predator fish??

cms722

cms722

Reefing newb
I have been getting alot of really good feedback on my tank that I got. How to set it up and what kind of filtration and water flow I need. All that good stuff. What I want to know is if all this would change if I wanted to make the tank more of a predator tank vs a peaceful fish aquarium. And what kind of predator fish are compatible in a 55 gallon tank. Can I still use sand as a substrate or should I use something different? I know that the bioload increases with predator fish so I want to find out the differences before I go further in my setup. I want to see if this is something that I can do or if I want to wait. Also, what kind of corals, if any, are compatible with predators such as lionfish and puffers? How is the lighting different from that of a regular reef tank? Thanks for the help and sorry for so many questions. I have been all over the forum the last few days picking everyone's brains and it is really appreciated. :Cheers:
 
A predator tank isnt much different than a reef tank. Good water quality is still important because it keeps your fish healthier.

With big predators, you have less fish in the tank, and depending on the fish, you can still have corals with them. Say you want to do lionfish and puffers, you can do corals, but they will eat any inverts. But if you do angels, then they will eat corals.

Rock, sand and flow wont change at all.

But personally, a 55 is not a great size for a predator tank. Most of the predator fish require larger tanks. You would be limited to a few puffers and the dwarf lionfish. And you have to make sure that every fish is much larger than the lionfish because they will eat anything they can fit in their mouth, which expand to extreme proportion.
 
Thanks. I was trying to see if it was something that I can do. I know I would only get to have a few fish in there. But I like alot of the predators more it seems so it was definitely something I wanted to look into. Are any of the predators also compatible with some of the more peaceful ones? Can I put a puffer with a hawkfish and a dwarf lion or should I stay away from a lion altogether?
 
I figured that much. I want them all to be able to live together, the problem is finding the right ones for the size tank and still making everyone happy. LOL
 
I am learning, slowly, but I am soaking up everything I can. Its hard not to get excited about everything I am seeing so I'm trying to keep myself in check. =)
 
Not keeping yourself in check is probably where most people screw up. Not having enough patience is the fastest way to disaster in this hobby so you are doing the right thing
 
Ok so what if I did a dwarf lionfish? What would be some good ones that would be ok with them? Or what about a SFE?
 
im not sure what a SFE is, but honesty, i put the dwarf in a tank all by itself. They are pretty peaceful guys, and most of the guys he wont eat will pick on him and they run the risk of killing themselves via his spines or killing him from the stress of being picked on all the time.

If i was to do a 55 predator tank this how i would stock it:
Blue Spotted Puffer
Longnose Hawkfish
and a pair of these guys Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Yellowstripe Maroon Clownfish

These guys arent invert safe but they are coral safe, so you can still do a reef. Although, the puffers have quite the personality and are know to pick up corals so i would glue them down. Also the maroon clowns are the one of the meanest things in the sea so they should be added last. And i just love those long nose hawkfish, i think they are so cool!

Just fyi - you should add some hard shelled critters like snail or hermit crabs on a regular basis for the puffer to eat. They have a beak and it need to be worn down, like a rodent's teeth, to stay happy and healthy
 
I had never heard of those puffers before! They're really cool looking. All of those are colorful yet still right along the lines of what I was looking for. Thanks for the suggestions. And the SFE is a snowflake eel. I guess I should have said that lol.
 
ya, they are cool, but it would really cut down on the fish you can have if you add one. Big fish, big poops. Plus they should be added last because they have a tendency to eat fish added after them.
 
Yea I know that they would knock down the amount of fish because of how big they get. Definitely something that I want in the future so I'll be keeping them in mind. Are there any predator fish or aggressive fish that are coral safe and can still have things such as hermit crabs or shrimp in the tank? I know they help with the clean up so I'm just curious. Or any fish that can go with them that take the place of the inverts?
 
You can run a tank without them, i would invest in a good protein skimmer and a nice big fuge.

But i cant think of anything that would replace them that wouldnt get eaten. You could try a lawnmower blenny if you get hair algae, but he could easily get bullied if you add him after the clowns and we have had a few members who have had issues with them starving after they have eaten all the algae present in the tank.
 
I don't have a snowflake eel but I don't see how my moray eel could eat any hermit crabs or snails. His teeth are like needles, I bet if he bit a large snail he would break his tooth... I see how he would eat a crab or a shrimp though.
 
You're right, the snowflake and moray eels have different teeth, snowflakes are made to crush shells whereas other moray eels have teeth designed to bite into flesh. I think LF was referring to snails and hermits being eaten by fish like puffers.
 

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