LadAShark Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 It's fair to say that I'm new to the aquarist hobby, though I did keep fish and some inverts several years back, they were freshwater, and were a whole different game. After 8-9 years of researching and biding my time, I'm finally able to set up my dream aquarium room! Woo! Or, almost anyway. When my home extension is done ;P The room is going to be 16'x16'x8' (or perhaps a little taller, same difference). I intend to set up a 1k+ gallon with at least 4' wide as a tank pretty close to being FOWLR, with the exception of some tiger cowries, abalones, and perhaps even some tridacnas if I can pull it off! Basically a tank with no small fish or invertebrates. Hoping to keep a small sharksucker (echeneis neucratoides/naucrates) with a couple catsharks (of the smaller variety), an eel or two, and a dragon wrasse alongside a harlequin tusk. I will be connecting this to a refugium full of chaeto and a bunch of copepods and the like. Additionally, I wish to start trying my hand at coral after that tank is established. But until then I have to first get going on prepping the liverocks, live sand, and other reqs for the aquarium. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil&Fin Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Wow! 1000 gallon tank?!?! You've got to do a build thread so we can watch the progression. Welcome! Glad to have you here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorge Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Wow that's gonna be one sweet build. Gonna be interesting to see how inverts and clams do with those type of fish. I'd add them with much caution! Looking forward to a build thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milesmiles902 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 This is going to be an exciting adventure. Glad we can be apart of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 Wow! 1000 gallon tank?!?! You've got to do a build thread so we can watch the progression. Welcome! Glad to have you here.Will do when the I'm able to start. First I have to get the rooms built and ready for action, and then I'll be certain to have a progress thread after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) Wow that's gonna be one sweet build. Gonna be interesting to see how inverts and clams do with those type of fish. I'd add them with much caution! Looking forward to a build thread Yeah, I'm planning to setup the invertibrates first, and then slowly introduce the smaller fish and then the bigger fish (ahem sharks). My research indicates that these guys will basically not eat anything that doesn't fit into their mouth or they can't take a bite out of. In fact nassarius snails and large hermits would be fine too if only harlequins weren't so ready to take a bite out of them >.< Edited May 30, 2016 by LadAShark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 This is going to be an exciting adventure. Glad we can be apart of it. I'm glad to be here too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 So are you building the extension yourself? Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you are doing your research. Welcome to th forum! Are you going with leds for lights ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 1000 gallons is amazing!!!! #GoBigOrGoHome I'm super excited for you and more than a little jealous. That being said I feel compelled to make myself into something of a wet blanket, a damp blanket if you will... My concern is that a 1000 gallon tank is a huge undertaking!!! I know you have done your research, so I'm sure you know that (it could even be part of the reason your undertaking this challenge.) What I hope you will consider is that by starting so big you are in many ways locking yourself in. If you build a system perfect for large predatory fish it will most likely not be optimal for coral, I would go as far as to arguee that it would almost certainly not be. My advice is simply to entertain the idea of starting out with a smaller system (or two.) I hope you don't take my advice because I want to see pics of a 1000 gallon build!!! Welcome to the hobby, your going to love it!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 1000 gallons is amazing!!!! #GoBigOrGoHome I'm super excited for you and more than a little jealous. That being said I feel compelled to make myself into something of a wet blanket, a damp blanket if you will... My concern is that a 1000 gallon tank is a huge undertaking!!! I know you have done your research, so I'm sure you know that (it could even be part of the reason your undertaking this challenge.) What I hope you will consider is that by starting so big you are in many ways locking yourself in. If you build a system perfect for large predatory fish it will most likely not be optimal for coral, I would go as far as to arguee that it would almost certainly not be. My advice is simply to entertain the idea of starting out with a smaller system (or two.) I hope you don't take my advice because I want to see pics of a 1000 gallon build!!! Welcome to the hobby, your going to love it!!!! All of which is good advice, but really sharks and predatory fish interest me a lot more than some corals ;P But hey, who said I'm going to give up on corals? I'm going to have an aquatics/marine room, so the very next thing I plan to set up is a frag tank. I'm just interested in raised tridacna clams in the main tank as it seems like they would be pretty well rooted and none of the inhabitants will really be interested in eating huge clams. If, however, it doesn't work out, I'll have to figure out a way to salvage the clams and transfer them to another tank. And I'm somewhat sure that some corals out there somewhere might do ok in that tank. But hey, if it doesn't work out, that means I need that much less lighting ;P I just want to let you