55 gallon stand Build! (HERE WE GO!!!)

Holy cow man! That's crazy good... You could sell those for alot of money!;D

 

Haha thanks. Just a few cuts and nails.

 

why not the tang? I would probably rehome the blue damsel or add last. I don't know enough about wrasses to help there. I think a goby or blenny would be nice. What about a type of dwarf angel? I also really like my little lyretail hawkfish. He perches and is very visible and adds color.

 

Tank size may be a little small for him. Live Aquaria recommends 70 gallons.

I've thought about a dwarf angel, but was concerned about them nipping at my coral.

Do hawk fish nip?

After watching my uncles 6-line, I've fallen in love. Love his eyes.

 

This is the first and only one I've ever kept but I've not noticed any nipping.

 

I have never owner a 6-line, but that is because all of the horror stories I have heard. I would personally say to go with a different wrasse. Any Flasher would work, smaller Fairies (plenty to choose from), any of the Possums and even a smaller Halichoeres (these need a sand bed to sleep in, the others mentioned do not).

As far as a Tang, I thought about adding one to my 55 myself, but chose against it. A 55 is the absolute bare minimum to even begin considering housing a bristletooth tang in. A 75 or 90 really should be the minimum. The extra 6" width really goes a long way with a 6-8" long fish.

I would go with a dwarf angel over a tang for a 55. From everything I have read, it seems Flame Angels are the least likely to nip. I did a ton or researching before deciding to get one. Coral Beauty's are also in that same boat. But it comes down to the individual fish, and how well they are fed (keep them well fed, and they may never nip). You also need to get one that is eating prepared foods well. As far as LA 70 gallon minimum for a Flame Angel or similar, I think that is actually well over the minimum. One would do just fine in your 55.

Otherwise, a Midas Blenny or similar (I love the Ecsenius family!) would do very nicely. They don't touch algae at all, but have amazing personalities. There are others in the family that do peck at algae all day long (such as the Tailspot).

 

Sanded and stained. Still a lot of trim work to be done and doors to be built.

 

Applied the polyurethane and it seemed to thin out the stain. In some places it improved and in other places it doesn't look as good. Overall, I am not overly impressed with the stain job that I did. A little disappointing and less motivating.

 

re-stain it When I did mine I noticed the same issue it was the brush strokes. I used a brush then used a cottot rag to finish it. I wish I would of sprayed the clear coat instead of using a brush as well. There are a bunch of light and dark spots on it. Still looks good though. In the end you will sit back and realize the great job you did. We can be our worst critics sometimes.

 

That looks great!

I would have to sand it down to re-stain it. I already clear coated it.