New to hobby...

[ness]

Ok, heres the scoop,
I have kept freshwater for some time now and I want to start a 180 gallon saltwater tank to expand my knowledge and step up to the next level.
Now, I need help from you guys also. I have been reading and will continue reading till this summer when I get my 180 gallon tank. Its only march and summer begins in about 3 more months. I plan to learn as much as I can then try it out in this brand new tank.
What I need to know is, in your opinions, what are good beginner fish.
Also, I noticed that all the cool lookin fish, like triggers, get very large in size. Is that in captivity or not?
I was reading other posts, and I saw a topic. Inside it said that you have to give an eel ZOE. Whats ZOE and why do you use it?
One more thing, How would an eel, a lion fish, and a clown trigger do in a tank. Good or bad?
Please offer any awesome site that you like to visit often, please.

 

[bluegoose972]

Here is what I would do with your tank (180).
#1 Make sure that it has two overflows installed, one on each end. I didn't do this on my 100 gal and now I wish I had.
#2 The overflows will dump water below into either a sump or a wet/dry filter. You will need to decide which system you want to use. I would invest money in a deep sand bed and live rock which will tank care of your biological filtration and gives a more natural look. If you do go with the DSB and live rock, then you will not need a wet/dry filter, but can install a sump underneath. You can install your protein skimmer (a must), your heaters (get two...one is a backup if the other fails), and any other electrical devices or monitoring devices. Start simple, but leave room for expansion. For the size of sump, I would use 25% of your above tank as a gauge. Therefore, you will need about a 50 gal sump. So, do some research into sumps.
3) You asked some questions regarding fish sizes. I'm still not completely sure why the fish don't get to full size while in an aquarium...But many do. You need to plan as if they will. Example....Most dog face puffer will get to about the 10" range. But some members have puffers that are closer to 15" which matches closely with what you would find in the wild. Lots of variables.
4) Your question regarding the eel, lion, clown trigger combo. Well, in that size tank, there will be plenty of room for them to get out of each others way. There is a good chance that the trigger will pick on the lion and eventually kill it. The clown trigger is one of the most aggressive triggers, but have great coloring. I'm probably going to try and add one to my tank down the road, but will start with a small one.
With that big of a tank, you will be able to try just about anything. There are alot of beautiful fish, especially in the large variety.
Good luck
I'm envious of your future tank. I'm currently looking for a used one as an upgrade from my 100. May just have to bite the bullet soon!
Rick