know that I originally wanted a 300 gallon, but, uh, when I realized I could have an aquarium room things, well, escalated. A lot. Something I found out the hard way: shark and ray community doesn't really take well to newcomers. I was told I was "suspect" because I was interested in a shark that just coincidentally was available through vendors for the first time right before I posted. I had no idea. Worst part is the guy that said this was a admin/moderator/expert/ whatever you would call them on sharkandraycentral. :/ As you can tell by my name, I f***ing love sharks. I'd keep a freaking great white if I could lol Long post on my part. Long story short: don't worry, you haven't discouraged me. There's also a reason I said 1k+ gallons and not 1k. There's a possibility it might become a tank spanning the entire wall, at around 16 feet long, 4 feet tall, and 4 feet wide. That's 1900, which would make my life a lot tougher. Though I am planning ultimately not to make it that way, but it's a possibility. It could only get bigger, not smaller lol ;P I should stop now or I'll end up convincing myself to turn it into a shark and ray pool just because I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Sounds awesome! Good luck on your research and build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashy Fins Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Parrotfish! Parrotfish! Ok, I may or may not be slightly obsessed with them and hoping to eventually convince someone to get one, since I can't. I see a number like 1,000 gallons and can't see anything but rainbows! A quoyi parrot would very nicely complement the harlequin tusk. Welcome, and wow, good luck to you on a huge build! Most of us can only dream, so I hope you'll keep us all updated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Parrotfish! Parrotfish! Ok, I may or may not be slightly obsessed with them and hoping to eventually convince someone to get one, since I can't. I see a number like 1,000 gallons and can't see anything but rainbows! A quoyi parrot would very nicely complement the harlequin tusk. Welcome, and wow, good luck to you on a huge build! Most of us can only dream, so I hope you'll keep us all updated. Huh. Never really considered parrotfish thoroughly. Wonder if they'd get along with some sharks like coral catshark, marbled catshark, whitespotted bamboo shark, collared carpetshark, and bali catshark? Actually, I'm not sure about the last two I listed, because it's really hard to find information on them. They were (and I don't know if they still are) sold by a vendor in Canada. I need to find out if they can even live in tropical conditions before getting them... Anyway, back to topic. I'll definitely consider a parrotfish if you could find some information about keeping them with catsharks, cause I can't find squat when I look for that info. I'm more worried about the parrot killing the shark than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Sometimes I wish I had the same luck with birds as I do with aquariums. Backstory: several years back I found a fledgeling parakeet outside. Caught it, kept it, and then proceed to have 1-2 other people pass on their own parakeets to me. After several years I hd to give them away, now I haven't had birds for 4 years, and suddenly bam! During the construction work, one of the constuction workers find 3 baby birds for me to take care of. Is anyone willing to find 3 baby corals for me to take care of? God [language filter]. Looks like I'm not getting much sleep for the next few weeks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Woah! I just found out that you can keep large conches in your aquariums! Most stores don't seel it, but I did find some for sale at: http://www.thatpetplace.com/aquarium-livestock/snails#!snails Which would probablu be my go to solution for detritus. I was thinking my only solution to clean a 1k gallon would be a bunch of abalone, but I think I might toss in a milky conch and a queen conch and see how they fare when I actually get the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 When I broke down my reef I said I wouldn't set up another tank u till I had room for a 400 gallon shark tank. I desperately want a Epaulette shark, in a thousand gallons you could have a pair! Sounds like you're on the right track with the frag tank and a shark tank; have you considered having the thousand gallon and a hundred gallon reef tank? Then you get the best of both worlds without worrying about the Sharks getting stung or eating all your inverts. Have you seen the shark tanks with live plants growing in them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadAShark Posted June 23, 2016 Author Share Posted June 23, 2016 (edited) When I broke down my reef I said I wouldn't set up another tank u till I had room for a 400 gallon shark tank. I desperately want a Epaulette shark, in a thousand gallons you could have a pair! Sounds like you're on the right track with the frag tank and a shark tank; have you considered having the thousand gallon and a hundred gallon reef tank? Then you get the best of both worlds without worrying about the Sharks getting stung or eating all your inverts. Have you seen the shark tanks with live plants growing in them?No, I unfortunately have not seen the shark tanks with live plants in them. That sounds fascinating! I have even considered growing mangroves but the only thing holding me back is how they take salt and magnesium out of the water. You could keep a papua new guinea epaulette in a much smaller tank than a 400. In fact 250? Maybe even 200 if your dimensions are good. And if you're going to keep a single one, get a male. They're significantly smaller! And as for the reef tank, it's still in consideration. Edited June 23, 2016 by LadAShark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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