Need help with new tank

[bigi]

Hello,
Got this acrylic tank 48x48x12, approx. 150 gal, installed in garage with front dome in the room.
I am looking for advice regarding filtration and what kind of fish you recommend for this tall tank. ( Don't want to put sump ). Thinking about fish only setup.
Thank you.

 

[jmccown]

Sump with skimmer is best.

 

[TitanTV]

Yeah..with such a neat tank like that you really need a sump to hide the heaters and instal a skimmer

 

[Stuart60611]

Completely agree with the above. It is best to have a sump to hide equipment and also to avoid taking up tank space with equipment. If that is not workable for you, then you should definitely get a very good hand on the back skimmer. The super reef octopus line is a good choice here as this line imo provides the best bang for your buck. As far as other filtration, probably want rock and good flow. You may later want to employ activated carbon, gfo, macro algae, and/or carbon dosing (liquid or solid pellets).

Stocking a tall tank like this can be challenging, particularly in a fowlr context. Most fish value the dimension of length most and do not care much about tank height. As such, the length of your tank is going to be the most significant limiting factor in terms of what fish you can house.

Some fish that do not care as much about length include lionfish, angler, frogfish, etc. and eels, but these stocking choices limit which fish you can keep with them.

 

[bigi]

Thank you

Thank you

Thank you for advice.
If I will go without sump, will in line skimmer and canister with in line pump work ?
Thank you.

 

[Stuart60611]

Thank you for advice.
If I will go without sump, will in line skimmer and canister with in line pump work ?
Thank you.

An external or hang on the back skimmer will work. I would skip the canister because they can be very counterproductive in a marine context. They tend to trap a lot of debris requiring constant cleaning or otherwise greatly negatively affect system nutrient levels. Plus, they can result in substantially elevated nitrate which can pose some problems for inverts/corals if you intend to keep them and encourages the growth of substantial nuisance algae which is generally ugly and undesireable in all types of systems. Rather, I would suggest an external or hang on the back skimmer, plus rock. The rock does not need to be live rock and quality base rock will be just fine and much cheaper than live rock. A good source for quality base rock is marco rocks or bulk reef supply. Lastly, you will want a good amount of flow. Korilia Evo powerheads are very cheap and reliable and provide excellent wide flow.

 

[bigi]

Sump

Sump

Thank you.
So , even with hang on skimmer, the only way to go with filtration for fish only you suggesting the sump ?
Thank you.

 

[Stuart60611]

Thank you.
So , even with hang on skimmer, the only way to go with filtration for fish only you suggesting the sump ?
Thank you.

No, you put rock in the display tank both to serve as biological filtration and for shelter for your fish. You also put a couple of powerheads in the display tank and maybe a heater. This combined with a hang on the back skimmer should do the job. Make sure not to go too cheap with the skimmer b/c it will be essential in this set up. Plus, having a good skimmer will be critical if you need to add additional nutrient export capacity later in the form of carbon dosing, which most fowlr systems are doing today to deal with the exessive nutrients these type of systems generate.

 

[bigi]

This tank has two big openings on the top : 8x19 each. I wasn't thinking to use rock as filtration, because it will be hard to access the bottom of the tank and build something there or clean. You think it is possible to have nice looking rocks inside and don't scratch the tank ?
Thank you.

 

[Stuart60611]

I am not sure what you are asking, but many people use rock in an acrylic tank without a problem. Just make sure the rock is not resting up against anything, and scratches will not be a problem.

 

[bigi]

I was worried about it, because tank is just 12 inches wide.

 

[svejil]

Tank is 12" wide, is the problem here. Not sure this tank was intended for saltwater, or would be better used with a freshwater set-up. If you intend to use it as fish only (saltwater), you will need to either have rock / skimmer OR a sump. I personally think a sump would work in this instance and be much less maintenace, plus keep the main display "sans" equipment.

If the 12" dimension is too risking for adding rock, and it may be since you would need to add enough rock for it to work as a main source of filtration, that in my opinion would require you to re-think about adding a sump. I don't think you would have enough filtering capacity otherwise, unless you do go the route of a canister filter. As mentioned previously however, those need to be monitored, and cleaned frequently.

SV