Ok i was brainstorming tonight on what to do with the 29g tank i have that one of the previous owners glues a mirror on the back of. That is when i got the idea of a predator tank. My plans so far are to stack my live rock somewhat high along the back to cover as much of the mirrored surface as possible and then let a couple damsels live in the tank by themselves for awhile to keep it cycled while coraline covers the rest of the back wall. Now some of the specifics i have come up with for the specs and possible(its the first night my mind may change on the exact species but this is just a general idea) stocking etc.
Filtration:
I am going to mod an AC110 into a refugium to help with the nitrates that i heard can form in a predator tank. Also the intake for the filter will be hidden in the rockwork so it will essentially be pulling water through the rock.
Im not sure no the exact poundage of live rock but im going to estimate around 35-45lbs depending on how the aquascaping looks and if i am able to cover enough of the back without totally tanking over the tank with rock.
Im thinking 2 koralia 2s plus the flow from the AC110 should be plenty of flow for this tank.
1-1.5in of live sand(depth will vary across the tank for a more natural look of course)
Livestock:
1 Leaf fish(Taenianotus triacanthus)
1 Saddle Valentini Puffer(Canthigaster valentini)
CUC:
10-15 Nassarius snails to help stir the sand and eat any uneaten meaty food that hits the sand.
1 serpent star
4-5 turbo snails
Macro:
I would like to have a corner of the tank with a nice macro field im not sure what kind of macroalgae yet i will be doing more searching to find out what i like the best.(suggestions welcome)
Now my questions:
I know that it can be difficult to keep a clean up crew in a predator tank but how does the clean up crew that i listed above sound and would you have an suggestions for substitutes or additions to the list?
Feather dusters. I know they filter the water and i believe this could be a good addition to a predator tank where the fish could be potentionally messy with their food as they would filter out some of the food particulates and they look cool too. Now would the above listed fish harm or bother feather dusters?
How does my stocking sound would you make any substitutions or additions?
What should i do about lighting since i will not have any corals i know i wont need high tech lighting would a regular single bulb light fixture be sufficient for this tank with a 6,000k-8,000k bulb? Any suggestions on any specific bulbs?
now i know i had more questions but i got distracted part of the way through typing this and forgot i will add them in replies to this thread if/when i remember them
Filtration:
I am going to mod an AC110 into a refugium to help with the nitrates that i heard can form in a predator tank. Also the intake for the filter will be hidden in the rockwork so it will essentially be pulling water through the rock.
Im not sure no the exact poundage of live rock but im going to estimate around 35-45lbs depending on how the aquascaping looks and if i am able to cover enough of the back without totally tanking over the tank with rock.
Im thinking 2 koralia 2s plus the flow from the AC110 should be plenty of flow for this tank.
1-1.5in of live sand(depth will vary across the tank for a more natural look of course)
Livestock:
1 Leaf fish(Taenianotus triacanthus)
1 Saddle Valentini Puffer(Canthigaster valentini)
CUC:
10-15 Nassarius snails to help stir the sand and eat any uneaten meaty food that hits the sand.
1 serpent star
4-5 turbo snails
Macro:
I would like to have a corner of the tank with a nice macro field im not sure what kind of macroalgae yet i will be doing more searching to find out what i like the best.(suggestions welcome)
Now my questions:
I know that it can be difficult to keep a clean up crew in a predator tank but how does the clean up crew that i listed above sound and would you have an suggestions for substitutes or additions to the list?
Feather dusters. I know they filter the water and i believe this could be a good addition to a predator tank where the fish could be potentionally messy with their food as they would filter out some of the food particulates and they look cool too. Now would the above listed fish harm or bother feather dusters?
How does my stocking sound would you make any substitutions or additions?
What should i do about lighting since i will not have any corals i know i wont need high tech lighting would a regular single bulb light fixture be sufficient for this tank with a 6,000k-8,000k bulb? Any suggestions on any specific bulbs?
now i know i had more questions but i got distracted part of the way through typing this and forgot i will add them in replies to this thread if/when i remember them