Stocking a 75 Gallon Predator Tank

[Genix]

okay so i don't want any live rock in this tank. it's gonna be strictly fish. how does this look:

2 regal tangs
3 yellow tangs
a picasso trigger
a long-spine porcupinefish
a lionfish
a banded bamboo shark

now i plan on buying all species as young as possible. so the tangs will be about 2 inches long, 3 inches for both the trigger and puffer, 4 for the lion, and the shark will be hatched from an egg and sold when it reaches 15 inches or so. i plan on feeding moderately.

how's the list look? overstocked? i haven't bought the tank yet, so i could possibly upgrade to a 90 gallon. could a 90 gallon house a grown bamboo shark? they don't really swim very much...

 

[midol]

Overstocked. Extremely over stocked.

You are putting 5 tangs in a 75 Gal tank, and a shark.

I'd go research these fishes needs a bit more.

 

[Genix]

okay but i could easily sell a few as they reached full size. like how fast does a bamboo shark grow if i feed him lightly? why exactly do tangs need so much swimming room?

 

[midol]

Don't know, never had one.

I have a 75 and i got told not even to get 1 tang.

Sharks, i don't know much about them but at rtaw they said no sharks unless the tank is at least 10x3x3.

 

[lando]

Wow, that is going to be one crowded tank. Seriously, way too many fish in there. One tang is okay in a 75, two is really pushing it (although many do it). Skip the shark as they require much larger tanks as well. The trigger will destroy the lionfish. I suggest you reconsider the use of LR in your tank. Go for a FOWLR. Keeping water parameters at acceptable levels is a big challenge in aggressive tanks. The use of LR will certainly work in your (and your fish's) benefit.

why exactly do tangs need so much swimming room?

Tangs, by nature, are just active fish. They grow large and need room to roam. They are also a fish that does not handle environmental stress (i.e. feeling crowded) very well. Stress=disease=death of the fish.

 

[Genix]

i may consider a bit of live rock. the shark needs more room? like how much, and for what? as far as i can tell from the bamboo sharks i've seen, they just sit on the bottom all day. are you sure that the trigger would attack the lionfish? would a 90 gallon suffice for all of this?

 

[lando]

You will need a 300+ gal tank for the livestock you have listed. Yes, I am sure the trigger will attack the lion. Sharks really require large circular tnks with sand substrate. Plain and simple...too many fish for the size of tank and very poor compatability between the fish.

 

[ogden10]

I have said this before in many posts, and I am sure many disagree with me, however my experience tells me there are far more exceptions then there are rules in this hobby. I would aggree that this sounds like a very crowded tank with all these fish. I also (like you I am guessing) like the look of a tank with alot of fish in it. I think it is much more exciting to watch, and just more beautiful overall.

My experience, and again just my personal experience is that the trigger may be fine with your lion. I have had 2 in a 72 gallon bowfront for a long time with no problems at all. If you are worried I would suggest a Niger instead as they tend to be pretty docile compared to other triggers.

I also had a porc puffer in with these guys with no problem. I am sorry to say that I would just forget about the shark. In reality this species is not really going to add any excitment to your tank, and will most likely just lay on the bottom. They just need some more room to move when they want to.

The tangs... You would prob be ok with one of each, maybe maybe maybe 2 yellow. What I would suggest is to prioritize your list of fish and then add the important ones first (preferable the less aggresive one first). After you add them check your levels and see where you are. If they stay ok for a few weeks then add the next on your list and check again.

Basically you will always find people that tell you to do it a different way. The bottom line is that an extremely overcrowded tank is no fun at all. You will end up have to do so much maintanance to just keep up with water levels, algea, and worst of all death, it will take the fun right out of it.

I think best to just take it slow, ad a little at a time, and watch your levels and how the fish are getting along. Not only will this save you money, but alot of headache.

Definently re-think the live rock thing. It will help ALOT with keeping a predator tank cleaner. Also a good protein skimmer is a MUST.

Hope that helps

 

[Fluff]

Well, lets see.
Regal tang needs a tank of 70g per fish
Yellow tang, 50g per fish
Picasso trigger 70g per fish
Porcupine 100g each
Lionfish 30-70 each
bamboo shark nothing under 180g. It doesn't matter if they swim or not, it's bioload and the fact that they can attain a length of over 3ft.

triggers and puffers are not good tankmates for lionfish.
Perhaps you could do, one of each of the two tangs. Then maybe one of either a dwarf lion, trigger, or one of the smaller puffers like the valentini.

 

[Fluff]

The tangs... You would prob be ok with one of each, maybe maybe maybe 2 yellow.

