After a recent acquisition of a 75-gallon saltwater aquarium, I have acquired a great interest in this hobby.
Since the tank came with occupants, I am trying to learn about limits and compatibility. Before I add anything, whether it be animals to this tank or starting a new setup, I am trying to do my research to give a better chance towards success.
The previous owner of my tank seems to have taken a random try-and-see method with his setup which led to losses over the years he had the tank (as he confirmed with stories about previous fish that are no longer in the tank). I moved the tank about 2 weeks ago, and there were no apparent losses in the transition.
The current setup contains the following fish:
1 Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum) about 4" long
1 Humu Picasso Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus) about 3" long
1 Humu Rectangle Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus) about 3" long
1 Undulate Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) about 3" long
1 Green Reef Chromis (Chromis viridis) about 3" long
1 Snowflake Eel (Echidna nebulosa) about 11" long
Invertebrates include the following:
1 Trochus Snail 2.5" diameter, 2-3 Turbo Snails 1" diameter, 3-4 Margarita Snails 1" diameter, at least 1 Nassarius Snail 3/4" long, a few Cerith Snails 1/2" long
10-15 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs, about 5 other Hermit Crabs about 1/2" in diameter
1 purple Anemone (Condylactus? I am not sure) about 3" diameter when open (it has tentacles about 1-2 inches long and 1/8" in diameter and a long foot about 5" long that I accidentally dug up from the sand and re-buried, somehow it survived so far)
1 Toadstool Mushroom Coral about 2" in diameter with the 3" stalk laying flat across the top of a live rock and the "toadstool" sideways to the tank
Is this too crowded for the tank size I have? I already know that these fish could easily grow too big for this tank size, especially combined together.
This was a quick photograph to show the previous owner how the transfer turned out.
The setup is a 75-gallon aquarium (48" long by 18" wide by 21" deep).
Filtration is through 2 Cascade canister filters. I think they are models 700 and 1000, since this would provide an estimated filtration flow for about 175 gallons of aquarium volume (which he mistakenly thought his aquarium was a 175-gallon size).
A 90-HOB Octo-Reef skimmer is also included. I did not know how it was used initially, and have just started the break-in cycle yesterday with the output valve fully open. Already, it is pushing pulses of foam into the collection cup and removing dirt.
Lights are 2 of Zetlight's UFO Z8 with the WiFi controller. I set up a day-night cycle that has been running since then with red dawn from 6-7 am, red and blue dawn from 7-8 am, white and blue daylight from 8-8 pm, red and blue sunset from 8-9 pm, blue night from 9-10 pm, and off from 10-6 am.
The tank now has high nitrate levels. I suspect this is due to the fact that the previous owner washed the canister filters and filter media thoroughly in tap water to have them clean for me and thus harmed the biological filtration cultures which have not recovered to the point of having a significant impact yet. It might also be due to the fact that I have not been running the skimmer until yesterday.
Due to the high nitrate levels, I got a bloom of brown algae on the glass that cleaned off easily. I will see how long it takes to happen again. Some more snails and hermit crabs are already a planned addition.
Any advice or experiences to share would be helpful to me.
I have many questions about my current setup as well as considerations for a 90-gallon tank that I also have empty right now, either for a second setup or for replacing the 75 to increase capacity and number of gallons for more stability. It seems like the fish I currently have (except the purple tang) would not work well for any considerations towards building a coral reef, which is why I may set up two different tanks. At this point, I am in no rush to change anything while I work with my current setup and gain experience with stabilizing and maintaining water conditions.
As many of you can probably relate the same, I have all sorts of dreams about where I could go with this hobby. Hardy and easy is still the primary consideration for any additions or changes in the near future. It seems likely right now that I plan to add a refugium/sump under the 75-gallon and may also set up the 90-gallon with an in-base refugium/sump that will be for smaller peaceful fish and possible coral reef. One of my most favorite marine fish is the black and white ocellaris clownfish, especially when interacting with rose bubble-tip anemones. These are likely the centerpiece of future considerations on new setups, since they are probably not compatible with the current setup (both due to fish incompatibilities and capacity issues).
As I narrow down my plan, I will have more questions to ask. I still have to determine whether I plan to leave it as it is, have two aquariums with the 90-gallon being a new setup for peaceful reef, or whether I am changing the 75-gallon over to the 90-gallon tank and trying to trade some of the current fish out to keep it to only one tank.
