New Tank.... Need Suggestions

[maporsche]

I've never owned a SW tank before but I've been very interested in the hobby (or is it a lifestyle?) for a number of years. So, last week I bought a 120gal tank (approx 5ft long, 3ft high, 2ft deep). For filtration I bought 2 Cascade 1500 canister filters with bio-balls. The tank won't be ready for fish for at least a month, but I want to get an idea of what I could do.

I'm very interested in a predator tank. But I need some more information on what I could have in there (how many fish, etc).

I'd like fish that live for a number of years and get to be a pretty decent size (8-14 in). I think larger fish just look more impressive and interesting.

I'd like to have an eel and a lionfish so I guess I'll build the rest around those two.

 

[Hara]

welcome to AA! Predator tanks can be very interesting and rewarding. They can also hold unforseen challenges. For instance, with a predator tank, quite often you are limited as to the critters you can use for a clean up crew as there is a tendency for them to end up as snack food. I have had 2 lionfish that I have had the pleasure of watching grow from just a couple inches to well over a foot in length counting the tail. They are very interesting and can become quite "people" oriented and move around the tank just to watch what you are doing. That is also true of Puffers. I had 4 eels (now down to 3 as one passed on recently) in a tank. This tank was always troublesome as the eels would not allow other fish in the tank and so it looks like a box filled with water and rocks, as the eels tend to stay living in the rocks with no more than a head poking out here and there. My eels are quite large and even so, hide quite effectively.

I guess what I am trying to do, without boring you to tears, is to give you a little food for thought. Also a word of caution, as large as you think your tank is, it really isnt. My meaning is that the fish you have chosen are very heavy on the bioload and so you cannot have nearly as much as you could if it were a community tank. You might also want to invest in a protein skimmer.

 

[maporsche]

welcome to AA!

Thanks

Predator tanks can be very interesting and rewarding. They can also hold unforseen challenges.

Nothing worth having comes easy.

For instance, with a predator tank, quite often you are limited as to the critters you can use for a clean up crew as there is a tendency for them to end up as snack food.

Is there a need for a "clean up crew". I'm pretty new to this, but the guy at the LFS didn't seem to have this concern. Please help.

I have had 2 lionfish that I have had the pleasure of watching grow from just a couple inches to well over a foot in length counting the tail. They are very interesting and can become quite "people" oriented and move around the tank just to watch what you are doing. That is also true of Puffers. I had 4 eels (now down to 3 as one passed on recently) in a tank. This tank was always troublesome as the eels would not allow other fish in the tank and so it looks like a box filled with water and rocks, as the eels tend to stay living in the rocks with no more than a head poking out here and there. My eels are quite large and even so, hide quite effectively.

From what I've been reading, Lionfish really seem to limit how many other fish you can have. Is the same true of puffers. I'd really like to have a porcupine puffer. I was thinking a snowflake eel would be nice too, are they as tempremental as the one's you owned?

I guess what I am trying to do, without boring you to tears, is to give you a little food for thought. Also a word of caution, as large as you think your tank is, it really isnt. My meaning is that the fish you have chosen are very heavy on the bioload and so you cannot have nearly as much as you could if it were a community tank. You might also want to invest in a protein skimmer.

I talked to the guy at the LFS and he had assured me that with a fish only tank (no live rock) that a protien skimmer wouldn't be needed. Is that not true? And when you say my tank isn't as large as I think it is, is there anything specific I could reference that would help me gauge how many fish I could have in different combinations?

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

 

[Hara]

Is there a need for a "clean up crew".

yes, they will help keep your tank free of unsightly/undesireable algae and diatoms

Is the same true of puffers. I'd really like to have a porcupine puffer. I was thinking a snowflake eel would be nice too, are they as tempremental as the one's you owned?

puffers are pretty docile, just heck on shelled creatures. I have an adult snowflake. He is quite mild-mannered.

I talked to the guy at the LFS and he had assured me that with a fish only tank (no live rock) that a protien skimmer wouldn't be needed

Definitely BAD advice. You need a protein skimmer with fish such as these.

 

[Guest]

Welcome to the SW Hobby! That's a pretty decent sized tank to start up a FOWLR! Great! One advice: Keep away from Damsels.

Anyhow, hope you have cycled the tank already.

What substrate are you using?

Protein Skimmer, I believe, should be a MUST in this hobby. Ofcourse, people here may contradict. But that's the fun of the forum! If you are short for cash on that equipment, get a Prizm Skimmer from Ebay. Pretty good performance for the small price you pay. (Usually between $50 and $80 bucks)

If you are thinking of FO without LR, hmmmmm....well, LRs are actually beautiful and you make the tank more "natural" in appearance, especially if you use white sand as well (live sand or something).

I would suggest that, if you are interested in a porcupine puffer, see if you will enjoy the look of boxfish and triggers. However, with that said, once you have these puffers/triggers/boxfish, you may end up not being able to house hermit crabs and snails, other inverts too, because it's snack for them.

With that said, choose your puffers, triggers, and box fish wisely for compatibility in the LONG RUN. I would say "start with juvies" (between 1.5 - 3") big. In that way, you can watch them grow. There's no thrill in buying grown ups, IMO.

If you like big fish, Tangs are beautiful when they grown up. However, you might have to be sensitive to whoever they will live together with.

SW is just so fun because there are sooooo muuuuch types of colorful, shapy, and beautiful fish. Have fun!!!!!!!!

 

[salmo trutta]

im looking into getting a scorpian fish for my SW tank. most of the ones i see for sale never really get bigger then 4-8 inches. and then the key is just having fish that are to big for them to eat after that