Ideas for future predator tank...

[cornelious0_0]

Hey everyone, thx for your time.

I'm still QUITE a ways away from having the funds to setup my next tank, but I can't help but starting to plan things out as early as possible.

At this point I'm looking at the setup being a drilled 55G. 230W Deluxe PC from Coralife, and the best skimmer I can afford for the sump.

While I would like to have a nice community of schooling fish and inverts established at some point, I've also never been able to resist the temptation to use the same size of tank to house a single med-large (not to large obviously) predator and (maybe) a single Eel.

What predators can you guys recommend for a 48"x12"x22" 55G tank? I'm absolutely mesmerized by Lionfish, and the Dogface Puffer I had was the most entertaining fish I'd ever seen.

Not sure what else to consider, I know that most Lion's can get a good foot long (depends on species obviously) and that the Dogface puffer I had can clear a foot also...so I'm not sure if I should bother trying one or other in a 55G or if there're some other predators anyone can recommend. I need something that'll stay out in the open like a Lion, but something with peculiar behaviour like the puffer. Not sure if there's something with a mix of the two, but any input is valuable at this point.

[Jon123]

Dwarf lions and the toby pufferfish perhaps?

Jon

[Stones]

There are some really nice triggerfish out there as well and they are always entertaining. Dragon wrasses are also great for predator tanks.

[cornelious0_0]

There are some really nice triggerfish out there as well and they are always entertaining. Dragon wrasses are also great for predator tanks.

I absolutely love the appearance of the Picaso Trigger. Also, Toby's are nice too. If I'm only gonna have a single fish (maybe two) and an Eel in this 55G I want them to be something very extravagent.

Thx for the suggestions thus far.

[jasonkozey]

The picaso is so neat. It might be up there with my favorite. We had one for about a year. It was so entertaining to watch, I'd highly reccomend one.

[cornelious0_0]

The picaso is so neat. It might be up there with my favorite. We had one for about a year. It was so entertaining to watch, I'd highly reccomend one.

What size of a tank was yours in and how large did it get? I think I'm gonna end up with a drilled tank for sure, not sure on the size though quite yet. I know that a 50G or so is usually recommended for a Picaso...just wondering if you agree and if you think it'd be alright in a 55G. What else did you have with it/do you think I'd get away with anything else in a 55G with a Picaso?

[jasonkozey]

50gallon should be fine...They are a bit territorial so get some fish the same size as him or bigger. You'll have a sump so that'll help keep you water quality up as they are pretty messy. My trigger was in a 70g with a few puffers & an angel

[cornelious0_0]

50gallon should be fine...They are a bit territorial so get some fish the same size as him or bigger. You'll have a sump so that'll help keep you water quality up as they are pretty messy. My trigger was in a 70g with a few puffers & an angel

Awsome, good to know.

Not sure if I'd rather have a Picaso or a Dogface Puffer. I had a dogface for awhile, and it was really fun to watch, think he's outgrow the 55G?

[Jon123]

Yes, a dogface would certainly outgrow a 55g quickly. They get to about a foot long and grow most of that in the first year! As far as puffers go your only bet is the tobies. Some of those can be very nice, like the hawaiin spotted.

Some fish you might want to look at for a 55g aggressive:
-eels (as mentioned above): snowflake, zebra, chainlink
-hogfish (colorful, hardy, dont grow too big, very interctive like puffers): cuban, diana, and spanish are my favs.
-dwarf lionfish (get quite tame and active in time): fuzzy,zebra,antennata.
-tobies (small, but just as personable as the larger ones): saddleback and hawaiian spotted are the nicest.
-squirrelfish (not often kept for some reason, but they get very day active in time and look nice in a small school): big-eyed is my fav by far, but striped are nice too.
-triggers (can be very aggressive, especially when cramped):Id only recommend niger, pinktail, bluethroat. The others are too aggressive for a 55g tank.
-large wrasses (very active and can be aggressive when cramped): lunar, tuskfish, saddleback, banana, bird, etc. All very nice.
-anglers (dont move, and should be kept in a species tank): reds, oranges, yellows all available and very attractive.

Thats about your choices for a 55g tank with the long term in mind.

Jon

[cornelious0_0]

Yes, a dogface would certainly outgrow a 55g quickly. They get to about a foot long and grow most of that in the first year! As far as puffers go your only bet is the tobies. Some of those can be very nice, like the hawaiin spotted.

