just a plan for a 180

[JustReefIt14]

ive looked around and came to a conclusion at the moment that these are just some of the things that id like to have in my 180.

Livestock:
false percs (2)
yellow tang (1)
powder blue tang (1)
hippo tang (1)
naso tang (1)
firefish goby (2)
neon goby (3)
bi-color blenny (1 or 2)
long nose butterfly (1)
moorish idol (1)

corals:
button polyps
colt coral
bubble coral (green or white)?
fox coral
frog spawn
scolymia (pink and red)
ricoreda polyps
this last coral is an sps coral and i cant really remember the spelling but its kind of like this acropopia or something i really cant remember

inverts:
carpet anemone
blue linkia star (jumbo)
i really dont know what kind of snails,shrimps, and crabs to get for my clean up crew.

all help and comments are appreciated. also im thinking about 2x400 watt 10 xm halides with actinics. what works, what doesnt and what should be taken out and yes i know i should wait on the carpet and moorish idol and thats what im going to do. tank d's 72x24x25

 

[Arch01]

:sigh:

You cannot keep a powder blue, hippo, yellow AND naso tangs together in a 180. Pick one. Really, reconsider the moorish idol. You're young, this will be your first tank, you'll have plenty of time to own one later in life.

As far as your corals go, I wouldn't really recommend mixing softies and SPS/LPS. The chemical warfare going on will likely cause problems with some of them (sps especially). The corals you couldn't remember are Acropora. There are LOTS of different acros.

You're lights are great for sps, but might not be appreciated by some of the soft corals. Also, I would look at getting three metal halides for better light spread. They typically work best when using one for every 24". There are probably other things, but thats just my first thoughts.

Alex
_________________
economic depression

 

[JustReefIt14]

this is hurtin' me, really. hmmmmmmmmmm ok what about a yellow and the powder blue. i really like the look of the powder blue but the naso tang was the first one i really fell in love with. if i want to keep more than two or possibly the four what size tank do you think i should go with? the lighting you say is good for sps right and wont do so well for some of the softies. which ones are those. ummmmmmmm im really trying to get the gist of things right now before i but ANYTHING. i really want to know whats good and what isnt, what goes well and what doesnt. yes this will be my first tank and a big one at that but i guess compromise will always take place in some of the biggest plans. :wink: right. lol.

 

[krullulon]

here's a thought -- why not buy the tank and equipment first that will allow you to keep a reasonable range of things -- if you say a 180, that's larger than virtually anyone starts out with -- and don't focus so much on the livestock until you learn a bit about what you're doing by actually doing it. 8O

get the tank, get it set-up, cycle it, wait, buy a few zooanthids and easy small fish, and that probably puts you out a good 6 months from today. that will give you something to do, and will give everyone else a bit of a rest.

 

[JustReefIt14]

so you say get my tank up and running, when ever that may be. i say that because i wont be setting up a tank until my family moves. possibly in a few months or close to the end of the year, i really dont want to setup a tank in a apartment and then when the big move comes take the whole tank through alot of stress. but back to the master plan how about getting the tank running, cycle it and then add a pair of clowns. next ill add some bubble or colt coral. what do you think? im going to look around on sites at drygoods and make a list and bring it back to the post and get some comments.

 

[ChrisRD]

how about getting the tank running, cycle it and then add a pair of clowns. next ill add some bubble or colt coral. what do you think? im going to look around on sites at drygoods and make a list and bring it back to the post and get some comments.

Sounds like a good plan to me...

 

[krullulon]

but back to the master plan how about getting the tank running, cycle it and then add a pair of clowns. next ill add some bubble or colt coral. what do you think? im going to look around on sites at drygoods and make a list and bring it back to the post and get some comments.

that's a fine plan. ;-)

 

[JustReefIt14]

really, or are you guys just being modest. hopefully ill post a drygoods list soon.

 

[candide]

I'm new here too, and thus far following the advice of the majority of folks here has been tremendously helpful.

I got a 125g tank from a friend after he moved, and as difficult as it may be, I'm trying to start off slower. I had the advantage of not really needing to cycle as it was all kept wet while moving, but..

The false perc clown is great, absolutly my favorite in the tank, we only have one though as he came with the tank.

