92 gallon corner fish only tank

[flyboywbl]

So I have decided to get my own tank. My wife has a 120 gallon reef tank that is her baby. I want my own. I was thinking of getting the Aqueon 92 gallon corner tank and making it a fish only system.

I really would like to have a clown trigger, huma huma, a puffer fish, emperor angel hippo tank and some butterfly fish.

I talked with my LFS and he said this would be enough water for these fish, but I might have to trade out some of them a few years down the road when they get bigger. Any thoughts on this?

The next thing to think about is filtration. Currently, my wife has a 120 gallon tank with a 50 gallon sump and a 20 gallon refugium. It has auto top-off with RODI water, a drain ball valve to empty the tank, and another to fill with new salt water from the mixing vat from our garage.

My question is, do I

a) just add the new tank and plumb it in to the existing tank that she has using it's skimmer and filtration, aquarium computer.
b) build a separate sump with bio balls and another protein skimmer and have the tanks completely separate.
c) build the separate filtration for the new tank with bio balls, skimmer with the option to link the two tanks together.


Personally i would love to run the second system off my wife's tank. The main reason is cost. I would not have to buy a separate sump or protein skimmer. Also i would not have to buy a new aquarium controller. I could just run the new tank off my wife's Neptune system. This would also up the water volume of the system making it more stable. But if one system got sick, the other one runs the risk of getting sick. I'm am also aware that you can treat a fish only system with medications you can't treat a reef tank with.

The last thing to think about is, do I want to make this tank a fish only tank with live rock, or just a fish only tank.

My LFS is advising me to get live rock but again this will add to the cost.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

-Matt

 

[BL1]

The only problem with the certain volume of water for certain fish is that with the bigger fish, it's usually associated with standard tank sizes. Thaw because it usually takes into account the length of the tank, and IMO most of the fish you've listed should have a 6 ft tank to give them room to swim. Which is the downside to the tank you've chosen, while it provides a large volume of water, I think from corner to corner it's only about 3 feet wide (correct me if I'm wrong).

As far as plumbing the tanks together, I'm not a fan. IMO it can lead to problems I'd rather each tank have it's own sump. Another thing you'd need to look at is your wife's skimmer rated high enough to even support another tank? I don't think setting your system up with it's own sump will cost as much as you think it will. You can use a regular tank or rubbermaid container and make your own sump pretty cheap. And then you'll just have to buy the protien skimmer (which I think even if you plumbed into your wife's tank, you'd have to upgrade that one anyway). And the controller can always be added down the road, it doesn't have to be done right away.

You should definitely set your tank up using live rock, it will provide a majority of your biological filtration. However, if you want to save a little money there you can look on craigslist for used live rock or buy mostly dry rock and seed it with a couple pounds of live rock. Either way will save you a couple hundred bucks.

Good luck, I look forward to seeing your build!

 

[Smitty]

Yeah...what BL said. :)

 

[SeaBee]

Her's my advice, dont listen to the fish store, they want to keep you coming in to keep them alive.

 

[flyboywbl]

The only problem with the certain volume of water for certain fish is that with the bigger fish, it's usually associated with standard tank sizes. Thaw because it usually takes into account the length of the tank, and IMO most of the fish you've listed should have a 6 ft tank to give them room to swim. Which is the downside to the tank you've chosen, while it provides a large volume of water, I think from corner to corner it's only about 3 feet wide (correct me if I'm wrong).

As far as plumbing the tanks together, I'm not a fan. IMO it can lead to problems I'd rather each tank have it's own sump. Another thing you'd need to look at is your wife's skimmer rated high enough to even support another tank? I don't think setting your system up with it's own sump will cost as much as you think it will. You can use a regular tank or rubbermaid container and make your own sump pretty cheap. And then you'll just have to buy the protien skimmer (which I think even if you plumbed into your wife's tank, you'd have to upgrade that one anyway). And the controller can always be added down the road, it doesn't have to be done right away.

You should definitely set your tank up using live rock, it will provide a majority of your biological filtration. However, if you want to save a little money there you can look on craigslist for used live rock or buy mostly dry rock and seed it with a couple pounds of live rock. Either way will save you a couple hundred bucks.

Good luck, I look forward to seeing your build!

Hmmm, so it sounds like 6 feet is the magic number. I really don't have room for a 6 footer. I do, but it would be in a spot where you would not really see it. I Like the corner tank because it could fit right next to the TV in the living room.

If I got a taller corner tank would it work? The only problem I see is cost. You get taller then the stock Aqueon 92 gallon and you have to go acrylic and those are expensive.

Maybe i'll just have to put off getting a clown trigger until i get a bigger house.

What could I put in the 92 gallon for a fish only system that would allow the fish to grow and be happy?

One thing I though of, is if I build a pillar of live rock in the middle of the tank so the fish can swim around it. Would that give them enough room? They could essentially swim forever if they just keep going around the rock. I've seen a lot of cylinder tanks set up this way.

Thanks

-Matt

 

[flyboywbl]

Her's my advice, dont listen to the fish store, they want to keep you coming in to keep them alive.

Yeah, but I do like to support them. If they go out of business then i'm sort of hosed in this quiet little mountain town.

-Matt

 

[flyboywbl]

Well I decided to hold off on the new tank until I figure out where I can put a bigger one. I probably won't do the corner tank.

 

[Adrastos]

no fun at all!