stocking a 120

cnovak · Post by **cnovak** » Thu May 06, 2004 2:03 pm

Well last weekend i went by Aqua works and Tim talked me into getting a bigger tank. $1 over invoice seemed too good to be true. So w/in the next 2 weeks i'll be the proud parent of a 48x24x24" tank. Just wondering what some of you thought about some of my selections.
Mandarin- will have to wait for the tank to establish
Orange shoulder tang and either a regal or naso
Small school of either green or blue chromis
Gonna move my MGS clown from the 29
Any other thoughts would be welcomed.
Also thinking of running 2 400watt MH w/4 VHO. Does that seem like too much to anyone? I've only used PC on the 29 so really don't know much about the higher lightings. All advice and/or suggestions are welcomed.

Chris

ShagMan · Post by **ShagMan** » Thu May 06, 2004 3:07 pm

The lighting and other selections look great... that's a nice tank size, it's 120G right?

On the fish, I would say that two tangs in a 4' long tank is pushing it... definitely not saying it "can't be done", but be careful, you could have territory problems. Otherwise, sounds cool! I can't wait to get a good school of green chromis's in my 240G

Post by **snoopdog** » Thu May 06, 2004 10:29 pm

I would personally drop all of the Tangs, but they call me the "Tang Police". Only thing to worry about of course is the heat on the lights, and the power bill. Halides look great and can make a tank really look great but keep in mind that if the water starts cooking this summer you may have to think about cooling next. Honestly i would think about checking on your power consumption and figure out how much the tank is going to run you on your power bill. Of course this is if money is tight, if not then just go with it.

tbmoore · Post by **tbmoore** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:32 pm

do plan on cooling the tank...chiller is the best way to go....The lights will not only look great...but will allow clams and sps corals....worry about the fish later after the tank settles in. As far as tangs go I do not think you would be overloaded (my thoughts.)...I know I am heavy on tangs. One thing to consider is what order to add fish....adding fish later will cause fights...Make sure you plan this up front....The green chromis are great in a school....I have at least 20 in my tank. They do not bother anyone and look great as a group.....If you buy them as a group you can get large ones and a price cut... (from rm). The main problem is going to be the heat...plant this well and consider if you ever go bigger...if so get the equiptment once....like now for expansion...cheaper in the long run to buy once..

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:37 pm

Awesome size, I wanted to order that exact tank, I saw the one he had set up and thought it was a neat shape. Had too many other things going on so just couldn't do it last month.

I think you would be ok with any of the zebasoma (sp) variety of tangs, like the yellow, purple, kole...

cnovak · Post by **cnovak** » Fri May 07, 2004 11:27 am

THanks for the replies. Would a school of 6-8 chromis be too many for this tank? It'll be a couple of months before i get this thing together which is good for me so i can research more about how i'm gonna do it. As for the power, is there a chart or something i can use to give a ballpark figure on how much my tank plus lights and accesories will run? What is the lowest lighting i can go w/these dimensions and still keep sps and maximas? Not saying i want to be cheap but don't want to go broke because of the power bill either...LOL

tbmoore · Post by **tbmoore** » Sun May 09, 2004 10:08 pm

I have 24 in my 240reef....as for how many in your tank...I would suggest starting off with 2 or 3 for a few months to make sure the tank matures.. then add couple more and so on... too big of a load two quick might make your tank crash...any sudden changes are not good.