Possible shark/ray tank setup and tankmates

huma huma6

huma huma6

Member
Ok ive has this 265 gallon tank, i have been trying to get it setup for around 4 months, i have been getting parts very slowly and still am.
Parts I currently have:
265 gallon aquarium 84" by 24" by 30"
Cinderblock/Plywood Stand there is currently 25" underneath the it. I plan on draining the water and putting another set of cinderblocks on each side to make more space underneath.
1200 gph Lifereef Overflow Box
Underrated euroreef protein skimmer
55 gallon tank(will be made into sump)
Mag Drive 12-both pumps return, right now i have them on tubing and check valves, planning on adding ball valves as well. Should I add two check valves to each line, in case one fails?
Mag drive 5
3-Maxi Jet 1200s
48" Double COmpact Flourescent
Emperor 400 FIlter
I have around 60 lbs of live rock, 80 lbs of base rock and over 100 lbs of porous rock that I found in a feild. 20 lbs of live sand
Parts I plan to have before getting shark and ray
MSX 300 Protein Skimmer, this has a 12" diameter right? It should fit in a 55 gallon aquarium?
600 gph lifereef overflow box
Auto top off unit
2-TLF reactors
Mag 18 instead of Mag 12
RO unit, i have well water and have been using it on a aquapod with no problems,do i need a ro?
2-500 watt Titanium Heater with a ranco temperature controller, people reccomended the controller, is it really nice or not really needed?
Stocking:
1- Coral catshark
1- Cortez Stingray
1- Blonde Naso Tang
1-Maroon Clownfish
1-Freckled Hawkfish or Flame HawkFish
1-Green Bird Wrasse
1-Sailfin Tang
Some kind of shark/ray fish that schools, hmm maybe bannerfish, but ive heard butterflies pick, or chromis, but they might get eaten or bullied.
Tell me what you think. Thanks
 
sooner_reefer

sooner_reefer

Member
Sounds good, but most schooling fish are smaller such as firefish, chromis, and cardinals, which would be a good snack for a shark or ray. I don't know much about butterfly fish, but if they school then they'd be good for a shark tank. I don't think they're known to pick at sharks/rays but I could be wrong. Sounds like an awesome aquarium though.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
IDK anything about sharks, but I have had a cortez ray in my 225g for a year now. She is actually very friendly..lol...I have some chromis, tangs, clownfish, a pseuochromis,etc and my ray never bothers any of them
I feed her every morning by hand too....
 
sooner_reefer

sooner_reefer

Member
I'd definetly be more worried about the shark than the ray, and I guess if you kept him well fed it would decrease the chance. I'd go for chromises, pretty cheap so in case they do become a snack no biggy. Also they're fast so they should be fine. Also schooling fish tend to stick to the middle or top of the aquarium, and it seems sharks unless they are feeding kinda chill out at the bottom.
 
melypr1985

melypr1985

Member
you found rocks in a feild and put them in your tank? Is this a safe thing to do? I'm not trying to sound mean or anything I just wanted to know.
 
huma huma6

huma huma6

Member
no, i asked about them on a different forum(srry if this isnt allowed) and they deemed them most probably safe? I also boiled and sprayed them down.
 
melypr1985

melypr1985

Member
oh ok. I was just checking. On some forums if you even ask about that they get onto you about how dumb it is. I never thought it would be a problem if you cleaned them properly.
 
huma huma6

huma huma6

Member
The problem is there could be hard metals in it that are bad for corals. Im not planning on having corals, so it should be fine. I just have to check copper levels.
 
