190 Predatory Stocking

xdetroiter

xdetroiter

New Member
Hello
I'm currently a large fresh predatory keeper & am setting up a 190 for a marine tank & have done my research & selected the fish I'd like to keep & am certain are compatible, however I'm not sure on the quantities & any help is greatly appreciated.
190 Wishlist Stock
1-Grouper- The red coral hind, Cephalopholis Miniata
1-Snowflake Moray-Echidna Nebulosa
Any Trigger-Family Balistidae, don't know how many
Any Porcupinefish-Family Diodontidae, don't know how many
Turbo Snails? don't know how many
Large Hermits? don't know how many
Also, if there are any fish to omit & ones to add from someone's personal/expert opinion or experience, please suggest.
FO VRS FOWLR, which is the best setup for the fish I have in mind? The eel, naturally will be provided w/many hiding caves but out of what? Live rock?
Thanks to all in advance who reply, I appreciate it.
& please forgive if this question has been asked & answered before, I'm new to the board & to marine.
:)
 
jon.316

jon.316

Member
I suggest using more aggressive fish ie. clown trigger, powderblu tang, lunare wrasse <--- awsome fish, always swimming. If you plan to use live rock and grow frags, these fish will eat em as soon as they come out. Wanna save $$ and still look nice,,,buy some corals and rocks. It all depends on the look you want and how much $ your willing to spend.
Let me know if you need some advice!
 
evilss

evilss

Member
i would go with lr as well. get some natural filtration goin. you can have hermits and snails as i have done with porcupine puffers, lions, triggers, and snowflake eels. i have them now. just a piece of advise is to keep your fish fed well. also if you get them young you will have a better chance of them not eating your crabs. get them used to being with them. you will surely miss a crab or two everyonce in a while. i hope this helps.
 
xdetroiter

xdetroiter

New Member
Thank you much for the suggestions. I do plan to get them all very young & similar in size. I won't skimp on food either, I'm a good keeper, I'm just a fresh keeper & used to just simply soaking river rock I find before throwing it into my tanks. W/marine, there's more steps & precautions.
Live rock will aid in filtration. But won't it turn into a reef? I'm not going for the reef look at all. If I'm asking really stupid questions, please forgive. Ask me about Oscars or Bass & I'll tell ya! But marine is very new to me.
Jon, real corals? Can you possibly advise a cookie-cutter set up? The fish you listed, am I adding to my current list? My main fish is the eel, I want to build around it. I build slowly, so $ isn't a problem, I don't impulse or dive-buy, I built these 190 acrylics myself, (well I handed my husband the tools) & we did the stands & the filters, so we want to stock properly & we have the time.
Evilss, if you have any pics of your set-up, I'd much appreciate to view them.
Well, thanks again everyone & if anything else comes to anyone's mind, please share. Thanx
:)
 
evilss

evilss

Member
im looking to take some pics of my tank here soon. its still not completly done but i think it looks pretty good. keep an eye out in the forum and i will be posting soon.
 
xdetroiter

xdetroiter

New Member

Originally posted by jwtrojan44
With those types of fish, live rock will greatly aid in biofiltration, and no, it won't become a reef. Reef tanks in the academic sense are those that house corals and select inverts. If it were my set up, I'd go with a 2-3 inch sand bed, 100-150 lbs of LR, and a good skimmer rated for tanks in the range of 250-300 gallons.
As stated your snails and crabs are going to end up as a meal for the trigger or puffer. The eel, grouper, and perhaps one of the planktonic triggers (niger, pinktail, blue jaw) might be a better choice. These triggers are a bit more predictable and many leave crabs/snails alone (no guarantees however). I'd steer clear of tangs in this type of set up, simply due to water quality issues and the types of foods you will be offering. Puffers and triggers don't always make good tank mates so research compatability before considering which puffer to add.
Fantastic! I will follow that recipe to the 'T'
So, the eel, grouper & the trigger. One of each of course & then the Fiji live rock, live sand & that's it end right? Will all clean up crews be eaten? I'm assuming marine is like fresh in the sense that I need a cleaner & if so, which would you recommend? I'm nixing the puffer, I don't want any probs. I love predatory fish but I don't want a bloodbath tank either.
It's looking good. The 190 will be a FOWLR tank housing The Grouper, The Moray & A Trigger. 1 of each. I have a 190 South American predatory tank w/more fish but none getting as big as the Grouper, close but not as big, so would you say that this 190 FOWLR tank is well stocked or could I add anything else?
I appreciate your help much, thanx!
 
xdetroiter

xdetroiter

New Member
Thanks, I have looked & am considering the Tusk, good suggestion, Thank you!
I've been reading up on Triggers & I've read you can only keep one but some are less aggressive than others. Is there any chance on keeping more than one of the peaceful ones in this set-up?
Thanks Again!
 
jared

jared

Member
W/marine, there's more steps & precautions.
Oh lord... you have no idea.
Ask questions, take serious notes, and pay attention to the experieced ones. This hobby looks awesome, but it's really a headache sometimes. There's so much more complications with this.
As for LR and coral, these are extremely hard to keep and can be really expensive. Be careful with your investments. One screw up may cost an entire ecosystem in that tank. I suggest starting small, that's what I'm doing. If you like it and can stand it, then move bigger. Think about it, getting rid of a 20 gallon nano tank and some fish is a helluva lot easier than getting rid of a 500 gallon reef tank (not to mention $$$!)
With the aggresive fish that you want in there, anything along the lines of shrimp, snails, or crabs will not survive long at all. DO NOT purchase a reef package for that tank, you'll lose everything in the package.
Just passing along some reasearch...
 
fin follower ed

fin follower ed

Member

Originally posted by Jared
it's really a headache sometimes.
I don't know about headache, solving problems is what keeps the hobby interesting.
 
xdetroiter

xdetroiter

New Member

Originally posted by Fin Follower Ed
I don't know about headache, solving problems is what keeps the hobby interesting.
I have to agree w/you Ed. & Jared, that's what I love about the fish hobby is solving problems, drawing out schematics for filtration & troubleshooting. I am experienced w/large predatory fresh tanks, I just had some questions about Marine & am trying to gather up as much info. as possible.
Starting small is a good tip but if water temps or fluxuations (sp?) in water quality change slightly, you lose your entire nano or small reef system QUICK! W/a larger system like 190 what I have, I don't necessarily have the ability to screw up freely but I have a margin of error which is better than that of a small or tiny system. Anyhow, that's how I look at it.
But thanks for your info. I appreciate your post & wish you luck w/your setup!
:D
 
velocity

velocity

Member

Originally posted by xdetroiter
Ask me about Oscars or Bass & I'll tell ya!
:)
oh i see we have an oscar keeper here! I guess im not the only one.
 
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