an old dream... can you help?

[stretch]

Greetings,
well I am about to embark on a dream that I have had since a child. :lol:

A dear friend of mine is aquiring a 125 gal salt water tank The tank is in superb condition, but does need to have the pvc piping and valves replaced on the bottom. This cost is approximately 6-12 dollars and about 24 hours of glue dry time.
over $600 for all the saltwater equipment with the protien
skimmer, overflow box and filter . The tank is worth about $4000. It has a custom hood and is acrylic. Dimensions are 7' wide x 4' high x 2' deep.

Now, I have a 5 gallon "mini reef" which has been some whatof a bane to my pocket book. Trying to keep a workable bio-system has been quite a chore. I have had many problems with the hood itself. But that is a topic for another time.

What I am looking into now is wether it is better to have a smaller number of large fish, or can I have a larger number of smaller fish.

Are there any advantages to either?

I plan on getting the tank in about 2 months and wish to get as much info as I can. I would like to have a game plan before I sink large amounts of money into this dream. And yes... I know that these can be a money pit, but I am willing to give this a go.

Besides getting the Live sandand live rock... any suggestions on what I should take care of to start off a system in such a large tank?

And are there any rules of thumb for the thickness of sand for such a tank? I have about 15 pounds of LR in my 5 gallon right now, so I know that the rock is going to be imence. :?

Thank you for any tips you may be able to help with.

Ciao,
Geoffrey

 

[Carpentersreef]

The best investment for you right now would be a few good books to use for reference, as you'll be looking up stuff constantly. Do you have any yet?

Don't consider livestock choice so much as to size, but look more to compatiblity.

Have I mentioned the FAQ's at the top of the page? :wink:

Mitch

 

[philakapd]

welcome to a great website. You will find so much info here. You will probably find yourself spending hours at a time looking for information on a daily basis. READ, READ, READ!!! There is so much to learn. You will find your aquarium to be as unique as you are. Only you can give it the love it needs.

There should be a game plan of sorts...what type of tank setup are you looking for? Do you want fish and rocks, or do you want corals, inverts, etc? You should determine what you want in the tank and go from there. It will affect your decisions on lighting, substrate, filtration, etc. There are so many variables you will be dealing with.

Good luck and Enjoy!

Phil

 

[sawcjack00]

The dimensions you give equate to about 418 gallons. It will be very expensive. I am currently setting up a 400 gallon tank, and have over $9000 invested, although 3700 was for the tank and stand. Good luck with yours.

 

[firefish1]

Geoffry,
Having had salt for ten years, be very careful what fish you choose for your reef. Like the previous message stated, it isn't about size, its about compatability between the other fish and the corals. I found that the fish the finally landed in my reef, were fish that contributed something to it! A reef needs maintaining and fish can do that, along with crabs, snails, urchins, etc. It would be wise to find someone who knows their reef fish & read as much as you can.

Good luck,

Mike

 

[danmhippo]

You are looking at investing $$$$$ at least into tank that size. The first thing is to read as much as possible. Research into many types of biotopes. You can pretty much all possible biotope tank of that size, but each biotope type require different equipments. Some need very powerful pump, and some need less current.

After deciding on the biotope, you need to plan and draw your plumbing schematics. It is only through careful planning that you will be wasting least time and money. Remember, once the tank is filled, you won't be able to redo most of plumbing and sump setup. Also, many large pieces of equipment could not be returned after installation.

Livestock is actually the last bit of puzzle to figure out.

BTW, Welcome to RDO. Take some time to look through the library (links on top), you shall find many articles that would help you.

 

[Anonymous]

congratulations on being that much closer to your dream, stretch. just as these fine people are suggesting, reading as much info as you can will be your greatest asset to setting up this system. and don't be afraid to ask questions if you get stuck - that's what we are here for! :wink:

i want to welcome both you and firefish1 to rdo!

just incase you didn't notice, along with using the library as probably one of your greatest resources here, you can also try using the search function if you are trying to target a specific topic.

 

[Anonymous]

But to answer the question, and this is strictly opinion, its better to have more small fish. I think smaller fish are better adapted to an aquarium and it creates a more naturalistic look. But of course as mentioned above, there are plenty of other things to consider.

You sure the tank is 4 feet high? Thats awfully deep!

 

[ChrisRD]

Anybody notice the date of the original post?

 

[Anonymous]

Heh....wonder how it worked out?

 

[danmhippo]

Oh, Crap................

 

[Anonymous]

lol - too funny. :lol: