HELP A SALT WATER NEWBIE STOCK HIS TANK (PLEASE :-)

[dutchswan]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3282015

Get that book I recommened. Nobody can pick out your critters for you...thats all the fun.
It is still a perfect sea horse tank.

As someone mentioned at the beginning of this thread, there are probably a lot of experienced users who can help me avoid pitfalls. I don't see a lot of tanks this shape, and figured I could get some pointers...not on what to get, but perhaps what NOT to get. I like clowns...I know its cliche, but what can i say?

 

[shrimpy brains]

Welcome to the boards!
Flowers right, no one can pick your fish, but we can suggest!

1 pair of Percula Clownfish
2 Firefish (red or purple)
1 Midas Blenny
1 (or a pair) of Pearly Jawfish(if you have a deep enough sand bed)
Of course, I would also recommend the book as there are alot fish that would work in this tank. You don't want to be stocked up and then think, "Wow, that's a cool fish, I really want it"
You can also visit on line stores and see pictures of many different fish. Just do your own research and don't go by anyone's tank size recommendations. Find out for yourself how big a certain fish gets, will it eat other fish you have, etc.
Most places just want to sell you the fish and don't care what happens to it long term!
And yes, this would be an excellent seahorse tank!

 

[posiden]

You mentioned that your good at research.......... Start. Sorry to be an a$$ on that. Like others have said, your the final decision maker on your tank. Even if the decision is wrong. (Lots of that going on)
There are fish that like to be at the top of the water column and those who like to be in the middle, and those who like to be at the bottom. It just depends on how you want the tank to look. It depends on how you want the tank to be, ie.... Lots of color, busy, calming, ect.. If reef is what your after, that light wont cut it. Not even close. If corals are in your future then your gonna need some power to reach the bottom. A FOWLR tank is completely fine with that light. No worries.
On the rock, I would look into doing a sculpture of some sort. What I mean is taking the LR that you buy and drilling holes in it to run acrylic rod through it, to create a new rock out of several pieces. Or a wall if you will. This will help big time IMO with the height of your tank. It can even be a bonsai inspired type rock structure.
Your in a great place with your tank. It's new, you haven't invested in any livestock yet. Take you time. Look into different aqua scapes and see what strikes your fancy. You have a blank slate. Your selection of fish will be important if a FOWLR tank is what you will build, as they will be your only real source of color. Unless you like the look of fake plants. Maybe a group of just one type of fish? You can go sooo many different ways.
Please take your time. LOTS of time. Nothing good ever happens fast in this venture your in. You'll here that a lot. Get the proper test kits. Test your water often. You'll need less tests if a reef is not what you desire. As I mentioned, do your homework. You can't be upset at the local fish shop if they tell you something that's wrong, and YOU don't know any better. You should know what your buying and how to tell if its in good health or not. I know that's why your here, but we can suggest things all day just like the LFS can. Like anything else, you need to take in all the info you can and make an educated decision. Sorry if I am just stating the obvious here. Just writing out my thoughts.
I wish you all the best of luck in this hobby. I hope you get bit by the bug and you find MUCH happiness in your tank. I myself enjoy the heck out of mine, including all the headache it throws at me. Welcome.

 

[dutchswan]

My stop at this forum is but one of many on my road to picking the best "arrangement" for my tank. I had never thought of purchasing several live rocks and affixing them together...and I probably would not have had I not asked the question here. One issue I find is there are, in fact, so many choices that I had hoped to narrow the selection down.
I like the Percula Clownfish, so let me start there with say, 2 of them, and build around that (though it is not a deal breaker to not have them)
So, looking at these: Percula Clownfish (x2), Niger Trigger, Pygmy Angelfish (A), Flame Angelfish (A), Lemonpeel Angelfish (A)
And for Inverts: Electric Blue Hermit Crab, Red Starfish, Purple Lobster, Red General Starfish, miscellaneous snails
Obviously I may not fit all of these in the tank, but this is what I have been looking at as of late. Clearly, I would start with the janitors, then the pair of clowns, and then add the the rest one by one over time. But, it is good to have a plan. Will everything above play well in the sandbox (so to speak)???