crimzy

crimzy

Active Member
Originally Posted by Huma Huma6
http:///forum/post/3141916
Ok ive has this 265 gallon tank, i have been trying to get it setup for around 4 months, i have been getting parts very slowly and still am.
Parts I currently have:
265 gallon aquarium 84" by 24" by 30"
Cinderblock/Plywood Stand there is currently 25" underneath the it. I plan on draining the water and putting another set of cinderblocks on each side to make more space underneath.
1200 gph Lifereef Overflow Box
Underrated euroreef protein skimmer
55 gallon tank(will be made into sump)
Mag Drive 12-both pumps return, right now i have them on tubing and check valves, planning on adding ball valves as well. Should I add two check valves to each line, in case one fails?
Mag drive 5
3-Maxi Jet 1200s
48" Double COmpact Flourescent
Emperor 400 FIlter
I have around 60 lbs of live rock, 80 lbs of base rock and over 100 lbs of porous rock that I found in a feild. 20 lbs of live sand
Parts I plan to have before getting shark and ray
MSX 300 Protein Skimmer, this has a 12" diameter right? It should fit in a 55 gallon aquarium?
600 gph lifereef overflow box
Auto top off unit
2-TLF reactors
Mag 18 instead of Mag 12
RO unit, i have well water and have been using it on a aquapod with no problems,do i need a ro?
2-500 watt Titanium Heater with a ranco temperature controller, people reccomended the controller, is it really nice or not really needed?
Stocking:
1- Coral catshark
1- Cortez Stingray
1- Blonde Naso Tang
1-Maroon Clownfish
1-Freckled Hawkfish or Flame HawkFish
1-Green Bird Wrasse
1-Sailfin Tang
Some kind of shark/ray fish that schools, hmm maybe bannerfish, but ive heard butterflies pick, or chromis, but they might get eaten or bullied.
Tell me what you think. Thanks
I have a couple thoughts... sounds like a pretty good setup but I hope you were looking for critique and not just support. First, I would do more current than simply a Mag 18, you'll want some powerheads. I'd nix the bird wrasse as they are a threat to sharks and rays. I had some chromis with my eppy shark for a while and they disappeared each night until finally they were completely gone. I would definitely get an RO unit and I'd also not take the chance on using rocks found outside. You just never know if they leech off minerals that may be harmful. I have the MSX 300 on my tank and it is great... not sure if it would fit in a 55 but I can assure you that it probably wouldn't fit under the tank, if that is how you intend to set it up.
Everything else looks ok. I assume that you have more than the 20 lbs of sand that you mention above. Also, aquascaping is going to be very important. I'd probably keep only 150 or so lbs of rock in the tank. Good luck.
 
melypr1985

melypr1985

Member
Originally Posted by Huma Huma6
http:///forum/post/3142013
The problem is there could be hard metals in it that are bad for corals. Im not planning on having corals, so it should be fine. I just have to check copper levels.
how would you check that? would you put them in a large container and basically cycle them in that? while testing for leaching minerals the whole time or what? I guess if you do it that way and they do leach bad stuff then you dont have to put them in your tank right? There are deffinately ways to use things like this without putting your whole project in jepardy.
 
huma huma6

huma huma6

Member
Ok, a msx 300 is only 25" tall, so why wouldnt it fit under my stand if i raise it up another cinder block.
As for flow, there will be some koralia in there and one of the maxi jet with a surflow and surgrip mod.
I am going to add more sand, and i think im going to keep the rock in there and monitor it.
Heres some questions i have three 300 watt heaters, could I just use those instead of two 500 watts and a controller. Would that be fine? Is the ranco controller really neccassary? I dont really want to spend money on that?
The other question, should I put two checks valves on each return line, in case one fails?
 
crimzy

crimzy

Active Member
Originally Posted by Huma Huma6
http:///forum/post/3142041
Ok, a msx 300 is only 25" tall, so why wouldnt it fit under my stand if i raise it up another cinder block.
As for flow, there will be some koralia in there and one of the maxi jet with a surflow and surgrip mod.
I am going to add more sand, and i think im going to keep the rock in there and monitor it.
Heres some questions i have three 300 watt heaters, could I just use those instead of two 500 watts and a controller. Would that be fine? Is the ranco controller really neccassary? I dont really want to spend money on that?
The other question, should I put two checks valves on each return line, in case one fails?
I haven't used a heater on a tank in a long time. Generally the lights do a pretty good job of warming the water.
I missed whether the tank is drilled with the overflow or not. If it is, there is no need for the check valves... you just want to keep the water level in the sump low enough where if you have a backflow, it won't be enough to overflow the sump.
 
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