(Long time reader, first time poster) Sorry if this is in the wrong section, please move if it is.
So I have decided to start a local fish tank. After helping my brother with his reef tank for about a year now, I wanted to start my own. However, I want to make it a local fish tank instead of the glitz and glam of the reef tank.
I'm planning on starting with a 45 gallon rectangle, a canister filter for my bio/chem/phys filtration (recomendations on brand/specific item?), possibly the Current Sundial lighting set-up (recomendations), ofcourse a skimmer (recomendations), additional pumps for circulation, and possibly a heater if the temp is not high enough. As far as temp is concerned I was thinking around 70 would be adequate for anything that would be put in the tank.
I already have a Northern Puffer and several Porgies in a friends small tank. I do data collection for my local government in the bays and harbors, so getting fish and inverts is no problem. I was thinking of Striped Killifish, Atlantic Silversides (maybe, they are not the most hardy), Mumichugs, Winter Flounder (small size), Sheepshead Minnow, Tautog, Sea Robin (if i can get a small one). Obviously this is not an exhaustive list, nor are all these fish going to be present at once, but I will see what I can get at first.
For Inverts I was thinking of Spider Crabs, Mud Crabs, Mud Whelks, Slipper Shells, and Sand/Grass Shrimp. I know the puffer will eat inverts, but they are easy to replace, and if it proves to inconvenient I will retrn the puffer to my friends tank and stick with other locals. I was thinking of filter feeders like muscles, clams and oysters might be good too, seeing as muscles filter the most water. I'm not sure how well they would do in an aquarium setting though. Does anyone have any experience with these species in an aquarium setting. I know they keep them in large aquariums like Atlantis in Riverhead, but they are on a large scale. How will this effect how I need to filter the water myself as well?
As far as micro algae is concerned it would be easiest to get slipper shells and codium together, to have it weighted down. But would codium do well in an aquarium? Other easily collected algae would be ahardhiella, Ulva, Fucus, Porphyra and Enteromorpha. Any thoughts on what would do best? Eelgrass is another options, seeing as I have access to some used for planting, but I'm not sure it would do well in a small home setup.
Please any thoughts, ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It will be a few months before the tank gets purchased and set up, so keep the thoughts coming. I will continue to post once the tank is set up and running.
So I have decided to start a local fish tank. After helping my brother with his reef tank for about a year now, I wanted to start my own. However, I want to make it a local fish tank instead of the glitz and glam of the reef tank.
I'm planning on starting with a 45 gallon rectangle, a canister filter for my bio/chem/phys filtration (recomendations on brand/specific item?), possibly the Current Sundial lighting set-up (recomendations), ofcourse a skimmer (recomendations), additional pumps for circulation, and possibly a heater if the temp is not high enough. As far as temp is concerned I was thinking around 70 would be adequate for anything that would be put in the tank.
I already have a Northern Puffer and several Porgies in a friends small tank. I do data collection for my local government in the bays and harbors, so getting fish and inverts is no problem. I was thinking of Striped Killifish, Atlantic Silversides (maybe, they are not the most hardy), Mumichugs, Winter Flounder (small size), Sheepshead Minnow, Tautog, Sea Robin (if i can get a small one). Obviously this is not an exhaustive list, nor are all these fish going to be present at once, but I will see what I can get at first.
For Inverts I was thinking of Spider Crabs, Mud Crabs, Mud Whelks, Slipper Shells, and Sand/Grass Shrimp. I know the puffer will eat inverts, but they are easy to replace, and if it proves to inconvenient I will retrn the puffer to my friends tank and stick with other locals. I was thinking of filter feeders like muscles, clams and oysters might be good too, seeing as muscles filter the most water. I'm not sure how well they would do in an aquarium setting though. Does anyone have any experience with these species in an aquarium setting. I know they keep them in large aquariums like Atlantis in Riverhead, but they are on a large scale. How will this effect how I need to filter the water myself as well?
As far as micro algae is concerned it would be easiest to get slipper shells and codium together, to have it weighted down. But would codium do well in an aquarium? Other easily collected algae would be ahardhiella, Ulva, Fucus, Porphyra and Enteromorpha. Any thoughts on what would do best? Eelgrass is another options, seeing as I have access to some used for planting, but I'm not sure it would do well in a small home setup.
Please any thoughts, ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It will be a few months before the tank gets purchased and set up, so keep the thoughts coming. I will continue to post once the tank is set up and running.
