55 gallon setup

[Justin1989]

Currently i would like to have a Picasso trigger in my tank; however from the sounds of it my tank would end up being to small for a trigger. Is the recommended tank size because of how much room they like to move around in? Or is it because they are territorial and aggressive? They really caught my eye; along with the lion fish. If the trigger is out of the question; I will most likely end up just going with smaller; non-aggressive fish such as clowns, goby's and so forth.

However ultimately could I get a Picasso trigger; or is the tank just to small? This is a FOWLR tank; would be around 60lb's of LR; two Koralia 4 Centrifugal Pump's; araganite (not sure how many inches I need?) ; and that should mostly be it.Of course a protein skimmer is in line.

 

[Tank2379]

IMO 2 Koralia #4 would be to much for your 55G I would recommend a #2 and #3, but your doing FOWLR you should not need that much flow with it unless you are going reef in the future but for now I think just a #2 and a #1 would work out good for you. The #3 alone putts out more current than the tank can really handle especially only having 60LB of LR (IMO). As for having Trigger Fish would be way to small to house them in 55g I've seen others do it but that's the risk they like to take. Clowns and Goby's will be great additions to your Tank.

 

[melosu58]

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Humu Picasso Triggerfish

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

i have two koraila 3's and that even seems like alot. your sand would be everywhere with 2 #4's.
Good Luck!

 

[Justin1989]

Hah thanks for the info! I never knew that. I will either go with 2 #2's or 1 #2 with a #3. I will stick with clowns; goby's and others. Any recommendations for a CUC? I honestly have no idea in that area.

 

[Tank2379]

I would Say Start with 10 Turbo Snails 10 Astra Snails and I would say 15 Blue Leg Hermits or whatever you choose to do.... Mix and Matching them is ok.... But that's IMO I would recommend... They shoudl a Nice job for you depending on how much algae is growing

 

[roka64]

Tank knows my preference on snails vs. hermits. I would go with nassarius snails, ceriths and margaritas, and limit the hermits. I only have 3 hermits in my 55. How about a pincushion urchin? I love the triggers, but would not put them in my 55.
What are your other ideas...remember, clowns are damselfish and can be mean to other fish if they are the first in the tank.....

 

[Justin1989]

Tank knows my preference on snails vs. hermits. I would go with nassarius snails, ceriths and margaritas, and limit the hermits. I only have 3 hermits in my 55. How about a pincushion urchin? I love the triggers, but would not put them in my 55.
What are your other ideas...remember, clowns are damselfish and can be mean to other fish if they are the first in the tank.....

I honestly did not know clowns had a problem; I knew damsel's could. Honestly Im not to sure; The lions are nice but again can't stick those with clowns or other small fish which the lion would easily outgrow them. Ive been looking online at marine fish; still looking.

 

[Tank2379]

Tank knows my preference on snails vs. hermits. I would go with nassarius snails, ceriths and margaritas, and limit the hermits. I only have 3 hermits in my 55. How about a pincushion urchin? I love the triggers, but would not put them in my 55.
What are your other ideas...remember, clowns are damselfish and can be mean to other fish if they are the first in the tank.....

Oh yes I forgot the Nassarius Snail How could I forget Scott... , but Roka is correct Clown are part of the Damsel Family and they can get aggressive. but from my studies of Clown fish they normally get territorial only when there is an Anemone present that they are hosting even then sometimes they would not tolerate some species of fish that may come close to there home.

 

[roka64]

Well, you get my props for at least asking and listening...I love loins as well too! The key would be to add a lion (depending on the specie) as a "finishing touch" to your tank. This may take years..or another tank, lol, so the lion doesn't eat your other expensive fish. You might be able to get away with a smaller fish (forktail blenny) who has a defensive mechanism, such as their poisonous bite, in the tank with the lion to dissuade him from trying to swallow him.
Check out a few sites and give us a list (and tell us what you are thinking and we can go from there).
liveaquaria.com has some decent info on fish.

 

[Justin1989]

I would probably work around 2 clownfish; watchmen goby; The cardinals look nice however would they be compatible? From the site I'm looking at they are semi-aggressive. Also the sailfin/algae blenny are rather interesting. I would rather not risk end up a lionfish having a tasty snack which would end up costing me a pretty penny. Down the road I will be upgrading to a bigger tank; but that's a ways away.

Blenny
Clown fish
Watchmen Goby
Cardinal (depending on compatibility?)
Butterflied might not be bad either considering I didn't realize they would fit my aquarium.


Thats a start atleast.

 

[roka64]

That might be a good mix. You have the clowns that like to "wonder/host", the blenny, that would hang out on the bottom, and the goby that is "mid tank/perching" type fish...I would still add the clowns at the end....let the other critters find their spots and then add the clowns. Remember, not all clowns are super bad...lol. I like gold stripe maroons (pretty nasty), but have 2 no bar clowns (hybrids) and only a Tangaroa Goby (Ctenogobiops tangaroai) to compliment my pistol shrimp (another favorite of mine), in my 55. I'm still trying to decide if I want to add another fish, but those clowns hog up all of my attention right now.

 

[austinsdad]

Triggers and/or lions will be a problem for CUC. Triggers love chewing on the shells. Keeps their teeth sharp.

 

[Justin1989]

So; today i went and bought an oak stand which was on sale with cabinet doors for 99.97 with tax came to about 106. I original plan was to buy a 55 gallon kit; which came with hood and everything however now that I was looking; they have their 90 gallon tanks on sale for $150. I have decided I will be buying a 90 gallon tank instead of a 55. Only problem is; I really do not feel like spending $180 on a hood lol. Unfortunately I might have to. The dimensions of the tank are 48x18x21 I believe. Those are really close to the correct dimensions. I have been looking online at hoods and see them as cheap as $78; so might end up just ordering online.

So now hopefully I can get the trigger I wanted; waiting to hear other comments about that. How would I effectively filter this tank without a CUC? Do I need a sump? If so I will do so; I have this 15 gallon tank sitting here which isn't doing much at all. The local Lowes here has 12x12 sheets of glass which I can put right in there; they will also cut it down to certain sizes if required. That will be nice to to have considering I can stick all my ugly crap (heaters; skimmer) down there.