newbe with a 125g tank, many ???s

[chuckd92]

Hi to all,
Ive done alot of research for the last few months, have a 125g 72x18x22 tank and stand, Looking to stock it with 1-3inchs each of :
Huma Picasso Trigger
DogFaced Puffer
Harlequin Tusk
Goldbar Wrasse
Lieutenant Tang
Purple Tank
Blue Ring Angel

I will cycle the system for 1-2 months with 200lbs of LR and Sand and a huge sump system as i will explain below.

First ? Too Many Fish? 2nd Good combo? 3rd which ones first? 4th any thing i can put in to clean the sand? and last my vision of a sump refugiums system, is it overkill?

Looking at a 3 Tank sump system which might be over kill? 2nd and 3rd tank will be plumbed into the next room which is my utlity room

First under Main Tank a 48x12 1/2x 16 40g refugium stocked with 6inches sand, 40lbs LR, and Inverts, few Pepermint shrimp, 1 sea cucumber, 1 brittle sea star, snails and crabs to clean all detrius coming straight from main tank and 1 400 wt heater

2nd tank 30x12 1/2x 18 3/4 filled with 6 inches sand, 2 cambers first with cheato tumbling 2nd with 2 fern plants,

3rd tank 36x18x16 with 3 cambers 16inches first camber divided in half with sea lettuce on one side and Garcillia on the other tumbling, 2nd chamber 300g rated protein skimmer at end of sump system, 3rd chamber 1386gph returm pump, oxydator which makes oxygen in the water (look it up), plus 2nd 400wt heater. Can Feed Tang all 3 alges when prunning

If anyone has any input on anything positive or negative, THANKS,, I am redoing my basement and hoping to finish it in a few months and have a special space for my tank. I want to start it ASAP once its done so i just want all my facts straight and ready to go

 

[carey]

Hi welcome to the site!

I have a 125g with 3 tangs and to be honest I wouldnt add many other large fish. I can't vouch for the puffer or triggers, never kept any so not sure about their requirements.

Are you ever going reef or is this to be a fish only system?
AS an option you can use a filter sock(s) in the intake section of the sump so you wouldnt need a cleanup crew in there. I also would have the sump before all the refugium sections.

Hope that helped a bit.

Good luck, you are starting with a great size tank so it should be great fun!

 

[chuckd92]

No i dont want to go reef in this tank, might get another smaller tank for that,

The idea of putting the sump in last after the refugiums is so that the alges can absorb as much as they can before the protein skimmer starts pulling stuff out. I want to have inverts but wont beable to put them in the main tank due to the puffer wrasse and trigger with eat them, Ive seen people on youtube and stuff have many fish in 125g tanks and with the 3 sumps my filtrations should be fine, not sure thou how crowded it will be once they are fully grown. I am looking into a 240g tank just taller and deeper, i can only have a 6foot tank, but not sure how long before i would have to upgrade to it? How long does it take for fish to grow?

THanks

 

[carey]

I've gone by the thought that the pods and other creatures in the refugium will be skimmed. Not sure how true that reasoning holds but I do have a boatload of pods in my tank and refugium so I can only guess that helped by my placement.
There are people that setup a separate system for the refugium so that it;s contents don't get skimmed and the flow can be lower going through it for maximum nutrient absorption.