Inhabitants for my 1200lt Octagon Tank

[Coolibabes]

Hi all

I am in the process of setting up an 1100 x 1100 x 900 Octagon fish tank. The weir is situated in the middle of the tank.

Any recommendations as to which inhabitants would be best suited for a tank of this shape and size.


TANK

 

[hotelbravo]

You have lots of options and routes. What style of tank are you interested in? Aggressive fish? Peaceful reef? Predators?

 

[scooter31707]

You have some options, but IMO, you may be limited on what livestock due to the length of the tank, not the volume of the tank. For example, I would not recommend getting a Naso Tang or Emperor Angel to go in there. You may be ok with 3 of the smaller Tang species like a Purple/Yellow, Kole/Tomini, and Mimic/Lavender Tangs.

 

[brad]

I have 3 yellow tangs in my 4 foot cube, a lot of things work much better than my 120 gallon which was half the size with less height. I am still not sold on the idea I could keep bigger fish in a tank half the width and twice the length. Before I had my grouper, this was a great tank for damsels too, the bright blue ones would fight to the death in my 120 but were very peaceful fish here.

 

[Coolibabes]

The list I am considering so far:
Blue spotted Stingray
Pinnatus Batfish
Marine Betta
Moray Eel (one of the smaller species)
Niger Trigger
Queen Angel (might harass the stingray, but will choose the Queen then)
Yellow Tang
Achillies Tang
Would like one or two dwarf angels & some schooling fish like anthias or chromis, but not sure if some of the other inhabitants will consider them as a snack.

 

[randomfishguy85]

I don't think that stocklist would work. The pinnatus catfish and blue spotted stingray are very difficult fish. The Achilles would be too active. The queen angel would get too large. Its hit or miss whether the trigger would eat small fish but I personally would risk it. Find an eel that isn't known to be a fish eater and you are good.

 

[brad]

Have you seen an adult pinnatus batfish? Very big fish, not so spectacular looking. If you really want one, this is a good tank for it, but you might need to restrain the rest of your list. Now a pinnatus catfish might work...

 

[brad]

The largest queen I've ever seen was kept in a 90 and didn't seem unhappy or unhealthy. They aren't super active. Of course I don't recommend that.

I've thought about adding a large angel to my tank but I'd go with a smaller individual. Any of the large angels might be too active or eventually get too big, but they are easy fish to find homes for. I'd encourage you to try.

 

[sde1500]

Wouldn't the (somewhat) circular shape of the tank help with swimming room? I know tangs swim a lot, and people always default to tank length vs volume when discussing them, but most rock work I assume will be in the center, allowing a continuous circular path for swimming.

 

[Coolibabes]

Blue spotted Stingray & Pinnatis Batfish is off the list (I will only consider them if they are tank bred or comes from a previously established fish tank which is pretty much non existent here in Australia.

If the queen is off the list, should I rather consider the Pomacanthus (Emperor, French)species then? They grow to be a little smaller than the Queen.

With the batfish out of the way...the active Achillies should not be a problem.

The only Moray Eel that I believe is 'fish safe' will be the snowflake eel.

Any other fish recommended with the above list?

 

[McPuff]

The emperor is generally a smaller fish than the French which can get very large. I love the french but I'd say probably avoid in this case.

 

[Coolibabes]

Probably then have to go for the Majestic Angel (Pomacanthus Navarchus) as they are one of the smaller angels

 

[brad]

Each angelfish is different, some queens are smaller, some emporers are larger. Although being in the USA, I don't understand shipping a queen to Australia when you can probably get an emporer cheaper. Acept you might end up rehoming any angelfish you pick.

 

[brad]

A zebra moray is the only completely fish safe eel, but you'd be okay with anything with a mouth smaller than your smallest fish.

 

[Coolibabes]

I was also considering a Puffer i.e. Porcupine or Dogface, but when I discovered that there is a possibility that the teeth may need to be trimmed if it grows beyond the top lip.

Has anyone experienced this or is the solution just feed it hard shelled inverts to keep the teeth at bay?

 

[McPuff]

I was also considering a Puffer i.e. Porcupine or Dogface, but when I discovered that there is a possibility that the teeth may need to be trimmed if it grows beyond the top lip.

Has anyone experienced this or is the solution just feed it hard shelled inverts to keep the teeth at bay?

You won't have to trim the beak if you feed it properly. Let it eat shelled organisms, etc. They also will chew on rocks at times. If you get a dogface, you'll LOVE it.

 

[Coolibabes]

You won't have to trim the beak if you feed it properly. Let it eat shelled organisms, etc. They also will chew on rocks at times. If you get a dogface, you'll LOVE it.

Thank you McPuff

Which shelled organisms do you feed your dogface and how often?

 

[Coolibabes]

How is the flow working with powerheads?

Hi Brunzy

The fish tank is not setup as yet but will having 2 x 6500 Aquamedic return pumps and also have one or two powerheads (ones that have wet sides on both ends) attached to the wall of the weir for movement in the middle and bottom of the tank.

 

[McPuff]

Thank you McPuff

Which shelled organisms do you feed your dogface and how often?

I don't have one now (not yet), but I used to feed mind crayfish once in a while. Lots of raw shrimp. And you can throw in still-frozen food too. Some people feed mussels, clams, etc.

 

[Coolibabes]

Updated list:
Marine Betta
Moray Eel (Snowflake or Zebra)
Niger Trigger
Majestic Angel
Yellow Tang x 3
Achillies Tang
Blue Tang
Coral Beauty
Flame Angel
5 x (Anthias or Chromis) - schooling fish
Puffer - (Dogface or Porcupine)
Coris Wrasse

That should cover all the colours in the tank... Thoughts??

Can I get in any more fish? If so, which ones?