Some fish you might want to look at for a 55g aggressive:
-eels (as mentioned above): snowflake, zebra, chainlink
-hogfish (colorful, hardy, dont grow too big, very interctive like puffers): cuban, diana, and spanish are my favs.
-dwarf lionfish (get quite tame and active in time): fuzzy,zebra,antennata.
-tobies (small, but just as personable as the larger ones): saddleback and hawaiian spotted are the nicest.
-squirrelfish (not often kept for some reason, but they get very day active in time and look nice in a small school): big-eyed is my fav by far, but striped are nice too.
-triggers (can be very aggressive, especially when cramped):Id only recommend niger, pinktail, bluethroat. The others are too aggressive for a 55g tank.
-large wrasses (very active and can be aggressive when cramped): lunar, tuskfish, saddleback, banana, bird, etc. All very nice.
-anglers (dont move, and should be kept in a species tank): reds, oranges, yellows all available and very attractive.

Thats about your choices for a 55g tank with the long term in mind.

Jon

That really helps man...thx a bunch.

What about an Undulated Trigger? We had a few of them come through the store and I REALLY like them, the appearance and behaviour is really nice from what I saw. I think they get somewhere between the size of a Picaso and a Dogface, not really sure the Undulated would be an option. Ontop of that, I heard that they don't play well with Eels.

I do wanna have another Zebra Moray or something else with whatever else I put in there...so that needs to be taken into account.

I think a decent sized Lion would be pretty cool, even if it's not overly active, I need something that's very attractive...something that'll catch someone's eye if they're walking by the tank.

The idea is that if I have somebody over for any reason, they won't be able to help walking over and staring at whatever's in the tank. Obviously it'd be nice to have something more active also...but after seeing a number of juv. Lions in person I would still rather have one of them as opposed to something like a dogface. Even if the Lion isn't overly active...they do tend to stay out in the open quite a bit...and it's fun to feed them.

[Jon123]

Yes, lionfish are really nice. And keep some feeders on hand to impress your guests :mixed: although frozen food should be fed as the staple. Undulated triggers are generally regarded as one of the most aggressive marine fish you can buy. Although the few Ive seen have been VERY shy. That would probably change as they get larger. Id go with a lion and an eel. Me personally, probably a volitans and try and limit feeding as much as possible to lower rate of growth. But even then, it will reach 7-8" within a year or two and need a larger tank. Been there, done that, they grow faster than you think!

Jon

[cornelious0_0]

Yes, lionfish are really nice. And keep some feeders on hand to impress your guests :mixed: although frozen food should be fed as the staple. Undulated triggers are generally regarded as one of the most aggressive marine fish you can buy. Although the few Ive seen have been VERY shy. That would probably change as they get larger. Id go with a lion and an eel. Me personally, probably a volitans and try and limit feeding as much as possible to lower rate of growth. But even then, it will reach 7-8" within a year or two and need a larger tank. Been there, done that, they grow faster than you think!

Jon

If I decided to take a step up to a 48x18" 90G do you think i should be good to go with a Volatin even if it DID it 8" or more?

I really do like those things, and would love to have one along with a decent sized Eel in the same tank with a large amount of rockwork.

I do have room for the 90G and initially wanted something a little cheaper...but if I'd be more set for the long run I'd wait and go with something more in the range of the 90G.

[Jon123]

I had a volitans in a 77g for a good 2-3 years. Got to about 9" max. Although its easy to say 9", but when you actually see a 9" lionfish they are HUGE, and girthy. They do get alot lazier as they get bigger though.. I dont think there would be a problem in a 90g tank for life. Mine ended up dying when my tank leaked.

Jon

[cornelious0_0]

I had a volitans in a 77g for a good 2-3 years. Got to about 9" max. Although its easy to say 9", but when you actually see a 9" lionfish they are HUGE, and girthy. They do get alot lazier as they get bigger though.. I dont think there would be a problem in a 90g tank for life. Mine ended up dying when my tank leaked.

Jon

Man...sucks to hear how you lost it.

Good to know it'd be alright in the 90G...I thought it would be...always good to have someone tell you that it'll be alright.

You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of the Volatin would you? I've seen pictures in books but it's always nice to get shots from someone who actually owns one.

[Jon123]

This was actually 2 years ago now, didnt have a digital camera back then unfortunately. I had some REALLY nice, and HUGE fish. I do have some pix of my 3ft snowflake eel. It actually survived in an empty tank for 2 days (was on a 2 day trip when the tank leaked) and I had it for a few years longer then sold it last summer.

Jon

[cornelious0_0]

This was actually 2 years ago now, didnt have a digital camera back then unfortunately. I had some REALLY nice, and HUGE fish. I do have some pix of my 3ft snowflake eel. It actually survived in an empty tank for 2 days (was on a 2 day trip when the tank leaked) and I had it for a few years longer then sold it last summer.

Jon

Nice to hear...hopefully I can get ahold of another Zebra Moray...I'm in love with mine...but I have to sell this tank. Ah well, the time will come...I might end up waiting until next summer to build the new tank, because the girlfriend and I are looking at moving to BC, where I'm guessing I'd have a LOT more access to some nice fish/corals and pretty much everything else.

I can't wait...thx for being so responsive so far though, never hurts to have every little part of the tank planned and setup on paper a year in advance.