300 gallon Titan Trigger tank build thread

[TitanTV]

I was wondering if I should do this but I really enjoy reading other peoples build threads so I thought why not.

I have a Titan Trigger for just over a year. I actually almost had to give him to Jmccown when I thought I was not going to be able to keep him. But things have settled down and I have placed an order for a 300 gallon glass tank from Miracle. I went with the 72x36x30 figuring the extra width would be better than the extra 2 foot in length. I also went with an external overflow on the entire right side. The tank has front and left side starphire and should be here in early December at the latest.

I have already bought a skimmer and 250 pounds of base rock from Marco (I guess I should start curing/seeding it in a trash can or something to speed up the tanks maturity time..but I was planning on moving the live rock from the 70 into the 300 so with no extra bioload it should be fine??) I have a 3 foot, 10 bulb T5 light that will provide light for the tank. After speaking with Derek I ended up going with a galvanized steel stand and since I have decent wood working skills I will go ahead and skirt the stand in the near future. I also had an electrician install a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the tank.

Right now Nacho (the trigger) is still in a 70 gallon tank and is only about 4.5 inches long (been growing slow..only about 1 inch this past year). My goal was to keep him by himself in the 300 but now I think I am going to buy a couple damsels of some sort to keep him company. I have had him over a year and he is still very skittish whenever strangers enter the room. Maybe a couple friends/the bigger tank will help him/her feel more secure.

Expect to see lots of picture updates in the near future.

Chris

 

[jjk_reef00]

Sweet, I can't wait for the updates!

 

[TitanTV]

A couple quick pictures to add to my build. My tank and a ton of stuff is still on order. But here is the skimmer.

I need to figure out how to get the image in the post. Sorry about the attachment

 

[TitanTV]

Sorry for the worst build thread ever My tank is still being built but I expect it early December. Here is a picture of nacho though

[/IMG]

 

[Recty]

Looks good.

I agree, worst build thread ever Update more often.

 

[geaux xman]

just 1 trigger in a 300g??

add a couple more!!

1 36" T5 fixture will cover the 6ft length? i guess hang it real high?

 

[TitanTV]

"1 36" T5 fixture will cover the 6ft length? i guess hang it real high? "

My plan is to center it and have it hang kinda high. I will build a canopy to hold in the light. If that doesn't work I will just buy a second fixture.

Hehehe. And I will update more.. once I get the tank things will roll. I could show a pic of the dedicated 20 amp circuit I installed for the tank but other than that and a pile of equipment its pretty lame. But, Miracle did email me the other day for my SOC number so the tank could clear customs. So thats a great sign

 

[Jhockey]

just 1 trigger in a 300g??

add a couple more!!

Ha you must not be familiar with the titan trigger! If you try to add any other triggers, you'll just be left with the titan soon enough!!!!


Titan, how come you went with such a nice expensive tank from miracles? Why not get a marineland DD 300g which is 72x36x27? Probably would have been a lot cheaper and you could have picked it up at a local fish store and the titan would have be in there a while ago. I am definitely looking forward to the end result though and this trigger getting huge! How long do you think you'll be able to keep the trigger in there before you'll need another upgrade?

 

[TitanTV]

There were a few reason I went with Miracle (besides the fact Derek is extremely nice,helpful,knowledgable..on and on). I wanted an external overflow on one entire side of the tank with three drains to do a Beananimal drain. But, the main reason is the DD300's stand is only 27 inches high..you basically have to kneel down to have the tank at eye level and good luck with a big skimmer. Miracle built me a nice high stand so I can have a decent sump and be able to work in it.

I have done a ton of research on Titan Triggers and while I am no expert I have never seen one in a private aquarium with adult coloration. I know for a fact they grow super super slow. As I have had Nacho for over a year and he has grown 1 to maybe 1.5 inches. He eats like a king, all types of fresh seafood from the local market(he hates fish though) and gets some Spectrum Jumbo fish pellets/dried krill just to mix things up. If you watch the vidoes and look at the pictures in the wild I have never seen one that looks much over 24 inches. All the vidoes on Youtube of them attacking divers you can tell they are no where near 3 feet by comparing them to the diver's fins. The stills of them eatting with the Morish Idols are hard to get a feeling for their size. So, I went with the 3 foot wide tank 6 foot long tank. I could have went longer on the tank but 3 foot wide was all I could do for depth so i figured 6 foot long was fine. If in 10 years he starts to outgrow the tank I will see what my options are. I am just hoping he tops out in the 18-20 inch range..but we'll see

 

[geaux xman]

is that 1/2" glass eurobraced or 3/4"?

 

[extreme5450]

nice fish

 

[TitanTV]

its 1/2 inch eurobraced.

Thanks for the "nice fish" comment.

 

[TitanTV]

My tank is on a truck and heading this way!! Trying to figure out where the stand is though.... Anyhow should have pictures in the next week as I am sure it'll work out.

 

[DoubleM 10]

thanks for the update cant wait to see what it all looks like

 

[LisaD]

I'm following along with much interest. I'd be willing to dedicate a large tank to one of these magnificent animals, but don't know if it's feasible in a home aquarium. Your tank is about as big as I could go. If it works for you, maybe in a few years, I'll try the same. Please keep us updated!

 

[TitanTV]

Tank and stand are both at the shipping depot awaiting pickup. Thats awesome as I was afraid the snow storm we just got in the East was going to put a crimp in my plans. I hired a moving campany that moves pianos to get it in my house and on the stand this Wednesday for $600. I guess thats not bad to keep me from worrying about trying to line up 6+ friends and renting a truck. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for me that it gets on the stand with no problems

LisaD- I agree. While I could have went longer on the tank by a couple feet I could not go any wider than 3 feet so I actually felt this size tank should be the best all things considered. I would have loved to have had a 8x5x3..but no chance. I have looked at ever video/picture/posting online for Titan Triggers and while a number of posts say they reach 36 inches in length a number state 26 inches to 30 inches. If you look at every video/picture with any sort of reference I am not sure I have seen one much bigger than 2 foot in the wild. On that note I have seen a number of Queen trigger on Reef Central in the 20 inch range in aquariums. I have never seen a Titan with adult colors or any real size in an aquarium. My hope is to keep him with a few damsels (he really need some friends)and give him as much swimming room in the main tank as possible. At the rate he seems to be growing it will take 10 years+ for him to outgrow the 300 and I should be able to get something bigger by then.

 

[palmer373]

good cant wait for it to get wet

have you thought of maybe a lunar wrasse as a tank mate? i mean some sort of wrasse or another fish maybe and throw some rocks in the middle, creating sortof an island for the fish to hide in while creating a nice looking land mass. just a thought...

 

[barbianj]

good cant wait for it to get wet

have you thought of maybe a lunar wrasse as a tank mate? i mean some sort of wrasse or another fish maybe and throw some rocks in the middle, creating sortof an island for the fish to hide in while creating a nice looking land mass. just a thought...

That's what I would do. Grow him up with fish, and have a large area in the rocks where they can escape to when he gets bigger. At that point, his "buddies" will become his clean-up crew. You need fish that are smart and fast..

 

[strout]

Can't wait to see pics of the tank. Tagging along

 

[TitanTV]

Got the tank in the house and on it's stand

Only dagger is they forgot a bulkhead (which they are sending FEDEX but it will most likely take a week to get here)

Sorry for the blah picture but its a work in progress

[/IMG]