starter aggressive setup question

[joker]

I am starting my first aggressive tank, either a 30 or 55. No, this will not be long term, just starter. I want a trigger tank - strictly. I would start with as small as I could find, or if I have to wait on one, then I would get one to match size that I would already have, plus partition tank till it adapts.
Question on how many, and what types of triggerswill work. I would be going to a minimum of a 120 or as far as a 220 gal in 6-8 months.
Thanks

 

[lazy east911]

sorry to say, in small aquariums that are less then 180 gallons, u can have only one trigger, they fight to the death over terittory, and most people would add triggers last because of that they are ver territorial and will eat anything.
good luck.
any other questions IM me my screen name is LAZY EAST911

 

[armageddon]

To start out i would get a 55 going and get one small trigger. If you plan to have multiple in your larger tank you should pick them carefully. If you want to be safe check out some of the planktonic triggers. Or you could try a humu humu and niger. Thats one of my favorite trigger combinations....the best way to do that is to have a larger niger and a smaller humu humu. Mine are about equal size and they get along great.

 

[cincyreefer]

I wouldn't waste your money on a smaller setup. Just put it towards buying a bigger tank to begin with... I hate to say it, but I honestly don't believe 85% of the people who say they are only buying a fish to temporarily put it in a small aquarium and then upgrading real soon. It just never made much sense to me.
If this will be your first saltwater tank, then definitely get the smaller tank to begin with, but try smaller fish such as clowns, pseudo's, and maybe fairy wrasses. Then if you want to upgrade later, then you can use the smaller aquarium as a quarantine tank.

 

[harlequin]

If you are just getting into saltwater then get a big tank. Much less "if only I knew then what I knew now". Plus bigger tanks are easier to maintain even if they cost more to start up. Aggressives are messy so going big will help a long way towards water quality issues. Plus if you start small and then go big then most of that gear you have for the small tank will be too small to help much on the bigger tank. Bigger tanks are way more forgiving, go big as you can you will thank yourself later on trust me.
Ways to Save a Few bucks on a FO or FOWLR tank
DSB-you dont need 200 pounds of live sand, save a bucket load of money by using 90% not live sand and about 10% LS. The LS will eventually seed the rest and 10% is enough to give a decent variety of life.
LR- Especially true of a big tank with lots of rock, use base rock as the majority of your rock and then cover that with LR. Same as sand, it will all eventually turn live but at a fraction of the cost.
Home Depot for lighting needs heheh, its not a reef tank so lighting really doesnt matter much, just research the bulb colors you want.

 

[cincyreefer]

Originally Posted by Harlequin
Aggressives are messy so going big will help a long way towards water quality issues.
I agree, where did I mention to add aggressive fish in the smaller tank?
Plus if you start small and then go big then most of that gear you have for the small tank will be too small to help much on the bigger tank.
Small tanks and large tanks are filtered totally different... Of course you won't be able to use it. That is why it would be a perfect quarantine tank.
Bigger tanks are way more forgiving, go big as you can you will thank yourself later on trust me.
I agree. But new aquarists also tend to set up large tanks the cheapest way, not the best way. If they have kept a smaller tank then they will understand the differences.
DSB-you dont need 200 pounds of live sand, save a bucket load of money by using 90% not live sand and about 10%
I don't recommend using a DSB on an aggressive tank. Won't even be able to function as a denitrafier. Aggressive fish stir it up too much.
LR- Especially true of a big tank with lots of rock, use base rock as the majority of your rock and then cover that with LR. Same as sand, it will all eventually turn live but at a fraction of the cost
Yes, but aggressive tanks don't have to have live rock anyway. Many triggers will just turn it into rubble anyway.
Home Depot for lighting needs heheh, its not a reef tank so lighting really doesnt matter much, just research the bulb colors you want.
Yes, but some lighting improves the color of fish and wrong spectrum lighting can increase algae.

 

[jumpfrog]

If your heart is set on it then proceed, but slowly. Some triggers get big, very big, but they tend to grow fairly slowly in my experience. My huma huma has grown maybe 1.5" in a year and a half. Got him at 1.5" and now at 3". A good choice for an aggressive system in a smaller (55) system would be a smal huma and perhaps a sharp nose puffer like a valentini. You get the behaviors of aggressive type fish will be fine for several years until you buy your bigger system.
Good Luck!
Michael