My 500 gallon agressive tank

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THIS IS MY FIRST POST SO PLEASE FORGIVE

THIS IS A 500 GALLON TANK THAT I PICKED UP BECOUSE I WANTED THE LIGHTS THAT CAME WITH IT TO PUT ON MY REEF TANK. I SOLD MOST OF THE ITEMS THAT CAME WITH THIS TANK TO PAY MYSELF BACK AND AM CLOSE TO FREE IF I PAY MYSELF $600 FOR THE 3 400 WATT MH LIGHTS, REFLRCTORS AND BALLISTS. THE STAND I HAD TO HAVE MADE DUE TO THE STAND THAT CAME WITH TANK WAS JUST TO SMALL AND DIFFICULT TO GET ENOUGH EQUIPMENT INTO. LONG TERM PLAN IS TO PLACE A HIGH END COUNTERTOP ON STAND AND HAVE CABINET MADE TO WRAP AROUND THE STAND.

I ALSO NOW RELIZE THAT IT NEEDS A CLOSED LOOP CIRCULATION PUMP AND WILL BE ADDING SOON

TANK HAS AS OF TODAY 4 LARGE FISH 3 TRIGGERS AND A TANG

FILLED WITH USED REEF WATER AND NEW NON LIVE SAND, LARGE DIY CARBON REACTOR, 75 GALLON SUMP, 2 300 WATT HEATERS, LARGE GFO REACTOR I MADE FROM PARTS AT PLUMBING STORE THAT LOOKS LIKE BULKREEF SUPPLY VERSION. PLAN ON USING NITRATE REACTOR AS WELL, PUMP WAS EXTERNAL REEFLOW BUT MADE TO MUCH NOISE SO I SWITCHED TO MAG DRIVE 2400 AND PLAN ON ADDING A MAG 1800 THAT I HAVE. I NEED YET TO BUY A LARGE PROTIEN SKIMMER AND ADD A WATER STERILIZER THAT IS ON THE REEF TANK. NOTE THAT THE STAND ON THE RIGHT SIDE HAS ROOM FOR A 215 GALLON TANK. I WILL BE ADDING WHEN I FIND A USED ONE
 
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Sorry,

Sorry,

I did not relize the poor etiquett, Thank you for pointing it out.

My questions are how many triggers can I expect to mix in a tank this size? How often can I expect to change the water and how much of a change? Can I get away with just using the 50 gallons of reef waste water every 10 days from the reef tank? I only plan on adding 8-10 fishs at the most. The current largest is the Naso Tank 9 inchs long. Blue Trigger 5 inchs, Niger Trigger 4 inchs, Huma Huma 1.5 inchs. I also have a Clown Trigger in the reef tank that is 2 inchs if I can catch him. What other Triggers do you think and the expected out comes?

I used 6 4foot T8 bulbs on this tank due to the units are dirt cheep at Lowes. My total for lights is around $100 for units and bulbs, it seems to be enough

I will be adding around 500lbs of Holey Rock next week. I am using Holey rock due to the reef tank that is accross the room has 700 lbs of live rock and I want a different look. Plus their is a chance down the road that the tanks may get combined and the Holey rock can then be base rock.
 
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Nice -- how long is that tank? Don't worry about all the caps -- no biggie. look forward to seeing pictures as it evolves. I am sure some of the trigger people here will be able to answer your questions.
 
tank size

tank size

It is 10 feet long 30 inchs high 30 inchs deep. Stand is 2 6 foot long stands bolted togeather
 
Look at all those bio balls. I recommend a good filter sock on the drain going into the bio balls to lessen the amount of detritus getting trapped in that area.

Personally, I would almost remove those and just pack that area with some live rock and macro algae and turn it into a refugium.
 
Haha, ALL caps isn't really bad etiquette, it just makes the reading yell inside his own head when he reads it. Now my brain hurts. Sweet tank!
 
bio balls

bio balls

I have 2 sets of mesh that I have been changing in the drip tray every time I feed the tank to prevent the detritis build up. The 6 foot of empty space on the right side of the stand will be a fish tank but a combination of algie filter, deep sand bed/magic mud, increased water, pod farm.

I basiclly got the tank and sump for free and the sump is clearly to small for a reef tank and maybe to small for what I am doing. I keep looking for a used 180,215 gallon tank but difficult to find one that is a good deal.


Anyone have any experience with the water change questions or large numbers of Trigger fish in one tank?
 
Agressive tank cleaning crew

Agressive tank cleaning crew

Any idea's on a clean up crew in a tank with fish that like to eat things that crawl around?

I have the LFS looking for a very large Dragon goby.

Star Fish?
Large non reef safe crabs?
 
With a refugium, you shouldn't have to change the water very often, just top it off. I would probably only change it once a month unless I started having problems with algae.

Nassarius snails will hide in the sand most of the time and should populate themselves well in a tank of that size. I would wait till you get a decent diatom bloom and add about 200 of them. Also some blue legged hermits which may be able to stay away from the triggers if you have plenty of hiding spots in your live rock.

I have seen large tanks with many triggers before, but it probably depends on the individual fish. Some may be more aggressive than others. I would probably try and add them at the same time and around the same size.
 
skimmer

skimmer

I need advice on skimmer for up to 800 gallons of water. The tank currently is only planned to have 8 large, fish but may in the next few months, if I move get combined with my large reef tank. It will need to be good enough to clean the water for coral. The skimmer that is on the reef is a used octopuss skimmer good for 250 gallon tanks. I picked it up cheep and the thought has crossed my mind to use it on the big tank and buy a new one for the reef tank. I want the skimmer to be external sump but can be placed in a sump. I plan on running the skimmer off a lead on one of the return pumps and can give 500-750 gallons pushed to the skimmer. I also built a ball valved drain line that can give up around 500 gallons by gravity from my manifold draining into the sump. You can see this in the pic on the right side of the sump. Foot print space is not a problem. I have 39 inch floor to head space.

Cost is a factor, I have concidered the MR2 becouse it seems to look good and has 2 intakes. One could be gravity feed by the drain and the other can be feed by the pump. ??????

What is the best skimmer for large tanks that is cost effective? My goal is $500
 
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