125g FOWLR questions...

[osuaquarist]

Hey I am thinking of converting our 125g freshwater into a FOWLR this summer and I had a few questions regarding set up and stock lists.
I want to keep a nice amount of fish, which skimmers should I look into, and how much will a good skimmer cost me for a 125?
How many lbs of LR do I need to keep this set up healthy? I do not want to do a sump, I will only have a skimmer and maybe a refugium if money allows.
-STOCKLIST-
This is what I am looking at nothing really decided I just want opinions.
-Maroon Clown pair
-Some type of eel or eels
-Queen Angel
-Niger Trigger (or some type)
-Some type or tang perhaps (maybe a black one)
-Green Bird Wrasse (for sure)
-A lion or maybe a puffer
-Maybe another larger wrasse if I can
Are there any problems with this list, is there too much of a bioload? help me out, any suggestion is appreciated!
-Alex

 

[kjr_trig]

You have a big bioload there, so don't skimp on your skimmer. IMO look at ASM G-3 or Aqua C EV 180, if you have to do a hang on, you could do a Corallife Superskimmer 220.
Stocklist is pretty interesting/good, you may cut it by one or so. Some will say the Queen is not a great choice long term in a 125, as they are amonst the largest Angels. Lions and triggers don't make good tankmates longterm, if fact big Angels are known to use Lions as chewtoys too. Don't be talked into thinking a Niger is a "less aggressive" trigger, they are pleasant as juvi's usually, but become aggressive as they age. If you want a less aggressive look at Bluethroat, plus they stay much smaller. Mixing wrasses can be iffy, but you could probably do a Green bird and a Harlequin Tusk. Snowflake is a great "starter eel".
125 lbs or LR at least would be a good goal, if you can do a fuge thats helpful for additional rock.

 

[aquaknight]

-Maroon Clown pairSure-Some type of eel or eels
Eels aren't my strongfront, but in a 125, really your options are Snowflakes or Zebra Morays. For big $$ dragon morays or golden dwarf moray would work, but may not like such an aggressive tank
-Queen Angel
Will definitely outgrow a 125 fairly quickly. Probably would recommend other angels.
-Niger Trigger (or some type)
What KJR mentioned above, I would additionally say, consider a Sufflamen genus of trigger. Hardy and not agressive really.
-Some type or tang perhaps (maybe a black one)
Only black one I know of is the Black Tang, Zebrasoma Rostratum, pretty pricey
-Green Bird Wrasse (for sure)
Definitely doable.
-A lion or maybe a puffer
Would recommend a puffer in this type of tank, look into Toby puffers or the Spiny Burrfish as other puffers will outgrow a 125 IMO
-Maybe another larger wrasse if I can
Carefully you can. I would not recommend a Thalassoma wrasse with a bird wrasse. Harlequin Tusks are great fish, but fragile, definitely recommend QT for all the fish. Other option is why not just get the female Bird wrasse (aka Brown Bird Wrasse) so you have a pair?
For the skimmer, definitely look for the biggest SOB you can afford. Perhaps look into one being custom made. They run cheaper then off the shelf, name brand skimmers. Anywhere from $300 to $600 to keep that many fish.
A sump will be a requirement IMO. No HOB skimmer will be able to handle that load and a HOB fuge on a 125 is a joke (undersized). Additionally I would do around 125-150lbs of live rock in the tank. Look for larger pieces of rock, as they will allow more room for the fish to swim. And then as much in the sump as possible.

 

[osuaquarist]

Ok so it seems the queen angel is out, which is unfortunate because they are my favorite =(
-but in any case would a blue-face or emperor angel be any better in the 125? If not could you make some angle suggestions?So I looked on the site and I think these are my angel pics in order from most preferred to least...
-1st Annularis Angel
-2nd Blueface Angel
-3rd Six-banded Angel
What can you tell me about them?
-As for eels could I do multiple of them? I love seeing 2 or 3 eel heads sticking out of the same rock heh.
-As for a sump, I guess what I was trying to say was I don't want to do a drip filter, I could do a sump for the skimmer and then have a nice large fuge in it as well. How many gallons should I look at for doing this? 40 breeder, 55? Also how do all the pods and stuff get from the fuge to the DT, do they survive the trip through the pump or do you have to put them in manually?
-I didn't know brown bird wrasse were females, that is awesome I could definitely go for a pair, how much do they typically cost? Also what about a green bird and a banana wrasse?
-Also how deep of a SB would be good, and what type of sand? Should I get course grain to accommodate the flow that will be in the DT?
-Also I have always wanted a mandarin, would that be feasible with the kind of aggressive fish I want to keep?

 

[prime311]

You'll want as coarse as possible sand with triggers as they tend to dig sand up. I wouldn't even consider a mandarin in a predator tank, assuming the Mandarin didn't himself get eaten I'm not sure you could cultivate the pods well enough to keep the Mandarin properly fed. Pods will survive a trip through the return pump.

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by OSUaquarist
http:///forum/post/2606436
Ok so it seems the queen angel is out, which is unfortunate because they are my favorite =(
-but in any case would a blue-face or emperor angel be any better in the 125? If not could you make some angle suggestions? So I looked on the site and I think these are my angel pics in order from most preferred to least...
-1st Annularis Angel....BIG
-2nd Blueface Angel....BIG
-3rd Six-banded AngelBIG
What can you tell me about them?Majestic would be a great choice for an angel, Scribbled or Black Velvet (which I have) are also more manageably sized
-As for eels could I do multiple of them? I love seeing 2 or 3 eel heads sticking out of the same rock heh.You could do Zebra, Snowflake, Chainlink IMO...Make sure you have a good top, they are escape artists
-As for a sump, I guess what I was trying to say was I don't want to do a drip filter, I could do a sump for the skimmer and then have a nice large fuge in it as well. How many gallons should I look at for doing this?bigger is better 40 breeder, 55? Also how do all the pods and stuff get from the fuge to the DT, do they survive the trip through the pump or do you have to put them in manually?not sure on that one, my substrate has them though
-I didn't know brown bird wrasse were females, that is awesome I could definitely go for a pair, how much do they typically cost? Also what about a green bird and a banana wrasse?I have a Sunset/Banana Wrasse with a Harlequin, no problems thus far, the Sunset is an aggressive eater, but fine otherwise, generally try avoid identical shaped wrasses together
-Also how deep of a SB would be good, and what type of sand? Should I get course grain to accommodate the flow that will be in the DT?I have roughly 1 inch deep combined Crushed coral with live reef substrate, it is very coarse
-Also I have always wanted a mandarin, would that be feasible with the kind of aggressive fish I want to keep?
Mandarin probably not a good choice

 

[hammerhed7]

I think the idea of a tusk is very good, they are not territorial. I don't find them to be difficult to keep at all, while many people have problems I have never had a problem with them, just pick an alert, active eating specimen, and spend the extra $ for an austrailian