I agree with one of each but adding two yellows is asking for problems. Yellows should be alone or in a school so it would be one or at least three. And three is to much for a 75g tank. Also, I just want to add, when deciding on what fish to keep, be sure to stock your tank using the adult size of the fish you choose. This gives the fish plenty of room to grow and you don't have to make the decision to get rid of them, or upgrade your tank down the road.

 

[ogden10]

Fluff, you are right about the yellow. I was not thinking about schooling, just stocking. Thanks for the correction. I am not sure I agree with the adult size thing. I have enjoyed watching many fish grow from juvinile to adult, and then either moving to another tank, or trading with the LFS. For me alot of the fun is watching them grow up. Heck for me it seems I always have a new tank to move them to anyway

 

[Fluff]

But not everyone has that option Kevin.

 

[ogden10]

I hear ya, if my wife had her way I would not either. I have never found a LFS that would not work some sort of trade with you though

 

[Genix]

okay, what if i ditch the shark, the lion, and 3 of the tangs. leaving:

a regal tang
a yellow tang
a picasso trigger
a long-spine porcupinefish

that just seems so empty to me. do i have room for maybe a large angel or something? how much room do i have left?

i suppose i could try some live rock since i was planning on spending a lot on coral skeletons anyways. how much live rock should i add? cost IS an issue. i'll definitely be putting a high quality skimmer on it, but it won't be right away.

 

[Genix]

oh, now that the shark and lion is out, what about a bunch of damsels? i know the puffer will try to take bites out of them, but will he be able to catch them?

i need color!

 

[ogden10]

I suggest start with these fish...and see what happens. You can always add more fish, it is harder to take them out. The only thing is just watch the picasso and see how it goes. I would get a smaller one and add him as the last fish. I believe that after these guys are in there for a while and your levels settle you will see that you can add something else. The key though is going to be the filtration and how clean you keep the water. The live rock and the skimmer are going to be key to this. If you plan on having a predator tank you MUST have a good skimmer IMO. Until you get it feed very lightly and watch you levels. What kind of filter system are you using? If cost is an issue get a few pounds of real good quality live rock with coraline and whatever. I would not worry about shrimp crabs and other hitchhikers as they will most likely get eaten anyway. Then spend the rest of your live rock budget on base rock, or lace rock, or whatever your LFS calls it. Given time it will become live rock and grow coraline and all that. Meantime it will still help with filtration.

hope that helps

 

[Genix]

it does help, thanks. yes, the picasso will go in last. and i was planning on buying all the fish at the smallest size i can, but looking at the list now, i want the tangs to be bigger. i'll be starting with an Emperor 400 wet/dry power filter and a H.O.T. Magnum canister filter (maybe 2 of them). not sure what protien skimmer to get yet. i've been looking at the Coralife Super Skimmer 3002 and the Prism Pro Deluxe. about how many pounds of live rock for a 75 gallon? and any idea if the porcupinefish will be able to eat the damsels?

 

[Fluff]

The general rule for live rock is 1-1.5lbs per gallon when used as your filtration. Since you are using a canister to filter your water, I'm sure you could use less.

 

[ogden10]

Damsels???? I am assumiing that you are using these to cycle your tank right? Damsels are kindof a hard call. First off there are alot of different damsels out there. Most of them are actually fairly mean, and will hold their own. That being said my Porc once took a nice half circle shaped bite out of a Maroon Clowns dorsal fin. The clown showed him who was boss after that, and they have now been together for over a year. Moral is though if it had been the belly instead of the fin I would be down a clown. Bottom line just watch him and see what happens. I would guess that a smaller porc would leave them alone, especially if there is more then one damsel, in fact they might pick on the porc. My advice would be get rid of the damsels anyway, they will just create problems as you add more fish.

Your filtration should be good. I run wet drys, plus use Auaa C skimmers on my aggressice tank. For my buck the Aqua C is the best skimmer going. Opionions will vary on this of course but I really like it alot.

As far as the rock goes, I would prob go with like 50 lbs or so. Maybe 25 live rock, and 25 base. Start with that and see where you get. I would bet you that you will end up buying more as time goes on, it is kinda addictive. You will want to change your aquascaping, or find a really cool looking piece, or whatever. I still buy rock whenever I see a piece I like.

 

[Genix]

shesh, what does everyone have against damsels? i actually really like the yellow-tailed blues. they look incredibly bright under the right lighting and are so fast that they just become streaks of color.

am i even gonna be able to grow anything on that live rock with just a double flourescent strip? or would it just end up getting eaten anyway?