Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deftonia http:///t/396649/converting-my-130-fresh-water#post_3534243
Hi I just joined the site cause I wanted to start a saltwater tank. Welcome to the site. You will find lots of experienced folks here who will help you.
Im going to be converting my 130 freshwater into a saltwater and want a lionfish. Love em, but you have to be ready for the additional work and equipment for this messy animal.
My question is do I need 1 pound of sand and rock per gallon? Yes to the rock, optional for sand. Many of us use bare bottomed tanks with great success.
Also will be making this into a reef tank down the road. The biggest difference will be lighting and livestock. A lionfish is not an ideal companion to a reef system since they will prey on inverts.
I do know I need a protein skimmer and power heads but can I just use the same canister filters? Many people here (including myself) don't like canister filters since they require very regular maintenance, and can cause major problems in the event of a power outage. Nevertheless, people using these filters are among some of our most successful aquariasts. For a fish-only system a skimmer is considered to be optional, but power heads are very important to provide adequate circulation within the main tank. Are you planning to have a sump? That is the most forgotten and perhaps most important piece of equipment.
Also what kind of fish and sort would be good with a Lion fish in this tank. Since your lionfish will eat anything it can fit into its mouth, and will try to to eat things that can't (somewhere on this site I have a description of the emergency surgery I did on a lionfish that had gotten stuck with a puffer in its mouth), your stock list should include fairly sizable fish - wrasse in the
thalassoma family (in which case you will need a sandy substrate for them to bury in), puffers, adult specimens of the smaller tangs. You will have to be careful, since your system will be 130 gallons, so some of the choices may grow too large, so be sure to stock using the final adult size as your guide, not the size when you buy the animal.
I would also like a clean up crew and maybe an eel at least. The eel can be difficult to feed when a lionfish is present since you may have to use a feeding stick and the lion may attack the meat on the stick, or may just impale your arm for the fun of it all.
Just wanting a little feedback from the professionals I';m not a professional, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night