Since the tank came with occupants, I am trying to learn about limits and compatibility. Before I add anything, whether it be animals to this tank or starting a new setup, I am trying to do my research to give a better chance towards success.
The previous owner of my tank seems to have taken a random try-and-see method with his setup which led to losses over the years he had the tank (as he confirmed with stories about previous fish that are no longer in the tank). I moved the tank about 2 weeks ago, and there were no apparent losses in the transition.
The current setup contains the following fish:
1 Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum) about 4" long
1 Humu Picasso Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus) about 3" long
1 Humu Rectangle Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus) about 3" long
1 Undulate Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) about 3" long
1 Green Reef Chromis (Chromis viridis) about 3" long
1 Snowflake Eel (Echidna nebulosa) about 11" long
Invertebrates include the following:
1 Trochus Snail 2.5" diameter, 2-3 Turbo Snails 1" diameter, 3-4 Margarita Snails 1" diameter, at least 1 Nassarius Snail 3/4" long, a few Cerith Snails 1/2" long
10-15 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs, about 5 other Hermit Crabs about 1/2" in diameter
1 purple Anemone (Condylactus? I am not sure) about 3" diameter when open (it has tentacles about 1-2 inches long and 1/8" in diameter and a long foot about 5" long that I accidentally dug up from the sand and re-buried, somehow it survived so far)
1 Toadstool Mushroom Coral about 2" in diameter with the 3" stalk laying flat across the top of a live rock and the "toadstool" sideways to the tank
Is this too crowded for the tank size I have? I already know that these fish could easily grow too big for this tank size, especially combined together.
This was a quick photograph to show the previous owner how the transfer turned out.
The setup is a 75-gallon aquarium (48" long by 18" wide by 21" deep).
Filtration is through 2 Cascade canister filters. I think they are models 700 and 1000, since this would provide an estimated filtration flow for about 175 gallons of aquarium volume (which he mistakenly thought his aquarium was a 175-gallon size).
A 90-HOB Octo-Reef skimmer is also included. I did not know how it was used initially, and have just started the break-in cycle yesterday with the output valve fully open. Already, it is pushing pulses of foam into the collection cup and removing dirt.
Lights are 2 of Zetlight's UFO Z8 with the WiFi controller. I set up a day-night cycle that has been running since then with red dawn from 6-7 am, red and blue dawn from 7-8 am, white and blue daylight from 8-8 pm, red and blue sunset from 8-9 pm, blue night from 9-10 pm, and off from 10-6 am.
The tank now has high nitrate levels. I suspect this is due to the fact that the previous owner washed the canister filters and filter media thoroughly in tap water to have them clean for me and thus harmed the biological filtration cultures which have not recovered to the point of having a significant impact yet. It might also be due to the fact that I have not been running the skimmer until yesterday.
Due to the high nitrate levels, I got a bloom of brown algae on the glass that cleaned off easily. I will see how long it takes to happen again. Some more snails and hermit crabs are already a planned addition.
Any advice or experiences to share would be helpful to me.
I have many questions about my current setup as well as considerations for a 90-gallon tank that I also have empty right now, either for a second setup or for replacing the 75 to increase capacity and number of gallons for more stability. It seems like the fish I currently have (except the purple tang) would not work well for any considerations towards building a coral reef, which is why I may set up two different tanks. At this point, I am in no rush to change anything while I work with my current setup and gain experience with stabilizing and maintaining water conditions.
As many of you can probably relate the same, I have all sorts of dreams about where I could go with this hobby. Hardy and easy is still the primary consideration for any additions or changes in the near future. It seems likely right now that I plan to add a refugium/sump under the 75-gallon and may also set up the 90-gallon with an in-base refugium/sump that will be for smaller peaceful fish and possible coral reef. One of my most favorite marine fish is the black and white ocellaris clownfish, especially when interacting with rose bubble-tip anemones. These are likely the centerpiece of future considerations on new setups, since they are probably not compatible with the current setup (both due to fish incompatibilities and capacity issues).
As I narrow down my plan, I will have more questions to ask. I still have to determine whether I plan to leave it as it is, have two aquariums with the 90-gallon being a new setup for peaceful reef, or whether I am changing the 75-gallon over to the 90-gallon tank and trying to trade some of the current fish out to keep it to only one tank.
