Herps and fish
Aquarium Advice Regular
Hi guys! I have posted something very similar to this in the FW section, and soon in the reptiles section. New here, but certainly not to the exotic hobby! I've kept animals since I was 2 years old and don't plan to stop any time soon.
I'm currently at college right now, and once I am completed with school and have a steady business going (planning on starting a law firm), I want to have a big boom in my collection. I currently have a pufferfish and a pair of leopard geckos living with me, and a rabbit/dog/3 cats living back at home. However, before this I had TONS of animals - birds, monitors, snakes, racks upon racks of FW aquariums, a few reef tanks, a shark tank, and eventually I had to slim it down to my leopard geckos and then the puffer tank I set up last Christmas for myself, as money got tight and my parents didn't want to care for all of them. So don't flame me for wanting to get a bunch of animals at once, lol.
I am looking for suggestions of animals to add to my collection once I have the money and space - mostly cool-sounding tanks, biotopes, some cool fish (FW and salt) - everything. I had a huge list planned out, but eventually I toned it down a bit so that it would be a bit more simple. I'll list those for you guys, and I have pictures of what I would like them to resemble if anyone wants to see those.
First is a 12 foot intex pool - Moriarty did one of these on Reefcentral that I am modeling it after, mine will just be a little bigger. It will be a FOWLR, and my stock will be different than his. I am planning to house 4 triggers, 10 tangs, 10 angels (large and small), a harlequin tusk, 2 butterflys, a foxface, a puffer, a moorish idol, and a bunch of random smaller fish. I am planning to stock this at a medium/low level and slowly adding on more cool fish I can find - no sharks or rays for this pool, but we'll get to those
The next one will be a simple tank for a peacock mantis, I'm planning on double what I've been told and going with a 40 breeder. I might try a few corals and maybe a cool damsel.
Next is an 1,800 gallon (the size isn't set in stone, and the dimensions are off I believe) that is planned to house a zebra shark (yes, an ACTUAL zebra shark!!). These are among my favorite sharks, and I am planning on giving mine 8 feet wide and 16 feet long and 3 feet deep of tank space, along with minimal rocks, to explore. This will be a view from the top of the tank, and there will be a few other fish in here but this is mostly for the shark. I may consider an intex pool versus a plywood build as it will likely be a lot stronger and will probably save space.
Next is a 210 that is set to house a giant pacific octopus. Nothing special here. Oh, don't worry - I've been doing TONS of reading on keeping octopuses on sites like Tonmo, so some good stuff. I've also kept sharks before for anyone wondering.
Next is a 29 gallon biocube set to house a few fish and a mixed reef. I'm going to add a skimmer, a retrofit LED kit, and a few other things.
Next is a 40 gallon hexagon that will house a pair of seahorses and a few other mild-tempered fish.
Next comes my favorite dimension tank, the 75 gallon (my freshwater section is planned to have around 6 of them I believe). There's going to be lots of LPS corals in here, and stock will be a few simple easy to care for fish.
For my favorite sharks, eppies, I'm either going to go with a half cylinder or a full cylinder that is 1,200 gallons, or 3.5 feet deep and 8 feet across (if it is a full cylinder, but this would be incredibly expensive). I may keep them just in an intex pool or even a stock tank until I can afford something like this. I'm planning on 2 breeding pairs of eppies, with some lookdowns, monos, and chromis schooling above them.
Eventually, I would like to have a stingray pool made. This would either be indoors as an Intex pool (would probably start as this) and then move into an 11,000 gallon exhibit-style tank. It's going to be 20 feet long, 40 feet wide, and I believe 2 feet deep (maybe 2.5 or 3, I have it drawn out somewhere) with an island in the middle. I've got lots of family in construction and I'm not bad either, so I think I can do it for relatively cheap (much cheaper than having someone else build it). It's going to house mostly rays (southerns, americans, cownoses, and a guitarfish) along with benthic sharks and a few basic fish for fillers.
On top of that, I am planning 2 shark tanks for my office - I will start by housing everybody in Intex pools at my house until they are big enough/healthy enough and the tanks are completed (this is assuming I have a sucessful law firm, lol). One will be a coldwater with I think 3 leopard sharks and a swell shark along with a few baitfish, and the other will be a tropical one with a nurse shark, a few blacktip reefs, a few whitetip reefs, maybe some bonnetheads, some sort of medium-sized grouper, lots of schooling fish for dithers, a few benthic sharks, and a few large morays as well as a massive stingray if I can get it. I'm aiming for around 7,500 gallons with this one - a massive tank!
