Go big or go home? or a Bio cube! :)

[Rscott]

So i have been considering this hobby for about a year now, i have watched a zillion you tube videos and read the forum a little bit.

I understand most of the critical things in this hobby at an elementary level and some things not at all! (yet)

I am considering making a go at it. I dont want to spend an insane amount of money in case i end up hating it. However i do understand that bigger tanks generally mean more stability and really big tanks mean more stability but more work also

I had watched the BRS series on super ULM tanks and found that interesting.
I wanted to see what you guys thought of my potential two plans

These are the fish im attracted to and would like to obtain some day and should plan my tank around. Keyword being someday and i know not right away.

Main goals

4 Clown fish. 2 Black and white two Davinci
2 Anenomes
1 blue tang
1 yellow tang
and my absolute favorite 1 Achilles tang. (hold the laughter to a minimum haha )
I know its a tuff fish


Now i know if i go with my small tank option, the tangs are a gonner. I cant have them in such a small tank

Tank idea #1

Red sea reefer 170/250 Possibly deluxe model with the Hydras, Reed Octopus slim flow lux 90

If i go this route, does anyone have a recommendation on a good easy to tune skimmer that is affordable? I would also like to an Apex controller at some point, so i was considering the new apex pump as an option. Can you run the apex pump without the controller as a stand alone at first?
If i go the reed octopus setup it comes with everything and therefore wont need a pump or skimmer which does seem like a really nice way to go for $1500

Tank idea 2

Red sea Peninsula 500 , possibly the deluxe model with 3 Hydras

If i go this route its going to be spendy so i will have to limit this setup to a bare bones tank for a while

Tank lights and skimmer with a cheaper pump


Given my live stock desires

What suggestions can anyone offer?

Thanks in advance

 

[GoVols]

@Rscott

Welcome to Reef 2 Reef

For your desires you need to go bare minimum, with option #2

If you want an Achilles then that would be the only tang that I'd have within that setup.
Be sure to start off with a wonderful specimen and scape it so that it has caves / a lot of open water space and heavy flow to keep the Achilles happy and comfortable. You need a very mature reef and patience to pull off an Achilles.

Good luck and once again.
#WelcometoR2R

Freddie

 

[Jesterrace]

The problem is that your Tank has fish on opposite ends of the spectrum. A pair of clownfish could fit in your Biocube just fine. The Yellow Tang needs between a 90-100 gallon minimum tank, The Blue Tang and the Achilles is 180 gallon minimum. Tangs require very large tanks with lots of swimming room since they are used to swimming long distances in the wild. Furthermore mixing Tangs is a tricky business. The Blue and the Yellow might mix in a very large tank in the long run, but the Achilles in the mix would be trouble.

 

[Rscott]

Thanks for the replies guys

I had heard that before and i know i am basically just dreaming.

The one thing that is frustrating about this hobby is that your live stock wants done always go together as in this example

I guess this is why many people have multiple tanks.

Say i forget the tangs until years from now

Would a reefer 250 or something similar handle a few anemones and some clowns with a few pieces of coral?

 

[GoVols]

Would a reefer 250 or something similar handle a few anemones and some clowns with a few pieces of coral?

Yes,
But, you need to be patient with the 250 to become very stable and mature, before adding something like bubble tip anemones.

 

[Rscott]

Yes,
But you need to be patient with the 250 to become very stable and mature, before adding something like bubble tip anemones.

Yea that makes sense. A smaller tank seems to be more problematic.
How long would you imagine it would take in a reefer 250 before you could add a BTA?

 

[GoVols]

Yea that makes sense. A smaller tank seems to be more problematic.
How long would you imagine it would take in a reefer 250 before you could add a BTA?

I would not add an BTA for at least six months after the cycle and your know that the water parameters are very stable.
An anemone adds more bio-load to a reef too.

Here's a BTA website. It's a little buggy, but you can click on the "more" tab.

http://www.karensroseanemones.net/

 

[Rscott]

Great site , thanks for the link

 

[kz4q66]

"A smaller tank seems to be more problematic ..."
Not really as long as you keep close eyes on it.
If problem arise, a few big water changes will set it back to normal.

