Thinking of a salt fowlr system

hanwyz

Gambusia
MFK Member
Feb 8, 2013
299
2
16
United Kingdom
So I was thinking of getting a brackish system with a snowflake moray and a green spot puffer, but decided, as the moray will be happier and I could get the puffer I love in a full salt system, that I should just go fully marine. I was thinking of getting a decent size tank, with live rock, and having a snowflake eel, dog face puffer and a picasso trigger. The tank size I would be thinking of would be at least 4 foot long, possibly 5, 18 inches wide and 24 inches deep as I think this would allow a good system of caves etc for the eel. My questions are:
- to sump or not to sump (this tank will already be on a rack of three other tanks so space may be tight)
- will gobies get eaten? (assuming yes but thought I'd ask)
- I think it is from what I've read, but will this tank be big enough - trying to get 300L volume...
- what protein skimmer?
- where is the best place in the North of the UK to get sustainable fish from?
- should I use a HOB or a Canister filter rather than relying on skimmer and berlin method, with it being a predator tank?
- Am i insane?
- Chances of other half losing fingers if he has to look after them at all?
Plus is there anything else I should know? Completely new to marine, or anything other than temperate fresh, have got a channa though so have got experience of pellet training etc...
Any advice would be appreciated :)
Thank you :)
 

~ocean

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 12, 2009
2,130
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0
Stoon
Okay nice to hear that you're going full marine! Just fyi real snowflake eels, Echidna nebulosa, only live in full saltwater, putting them in brackish would kill them slowly, if not immediately. What you outlined for tank size amounts to a 90 gallon, so your eel, and gsp would be fine for sure. You'd be able to keep the huma trigger and the dog face puffer for a while in your 90 gallon, but they will outgrow, as both of them need large swimming spaces. (edit actually the huma would probably be fine in the 90 for life, but usually I'd recommend over 110-120 gallons for them)

Answering your question, your gobies won't be eaten as long as they're longer then 3-4 inches. Keep the eel well fed and you won't lose the gobies. Alright second question, you can go sumpless, although sump is more stable. A good protein skimmer would be; Deltec In-Sump Skimmers, really expensive but worth the price. Reef octopus skimmers are also very good, and are a good deal. Tunze hang ons are also decent as well.

I can't answer your question about the sustainable fish in the UK, considering I don't live there, sorry!

Next, HOB filters are nice for tanks, but really not that useful. Considering it's a predator tank, there will be lots of biomass and you can't skip the protein skimmer. *Just a side note, berlin methods don't use skimmers, it's supposed to be a high flow, lots of LR system without skimmers.

Last tip, take it slow, accumulate fish one at a time to your aquarium within a certain number of days. Also, LR is highly highly recommended, it helps cycle and maintain a healthy tank.

Good luck, and welcome to the 'dark side.'
 

hanwyz

Gambusia
MFK Member
Feb 8, 2013
299
2
16
United Kingdom
Ok, the LFS keeps theirs in the brackish tanks and were saying it would be fine :-/ I knew not to trust them, was very confused when my research contradicted them.... As for the slight confusion over the berlin system - more advice from a lfs given to my ex who was setting up a reef, told skimmer and rock... he was also told to have just a tank of live rock for a few months and nothing else.

How long would the dog face puffer be ok in that size tank? I will be able to upgrade in a couple of years so could use this as a grow-out? What size would you recommend for him for life? Do I need power heads with these guys as well?

FInal two questions, for now, (conflicting info on internet makes these hard to find out), could I cycle with damsels, was thinking they're tough enough to hold their own against other fish, I'm not having anything they could bully and if they get eaten eventually then it won't break the bank, so would you suggest just dropping a rotten prawn in the tank for a month? And what is the difference between live rock from different places? Is it just the critters that live on it?

Sorry for the huge load of questions - I landed with a fw tank and didn't know what I was doing, so i want to make my start in salt as good as possible.
 

NCStateFisher

Polypterus
MFK Member
Sep 27, 2010
3,814
122
96
NC
you can cycle with damsels but good luck getting them out when the cycle is done, you'll pretty much have to tear your tank apart or use a fish trap
 

hanwyz

Gambusia
MFK Member
Feb 8, 2013
299
2
16
United Kingdom
Reason I was thinking damsels is they are cheap, and relatively aggressive, the main fish I want for this tank are predators, so putting clowns or chromis in would almost definitely end up with them getting eaten... and at 20-30 pounds per clown (so what,50 dollars) that's not a risk I want to take... damsels on the other hand are about £6, they will add color whilst stabilising the tank and if they survive when the predators are added, I doubt they could bully anyone in there... the other fish I actually want if I can would be gobies and possibly a wrasse, so would a gobie or two work to cycle?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 

NCStateFisher

Polypterus
MFK Member
Sep 27, 2010
3,814
122
96
NC
gobies are pretty hardy in general you could probably get away with it
 

hanwyz

Gambusia
MFK Member
Feb 8, 2013
299
2
16
United Kingdom
Ok, thanks, saves me having fish in there that I wasn't planning anyway... Very excited about getting this tank set up now...
 
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