Any suggestions? There are a few other fish I am looking to add to my tanks eventually - one of these is the porcupine puffer, and I may add it into the 7,500 gallon when (if) it's up. I am open to all ideas!
I'm currently at college right now, and once I am completed with school and have a steady business going (planning on starting a law firm), I want to have a big boom in my collection. I currently have a pufferfish and a pair of leopard geckos living with me, and a rabbit/dog/3 cats living back at home. However, before this I had TONS of animals - birds, monitors, snakes, racks upon racks of FW aquariums, a few reef tanks, a shark tank, and eventually I had to slim it down to my leopard geckos and then the puffer tank I set up last Christmas for myself, as money got tight and my parents didn't want to care for all of them. So don't flame me for wanting to get a bunch of animals at once, lol.
I am looking for suggestions of animals to add to my collection once I have the money and space - mostly cool-sounding tanks, biotopes, some cool fish (FW and salt) - everything. I had a huge list planned out, but eventually I toned it down a bit so that it would be a bit more simple. I'll list those for you guys, and I have pictures of what I would like them to resemble if anyone wants to see those.
First is a 12 foot intex pool - Moriarty did one of these on Reefcentral that I am modeling it after, mine will just be a little bigger. It will be a FOWLR, and my stock will be different than his. I am planning to house 4 triggers, 10 tangs, 10 angels (large and small), a harlequin tusk, 2 butterflys, a foxface, a puffer, a moorish idol, and a bunch of random smaller fish. I am planning to stock this at a medium/low level and slowly adding on more cool fish I can find - no sharks or rays for this pool, but we'll get to those
The next one will be a simple tank for a peacock mantis, I'm planning on double what I've been told and going with a 40 breeder. I might try a few corals and maybe a cool damsel.
Next is an 1,800 gallon (the size isn't set in stone, and the dimensions are off I believe) that is planned to house a zebra shark (yes, an ACTUAL zebra shark!!). These are among my favorite sharks, and I am planning on giving mine 8 feet wide and 16 feet long and 3 feet deep of tank space, along with minimal rocks, to explore. This will be a view from the top of the tank, and there will be a few other fish in here but this is mostly for the shark. I may consider an intex pool versus a plywood build as it will likely be a lot stronger and will probably save space.
Next is a 210 that is set to house a giant pacific octopus. Nothing special here. Oh, don't worry - I've been doing TONS of reading on keeping octopuses on sites like Tonmo, so some good stuff. I've also kept sharks before for anyone wondering.
Next is a 29 gallon biocube set to house a few fish and a mixed reef. I'm going to add a skimmer, a retrofit LED kit, and a few other things.
Next is a 40 gallon hexagon that will house a pair of seahorses and a few other mild-tempered fish.
Next comes my favorite dimension tank, the 75 gallon (my freshwater section is planned to have around 6 of them I believe). There's going to be lots of LPS corals in here, and stock will be a few simple easy to care for fish.
For my favorite sharks, eppies, I'm either going to go with a half cylinder or a full cylinder that is 1,200 gallons, or 3.5 feet deep and 8 feet across (if it is a full cylinder, but this would be incredibly expensive). I may keep them just in an intex pool or even a stock tank until I can afford something like this. I'm planning on 2 breeding pairs of eppies, with some lookdowns, monos, and chromis schooling above them.
Eventually, I would like to have a stingray pool made. This would either be indoors as an Intex pool (would probably start as this) and then move into an 11,000 gallon exhibit-style tank. It's going to be 20 feet long, 40 feet wide, and I believe 2 feet deep (maybe 2.5 or 3, I have it drawn out somewhere) with an island in the middle. I've got lots of family in construction and I'm not bad either, so I think I can do it for relatively cheap (much cheaper than having someone else build it). It's going to house mostly rays (southerns, americans, cownoses, and a guitarfish) along with benthic sharks and a few basic fish for fillers.
On top of that, I am planning 2 shark tanks for my office - I will start by housing everybody in Intex pools at my house until they are big enough/healthy enough and the tanks are completed (this is assuming I have a sucessful law firm, lol). One will be a coldwater with I think 3 leopard sharks and a swell shark along with a few baitfish, and the other will be a tropical one with a nurse shark, a few blacktip reefs, a few whitetip reefs, maybe some bonnetheads, some sort of medium-sized grouper, lots of schooling fish for dithers, a few benthic sharks, and a few large morays as well as a massive stingray if I can get it. I'm aiming for around 7,500 gallons with this one - a massive tank!
Any suggestions? There are a few other fish I am looking to add to my tanks eventually - one of these is the porcupine puffer, and I may add it into the 7,500 gallon when (if) it's up. I am open to all ideas!