Newbie With a few questions

[rane]

Hello forum
I am a newbie to this but i have a question I will be starting a saltwater tank on friday I want to keep sharks and rays and maybe some of the other colorful fish (sorry newbie and dont know there names yet) but does anyone have a sugestion as to how much rock i should have to give them enough room my tank is a bowfront tank made of glass 155gl its has 2 fluval 404 filters, prizm pro delux hang on skimmer for up to 300 gallons, also the manager at the store where i purchased the tank and all supplies and also will be doing the setup told me not to go with a sump system but with a hang on skimmer and filtration system anyone want to tell me why he would say this? i have seen that most people are on sump systems...This has allways been my dream to have a tank like this and now that i can afford it i dont want it to turn into a nightmare any help will be greatly appreciated

 

[crablegs]

Hello Rane, welcome to the forum. I don't know a lot about sharks but on the sump issue I'm not sure why he would say that, the tank will work fine without a sump but I find a sump setup is easier to service and gives a cleaner look since you can hide heaters, skimmer, etc. in there. If you've already purchased the stuff don't sweat it, it will be fine (and by the way I think the 155 bow front is one of the best looking tanks on the market). I wouldn't buy any rock or livestock until you hear from one of the shark experts here. I would be concerned about swimming room if you add too much rock and also you want to get the right size shark for your tank, I think proper substrate will be an issue also. Personally I like to buy fish that I won't have to return in a couple of years because they've become to large, I guess I just get attached to them. Best of luck!!!

 

[rane]

Thanks crablegs.. My tank should arrive by friday the guy at the store told me that we were going to set it up with the live sand and nothing else and run it for at least 3 days and then maybe add the live rock and some "inexpensive" fish to try it out what ever that means...i am not looking for a crowded tank..what i would like is maybe 1 shark that wont outgrow my tank in 1 year and a stingray, maybe an octopuss with some nice colorful fish that will get along with the shark , stingray and octopuss. I have been reading the forums and see that risc seems to be the pro maybe he will look at this posting and get back to me soon as to what i will be able to do with the tank as far as that goes

 

[pegboy]

Chances are you aren't you won't be able to keep the Octopus. They pretty much need a dedicated tank. They are amazing escape artists, and can get out of just about any opening, with all the filtration hanging on the back chances are it will climb out. Also, with a shark i don't think it would last too long. That is a pretty expensive meal for the shark.
Just curious what fish store are you getting all this through? I am looking for a better store.

 

[blondenaso1]

My buddy has a hang on skimmer and I have never seen anything make more of a mess in my life. Plus with heaters, powerheads, filters, and such all hanging from the side of the tank just gives everything a messy look. Sumps are definetely a lot more versatile and give the tank a cleaner look. I would take back the filters when you still have a chance. I am figuring that you haven't taken them out of the box yet since your tank has not arrived. Go with a wet/dry as Anthem said and look into a sump skimmer as opposed to a hang on. I'm sure you will be much happier.

 

[risc]

RANE:
Your fluvals you are referring to will hardly cut it. If you are looking to get a shark and a ray and have them co-exist without tons and tons of problems you are probably going to need to look at 2 very small species of fish. You are going to need a sump filter and a rather large skimmer. The other mentioned skimmers in this thread are excellent. I use a Red Sea Berlin Turbo for my small tanks. Then I use two 200 watt heaters in a wet/dry sump that also has a small skimmer in it to pick up anything that travels into the sump. I also use a Magnum 350 to polish the water and a Penguin 400 to clean up some of the nitrates. So there are four things that hang into my small tank. Two water draw filters, one sump return, and my overflow box for my sump. The hang-on skimmer systems are a complete mess. You shouldn't get any live rock at all. Run your tank for a week before you stick fish in it. Whatever you do don't get an octopus. It will either die a natural death (they only live about four months) or your shark or ray will eat it for lunch.
Jim

 

[rane]

Thanks guys very helpful..I have one question risc i saw your website and you seem to have other fish and live rock in your tank with the sharks and rays..so i should not get any live rocks just keep the tank empty with the shark and rays?..how about any other colorful fish what do u recomend as far as what is a good shark and ray to get and what are other fish that will live with the sharks and rays? can i put any other kind of plastic coral or rocks? what sharks do u sugest are good for my size tank and what other fish will get along with them?
Thanks
S.W. Newbie

 

[risc]

RANE:
My website is as old as the hills. That's 4 years old now and hasn't been updated. I hardly have any of those fish anymore. In fact the little baby nurse shark in the upper pictures is the ONLY one I still have of those. She was 1 month old and 8" back then. She is 6 feet now. That's not live rock in the pictures it's grotto rock which is just cheap crap that can be had for like 20 cents a pound. It's best not to use that either, I've had some leopard sharks get really injured on them during feeding frenzies. Your best bet for sharks and rays are as follows ranked accordingly also:
1. Atlantic (Brazilian) Shovelnose shark and a Cortez Stingray (or Spotted Round Sting Ray)
2. Marbled or Coral Cat shark and Cortez or Bluespotted Ribbontail ray.
3. Bamboo and Bluespotted Ribbontail ray.
You should get the shark before the ray... probably about a good six months before the ray. Let your aquarium and yourself adjust to the life of the shark for a good six months. Then you can get yourself a ray and after you get that, give your tank another two months before you start adding anything else. Once that happens you can start thinking about other potential tankmates for your shark and ray. You could decorate your tank with saltwater plants or fake plants made for saltwater and fake corals. Maybe even some saltwater safe shale rocks or something. Something without sharp edges and something that can easily be pushed around and not hinder the movement of your fish. They shouldn't feel cramped at all.
Read the following two articles I wrote...
<a href="https://www.saltwaterfish.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=14&t=000028" target="_blank">https://www.saltwaterfish.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=14&t=000028</a>
<a href="https://www.saltwaterfish.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=14&t=000027" target="_blank">https://www.saltwaterfish.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=14&t=000027</a>

 

[rane]

thanks guys lots of help