not reef, but...

Depends on what else you plan on throwing in with the lion. Remember, if the lion can fit it in his mouth, he probably will. I have a 50 I just started, and decided to go with a predator tank as I wanted a lion. I started with a large (5") maroon clown, although not a predator in my books, big enough to take care of himself. I got a 16" snowflake eel, which is really cool and awesome to watch. I am going to add a radiata lionfish, and that will likely be it for fish for that tank. We'll see how things look after having all three for a month or two.

I'd take the triggers back and get store credit, and then pick up some fish you won't have to get rid of in a year or so.
 
You added a lot of fish very quickly, with no live rock for filtration. Beware that a tank crash is a very good possibility. You should add no more than one fish every 3 weeks.

If the fish are small, they can live in a 55 gallon tank for a little while, but those predators grow fast. Like others have said, keep in mind that a fish store is trying to make money. There are a lot of good, honest stores out there that will not sell someone something they don't need or something that is not right for their tank. If your fish store told you you could fit all those fish in a 55, they are not one of those stores. That just means you need to research everything before you buy it, and take whatever they say with a grain of salt.
 
thanks for all the information, i guess i just dove into this saltwater thing too fast. i went to my LFS and made a deal to buy a 120 gallon tank, the owner is gonna help me set up a nice FOWLR tank. you think i could keep the puffer in that? the owner said hes got some RO water and that when he does his next water change he will give me his water and even some live sand to seed mine. you think this will help out a little?
 
yeah, i am in really good with my LFS here in town, i just got off the phone with him and he said he could "fish sit" for me since his tanks are established until i can get mine right.

i already have a 120 gallon tank, but its freshwater and filled with SA/CA cichlids, i love those guys!!! its a corner flow but i cant use it for the salt water tank cause i dont want to tear it down. the new tank is not a corner flow so i will have to buy an over -flow box to install on the back side of it. do you guys know where to buy these things at? i am going to use the 55 gallon tank they are in now as the sump. are there different sizes of protein skimmers and what about return pumps?
 
I say drill the 120 and do either a coast to coast calfo type overflow or do the external one. Many different sized skimmers and return pumps it all depends on how much water you plan on moving.
 
That is great that the LFS will babysit you fish until your tank is ready. Getting some live sand and his water will definately help your tank cycle. Plus if you use cured LR that will help even more. If you can get the tank drilled or do it yourself that would be great but if not a overflow isn't too bad. I had one on my 55 before I upgrated. Using your 55 for a sump is also a great idea. Do you have a stand? As for prtein skimmer a lot of reefer has been going with the Octopus ones. Do some research on them if your really not sure what you want. Also you'll need some powerheads and heaters if you don't already have them.
 
i've got the power heads, well i got 2, and heaters, however i live in Oklahoma so they are really not needed. im new to protein skimmers, what exactly do they do? do they just remove the crap that floats on top of the water? i do not have a stand, am shopping for one as we speak, the ones made for aquariums are too expensive so im looking for a do it yourselfer.
 
oh, and how much water should i be moving, i only want like a volitan lion the puffer and the trigger as of now. you guys said that the picasso will be too big for the trigger, are there any smaller triggers?
 
The basics of skimming are the organics(proteins) are pumped into the skimmer air shoots into the water usually counter current. The bubbles dwell in the skimmer for a set time depending on the skimmer and pump as they do the proteins bond with the bubbles raising them eventually to the top and into the collection cup of the skimmer(they stink A LOT!)

The DIY stands are better quality and cheaper two thing that go good together. Can be as plain or fancy as you care to build them.
 
What kind of corals do you want to keep?
I would say that 20-30x the volume of the tank per hour is sufficient unless you are going total SPS then it needs to be higher.
 
I would still aim for at least 20x flow, but that is just my opinion. If you go sumpless with a HOB skimmer you can get that easily with powerheads IMO Korilias look the best
 
You dont NEED a sump but you WANT a sump if that makes sense. At least IMO. Just keeps all of the crappy looking equiptment out of your display tank.
 
sicklids said:
so technically i dont need a sump?
Click to expand...

Technically,No you dont have to have a sump.
But a sump makes life a whole lot easier.It'll let you get your skimmer and heater out of the tank.It adds water volume,which helps with your water parameters.You can drop a bag full of carbon in the sump and not have to look at in the display.
 

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