172 Gallon Marine Predator Build

[kamikaze483]

I decided to try something new. I bought the brand new Red Sea S-650 reef system. It's cycling now with proper parameters. I have just now added some zoas to the LR. I am going to try to turn this into a predator reef. I'm of the belief that most of the predator fish that are not "reef safe" will simply eat the inverts and prevent you from having a CuC.

This is what I am planning to add.

Volitans
Porcupine Puffer
Miniatus Grouper
Tessalata Eel
Chevron Tang
Dogface Puffer
Naso Tang
Harlequin Tusk

My theory is that none of these will nibble on my coral. If, perhaps they do, my hypothesis is that they will only bother certain ones. If I can figure out which ones they leave alone, I think I can have a gorgeous Predator reef. I have about 4 years experience. I have an older tank with a mandarin dragonet, a couple of batfish, and a moorish idol, all of which are over two years old.

Please don't tell me the tank is too small. I have enough experience to know I am fine with 172 gallons here.

Planning to add the volitan first and the eel last- everything essentially the same size except the eel which will be smaller.

Anybody see any problems with this list? Will any of them end up tearing up my reef? Will they all kill each other? Other than first and last, does it make any difference with the others in terms of order?

Thanks.

 

[stempy]

Please don't tell me the tank is too small. I have enough experience to know I am fine with 172 gallons here.

That's where I stopped. A naso in a 5' tank. Those fish at adulthood will polute that tank to the 5th degree. Most of those will produce a ton of waste overloading that modest filtration system on those.

 

[Fat Homer]

Just the porcpine puffer will easily need a 300G+ when mature, let alone the eels and everything else...

 

[Lepisosteus]

But guys he has

enough experience to know I am fine with 172 gallons here.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

Don't ask for help with one the very typical overstocked tank ideas with what I'd like to think is an extremely limited amount of experience for this hobby. I've been off and on in the hobby for many years, serious about it for a little longer than you, and I STILL post every single question and ask about every single set up I even think I'm planning on doing and consider every opinion I get on here because there are people on here that have been doing this longer than I've been alive.

4 years experience is still the learners permit stage for a hobby like this.

 

[millerkid519]

Put them all in the tank and post a video of them all fighting till the death!

 

[predatorkeeper87]

Put them all in the tank and post a video of them all fighting till the death!

or gasping for air because no amount of filtration will keep them alive as was stated above lol

 

[kamikaze483]

Alright guys. I get the point. I apologize for coming off this way. I am new to this forum and usually use TheReefTank for my questions. Here is the thread I posted there where I got completely different feedback.

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6/210-gallon-agressive-predator-marine-tank-238977.html

If you read through that post, you will see how we ended up going from 210 to 172. I have also adjusted and changed my fish list based on information I got there along with info from my LFS that I trust.

I started off thinking this was too much fish for this aquarium until I was informed differently by the LFS. We understand that some fish will eventually outgrow this tank. I am able to install a larger tank later. Ended up with this tank mainly because my wife liked it.

I am certainly open to others opinions which is why I posted here.

 

[CarpCharacin]

Shouldn't this thread be in the marine section?

 

[Fat Homer]

Alright guys. I get the point. I apologize for coming off this way. I am new to this forum and usually use TheReefTank for my questions. Here is the thread I posted there where I got completely different feedback.

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6/210-gallon-agressive-predator-marine-tank-238977.html

If you read through that post, you will see how we ended up going from 210 to 172. I have also adjusted and changed my fish list based on information I got there along with info from my LFS that I trust.

I started off thinking this was too much fish for this aquarium until I was informed differently by the LFS. We understand that some fish will eventually outgrow this tank. I am able to install a larger tank later. Ended up with this tank mainly because my wife liked it.

I am certainly open to others opinions which is why I posted here.

I looked through that thread, and i'm guessing being a reef forum the people there are probably going to be more into corals and the look of the scape more than what goes in the tank... also, no one seems to mention sizes of fish, which makes me think they are thinking about long term health of the fish...

Now as for the Trusted LFS, while im not saying they are bad, but at the end of the day, they are out to make money, and if they sell you fish they know will out-grow your tank, then either A) You will need to upgrade and probably buy more fish from them, or B) you will give it back to them, at which point they will try and sell it to make a profit... either way, they are most likely going to be looking out for their bottom line and not so much your best interest...