total saltwater

[toddius]

Has anyone ever tried to make one large aquarium with agressive and reef inhabitants together like the ocean. Just a thought. Say corals, fish, live rock, crabs and shrimp all together. Does anyone think it could balance itself out like a reef in the ocean. How large of a tank would it take. Any input would be apprieciated and yes I know puffers and triggers and eels like shrimp and crabs and corals but they all live together in the wild. Don't flame it's just a topic.

 

[goldfish]

well first of all a reef tank needs much better water quality than say a fo tank. The aggressive fish such as triggers and eels are messy eaters and that itself can cause your levels to fluctuate.
As far as everyone living in the wild together--well that is it!! It's the wild! In a captivity situation, I would never put corals and anemones in with triggers because they will become lunch. You and man-eating lions can live together on this planet, but would you want to be in with one in a 10x10 cage??

 

[kris]

Don't believe it can be done effectively. Your tank would need to be approx 35 trillion gallons.
I like goldfish's analogy of us and the lions. Maybe down there it works the same way as it does up here--we simply avoid the creatures that would kill or eat us (or kill them, just because we can) Lions and tigers and bears--we all live together on this planet just not well--- together

 

[toddius]

Good point. Thanks for the input. I am planning on a very large tank in our new home but I am only going to go with fish, LR and larger conchs and crabs. Thanks again.