 

[Rscott]

I have also found some conflicting info about minimum tank sizes for different types of tangs. Some say 200 some say 75

There is def no shortage of different information out there. It sure seems like a tang is a day dream especially an achilles

 

[kz4q66]

You can get by with the 75 while it is small but when it full grown then you will need the 200.

 

[reefwiser]

The problem with small tanks and new hobbyist is that they don’t “know what to keep close eyes on”. [emoji3]

Achilles tanks have a very thin slime coat and come in with many skin diseases that a new hobbyist and old hobbyist don’t have luck curing.
Same with BTA’s they succumb to bacterial diseases rather fast. Best to pick up a bud of an anemone from a local hobbyist who has one growing like crazy.
Getting Rea Sea tank systems are nice but you end up spending a bunch of money on the full kits and you might not like all of the equipment included.
You seam to want cheaper options. I would check out your Local LFS and see what they can work up for you.
A 125 gallon is the ideal size for a saltwater aquarium for the average hobbyist to start with. Smaller aquariums started to be marketed as beginner tanks when the stock market crashed years ago now. Gives you a large enough water volume to have stable water chemistry and a large enough tank to enjoy fish like tangs and wrasses.

 

[Rscott]

The problem with small tanks and new hobbyist is that they don’t “know what to keep close eyes on”. [emoji3]

Achilles tanks have a very thin slime coat and come in with many skin diseases that a new hobbyist and old hobbyist don’t have luck curing.
Same with BTA’s they succumb to bacterial diseases rather fast. Best to pick up a bud of an anemone from a local hobbyist who has one growing like crazy.
Getting Rea Sea tank systems are nice but you end up spending a bunch of money on the full kits and you might not like all of the equipment included.
You seam to want cheaper options. I would check out your Local LFS and see what they can work up for you.
A 125 gallon is the ideal size for a saltwater aquarium for the average hobbyist to start with. Smaller aquariums started to be marketed as beginner tanks when the stock market crashed years ago now. Gives you a large enough water volume to have stable water chemistry and a large enough tank to enjoy fish like tangs and wrasses.

If you get a 125 what do you do with your tang in a few years though give him away?
I would say i want cheap cheap given the fact that im looking at a $3500 Red sea peninsula but i cant afford 10k either

 

[reefwiser]

I have seen many tangs in 125 gallon tank. it depends cheap for me is $6000 for just the tank. [emoji3] I just wouldn’t want you to spend 3500 dollars then bail on the hobby in 6 months. Having been in the hobby for years now I see people come and go in there hobby. As it can be really tough on a new hobbyist. I have been keeping tanks for 54 years now. So for me spending money on equipment is not an issue. I buy for the long term I have equipment that is 25 years old and still good as the day it was new. But most people don’t spend money on high quality equipment. I have a skimmer that cost 2 grand 20 years ago. [emoji3] I buy for years of use and when not using a piece I know I can pull it out and use it in the future.
Get your feet wet and see if the hobby is for you. It requires patience . An not panic when things don’t go as you think it should going. Not all tanks are perfect and it will take a couple of years of learning to get comfortable with how your personal tank is doing. There are not easy answers and going slow and steady is not for everyone. Many people want quick a pretty and when it doesn’t work out the bail.

 

[Jesterrace]

I have also found some conflicting info about minimum tank sizes for different types of tangs. Some say 200 some say 75

There is def no shortage of different information out there. It sure seems like a tang is a day dream especially an achilles

Live Aquaria is probably the most accurate of the bunch for minimum tank sizes on most fish. Bluezoo and others seem to put on blindfolds and throw darts at a board to determine minimum tank sizes. To me it's a combination of the size of the fish and it's level of activity. Smaller Bristletooth Tangs tend to do okay in tanks in the 75-90 gallon range (provided you only have one Tang of course) because they are smaller and don't need as much free swimming room as their other counterparts. The Blue Tang on the other hand reaches a foot in length and needs lots of free swimming space to be happy long term.