My dream display has to be something that fits the following criteria:
- Starfire glass on all visible panes
- Visible from two sides, with one side being slightly larger than the other (NOT a cube or square tank, though)
- At least 6 feet in one dimension, no smaller than 4 feet on the shorter side, and no shallower than 30 inches
- ZERO equipment visible or audible from the display area. All equipment must be hidden behind rockwork, and there must be a room for access. The display and maintenance should not take place in the same room, period
- All equipment should be oversized and under-run, to keep things running very smoothly and have more power in backup if it is ever needed
- Investments should be made up front in order to keep maintenance as pain-free as possible. Water changes should be possible with the turn of a few ball valves, backgrounds in the tank should be made of Kydex for easy cleaning, etc
- There should be a natural aquascape - not just a big pile of rocks or a wall along the back of the tank. Rockwork should ebb and flow, strategically designed for placing corals and giving the fish individual territories to inhabit
- Bare bottom is not an option, there must be a sandbed
- Lighting should be based around metal halides, supplemented with T5, T12, and/or LED as necessary
As far as livestock goes, I'm a pretty simple guy. I like all corals as long as they're Acros, and all fish as long as they're angels.
To get a bit more specific, corals in my display would consist of various designer Acros for the most part. Purple Monster, Oregon Tort, and ORA Pearlberry, and the likes. Large colonies of all the "classic" acros would fill the tank, with an additional standalone structure specifically for a diverse Ricordea collection. I really don't need more corals - another structure for encrusting Montipora may be worthwhile, but I could live without it.
As far as fish, the tank would be centered around a collection of rare angelfish. All fish would be purchased at under 3", preferably tank bred, in order to grow them to their adult size in captivity. Also, all angelfish in this tank would be housed in pairs at the very least, with some species (such as the representative from
Genicanthus) being housed in trios, and others (such as the joculators) being housed in harems, as they are found along the reefs. Species in this tank would include (in order)
Genicanthus personatus, Apolemichthys arcuatus, Apolemichthys kingi, Chaetodontoplus conspicillatus, Centropyge interruptus, Centropyge joculator, and
Centropyge eibli x flavissima (tigerpyge).
I have no desire to add any of the super high-end deepwater species like peppermints or narcosis angels. They are far too risky for me, personally. While the personatus are an extremely expensive fish ($15k+), most of the personatus entering the hobby are still around, whereas the peps and narcs ($20k+) tend to die much quicker and much easier. If I ever had the money - I wouldn't hesitate to buy a trio of personatus. They are my dream fish amongst dream fishes.
Other angels up for consideration would include some of the coral beauty color morphs, and the various locality flame angels. Resplendent angels are also candidates, if they ever become available again. Clarions don't do it for me, emperors get too big for my liking, and the super deepwater angels are out of my comfort zone.
No other large fish would live in this system. While there are some very nice tangs out there (polyzona/zebra, chevron, gemmatum, desjardini, white tail bristletooth, and the various aberrant yellow/scopas tangs), plus fish like the wrought iron butterfly and moorish idol, this tank would focus on angels. A larger tank may include some rarer tangs, butterflies, and whatnot, but this system would focus solely on angels.
Other fish would include pairs and/or schools. Perhaps the classic schooling fish for reef tanks are the anthias, so I would begin there. My favorite species by far is the Ventralis Anthias, and it would be pretty impressive to see a group of 20-30 of these guys in a reef tank full of equally rare angelfish.
Other species under consideration are various deepwater anthias (a small group of deepwater Hawaiian yellow anthias would be insane but extremely pricey), as well as some of the smaller cardinalfish species (red spots and threadfins come to mind).
The only other fish I would personally house in this tank would be a pair of
Anampses femininus. Not much explanation needed here - these are a gorgeous species, and command lower prices than species like
Cirrhilabrus claire, which is a favorite of rare fish collectors but not the most attractive fish to my eyes.
That would pretty much round out my tank. Something in the 360-480 gallon range, not too big but not too small either. Roughly 6 by 4 by 2.5, give or take. Minimal equipment, all housed in a room so the display is something similar to what you'd see in a public aquarium. A mix of rare angels, other rare species, and designer Acros and Ricordeas. That'd make me a happy, happy man
-Drew