We mistakenly got a few damsels (one came with tank), really before I started reading here. Everyone said they were agressive, but how the heck could the be, they are so peaceful in the store with dozens in one tank...well now I know. There are too many in the tank in the store to get "teritorial" and as such they are rather passive. But in my tank? Heh, that is a different story. We are going to return one, the smallest, as he gets picked on a lot. They beat up on each other though, no real fights, just chasing.

My point with the above is...if everyone is saying only ONE tang, I'ld believe them, especialy at first.

Other fish that seem pretty good (and useful) so far is the six lined wrasse, as she keeps our rock free of worms I'm told. I got a yellow sleeper head goby because the websites said they were easy. Well the LFS warned me that feeding them was tough (must be a good LFS?) and pointed out the hollow bellies, and that most new tanks can't keep them for more than a few months. Well, did some reading here and on wwm, and realize why. I now have a refugium going to (hopefully) spawn my own pods to feed them.

My "danger" fish is the mandarins. I want one so bad, but certainly don't want to kill it off. So I'm waiting until the tank and fuge are at least 6 months old. ugh

 

[JustReefIt14]

a new problem has come to mind. i dont know how to plumb a tank. i really dont get the whole concept, like how the skimmer,sump,refugium and all of that stuff should be connected. if you know what im saying. i know pumps and stuff will be involved but what to do with them. now on to skimmers i might get a eroureef and i saw two, which one should i get? the one recommend for a 175g or a 250g? let me know if you need to see a pic of the possible tank.

 

[Meloco14]

Luckily you seem to have a lot of time to really plan out this tank. So far you've done a good job, but make sure you take a lot of the advice you get on this board to heart. The biggest advantage you have by reading up on here before you do anything is that you get to learn from our mistakes, and hopefully not make any of your own. Obviously don't take everything anyone says as fact, but get a bunch of opinions and see what the consensus is. I personally have never owned a tang, never owned a tank big enough, but i do know they get large and need A LOT of room to swim, and also I have heard that certain species do not mix well. So make sure you get a lot of advice on it before buying them. I would also recommend reading up more on corals. As you progress in reefkeeping you will probably want more and more corals, even if they do not facinate you that much right now. They tend to grow on you. But you need to have a general idea of what you want and plan accordingly. As mentioned, SPS and soft corals do not coexist well. The soft corals produce some sort of toxin that damages the SPS's. With halides as you plan on getting, you can keep SPS, but it will be a bit bright for the soft corals, and they may not fully extend, unless deep down. If you decide you don't want to have SPS's you could get different lighting and possibly save money. Also be aware that some of your LPS corals need a lot of room, as they have long sweeper tentacles that will sting their neighbors. I think firefish tend to fight their own kind unless they are a mated pair, so look into that, though in a 180 they may have enough room to stay away from each other. Other than that you are off to a good start. From your list you may want to focus your tank on soft corals and a few well distanced LPS with some nice community fish. As mentioned above, it's a good idea to cycle your tank and start off with a few easy corals and the clowns or some other fairly hardy fish. The neon gobies, if tank raised, are pretty bulletproof. If you don't know how to plumb a tank, you may want to get a sump that includes all the plumbing and has intructions. Is your tank drilled or do you need a hang on back overflow? As far as the skimmer goes, get the best one you can afford. A common problem is trying to save money on the skimmer then wishing you hadn't 6 months down the road, that's where I'm at right now. Also, get the bigger one for your tank. If you have a 180, dont get the 175 skimmer, go bigger. Hope this helps, and I hope other people will confirm or refute what I said, so you get a lot of opinions from more experienced people. Good luck

 

[JustReefIt14]

well meleco you gave me some pretty good advice. im thinking about narrowing the tangs down to a powder blue and a yellow. when i first saw the nemo movie i wanted to have a setup like that. clowns,anemone,yellow tang,hippo,starfish and all of that good stuff. lol. the only sps that i really like are the acroporas,(i forget which kind) they look really nice. now the lps and softies i cant really tell the difference, maybe looking at the list you can help me out. im also thinking about replacing the bi-color blenny with a redspotted blenny maybe two will that work. do you think that i could get the same skimmer at my lfs cheaper than ordering it from the net. and lastly does my wish list look look alittle small for a 180? i could do so much more with it couldnt i? i may think about taking the gallonage up a notch.

