40 Gallon recommendations

Jonesyg · Sep 13, 2020

Hi,

I have a 40 gallon tank which is currently empty and was my QT tank for my 525xl with the following:

Live rock
Sand bed
UV filter
HOB filter
Skimmer
No sump
No copper/treatment etc ever used in this tank.

I am looking to have this as a predator tank and I am looking for recommendations for livestock. I am aware this is not a large tank and it does not have a sump so bio load will be a limiting factor as well as physical space. I was thinking of a Valentini Puffer and a Dwarf lionfish?

Thanks in advance!

Ron Reefman · Sep 13, 2020

I think that's a good livestock list to start with.

Jonesyg · Sep 13, 2020

Thanks Ron

Ron Reefman · Sep 13, 2020

I wish you lived near me. I snorkel a lot and often find things I can't keep because they aren't reef safe. I just tossed about 10 very small (like 1/4") crown conch because they are carnivores.

Jonesyg · Sep 13, 2020

Ron Reefman said:
I wish you lived near me. I snorkel a lot and often find things I can't keep because they aren't reef safe. I just tossed about 10 very small (like 1/4") crown conch because they are carnivores.

That would be a long way to drive to pick up from Sweden haha!

Ron Reefman · Sep 13, 2020

Jonesyg said:
That would be a long way to drive to pick up from Sweden haha!

Hey, fly over, visit for a few days and fly home! ;Hilarious;Hilarious;Hilarious BTW, a friend of mine played, coached and managed a baseball in Sweden. And his wife is from Sweden. Then he came back to the US to be the assistant pitching coach for the US team and won a Bronze medal. And through all this he was a childhood victim of polio. Here is a book about his life. BTW, I was the photo editor for the book! ;Jawdrop

Diamond in the Rough: The Dave Clark Story

Sixteen-year old polio survivor Dave Clark refuses to w…

www.goodreads.com

lion king · Sep 13, 2020

Adding a hob refugium or algae reactor would alleviate any of your excess nutrient concerns. I would recommend a saddled toby or leopard toby over the more common blue spot Valentini, the blue spot has been a notorious nipper of lions ime.

A 40g will get too small for an active full grown dwarf lion , other than the fu manchu. The fuzzy I have now is pretty sedentary and would work fine, but I usually have them outgrow a 40g in about a year or so. While many try to get them to feed on a dead only diet, including live foods is a better choice for long term success. The puffer is faster and will out compete for food, so you will likely have to block the puffer to let the lion eat, no biggie.

Other predators of interest in a 40 g, the flame hawk fish, pairs are super cool; and yes they are deadly. They will hunt down live ghosties and guppies with glee. Scorpionfish like the leaf fish or a Caribbean scorpionfish, which is super cool.