Tank of the Month - November '04

[kevinpo]

Maybe I'll go with a couple of hippo tangs instead of a sailfin.

For a 200+ gal I think a P. heptus is a better choice. The Z. desjardinii average size is 16" long and almost that tall. They are also quite large eaters = waste producers. Large ones can get 18" and be rather bossy. Mine can eat a whole Formula1 frozen cube in one bite and 3 of them without stopping.

The image below was taken 6/03. It is a few inches larger today

HTH,
Kevin

 

[cediss]

Kevin,
I believe I read the other day that your tank is a Lee-Mar glass tank? I'm shopping for a 180-200 gallon glass. I always have preferred glass, but as the size increases so does my fear of tank structural failure. Where did you order your tank? Any advice on glass vs. acrylic in regards to structural integrity aside from good supporting stand?

 

[kevinpo]

My tank is acrylic. There are pros and cons to both glass and acrylic. I prefer glass but for financial reasons acrylic is what I could afford.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[cediss]

Thanks for rapid response and advice!

 

[lovetoreef]

Kevin

Thanks for the feedback - have you found other people that you know of trying the angels and having success with them?? thanks.

 

[lovetoreef]

Kevin

also, do you generally like to get your fish from your lfs or have you ever tried ordering from the web? the selection of lfs is not great around here always, and i am hesistant to go with them. thanks.

gerard

 

[kevinpo]

have you found other people that you know of trying the angels and having success with them??

Yes, many. The Majestic and Emperor are the ones that have the best track records.

I purchased one order of fish from Marine Depot Live and they were very good but I really prefer to see the fish before I buy them if possible. An example would be if you wanted a Male Lyretail Anthias. They come in many color variations depending on location. I prefer the ones from Fiji with the blue trim. On-Line suppliers may not tell you where they come from. At the time I had the same problem as you (very limited selection locally) Now I own a LFS so I have inside help I think the best thing is if you can be patient and wait until you see that really special fish before buying. This may take a year but if you are going to have the fish for 25 years IMO it's worth it. Another resource is your local club. If you don't have one they're pretty easy to start with almost no cost. RC will give you a forum and then just spread the word. You can often get healthy well established fish for a good price from locals who are upgrading, downgrading, moving, etc.

HTH,
Kevin

 

[lovetoreef]

Kevin

thanks, you made some excellent points - i have been researching the care of angels on this site and there are a whole lot of different experiences, but, the people who have reported success seem to follow the following plan: obtain the angel at the juvenile stage from a reliable source, quarantine the little guy for a couple of months to train him to eat prepared foods, introduce him into the main tank after he is eating prepared foods aggressively, and finally, be prepared to be okay with most sps, some lps and softies, and probably not any clams ... does this sound like a pretty realistic game plan?? thanks.

gerard

 

[kevinpo]

Gerard,
I haven't heard of anyone I know having trouble with the large angels and clams. The pygmy type now that's a different story. The plan sounds exactly like one I would follow.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[lovetoreef]

Kevin,

It seems like I read in Scott Michels book that they have a tendency to nip on a clam's mantle - but, I will continue to research it. In your experience, have you seen any problems with your angel co-existing with other fish - ideally, I would love to have an P. imperator (emperor angel) with a purple tang, two blue jaw triggers, two true perculas, 3-4 schooling bannerfish (h. diphreutus i believe), and some other smaller fish. I am planning a 8'x4'x2' tank. My main concern would be with the purple tang, but I believe that if I added the tang last, after the angel is well adjusted to the tank, they should work out (I would also make sure the tang is smaller than the angel). Thanks Kevin, sorry about taking the thread off track.

Gerard

 

[melev]

Kevin, I'm learning all kinds of interesting facts in this thread. I didn't know that larger angels could be put in a reef tank, but your advice posted makes it a little more plausible to me now. I didn't know a montipora could be eaten like a Ritz cracker. :lol:

And I didn't know you had an LFS... that's got to be handy. "Oooh, that's pretty! NOT FOR SALE"

 

[Mickey]

Kevin: Thanks for the updated picture. That Sailfin is just gorgeous. If they can get to 16" in captivity that is definitely too big for my 6 ft. tank. I was hoping that they didn't get quite that big in captivity. Oh well, the P.hepatus it is.

thanks again.
Mickey

 

[kevinpo]

Gerard,
My purple was much more aggressive towards my Copperband than my Majestic. In the size tank you're proposing I don't think you will have any problems keeping them together.

HTH,
Kevin

 

[kevinpo]

I didn't know a montipora could be eaten like a Ritz cracker.

Marc,
Have you ever noticed that no matter how carefully you bite a Ritz there are always a few flakes and crumbs that fall? Well that's exactly how it looked when the Majestic would take a bite. There would be a big puff of stuff each bite :eek2:

"Oooh, that's pretty! NOT FOR SALE"

I only hear/say that about 20 times a day :lol:

Regards,
Kevin

 

[lovetoreef]

Kevin

thanks for the feedback - good luck with your tank and thanks once more for taking the time to share with us.

gerard

 

[Briankook]

Kevin, your tank looks fantastic! Out of curiousity, what brand salt are you using? Sorry if this question was asked already...but I didn't see it.

 

[kevinpo]

I used Instant Ocean from Aquarium Systems for 20 years but recently switched to Oceanic because of the increased calcium and magnesium levels. The final straw was the bucket size reduction and the price associated with it (IO).

Regards,
Kevin

 

[fishtk75]

Saltwater

Saltwater

Kevin,

The last preson you told them about the salt you use now.
I and very green to SW what do you look at when making the water up I have problem PH8.0 and no higher but members said to use buffers but my KH goes to 20 when the PH=8.
Can you have time to give me sum helpful tips.

Thanks.

PS: Your tank is a 10+ being in the ocean without getting wet.

 

[mhornsby858]

AWESOME TANK!!!

Truly amazing!!

Question: In the setup of the tank you mentioned a pump that would provide surface gas exchange. How important is that to have and also how long do you quarantine new fish before adding to the tank?

Thanks, your tank is truly inspiring,

 

[Briankook]

kevin, do you have issues with low alkalinity now that you are using Oceanic? If so, do you buffer the mixed water before you add it to the tank?