Archivarium 2004

[lalaland]

Hi,

I've been keeping fresh water tropicals for some time and recently sold them all to the LFS.

I now want to use my 160 litre tank for a lion fish in a fish only set up.

I have all the filters etc. from before (will make sure totally cleaned from freshwater) and am buying a red sea prizm protein skimmer to get the tank ready for use, but I have a couple of questions.

What else do I need?

Is the red sea skimmer any good?

Besides the food, what else do I need to buy every month for the tank?
(any extras such as salt or treatments etc?)

Thanks

[FloridaBoy]

Make sure that's a powerful skimmer (you will need good nutrient export).
After the initial setup of a fish only system your main ongoing costs are minimal; salt for monthly 20 percent water change, possible addition of a pH buffer now and then, your main cost will be quality food for the lion and time for good husbandry/maintenance--again for this type of tank it's really not bad. You will be wise to set up a small quarantine tank proportionate to the size of your display (usualy 10 - 20 gal) and keep a tomato clown or similar species in it to maintain a bioload. Frozen Silversides will make a good food base; rotate with frozen shrimp chunks and a bi-weekly live feeding of ghost shrimp (best to avoid goldfish or guppies for health reasons) also add Selcon to the food and feed only every other day or two. Most lions decline due to overfeeding. Lions are a beautiful species, enjoy.
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years

[lalaland]

What does the tomato clown do in the quaratine tank?

Also, if I were to keep some clowns or similar in the main part of the tank would they all definately get eaten by the Lion? (I suspect the answer is yes, but thought I'd make sure)

[SLACkra]

a clownfish would look like an expensive colourful meal. the tommato clown in the quarentine tank serves to keep the bacteria that is built up when an aquarium cycles. you of course could use different fish. but of course you have to think could the fish I am quarentineing eat the fish in the quarentine tank?

andrew
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32g planted community
7.5g Nano Reef
1 four legged wonder napper
2 winged demons

[FloridaBoy]

Correct, you would need a large specimen. The tomato (A. frenatus) is hardy and gets bigger (4 inches) than say A. percula or ocellaris which would end up as food, also other larger Amphiprion choices (cinnamon/maroon etc.) for maintaining the quarantine bioload; main goal is hardy/non-aggressive.
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years

[Filtration Master]

what is your main filter?? Is it a cannister, lions need very good filtering.
I have a Black Volitian Lionfish in my 85G Tank. Also what type of Lion do you want
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85 Gallon Marine Tank
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