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by dutchswan
http:///forum/post/3282042
My stop at this forum is but one of many on my road to picking the best "arrangement" for my tank. I had never thought of purchasing several live rocks and affixing them together...and I probably would not have had I not asked the question here. One issue I find is there are, in fact, so many choices that I had hoped to narrow the selection down.
I like the Percula Clownfish, so let me start there with say, 2 of them, and build around that (though it is not a deal breaker to not have them)
So, looking at these: Percula Clownfish (x2), Niger Trigger, Pygmy Angelfish (A), Flame Angelfish (A), Lemonpeel Angelfish (A)
And for Inverts: Electric Blue Hermit Crab, Red Starfish, Purple Lobster, Red General Starfish, miscellaneous snails
Obviously I may not fit all of these in the tank, but this is what I have been looking at as of late. Clearly, I would start with the janitors, then the pair of clowns, and then add the the rest one by one over time. But, it is good to have a plan. Will everything above play well in the sandbox (so to speak)???

I looked up the trigger in my book as I have no experience with them…it says they should be housed in a tank of 75g, that they grow to be 19.7 inches, and that they bite. The Author says that before you put your hand in the tank to even relocate a rock to know where your trigger fish is. So scratch that critter off your list for sure. A fish close to 20 inches in your 47g tower…no.
You can only have one pigmy angel fish. They will fight to the death. I have heard of folks keeping more than one in larger tanks but certainly not one in your size tank. So choose one.
I have a lemonpeel in my tank with 2 clowns so I know they get along well, they hang out all the time. The lemonpeel has some striking color, I love him. I don’t know why, but I never had any luck with a flame angel I lost two over the years and landed up with a lemonpeel. They do require good water quality, so you have to be up on tank maintenance.
On your CUC…you will need more than one hermit crab. In a 47g, try about 30.
Red star fish (Froma star) needs a really mature tank, you won’t be able to keep one alive for some time. I had a tank a year old and it still didn’t have enough nutrients to keep it going for more than a few months.

I had no knowledge of the purple lobster so I looked it up: only 1 per ank and they grow to about 6 inches max. They eat little fish that may hang out in the bottom of the tank. I’m not sure if a clown would be safe…mine hang out on one side of the tank and swim in place on the bottom of their area at night.

The rest of your invert list looks pretty good to me.
Hope this helps.

 

[twood]

Originally Posted by dutchswan
http:///forum/post/3281990
Well, it has 2x6s doubled up on 16" centers (just like a floor....well my floors have 2x12s doubled up the length of my house, but you get the idea). This means there are four 2x6s runing under the tank: 2 doubled up under the left side of the tank, and 2 doubled up on the right side of the tank (runing with width of the platform from the back of the tank to the front of the tank. I did not build it this way, it was already like that. So I figured it was a perfect spot to host a tank. Since I am not the one who built it, I have been keeping an eye on it though. So far so good. 2x6 support combined with 3/4" ply with 3/4" oak hardwood running perpendicular to the beams: I cant imagine what else is necessary to provide additional support :-|
It sounds like the platform is reinforced well enough to support the tank. I was concerned it was just a sheet of plywood with no support underneath.

 

[twood]

Originally Posted by dutchswan
http:///forum/post/3281990
Well, it has 2x6s doubled up on 16" centers (just like a floor....well my floors have 2x12s doubled up the length of my house, but you get the idea). This means there are four 2x6s runing under the tank: 2 doubled up under the left side of the tank, and 2 doubled up on the right side of the tank (runing with width of the platform from the back of the tank to the front of the tank. I did not build it this way, it was already like that. So I figured it was a perfect spot to host a tank. Since I am not the one who built it, I have been keeping an eye on it though. So far so good. 2x6 support combined with 3/4" ply with 3/4" oak hardwood running perpendicular to the beams: I cant imagine what else is necessary to provide additional support :-|
It sounds like the platform is reinforced well enough to support the tank. I was concerned it was just a sheet of plywood with no support underneath.

 

[dutchswan]

Originally Posted by twood
http:///forum/post/3282167
It sounds like the platform is reinforced well enough to support the tank. I was concerned it was just a sheet of plywood with no support underneath.
If with was just ply supported at the edges...that would have been fairly foolish. Probably would have noticed warping within an hour of putting 450lbs on that. Thank you for the input though...it made me double check my support...which is never a bad thing.

 

[flower]

I think you need at least double the amount of rock that is in there now.…LOL remember this thought because you will use those words allot..”I can’t believe how much this stuff costs.”.

Make sure the sand is not on the bottom under the rock. Sand shifts and a rock slide can kill critters and break glass. I know the fake plant looks kind of cool right now, but it won’t when it is covered in algae and believe me all things will be covered in algae.. Get yourself a mag-float you have allot of glass to keep clear.
I would decorate with non-photosynthetic coral, like sun coral and maybe a good size ribbon gorgonian to replace that plant. (after the tank is ready and cycled) The bright color of coral will make the tank really pop and with non-photosynthetic corals you won’t need any fancy lights. Jut my .02