Advice on starting tank

[rhall928]

I am planning on starting up a FOWLR tank and am in the research process right now. Just thought I'd ask for a little advise. I was initially going to go with a 55 gallon tank but am not sure if it's big enough for the fish I want. I am going to put a list of the fish that I want in my tank in order of how much I want that particular one in order of most to least. If anyone could let me know which of these I can have in a tank with eachother and what size tank I should go with I would appreciate it. I put down three Triggerfish but do not expect to have three. I would like two, particularly a humu and a clown, but am not sure if this is possible. I also put down a seahorse but am not sure if I can have that either because of some of the other fish that I want. Here is the list of fish that I would like. Keep in mind that I am not expecting to be able to have all of these.

-Humu Picasso Triggerfish
-Lionfish
-Porcupine Puffer
-Cowfish
-2 Clownfish
-Seahorse
-Clown Triggerfish
-Bursa Triggerfish
-Yellow Watchman Goby
-Sailfin/Algae Blenny
-Assorted Angler

Thank you for your help.

 

[amkelly]

Hello,
Humu Picasso Trigger- should go fine in the 55 but is not invert safe.
Lionfish- Good in 55, once again not safe.. will eat anything that fits in its mouth
Porcupine Puffer- should do well in a 55 gallon tank, not invert safe
Cowfish- generally need a larger space to swim in.. like a 100 gallon tank..
Clownfish- will be fine in a 55 gallon tank with ease.
Bursa Trigger- Fine in a 55 gallon tank, not invert safe
Yellow Watchman Goby- Good for a 55 gallon tank.
Sailfin/ Algae Blenny- good for 55 gallon tank
Angler- N/A

the problem here is that you have many aggressive species mixed with non aggressive species.. your best bet is to go with the two clowns, watchman goby, and your choice of blenny... with those four fish you could add one more and possibly stretch it to two more fish and i would consider a reef safe wrasse.

the triggers, lionfish, and puffer are very interesting fish but they do need their space because they can get aggressive.. i would leave these guys to larger tanks, although they can survive in a 55, i would give them atleast a 90+...

 

[Ziggy953]

Amkelly is correct.

Also one thing to think about the fish you are interested in are messy eaters and tend to foul tanks easily. You are going to need strong filtration and a skimmer is almost a must. If you have the means upgrade to a 90.

Seahorses - species specific tanks. You don't want to put them in with any of the other fish you have selected. Ask around there are a few people on here that have raised seahorses.

 

[amkelly]

im going to agree with ziggy... i tried seahorses once they were in my 65 gallon tank (two of them) with two clowns... it wasnt so much the fish as a problem to them because they all got a fair share to eat... it was more of the water flow. fish can stand faster and stronger currents and it becmae hard to house the two together because of this... i would stay away from them

 

[rhall928]

Thanks for the advice so far. I appreciate it. One followup question. It sounds like if I were to go with a tank with the more aggressive fish like the triggers and lions I would not be able to have a cleanup crew such as shrimp, crabs and snails. Do I have this corect? If so what do I do about the tank bed getting messy? Do I just have to clean it manually with a vacuum more often then I would otherwise? Thanks for your replies.

 

[austinsdad]

Yep. Triggers and lions mean no shrimp, crabs, or snail. Seen those teeth on triggers?? Crabs and snails are recommended for'm from time to time to keep their teeth grinded down. The shrimp will just be swallowed by the lions.

I believe some have the huge crabs and maybe extra large turbo snails or something, but they've gotta be at least larger than your fish's heads or mouths. 'Course I never had either fish so you might get a bit of different advice from somone who has.

On the sand bed, vaccuum it while you do water changes.

 

[melosu58]

The seahorse will be out of the question. I used to have a seahorse tank and they eat slow but constantly and your fish would outcompete the seahorses and some will probably eat them. Read this article about equipment needs for your upcoming tank.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73477

 

[amkelly]

to solve your troubles with the sand bed... i wouldnt risk changing or cleaning sand beds every time you do a water change. it throws off the anaerobic and aerobic organisms and cant stir up nitrates... your best bet it to get a fish like a bullet goby.. which sifts through the sand and keeps it clean. also look into nassarius snails.. they do great work on sand beds

 

[roka64]

Amkelly is right, nassis are awesome also look into a fighting conch. Of course with your list of fish, most inverts won't be safe...