advice needed for 600 gallon beginner

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I feed once a day and the break down was like this. Everything was thawed and soaked in vitamins at least once a week

Lionfish would get a whole silverside he would come up first and the other two would stay away. He would take the silverside and swim away. I also had a dozen damsels in my community tank I could not give away so they went in the the lionfish would happily stalk them and after about a month they were all gone.

Porcupine puffer and the Huma Trigger ate a variety of Market Shrimp, Krill, Clams on a half shell, Blood worms, Mysis cubes.

My LFS also sells inverts for $1 a piece so every month I would throw in 10-15 depending on how many got picked off, which was not that many cause they get smart real quick and learn to hide till night time. I stopped doing this after six months because at night there were a ton of inverts in the tank.

it sounds like a lot but, I actually only spent 20-40 bucks a month on food.
 
so on average, lets say i had a 16 0z bag of frozen silversides. for one adult predator (such as a lionfish) it would last say... a month? maybe two weeks? and market shrimp im guessing your talking your standard grocery store shrimp right?
 
I have a lot of predators that eat shrimp (5 adult rays, 7 pups, pbass, aro, eels, lionfish) so I go through a 5 lb box ($25) of shrimp every 3-4 days or about $200 a month for shrimp.
 
as for a sump do u guys think a 50 gallon fish about a foot and a half of sponge and a deep sand bed?
 
My lion fish would eat a bag of silver sides about every month. As for market shrimp I would get it from the local grocery. if you only kept 3 really nice predators in that tank they would be very happy and it would keep you food and maintenance costs way down.
As for a sump the possibilities are endless. I would search the DIY sections. The sump an it's design really comes down to personal preference. I personally love them and I like the way mine is set up now and will be setting up another tank soon with a sump. I would recommend the mechanical be done by filter socks and the bio is really up to you.
 
Yea I modified my sump to use them and love it. I don't mess with filter pads getting water every where, and I don't have to shut my pumps off to remove them. you can do an inlet style
http://www.marineandreef.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RCPR05003

Or if you search CamShaftRamRod made a really nice sump for his marine tank. Yours would have to be much larger but still the basic principal.

I already had the sump and could not do the socks on the inlet so I made a divider that allows the water to go threw the socks after the bio and it works well for me.

Found it in time for my to edit the post. Here is Cam's sump
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232069
 
yeah i jacked up on that and didn't realize it till just now lol. its just under 48". calculators online are saying its 598. something gallons so a 600. i wish it was 750
 
shark_curious;3775341; said:
can anyone give me some first hand tips about which is easier to manage? a tank with a couple large predators or a large community of smaller fish
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I'd say a predator FOWLR tank, for sure. Not only is it more exciting- but it's a simple process.. Give them what they want, and they'll give you what you want. Sure... You'll be feeding them a bunch but it's always a treat to watch and with 600 gals, YOU CAN DO SO MUCH! :nilly:

I would recommend a sump, definitely. Any added filtration will make your job 1000% easier.

As for the protein skimmer.. On our 210 we had one of those Marineland in-sump 300gal's and it's taking care of the job but it gets a bit crazy sometimes... and since you're likely to have way more fish than we do, you might need to jump up a few sizes.


Best of luck! I'm sure the end result will be nothing short of a masterpiece and i'll be awaiting more photos! :popcorn:
 
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