125g might go salt but have q's on compatability

[syddakyd]

one thing i really want for my tank is a dogface puffer. another thing that strikes me is the lionfish. i read that porq. puffers are not good with them b/c it will harrass it. how would a dogface be with the lion?

also...is there any risk of the lion stinging my other fish at night?


also what else if anything could i put


1)dog face
2) lionfish




......harlequin tuskfish are cool....dragon wrassee...


if i get the dogface and lionfish, clearly no bite sized fish..


recommend me something i can put especially with the dogface (i can do without the lion if necessary)

im looking for fish that are hardy first and foremost.

also, im thinking of doing a golden dogface

 

[syddakyd]

o yea i have done smaller salt tanks before but how should i go about water changes. i have a python to drain and i guess ill use it to fill a large bin or something?

what do people use for large tanks

 

[thisissimple]

Well for compatability you will probably be ok with those two. big wrasses, groupers, triggers, large damsels, maroon or (big)clowns, Fleshy would be a good person to ask, he is into the aggro pred tanks right now. (there are no rules about what will and will not work together, just more like, guidelines) Keep in mind that in this kind of tank, there will be some fin nipping.

I have used a python in the past. but here is the thing, you need to know exactly how much water is coming out of that tank, so you know how much salt water to make to put back in. What I did was I got a one gallon jug of water from the grocery store, then i filled up a rubbermaid brute garbage can with it. Every time I dumped a gallon of water in the brute, I marked the water level. I did this 25 times. So I had 25 marks in the garbage can, each marking a gallon of water. (i made the marks at 5, 10, 15, and 25 gallons bigger)

then, I siphoned off 15 gallons (which was my average water change in that 125) and I marked how far down the tank the water level was.

After that, I used the python to drain the tank down to that water level, and made enough saltwater in the brute to make up that much. I would let it mix and aerate all week with a heater and an airstone, then I used an old pump I had lying around to refill the tank.

right after I was done, I would mix next weeks saltwater, and be ready to go. This was my sunday morning ritual. It worked pretty well. the measurements arent the most exact, so sometimes you will have a 1/2 gallon extra or not enough, so I tried to mix an extra gallon or so in the rubbermaid.

good luck. sounds like a cool tank. start checking craigslist for a nice big skimmer right now.

 

[FLESHY]

Most dogfaces should be pretty much the same care-wise. I wonder if pufferpunk will chime in on some care things.

I think this could work. The lion wont sting things unless they attack it first, and they would pretty much need to come head on, while the lion was waiting for them. The lion stinging other fish would probably never happen.

You could easily have both of those wrasses, but make sure that you have a deeper sand bed, as both get large, and the dragon wrasse especially likes to spend time in the substrate.

Your rock work will also need to be secured, as another name for the dragon wrasse is the rock mover wrasse, and they will do just that, especially as they approach a foot in length.

Keep us posted!

 

[FLESHY]

Got ninja'd. Im green.

(there are no rules about what will and will not work together, just more like, guidelines) Keep in mind that in this kind of tank, there will be some fin nipping.

Yes agreed. The secret is going to be to give everyone space, keep the water clean, and keep them overfed. Happy and healthy fish can recover/cope with occasional harassment.

I have used a python in the past. but here is the thing, you need to know exactly how much water is coming out of that tank, so you know how much salt water to make to put back in. What I did was I got a one gallon jug of water from the grocery store, then i filled up a rubbermaid brute garbage can with it. Every time I dumped a gallon of water in the brute, I marked the water level. I did this 25 times. So I had 25 marks in the garbage can, each marking a gallon of water. (i made the marks at 5, 10, 15, and 25 gallons bigger)

This was a great idea...and would work well for other people in the same scenario who dont want do go the 5g bucket route.

good luck. sounds like a cool tank. start checking craigslist for a nice big skimmer right now.

+1

 

[syddakyd]

ok so im going to do dogface, volitans lion, and dragon wrasse. room for anything else or no?
i had a snowflake moray once way back in the day but it never ate so i gave it back to the lfs b/c i didnt want it to die. it kind of discouraged me although i really like them.

and good call regarding the water changes i will do that

 

[syddakyd]

dogface,
volitans lion,
dragon wrasse,
minatus grouper,
snowflake moray eel?

 

[FLESHY]

That sounds pretty good. Watch the minatus. If anyone is the bully I would guess it to be him.

 

[nonstophoops]

List sounds pretty good. Just pay attention to the puffer and make sure he isn't picking at the lionfish. If he does, one will need to be removed. I would choose one fish between the eel and grouper. Minatus groupers are quite aggressive, so I would go eel, your decision. Make sure the grouper is the last fish in the tank if you choose him because they will go after many fish that are introduced afterwards. Maybe try to get something else in there like a tang or large clown. Something that is big enough not to be eaten(most likely by the lionfish, or grouper if you choose it), but not as big as the rest of the fish(all getting over a foot). You are picking some big predators and when they do grow you will be pushing your stocking levels a bit with all 5 of them.

 

[syddakyd]

hmmm. what if i did a dogface and a porqpine puffer with nothing else at all in my 125. i hear unlike puffers can be kept together