my new 150g salt tank (56k beware)

[vipers]

well, i was finally able to convert my 150g fresh tank into my saltwater tank (had a 80g before)

i went overkill on everything in preperation for my 240g when i move into a bigger place


tank....
150g glass tank 60x24x24
eshopps 300g wet/dry system
coralife superskimmer 220g (i know most frown on this skimmer, but i got it at a super deal, and its working great so far)
120lbs. of live rock
120lbs. of live sand
rio 24hf return pump
rio12hf return pump


fish...

2x zebra morey eels (1 2-1/2 feet long, the other 3 feet long)
2x volitan lionfish
marbled cat shark (almost 2 feet long)
powder brown tang
yellow tang

coming fairly soon
-queen angel
-powder blue tang
-blue hippo tang
-2 stingrays


onto the pics..............

comments and concerns welcome!

 

[brian1973]

I know nothing about SW tanks, looks great. Wont the "coming soon" fish overstock it or maybe give it a overcrowed look?

 

[zoalover34]

Do yourself a favor, get the shark out asap! Don't even think about putting rays in that tank, remove the bio balls you have in your sump.. Other than that, nice looking tank

 

[Lorna]

I am sorry but I have to agree. The fish and eels you have in there right now are pushing the stocking envelope to it's limits. Adding anything else would be foolhardy at best and a disaster waiting to happen besides being cruel to the inhabitants. Oh and for what it is worth.....that blue hippo tang shouldn't be kept in a 45g either. It needs to be moved to the 150g but would soon become food for the eels unless it is a mature fish....

 

[vipers]

Do yourself a favor, get the shark out asap!

ive been doing alot of research on the shark before i bought.. and if you want to keep a shark, this is the one to have, it only grows to 2 feet, and 150g is a good tank to have it in.....or so ive read on websites

Don't even think about putting rays in that tank,

whats wrong with rays? ive had one before... pretty easy to maintain...

remove the bio balls you have in your sump..

this one stumps me...... can you explain in more detail? keep in mind, this is not a reef tank, nor will it ever be one.... since im new to the game, i dont know all the ins and outs of saltwater filtration

 

[vipers]

Oh and for what it is worth.....that blue hippo tang shouldn't be kept in a 45g either. It needs to be moved to the 150g but would soon become food for the eels unless it is a mature fish....

the tang at this point isnt even 1"... its a baby right now...but when it gets bigger, its going in the 150g..... and the eels dont eat fish, they only eat crustacians... and man do they tear those little crayfish up


and how does the fish i have already put too much of a load on the tank? the filtration is enough for a tank almost twice the size of mine, and my tank looks empty when you see it in person....

 

[zoalover34]

So you have a 2' shark in a tank that's 2' wide, plust it has rock in it.. Try turning around and swimming i bet its pretty tight and not very happy in there.. Bio ball's have nothing to do with a reef tank or not, nitrates get trapped in there and its bad! What kind of tank were the rays in? Where's the 1 you had kept? How long did it live? They need open space to swim with a very fine bottom..

 

[Fishmonger70]

Vipers, you should listen to the advice these guys give you. They know what they are talking about. Definately get rid of the bioballs, and you are for sure on the way to overloading your tanks.

Post #100. Yea ha. No more Teenie Weenie Fish.

 

[Lorna]

In defence of my remark.......You have 5 large messy fish and 2 2 ft eels in this tank all producing copious amounts of waste. The zebra eels will finish off any cleanup crew you put in the tank so there is nothing that will take care of waste. The live rock can only do so much and bioballs will become nothing but a nitrate sink trapping detritus that isn't being handled by any other means. The shark has a very strong tail and I would hate to see that 150g of water on your floor when he breaks the glass as they have been known to do. A ray is not a good choice given that there is a lot of rock and not alot of free sand for the ray to burrow into.......Any one of these may be a great centerpiece in your tank but not all together at the same time and I wouldn't even think of adding those others on your list. I think you'd be looking for trouble down the road and with the high nitrates that are bound to be the end product hair algae can't be too far off. We aren't trying to condem you only to help you.....it is easy to overplan a marine environment as all of the fish look so nice and it is almost too hard to resist.....

