wish list for my 75gal tank

[stopNsmellFOWLRs]

Hi everyone,

this is my first post here at AA. I am brand new to the saltwater aquaria hobby. I have successfull maintained a 29 gal african chiclid tank for around 5 years now! but when it comes to salt i have ZERO experience. and honestly i dont even have a tank set up or anything yet! I am planning (hoping) to get a 75 gal tank here pretty soon. I am just in the process of learning about all the different equipment and needs for the fish, and also making a wish list as to what i would like to keep!

If i understand correctly when it comes to FOWLR tanks I should probably use a sump and protien skimmer for filtration. am I correct in understanding that volume of the sump should be appoximately 15-20% of the volume of the main display tank? which for a 75 gal tank would be around a 20 gal sump. Sugestions for a decent skimmer are also very welcome! Also what kind of lighting should be used? Not planning on any corals and it seems like there are just so many dang options on lighting and everyone uses a bunch of differnt acronyms for the different types... maybe someone could post a link to a lighting FAQ or something!

Also I live in an appartment, and I'm wondering if maybe i should give up on my dreams of having a saltwater tank because of the huge chance that i will be moving at some point in time (i am happy here, but would like to buy sometime) i didnt have any trouble moving my chiclids, but dont know how salt water fish do with changing places like that!

Ok... so to get to the nitty gritty.. and the fun part!

let me know what you think and if you have had experience with the different combinations.

the One fish that I have my heart set on is a Volitan Lionfish

also really like the following

Snowflake or Zebra Moray
Marine Betta ( please help.. cant fiind much info on these guys)
Golden Semilarvatus Butterflyfish
Radiata Lionfish

hmmm i guess that about all i can think of for now... I was wondering about a trigger, but have read that they are not compatible with the lionfish.

I also want to point out that this is a wish list.. not what i have stocked.... I am sure that that would be way overstocking a 75 gal.

Any suggestions are Welcome and very much appreciated!

Thank you!

 

[pat8you]

I should probably use a sump and protien skimmer for filtration. am I correct in understanding that volume of the sump should be appoximately 15-20% of the volume of the main display tank?

I think a sump is the best way to go. It gives you flexibility to add more equipment or a refugium down the road. There is no set percent of the display tank that the sump has to be but that gives you a generalize place to start. I like to make my sump as big as i have room for. It gives you more water volume to keep your parameters stable and allows you more room to add things if you need too.

Sugestions for a decent skimmer are also very welcome!

I have always use the ASM skimmers. The are well built and easy to use.

maybe someone could post a link to a lighting FAQ or something!

Articles about Proper Aquarium Lighting

These are a couple of really basic articles that will give you a place to start. Just keep in mind they are written by a place that is trying to sell things so take it with a grain of salt. If you want more detailed informaiton look up a thread i started a while back where i was writing a article about lighting. Never finished it but it had pages of links in there that is everything you could ever want to know. I just called it "lighting article"

Also I live in an appartment, and I'm wondering if maybe i should...

Moving any fish tank is a bit of a pain but plenty of people have done it with out any problems. Properly maintained saltwater fish are just as stable as freshwater in my opinion. That is a general rule though. There are a few trick fish. I moved my tank from florida to illinois with out a problem. Not fun but very possible.

As for your list of fish i can only offer my opinion on a few. Lions and eels are a popular combination and won't be a problem. Marine Bettas I don't know much about but you would need to make sure that it was about the same size as the lion or it may become lunch. The butterfly you picked out is reported to be a little difficult to get to eat at times. If you would like one of these you should really do your research and then make sure you have a large variety of foods at the ready to try and encourage it to eat. They are also a little difficult to find and expensive. Triggers are a bad idea with lions. They like to chew on the long flowing fins of the lions and are very aggressive fish in general.

 

[stopNsmellFOWLRs]

Again Pat, thanks for the information! the lighting article helped greatly! and now i know where to find more info on stuff like that! also thanks for the info on the butterfly.. i honestly just thought that i would like some sort of a yellow fish in the tank, and was looking through live aquaria to find some that i felt would be large enough to no be food for the lionfish! any suggestions? I know tangs wouldnt do well in a 75 gal tank... about the marine betta i have found out that they get to about 8 inches.. is that to big for the lionfish to eat? i know they are known for their giant mouth, but i thought the betta would be safe. again thanks for the input!!

 

[mr_X]

octopus or vertex IN protein skimmers will out perform ASM skimmers and are built much better IME. ASM skimmers are not well built. on the contrary, they use inefficient pumps and cheap plastic. sorry to say, i'm going to have to strongly disagree on that one.

salt fish must be evaluated by habits, and not only by adult size. that's why folks say no to tangs for smaller tanks- because of their swimming habits.
however, certain tangs can do well in a 75 in my opinion. scopus, and kole tangs should do fine in your tank.
as far as the lion goes, as long as the fish you choose is bigger than his mouth, you are ok.
check into anglers as well. these are super cool fish and don't need much swimming space at all.
check out some photos-
wartskin angler - Google Search

they can get a bit pricey though, according to color.

 

[stopNsmellFOWLRs]

well thanks alot for the info... the tangs are beautiful! thanks for the suggestion! not to sure about the wartskin angler.. pretty cool looking fish, but way out of my price range! and it seemed to me like it might get gobbled up by the lionfish... kinda small isnt it... but that actually brings up another question...

I truely dont believe i have ever actually seen a full grown volitans lionfish... how big is there mouth? roughly of course. i mean when im looking for a tankmates aproximately how big should they grow to be safe from becoming a meal?

Again thanks for the information!

 

[mr_X]

a volitan lion grows to about basketball sized if i'm not mistaken. i would imagine it would be able to eat something golfball sized if it had to.
at that point it's going to be too big for your 75 anyway.
you don't have to go with a wartskin...you can choose a cheaper angler. they get big enough for your purpose.