75 gallon Fowler question

usmcr0811 · 09/27/2007, 02:36 PM

I have a 75 gallon with 50 lbs of live rock and will eventually be getting up to 100 lbs live rock but don't have the money for it yet. I have set up a 30 gallon sump/fuge and have live sand in the fuge. I only put the live rock in the display tank and the sand is in the sump as this seemed to be the easiest to clean while still giving my fish places to hide. I let my tank cycle for about a week and a half using 2 damsels. I had some really good live rock already and the ammonia didn't seem to rise all that much. One of the Damsels accidentally got sucked into the overflow and ended up trapped in my baffles. I was unable to get this fish out of the baffles and decided to let him decompose in the sump thinking this would create a rise in the ammonia and help it cycle. It didn't seem to help so I went ahead and bought 2 more damsel, 2 snails, and a tiny blenny.

I was wondering what else I need for a clean up crew and how many small fish I could have if I have one large fish such as a tang of huma huma trigger and 2 clown. I am also using a turbo floater 1000 skimmer in my sump.

ActinopteryGuy · 09/27/2007, 02:41 PM

well that depends if you want them to be able to grow to full size. Most tangs may outgrow a 75 with the exception of yellow and cole types.
Huma huma is a very aggressive fish and will dominate your tank, I would avoid it as it may eat your clownfish and blenny.

msn711 · 09/27/2007, 02:50 PM

What you can have as far as a clean up crew/small fish will depend on what fish you ultimately want. For example, if you decide on the huma huma trigger, then you can't have any inverts (snails, crabs, shrimp, etc). So you need to decide what fish is your must have fish, research that fish, and then build around it.

Just a heads up: someone is probably going to bash you for cycling with the damsels. If you use live rock, then there's no need to cycle with fish. There will be enough decomposing on the live rock to start the cycle.

I would get the dead damsel out, especially now that you have live stock in the tank that you probably want to keep alive.

Someone will also likely try to tell you that your tank couldn't possibly have cycled in a week and a half. I say these things because I've been on this board for a while, and people sometimes go off the deep end when things aren't done by the book. So I'll go ahead and ask before someone tries to chop your head off for it: What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings?

usmcr0811 · 09/27/2007, 08:21 PM

I don't know what to use to get exact numbers so if someone could help me out on a product that gives more exact numbers, if that is important. I have been using ammonia quick dip strips and 6 in one quick dip strips testing for nitrate, nitrite, alkalinity, and PH. The ammonia went up to around .05 and then came back down to 0 and the nitrite went up to just under .05 and back to 0 and the Nitrate did about the same. I know people are going to be upset about the damsel thing but what is done is done. I can't go back and change it. Next tank I will use a dead shrimp. The reason I didn't take out the dead damsel is when I tried to it flaked apart and I couldn't get ahold of the pieces with anything.

BurntOutReefer · 09/27/2007, 08:36 PM

how much swimming space is there in your tank? That will help decide number/size of fish you should be able to keep......

09/27/2007, 02:36 PM	#1
usmcr0811 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Ogden, Ia Posts: 244	75 gallon Fowler question I have a 75 gallon with 50 lbs of live rock and will eventually be getting up to 100 lbs live rock but don't have the money for it yet. I have set up a 30 gallon sump/fuge and have live sand in the fuge. I only put the live rock in the display tank and the sand is in the sump as this seemed to be the easiest to clean while still giving my fish places to hide. I let my tank cycle for about a week and a half using 2 damsels. I had some really good live rock already and the ammonia didn't seem to rise all that much. One of the Damsels accidentally got sucked into the overflow and ended up trapped in my baffles. I was unable to get this fish out of the baffles and decided to let him decompose in the sump thinking this would create a rise in the ammonia and help it cycle. It didn't seem to help so I went ahead and bought 2 more damsel, 2 snails, and a tiny blenny. I was wondering what else I need for a clean up crew and how many small fish I could have if I have one large fish such as a tang of huma huma trigger and 2 clown. I am also using a turbo floater 1000 skimmer in my sump.

09/27/2007, 02:41 PM	#2
ActinopteryGuy Addicted 4 Life Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Borneo, Malaysia Posts: 152	well that depends if you want them to be able to grow to full size. Most tangs may outgrow a 75 with the exception of yellow and cole types. Huma huma is a very aggressive fish and will dominate your tank, I would avoid it as it may eat your clownfish and blenny. __________________ Conserve. Respect. Enjoy. http://coral-planting-borneo.webs.com/ Current Tank Info: 500,000L Shark tank...

09/27/2007, 02:50 PM	#3
msn711 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Reynoldsburg, OH Posts: 974	What you can have as far as a clean up crew/small fish will depend on what fish you ultimately want. For example, if you decide on the huma huma trigger, then you can't have any inverts (snails, crabs, shrimp, etc). So you need to decide what fish is your must have fish, research that fish, and then build around it. Just a heads up: someone is probably going to bash you for cycling with the damsels. If you use live rock, then there's no need to cycle with fish. There will be enough decomposing on the live rock to start the cycle. I would get the dead damsel out, especially now that you have live stock in the tank that you probably want to keep alive. Someone will also likely try to tell you that your tank couldn't possibly have cycled in a week and a half. I say these things because I've been on this board for a while, and people sometimes go off the deep end when things aren't done by the book. So I'll go ahead and ask before someone tries to chop your head off for it: What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings? __________________ Shay Current Tank Info: 120 Deep Blue Pro

09/27/2007, 08:21 PM	#4
usmcr0811 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Ogden, Ia Posts: 244	I don't know what to use to get exact numbers so if someone could help me out on a product that gives more exact numbers, if that is important. I have been using ammonia quick dip strips and 6 in one quick dip strips testing for nitrate, nitrite, alkalinity, and PH. The ammonia went up to around .05 and then came back down to 0 and the nitrite went up to just under .05 and back to 0 and the Nitrate did about the same. I know people are going to be upset about the damsel thing but what is done is done. I can't go back and change it. Next tank I will use a dead shrimp. The reason I didn't take out the dead damsel is when I tried to it flaked apart and I couldn't get ahold of the pieces with anything.

09/27/2007, 08:36 PM	#5
BurntOutReefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Granada Hills Posts: 4,376	how much swimming space is there in your tank? That will help decide number/size of fish you should be able to keep......