Basic salt experience setting up 75gal tank with wife...getting young kids into salt...any ideas on odd/rare non-aggressive fish!

[natethenizzle]

Thanks, I will definately keep that in mind. Only thing I worry about is where to put it and any extra support I will need to put in the basement just to keep myself from wiggin out. But thats the kind of problem I'd like to have!!!

 

[jay0705]

Iam thinking of putting mine in the basement. No weight worries lol

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by natethenizzle http:///t/395885/basic-salt-experience-setting-up-75gal-tank-with-wife-getting-young-kids-into-salt-any-ideas-on-odd-rare-non-aggressive-fish/20#post_3526664
Thanks, I will definately keep that in mind. Only thing I worry about is where to put it and any extra support I will need to put in the basement just to keep myself from wiggin out. But thats the kind of problem I'd like to have!!!
IIRC all modern houses can handle the weight of a 75 gallon. I don't think you have to worry until the height of the aquarium exceeds 3 feet.
If you are serious about keeping the Sailfin long term then quickly look into an 8' tank. It is very deceiving, they really do require swimming space long before they get large.

 

[jay0705]

You could look into the acrylic tanks. Alot of manufacturers will make them to your specs.

 

[natethenizzle]

Good looking out, problem is, our current house is OLD, as in deed of 1821. They don't build them like that anymore, this house is stout, which gives me all the more reason to install the tank in my basement. Still checking into all the details. Thanks!

 

[jay0705]

Ah very good. I love the older houses

 

[grant778]

I seem to have commented a little late on this but perhaps another unusual fish u might consider for ur tank would be a file fish if u intend the tank to remain a FOWLR tank. Many species of this fish stay small and would not outgrow ur tank.

 

[natethenizzle]

It has been a few weeks and here is an updated list of everything that we've added to the tank:
We already had a blue chromis and a mono argentus.
We added a single firefish, which has turned out to be a great addition. A lawn mower blenny (wife's favorite, she would have a tank full of blennies and nothing else.) A green clown goby, and we couldn't help it, but our favorite store had a Spotted Rabbitfish that was just simply breathtaking. We did have a sail fin tang in there and he was doing just peachy and one day I noticed I couldn't find him anywhere until I looked at the inlet for the filter. Poor guy had got stuck to the filter and we lost him.
Thank you to you all for your great ideas, its been such a blast getting back into this stuff. PICTURES TO COME!!

 

[jay0705]

one thing to watch w the blenny is they can be picky eaters. they mostly eat copepods. i have a red blenny another very nice fish if you like blennys. mine eats frozen brine,pellets and prawn roe. the prawn roe is excellent to get picky eaters eating prepared foods. i have a mandy and a blenny in my 75 two "difficult" fish to feed and both are nice and plump.

 

[natethenizzle]

We kept a close eye on him the first 2 feedings and we were puting the frozen shrimp brine and vitamin enhanced veggies and he partakes of them both rather well. We actually have already started to grow some algae on the backside of the tank and he was going nuts the other day when put just a little too much water in the tank during a water change and he got up to the filter spout and was going to town on the developing algae.
I think before we do anything else we will be adding some more dead rock to build up one side of the tank to almost breach level and then we actually did a full spectrum test and everything came back right down the middle so we may try a few simple/easy coral pieces just to add some color and see if we can actually grow anything. Which we understand about the smaller spectrum of fish that we can buy but coral is something that we never really have tried before. We started treating the tank once a week with trace elements/reef builder and so far the few small $15 pieces we have bought are doing well. This may sound 100% crazy but yesterday morning I turned on the tank light and noticed dozens of tiny little somethings swimming around the tank, a few fish grabbed them and then spat them back out. From going over the few "live rock" and fragmentented rock that we bought with small coral pieces on them, we are guessing that they are actually some type of tube (fan) worms spreading around the tank. Not sure where they came from but as young as the tank is, I cannot think of anything else they could be. I'm sure they hitchiked in the tank, but we are rather excited about figuring out what they are and hopefully they will develop nicely. I read that fan worms can recreate an entire new tube within a few hours so hopefully in the next few days we will have some growing.

 

[jay0705]

Copepods and amphipods. Are prob what's swimming around. There a good thing.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jay0705 http:///t/395885/basic-salt-experience-setting-up-75gal-tank-with-wife-getting-young-kids-into-salt-any-ideas-on-odd-rare-non-aggressive-fish/20#post_3527643
one thing to watch w the blenny is they can be picky eaters. they mostly eat copepods. i have a red blenny another very nice fish if you like blennys. mine eats frozen brine,pellets and prawn roe. the prawn roe is excellent to get picky eaters eating prepared foods. i have a mandy and a blenny in my 75 two "difficult" fish to feed and both are nice and plump.
Lawnmower Blennys primarily eat Diatoms.

 

[jay0705]

Really?

 

[jay0705]

Iam an idiot. Iam thinking of the scooter blenny

 

[natethenizzle]

I said I'd attach pictures, sorry it took so long!


Thanks again for all your help and advice, it really has been a joy!! I keep thinking that I need to add more rock to the tank but I am still on the fence about it.......thoughts...........ideas........anyone?!....

 

[jay0705]

Really its up to u. I have about 60-70lbs of lr in my tank. But I add a new peice every couple months the fish enjoy eating all the new stuff on it.

 

[natethenizzle]

I am rather coy about admitting this but I found a picture of this tank from 4 years ago when we last had it running and it is darn near the same set up. So I will definately be adding some more rock and some basic coral to change things up a bit. I think I will be buidling one side up almost to the waters edge, I think that may be a different setup than normal.