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Looking Into Saltwater

1K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  FutureMB 
#1 ·
Hello, I am new to the forum and saltwater tanks. I have experience with many freshwater fish, but none with keeping any saltwater fish. I have had guppies, cichlids, breeding crayfish, plecos, conch cats, ghost shrimp, bettas, goldfish, and the largest tank was a 20 gallon. Where does that put me in relation to keeping a marine tank? I have done what I believe to be enough research on what I hope to get.

What I plan to get is a 75 gallon at the smallest, but larger if possible. I want to keep a grouper that would get no larger than a foot and a half. With it, I would like to keep a painted lobster, but I know that grouper do eat crustaceans. Is this a possible combo, or should I just trash that? I'm only planning on a FOWLR tank, so I know that I will need live rock. To keep a smaller grouper, is a protein skimmer necessary? Also, if keeping those two together is possible, what equipment is a must, and what is not? Thank you in advance.

Also, I've been on forums before, so I know that new people post in the wrong places a lot, so sorry in advance of that.
 
#4 ·
Hello, I am new to the forum and saltwater tanks. I have experience with many freshwater fish, but none with keeping any saltwater fish. I have had guppies, cichlids, breeding crayfish, plecos, conch cats, ghost shrimp, bettas, goldfish, and the largest tank was a 20 gallon. Where does that put me in relation to keeping a marine tank? I have done what I believe to be enough research on what I hope to get.

What I plan to get is a 75 gallon at the smallest, but larger if possible. I want to keep a grouper that would get no larger than a foot and a half. With it, I would like to keep a painted lobster, but I know that grouper do eat crustaceans. Is this a possible combo, or should I just trash that? I'm only planning on a FOWLR tank, so I know that I will need live rock. To keep a smaller grouper, is a protein skimmer necessary? Also, if keeping those two together is possible, what equipment is a must, and what is not? Thank you in advance.

Also, I've been on forums before, so I know that new people post in the wrong places a lot, so sorry in advance of that.
As ChiWing pointed out, a fish that large is probably not a good candidate for a 75g. I will add that lobsters are not usually great candidates either. They can be aggressive, get large, and I have heard of them eating small, slow fish and knocking over rocks. IMO, a protein skimmer will be necessary. My loose guideline is that tanks over 40g should have a skimmer. You will only need a cheap lighting fixture, as you do not plan on keeping coral; you just need whatever looks good to you aesthetically.

No worries on the specific forum, you're all good. When in doubt, post in General Reef Discussion.
 
#6 ·
Thanks everyone. I will try to get the largest possible aquarium. I've looked at LA before along with other places.

Monkey- I'm not completely sure yet, but ideally not too expensive and not more than a foot and a half. Cephalopholis formosa would be the largest.
 
#8 ·
I personally think a protein skimmer is a great addition to any size tank. I run it on my 29 gallon and it pulls out dirty gunk every single day and that is with a cheap, internal air stone skimmer.

Like I once read here, just think if the skimmer wasn't there to remove that junk, it would remain in your tank with your fish and that cannot be a good thing.
 
#13 · (Edited)
The Polleni Grouper, (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+32+1729&pcatid=1729) is recommended for a tank size of at least 250 gallons.

The Miniatus Grouper (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+32+149&pcatid=149) is recommended for a tank size of 18" gallons, and reaches 14 inches.

The Blue Line Grouper (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+32+141&pcatid=141) is recommended for a tank of 250 gallons, at a maximum of 1' 2".

Blue Dot Grouper (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+32+138&pcatid=138) 250 gallons, 1' 4".

There are some options for you. I didn't list the ones recommended for more than 250 gallons. I personally like either the Blue Line Grouper or the Miniatus Grouper.

Sorry if some of these are too big for you. I was just listing them off.
 
#22 ·
I have to agree with LoudWhispers. A fish that gets a foot long isn't going to be happy in a 4 foot tank. I'd go with Live Aquaria's suggestions. That's a lot of money to spend just to have your fish get stressed and die because of unsuitable conditions once it gets in there...
 
#27 ·
If I was just going with a lobster I'd go with a cold Atlantic tank and put some Maine lobster in there, until I got hungry anyway.

But please listen to the experienced people here. I'm just getting into my first fish tank in years and it's salt, to be reef eventually. I've been reading a ton on everything from equipment to cycling, to, well everything. One thing that is especially stated over and over is that if you put a fish too big it will die. It's not fair to the fish. So don't just look for a website that tells you what you want to hear and go with it. Look at all the available info and make the smart decision even if it's not what you were hoping for. My wife wanted a Regal Tang. But our tank is 90 gallons. Sure, one or 2 people said it was okay but most said No and we are not getting one.
 
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