 

[TRe]

tank looks real good i just dont see where u went overkill with anything IMO you should get rid of one of the eels and one of the lions if u plan on adding any more fish... bio balls like was already mentioned do more bad than good in the long run and will hurt your water quality more than itll helps on the shark i wouldnt evn attempt to keep one in my 300g which is 8'X2.5' if that tells you anything.... i love the powder brown its definitly one of my favorites and ill be getting one soon to my pack of tangs (that is when i get the new 300 setup of course!) oh and it looks like your skimming a little wet there, you should adjust it a little so your skimate is a little darker... oh and youll no doubt have problem with that rio return since they r notorious for not wanting to start back up when turned off

 

[vipers]

sorry if i sounded rude in any way.... i guess when i type, it comes off bad.... im basically here to learn from others... and this site has already helped alot......

bio balls.... ok, now im understanding...... i have a refugium that i built, not doing anything, so i guess i could add that to get rid of the nitrate....

skimmer.... yeah, it was just put in, and ive been slowly adjusting the level.. the dang level is like a on off switch, 1/8" turn is either a gusher or no bubbles..lol.. so im figuring it out...

shark..... 2' tank and a 2' shark........ gotcha! never really thought about it in that way! VERY TRUE! although, it doesnt swim..it just lays on the bottom..lazy bastard (j/k)

ray.... i had the ray in my 47g then in my 80g..... i put angel fish in the tank, and they started picking on the ray, so i had no choice but to put it back in the 47, where it died shortly after.... but it was very happy in the 80... i hand fed it twice daily.. so i wanted another one, due to their very fun behavior

eels.....damn, i wasnt thinking again..... snails are a tanks good friend..lol...... but taking one back isnt an option.. so ill have to figure out other solutions to the problem....or sell one.....


again..i really apriciate the help, and please dont take any of my blunt statements as disrespect or negativity... sorry if i come off that way

 

[TRe]

hey wer all here to learn

 

[Lorna]

No you weren't I was just hoping you didn't think we were hammering away at you......Yes we are all here to learn and learn we do, not always by doing the right thing.....we have all made mistakes and missteps. You are heading in the right direction my main advice is to slow down a step or two......

Ahhh yes your shark is a lazy guy.....but they are still powerful and can take out the front glass with their tail fairly easily I have heard...

 

[skratikans]

I have a question, I was hoping one of you could answer for me...if bioballs are bad for saltwater due to them acting as nitrate traps, are they also bad for freshwater? Also, why is it a good thing to use, for example, a canister filter for freshwater and not saltwater? Wouldn't nitrate problems arise in freshwater as well?

 

[Lorna]

Nitrates are really not the actual problem in a fish only tank BUT, they become a problem as some inverts and most corals have a low tolerance for high nitrates. High nitrates and phosphates also promote the growth of nuisance algae and that is why they are discouraged by reef aquariusts, though not as bad for a fowlr tank. In freshwater you dont have live rock to provide a method of biological filtration as you do in a saltwater environment and therefore the bioballs provide the surface area for the population of beneficial bacteria......

 

[vipers]

OK....UPDATE......

i traded in one of the zebra eels (the larger of the 2).... and i just purchased a bluespotted stingray today....


also, in my 47 gallon, i just bought an octopus...fun fun fun

 

[skratikans]

isnt the octopus going to eat all of your inhabitants in the 47gal?

 

[TRe]

hope u got the top sealed off good on the 47!

 

[vipers]

yeah, i spent a few hours duct taping all the corners nice and tight... and screened all the inlets and outlets.....

from what ive read... i dont see much of an issue with the fish.. i mean, problems can always occur.. but he is eating krill and crabs, so hes fed pretty well.... hes very active



oh, sorry.... i did get rid of the spiney lobster because he WOULD have eaten that! he loves his crustaceouns!