Suggested NEW tank size for my fish only ?

[bello0110]

Hello All - I know these fish will get big and plan on a new tank. I need suggestions

Here is what I have had for the last ~3 years. All fish are 100% healthy.

Vlamingi Tang 9"
Personifer Angel 7"
Lutescens Wrasse 6"
Macleosus Angel 6"
Crosshatch Trigger 6"
Polleni Grouper 6"
Miniatus Grouper 5"
Harlequin Tusk 5"

Tank:

215g 72x24x29. 40g Sump/semi dry. ETSS 24" Downdraft skimmer. Water change ~20% every 3 months. 300lb live tonga branch.


I need a realistic size, might need to give up a fish? - Thank you all good site, just joined!

 

[Krish]

Welcome bello0110! They say the bigger the tank the better. You've already got a pretty big tank. I wish I had a 6ft tank. Why do you want to change it? Also, are you looking to buy a new one or is a used one fine and do you want it to be acrylic or it doesn't matter?

 

[bello0110]

Acrylic would be nice - I know bigger is better - I dont think mine is going to be big enough. Thanks.

 

[Krish]

Wow! If you want something bigger than you have now and also want it in acrylic it's going to get very expensive. Size wise, I guess you'd want something with a lot of swimming space since it's FO (ie lenght wise). How much space do you have to work with in terms of length? Also, how much are you willing to spend? Depending on the space you've got to work with and your budget, you can get one custom built to fit your needs.

 

[bello0110]

ok good point...

I should tell you I cant go longer than 12'. I dont want it higher than 30". Still leaves alot of room for price/size.

Question is whats the minimum size tank for these fish? If I could buy an exhibit size tank I would. -Price is the reality check.

 

[Krish]

Well, I'm not really sure about what each of those fish you listed require to be happy. You've got about 50 inches of fish there not to mention they may grow bigger and that you've also got 300lbs of tonga branch which will definately eat up valuable water space. That one would be a hard one for me to say because I am a person who doesn't like to overstock. I have a 90 gal and don't want more than 5 fish (if that) and no bigger than the biggest being 5 inches. I guess you may have to see what some of the other members may suggest. Most likely the only feedback you will get is to go with the biggest one your pocket can afford. If you want to stick with the 30 in height you mentioned and maybe go 8 ft long which is usually the longest tank you'd probably ever see anyone use, all you'd have to figure out is the width you want to work with. I don't know if you already know the formula for working out a tank size in gallons, so if you don't, here it is. LxWxH divided by 231. So if you wanted to go with an 96 inch tank, 30 inches tall and say 30 inches front to back (for aquascaping) you'd get yourself a 375 gallon tank. Tenecor for example would sell a 300 gal for about $1500.00 in Acrylic. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[big t]

Well I would get the biggest tank that you can afford and want to do maintenance on. Personally I think that a 8'x4'x30" would be pretty nice. When you get to a tank that sort of size acrylic actually becomes the cheaper option and is a lot safer if you ask me. What area are you located in?

 

[bello0110]

Im located in New york city area. I knew acrylic gets cheaper at that size - and will probably go with that. I had malawi africans before - they grew alot fast than marine fish. I know the tank size effects growth rate to a point.

Do you think my 215g tank is big enough for say all the fish w/ exception the tang?
(Ive read this sp. gets to 2' in captivity)

So far the tank has been extremely non-hostile, Im wondering if they will start to get aggressive when it becomes a tighter living space?

This is my 2nd time keeping marine fish, and I have no experience with any of these species.

 

[clayswim]

That's a lot of waste for that size tank, even without the Tang. Although everything might be going fine right now, whenever you're pushing the limits if something does go wrong it happens fast. If you are planning on another tank you might as well go all the way and get something plenty big. I like Tom's idea of 8' by 4' by 30". That's a lot of swimming area and yet it's still manageable. That gives you nearly 3X the water of your current setup.

Clayton

 

[bello0110]

My nitrates level are 0. Once in the last 3 years I saw it hit 10ppm (since I added all the fish). The ETSS skimmer is amazing, I suggest it to anyone. If I was to get a bigger tank I wouldnt change the filtration, The added water will help the bioload. My real concern is there aggression and overall well being (disease).

 

[NaH2O]

Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!!

If you can do 10' then I would add the extra length to the tank dimensions Tom gave. I think the fish would appreciate the extra swim distance. How long have all the current inhabitants been together?

 

[bello0110]

about 3 years, I didnt get them all at once. The tank was cycled for 2 months with my miniatus grouper and wrasse - they were 2" at the time!

 

[iwantone]

Only in NYC would you put that many fish in a tank! J/K Congrats on them being able to grow. Tanks above 30 inches in height get very expensive because the acrylic has to be thicker. If you don't rest rocks along the back wall you can probably get away with 30 inch width. a 9 inch tang or a big swimming wrasse like your tusk needs minimum 60 inches length. Considering how well things are growing.... 96 x 36 x 24 (assuming you don't have a deep sand bed) would be 350 gallons. If you put a super amount of alternating current in the tank you can probably go a little smaller.

 

[NaH2O]

*blowing and wiping the dust off this thread....*

Curious as to what came of this...

 

[Reefergeorge]

Yeah, I'd like to see some pics.