option just because it opens up other options for the tank.

- Powerheads. Current is important in a reef tank. You’ll want to be able to provide corals with adequate current so that they will remain healthy. Koralias are very popular and easy to mount in the tank.

- Skimmer. Don’t skimp here. You get what you pay for and you want quality. You can get models that hang on the side of your tank, hang on the side of your sump, sit in the sump, or sit outside of the tank/sump. There are people who have successfully kept skimmerless reef tanks going, but if you go this route be prepared to do frequent water changes.

- Heater(s) and Thermometer. I’d suggest having two heaters. If one goes out, you’ll have a back up.

- RO/DI unit. If you can afford it, this is a great item to have. I don’t have one of these at the moment but wish I did. Because I don’t, I have to purchase my water from the local fish store. Water from your tap tends to contain high levels of phosphates and in a reef tank, that’s just asking for trouble… usually in the form of nuisance algae and cyanobacteria.

- Magnet Cleaner and/or Long Handled Scraper. These you’ll want just to keep the glass free of film algae or other unwanted growth.

JBJ 3 Gallon Picotope Reef Tank Update #16 Week 23