Fish Only Tank Setup Help Needed!!

DSMawd21

DSMawd21

New member
OK guys this might be a big thread when al said and done! So i need your help guys.. i am changing my tank in the basement built in the wall ( dont know size looks like 75 but here are dimensions 48lx12wx20m if anyone knows the size that would be awesome) Now i want ot make this a saltwater tank. I had the piranha's in there and they are leaving today for a trade for about 100lbs of corals shaped white dead live rock.

Now my plans on the tank were to do black sand and then the white rock and do a fish only tank with my eel and trigger and a few others...

Also my dad did hang a flourescent light fixture above the tank now so all i would need to do is change the bulb and maybe add a second i dont know! i would definilty like some suggestions on the lighting.

Next question is filtration. IHe has a huge hang on the back filter and i dont know if that would work i want to go the cheapest most efficent way out, i would like to go no skimmer or maybe a hang on one. So i worry about that also. Suggestions on the filtration would be great too!

Thanks in advance guys! Ed
 
ok so the tanks not drilled ?
if its in the wall what kind of room do you have behind it?
you may not need a skimmer but you should put one on there for better water quality
 
Ed - couple of things.

I have the same tank you are putting together (yours is a 75, mine a 120, but the rest is similar). Predator tank started with black sand, a few rocks and dead coral skeletons. It has now evolved into a FOWLR, but most of the original equiptment is the same - I just added 120# live rock.

Equiptment I would recommend:

Lighting: In a fish only, use only as much light as you need to see the fish and highlight their beautiful color. Any excess just leads to increased algae growth (especially in a predator tank with all the messy eaters in there). If you include Triggers or puffers, you will not be able to keep a clean up crew in the tank to clean up this excess food so high nutrients will exist (also why you should plan on 20% water changes with a vacuum every week). Normal output flouresants should be fine for this.

Filtration: If you are not going to use live rock, I recommend adding an overflow box and using a wet dry filter. I know - this goes against what you read for a reef set-up, but in a fish only a wet/dry filter with the bioballs will provide the necessary surface area for beneficial bacterial growth. Without live rock, the last steps of de-nitrification do not happen (at least not to the extent they do with LR) because of a lack of anaerobic space. End result is Nitrate - fish will tolerate a higher level of nitrate that corals/inverts - which you will remove with 20% water changes. A big enough wet dry will also provide space for a bigger skimmer - more on that next.

Skimmer - Oversize this for the tank. Predators are messy eaters and excess nutrients that are the result of decaying food need to be removed as best you can. The larger the skimmer the better. If you use a wet/dry with a large enough sump space I recommend an ASM G2 or G3 or the equivalent. If you do not wish to use an overflow and would preffer a hang on the back type, you may want to get 2 of them to increase your skimming (I know a guy who keeps a 125 gallon Butterfly fish only with no sump and he runs 4 BakPak skimmers on it to keep up with the bioload).

Get a UV steralizer: 25 watt with higher flow would work, but you could get a smaller one with slower flow through it (more exposure/treatment time).

Water flow: add a few powerheads. Even in a fish only you need some current to keep the water oxegenated and the detritus in suspension.


I would try to talk you out of the black sand. It gets dirty very fast and the only one I know that is all black is the Carribsea Tahitian Moon that I am not sure what it is (it is not aragonite). Also, most fish will adapt their color patterns to their environment and will darken with the black sand (may be only a minor change, but IMO if you want to keep the bright vibrant colors go with a white sand).

Just some food for thought. In wall will be nice when it is done.

Chris
 
OK ya sorry the tanks not drilled..could be if we wanted. and the room behind the wall is about 10 foot x 6 foot longated room...
 
Thanks alot chris, ya i wil defintly be considering the hob skimmers and the balck sand thing i wounder thought i thought of doing black sand because it would contrast nicele with the white corals...now if i did white on white might look a little weird. Maybe the white/black sand would even be better!
 
Oh, one more thing. If you are going to use the corals skeletons as decoration, I recommend getting at least one duplicate (or similar) set. Algae does grow on them (trust me) and you will have to remove them every now and then to clean them with bleach. The second similar set give you replacement hiding places while you are dechlorinating the cleaned set.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7470377#post7470377 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DSMawd21
...now if i did white on white might look a little weird.
Click to expand...
Ummm...99.9% of the world's coral reefs are white or lighter colored sand. :D

If you are looking for a "less expensive" skimmer, get the Coralife Super Skimmer. It is arguably the best skimmer in its price range ($75).

Good Luck!
 
Thanks salt i will look into that!

I recieved the rock today its a little dust and dirty any recommendations on cleaning it and what with?
 
you do realize that dead coral will be alot of work tring to keep it clean and such your better off with live rock
 
live rock is too expensive and i think this rock will look good i could understand that it will get dirty very easly due to it being whitre and all...but we will find out!
 
if you watch this forum you will find great deals on live rock or even dead rock that you can seed and will become live
 
ya there are some great deals on here, but i feel like i want to try it and maybe leave my options open for LR!

Now my next quetion is LIVESTOCK


I will be adding from my existing tank....

3'' Niger Trigger
10'' Snowflake Eel

Now i would like to also add...

Spiny box Puffer
YellowTang
Blue Hippo Tang
and maybe another trigger...

What do you guys think about that group there??
 
You are at the very minimum size tank for what you want in it...

You will also need a lot of rock in the tank for what you want in there....

The fish and eel require a large amount of rock to hide in, if there isn’t enough rock work, they get stressed.

Then stress=disease=death.

I would also not put tangs, especially the blue in a aggressive set-up like yours.

You will also need a skimmer for this set-up

I know this isn't what you want to hear... :rolleye1:
 
Well rock is not a problem have tons of it that i could fill the whole tank up! so you thin the yellow tang would be alright..?
 
Niger/Blue throat/Crosshatch/Pinktail triggers are okay in combination with the spiny box puffer, but almost all other triggers are off limits with this type of puffer. For some reason the triggers will nip and kill the spiny box, but will totally leave a dog-face alone. I'm speakin' from personal experience.

Oh, BTW I didn't get those pics taken yet. Will try for tomorrow.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7482560#post7482560 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by smorrow5773
If I am not mistaken, your tank measurements are for 55g. I don't have one to measure but I believe a 75 is 48x18x20.
Click to expand...
You are correct...

The tank is a 55 gallon...

That limits even more what you can put in it...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7478587#post7478587 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DSMawd21
ya there are some great deals on here, but i feel like i want to try it and maybe leave my options open for LR!

Now my next quetion is LIVESTOCK


I will be adding from my existing tank....

3'' Niger Trigger
10'' Snowflake Eel

Now i would like to also add...

Spiny box Puffer
YellowTang
Blue Hippo Tang
and maybe another trigger...

What do you guys think about that group there??
Click to expand...
I would cut it off with the Trigger and the Eel, at least for big fish.
 
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