Predator/reef hybrid build

[saltyreefer]

Hey Everybody!!

First post here so I hope I'm in the right place. I am doing my first tank build. It is a 5 foot 110 gallon with a 30 gallon long refugium. I am trying to set up a predator/reef hybrid tank. I have 100+ pounds of live rock I purchased dry. I have a two inch sand bed. I have two 165 watt Bridgelux LED's with a wp-40 powerhead. I hope my pictures up-load correctly.

I currently have a baby volitan lion, marine betta, magnificant foxface, and a few blue damsels. I am looking for advise on what species of fish and coral will thrive in my environment. I plan on keeping everyone well fed to minimize losing fish due to the lion and damage to the coral from the foxface. If you have good/bad experiences with combining these fish please share! I'm looking forward to everyone's feedback. If you have some coral frags to help get me started for a reasonable price I would really appreciate it!!
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[destineyfoster]

My foxface doesnt bother our corals at all. She doesnt seem to have any interest in them once so ever. We have a one spot foxface in our reef aquarium.

Sent from my Z796C using Tapatalk

 

[jc_k]

ummmm.... You do realize that most of those fish with nip at coral except the foxface. They are usually pretty good about it. I guess you can try some mini-maxi anemones as they blend in with the rocks. I would wait for someone else to give you some advice lol.


Goodluck with the tank and welcome! I hope you enjoy the fourm.

 

[enderg60]

You will have a problem keeping the tank clean. Clean up crews tend to turn into expensive snacks with those kind of fish, plus the fact that aggressive fish tend to be messy eaters. But you can look into things like a huge skimmer and carbon dosing to help.

As for corals I would go with mushrooms, zoas, gorgonians and leathers. They are very hardy and grow fast so nipping usually isnt a issue.

 

[saltyreefer]

JC_k : I have read that the the Lion and Betta will eat smaller reef fish but will not bother the coral.

 

[saltyreefer]

EndgerG60: I feed the lion with tongs and he gets every little scrap. He is a pig. The Betta like mysis and I feed sparingly. I have an oversized skimmer that I clean almost daily, and my water parameters look good. My next purchase will be a carbon reactor.

Thanks for the advice on corals!!

 

[jc_k]

Well every fish is different. My old lionfish use to pick at zoas. Mushrooms would be a good choice to. They reproduce like crazy and come in lots of colors.

 

[heathlindner25]

JC_k;949965 wrote: Well every fish is different. My old lionfish use to pick at zoas. Mushrooms would be a good choice to. They reproduce like crazy and come in lots of colors.

Lionfish...? zoes?... hard to believe

 

[jc_k]

It was very odd. I believe it was a dwarf lion? Or atleast that's what I bought it as.

 

[saltyreefer]

Can anyone give me some information on the term "stinging coral"? Does this refer to Anemones?

 

[jimmystephens]

I would take some of the rock out so they have more room to swim

 

[dawgface]

JC_k;949949 wrote: ummmm.... You do realize that most of those fish with nip at coral except the foxface. They are usually pretty good about it. I guess you can try some mini-maxi anemones as they blend in with the rocks. I would wait for someone else to give you some advice lol.


Goodluck with the tank and welcome! I hope you enjoy the fourm.

I'd say that's the exact opposite of what to expect.

Foxface may dine on some softies. The others will eat anything that will fit in their mouths, you'll be surprised what they can fit.

 

[dawgface]

ege0001;949997 wrote: Can anyone give me some information on the term "stinging coral"? Does this refer to Anemones?

Give us the context of that statement, for most all coral sting to some point. Preliminary your on the right track. Most commonly associated with the stronger of the "stingers" that are anemones.

 

[camellia]

Welcome to ARC! Love your set up!

Sorry I'm off topic but...
Did you paint that stand and canopy with brush and roller? It looks awesome, how does it look up close? I have a black stand and (was) stained canopy and I'm trying to match color and finish.
I was told to spray paint and I'm not happy after several attempts. My tanks cycled and ready but I'm not ready to install my lights into the new canopy from existing tank, which puts everything on hold.
Thanks
BTW
Damsels are not that pretty, mean and aggressive fish. Are you sure you want them? This would be the time to reconsider and get them out before coral. Just a thought.

 

[butch]

You will be able to keep some corals in your tank without any issues. Lionfish tend to perch on some corals causing irritation to the coral, but can be done, same with anemones. Careful fish research prior to purchase needs to be considered for when setting up a predator reef.

I have almost the same tank (5 foot 100g) that I have a dwarf fuzzy lionfish in along with other non predator fish. You will find that as your vollie gets bigger, he will have a harder time swimming with the lack of depth in the tank and begin to pace back and forth. A 24" deep tank or greater is optimum to give them room to turn around properly. You may consider removing some rock to open up some swimming room.

You can keep anemones in with your lionfish. I have 3 RBTA in with mine that have been together for the last year with no issues. You may want to stick with soft corals and maybe some LPS. YMMV.
A really good resource for lionfish is http://www.lionfishlair.com/">http://www.lionfishlair.com/</a> There are a some folks that have predator reefs set up that are successful and they are extremely helpful.

Good luck with your tank and keep us posted on your journey.

 

[jdavid]

That volitans lionfish will be the size of a basketball. It's mouth will open up very large, so it will be able to eat pretty large fish. Still, you have one that's eating which is pretty awesome and I hope it has a long life! Awesome fish.

 

[jdavid]

ege0001;949997 wrote: Can anyone give me some information on the term "stinging coral"? Does this refer to Anemones?

Most corals sting, but corals of the genus Euphilliya are the ones you really have to watch out for.

A coral reef is like a giant battlefield. Each coral is trying to kill the coral next to it so that it can have that space. In the aquarium we try to place corals strategically so they don't kill eachother.

If you're worried about corals hurting your fish, some Euphilliya species and anemones might.

 

[saltyreefer]

It looks great up close. I sanded the existing varnish with 100 grit sand paper with an orbital sander then applied black eggshell paint with a 3 inch brush. If you are trying to spray it you would need to use a HVLP sprayer on an air compressor and use paint thinner mixed in with the paint for it to lay down smooth. I recommend going with the brush!

 

[saltyreefer]

Not much context that I can give you. I just heard some coral sting to protect themselves and I thought those corals would do better in this environment.

 

[jdavid]

My frogspawn stung the crap out of me once