 

[Meloco14]

Soft corals have no hard parts whatsoever. LPS will have a calcareous base of some kind. From your list ricordea, button polyps, and colt coral are softies, bubble, fox, and frogspawn are LPS, not sure about scolymia. If you look on retail websites they usually list their corals by type, as in separate pages for softies, LPS, and SPS, so jsut by looking through those will give you a general idea. Replacing the bicolor may be a good idea, I have heard they can have a bad temperament in tanks, though i have no personal experience with them. I do not know anything about the redspotted blenny, maybe someone else can help with that. In general, dry goods that aren't really heavy (like salt or sand) are cheaper online. However, at good LFS's you pay for advice and experience, and they all need your support to keep them going and importing healthy animals. So if there is an LFS you trust and support, it may be worth it to you to pay the few more dollars for their advice and help. As far as your list for your tank, it may seem small now but wait till you get your tank setup. As you probably know already, you don't want to buy all your fish at once, you need to slowly add them over time to let the bio filtration build up, and water conditions stabilize. The limits to your tank will vary according to age and stability, and the amount of filtration you have. If you have a large reef structure, you may find you want a few more small gobies or blennies who will hide in the small gaps in the rocks. With a large reef, you won't have as much room for larger free swimming species like tangs or angels. But if your tank is more like a FOWLR, then you may have room for one or two free swimmers. But with FOWLR's, you need to beef up your filtration as you dont have all the live rock. As the months pass and you read more online and experience the setup of your tank you will have a better idea of the limits of your tank. And as far as thinking of going bigger already...you have the bug. It seems reefkeepers are never happy with their current setup, they either want to go bigger, or they want to enter the world of nanos. Right now I'm trying to go both directions, oh well thats what happens when you get into a great hobby like this. Good luck and have fun with it

 

[JustReefIt14]

great,great advice and thanks again. i like on the edge right now of like passing out because i have no idea where im going to get money to start this tank, its going to take me forever. ive said many times that ill save as long as it takes but my allowance isnt working. lol. omg what will i do?

 

[krullulon]

unless your family plans to bankroll the 10k or so that it will take to build the 180g system you've been spec'ing out, i suggest chilling out and waiting until you're working full-time and have a significant disposable income... so what i'm saying is you have quite a few years to go.

this dream system isn't going to happen for you any time soon (unless, of course, you can get the 10k from someone), so you might want to think about the maximum dollar amount you can save in a year and then base your first tank on that number... i'm guessing something in the 20g range is probably more realistic for you to start out with if you're like any other high-school student in the world.

but if you want to just dream about the future, by all means... 8)

 

[sawyerc]

If you're in the market for an AFFORDABLE aquarium system here are a few suggestions:

*Buy used! Check out ebay or your local classifieds for aquarium listings. Often you can get a large system with fancy accessories without empying your pockets. These also have the advantage of being pre-plumbed and assembled. Just be prepared to replace bulbs, pumps, RO membranes, and chillers as these don't age as well as other components.

*Buy smart! Read a lot before you buy. Many aquarium forums have product review pages that will help you avoid expensive crap that does not work as advertised. Online distributers are much cheaper than LFSs with better variety. I've used www.thatpetplace.com for years.

*Buy less! Most people agree on a few important components that you should not skimp on. These include your skimmer, lights, and live rock. Spend your money on these. Don't get suckered into buying fancy add-ons without a lot of reading. In my opinion, these include UV sterilizer, ozonizer, chiller... and so on. These might have a place in marine aquaria, just be careful what you open your wallet for. Also, please read the "bullet-proof" reef articles on www.garf.org. These suggest a less technologically based (and therefore cheaper) approach to reefkeeping. While you save money for your dream aquarium, perhaps you can keep a gadget-free 55-gallon with manmade live rock to do a little first hand learning before you invest in a larger setup.

 

[JustReefIt14]

i was just on ebay the other day and saw some good stuff but no 180's. who thinks that building a stand and canopy from plywood could be cost friendly and at the same time be a really reliable source. also who thinks that buying a tank piece by piece would also be a good idea?

 

[PeeJ]

I think most people build tanks piece by piece. I don't know many people who have the kind of cash to just buy a complete set up at once.

 

[JustReefIt14]

who knows if the Berlin Turbo is a good skimmer by redsea? saw one for199.99. would anyone say that it is good as a euroreef?

 

[krullulon]

Brandon, you're wandering off-topic again. 8)