Some General Questions...

[psusocr1]

alright im new to the sport so please try to deal with my questions..some may be stupid... i currently completed my tank. Heres whats going on...
the tank is 220 gallons. i want to put a shark(maybe bamboo) an eel(maybe moray) a lion(maybe volitan) and a stingray(maybe cali ray) thats all (just thinking ahead of what i want so i can set the tank up properly)
does this sound o.k? too much?? what species??
also for this tank how much sand will i need? i was going to put half live half non-live. only about 2-3 pieces of live rock so the eel can hide, then leave the tank bare..
i have alot of heaters.. will i need any heaters??
i currently have an amiracle wet/dry that is for tanks up to 250 gallons with a built in skimmer. i also have another HUGE skimmer that i bought seperatly from the wet/dry. should i use this stuff?? OR i have a 55 gallon tank that i dont use that i can do something with???
i bought a bucket of salt already for 250 gallons, when do i put the salt in /when do i put the sand in? i already have about 200 gallons of water from my ro unit ready to go
also what do i do about lighting???
do i need anythign else for the initial setup?? chemicals?? testing kit(what kind is the best) any kind of instruments or other tools i need for the water or anythign else for the tank??
any help is GREATLY appreciated. im just trying to buy the right things for the inital setup so i have everything ready to go.

 

[gasguzzler]

Alright, first, the tank is too small for a shark and ray. If you got a coral catshark and had a place lined up for the Cali when it grows you would be OK. As far as the eel goes, it depends on what species would be peacefull with the passive shark and ray. My eel was always picking on my rays. The lion is fine, but think about what happens at feeding time when the ray is going 200 mph around the tank and runs into the lion. Been there, not fun.
As far as the rest of the questions are concerned, I would go with a 2-3" sandbed if set on keeping a ray minimum. They get really fidgety if they cant cover up.
For equipment, the bigger the better. If the wet/dry is rated for a 250 it will be OK. The determining factor will be the size of the return pumps. Those will be determined by the size of the drains and returns. Is the tank drilled or are you running overflows? I would run the large skimmer and think about a large canister filter also to run other forms of filtration media.
The sand and rock should be added after the tank is up to a steady temp, salinity, pH, etc. After, the levels will need to be watched because sometimes they change dramatically.
Standard florescent lighting will suffice unless you want a more dramatic effect in the tank.

 

[psusocr1]

thanks GAS,
o.k maybe ill just get a ray and not a shark or a shark and not a ray,,,,whatever is better for the tank. i will be upgrading to a 420 gallon in about 2 years, i already have the 420 but i want to set the 180 up first so that i can get experience with the smaller tank (and i want to save a few grand extra for the 420 (plumbing etc.)..is this long enough to hold a juvenile banded, a lion, an eel and a ray or no?
im running overflows. i have dual overflow box thats rated for 1200 gph. as far as plumbing, and all that other stuff i am going to have to pay somone to set my tank up. i wish i can do it myself but i dont have half the knowledge i need for the plumbing. if i saw a diagram or a setup i might be able to do it , but as of now i might have to pay someone. i belive you tried to help me many times befroe with the filtration setup but i dont understand it at all.
any other suggestions you have for me i appreciate it.. especially as far as what species i can hold in my tank comfortably and without any conflicts.

 

[gasguzzler]

If I were you, I would wait altogether on the shark and ray until the larger 420 is going. A 180 will hold a catshark for about a year. Remember my old female? She was 27" at 11 months. I understand she was an exception to the growth rate average but to think that one would survive, let alone comfortably in a 180 is irresponsible fish keeping. Setting up the tank now and running it with the others in there would be highly recommended.
1200 gph in a 180 IMO is on the low side, but acceptable. Try to squeeze every gph out of the overflow and really consider adding powerheads and alternate filtration for more flow. If you want to keep elasmobranchs, I never go any lower than 10x the water volume an hour for a turnover rate. If you are going to have someone install it for you, the details will be worked out then.
When you are ready for the large tank, stocking would be the big question. A single bamboo, eppaulette or coral catshark would be OK. For rays, my Calis were always easy to take care of. There is also the possibility of the smaller Cortez ray or the much larger Yellow ray. All are pretty simple to care for. Again, one only.

 

[psusocr1]

i can wait, it really isnt a big deal to me. my other option is also to get all of those fish i mentioned, and just start the 420 sooner than 2 years. i guess i have alot to consider. i just want to make sure i have everything for my 200 to get going.

 

[psusocr1]

hey gas i noticed that in a previous post im not sure how long ago i forgot to look that you tried to buy an amiracle pl-2000 pro-line filter off of a member... did you ever buy it?? because i am trying to set up the Amiracle pl-3000 pro-line filter..

 

[gasguzzler]

It must have been a LONG time ago because even I dont remember! Whatever the reason was, I didnt end up getting it.

 

[psusocr1]

gas,
can i get away with gettin one powerhead that is 642 gph, or should i get two that are each like 300gph?? also if i got a small canister filter that handles 250 gph is that cool with my wet/dry and powerheads??

 

[gasguzzler]

By powerheads you mean return pumps? The powerheads are generally just used for extra water circulation. If you mean return pumps, you want to try and get as close to the max of your overflow box. All overflows will only move a limited amount of water, so try to get returns that will match this rating. As far as the canister goes, the size is fine. I like to recommend them to run carbon and other types of media more efficiently than a wet/dry could.

 

[psusocr1]

i mean the powerhead in the tank for water movement?? should i get one big one and place it in the right or left corner or get two smaller ones and put one in thr right corner and one in the left corner???

 

[mitzel]

I would definatly get some good experiance under the belt before trying a shark. They need lots of TLC .

 

[psusocr1]

i have lots of experince with exotics,, just new to saltwater..however i have NEVER lost an animal, and beleive me ive kept some challenging animals and still do. That wasnt my question but thanks for the advice anyway..not bieng mean hope you understand