wet/dry or refugium ,?

[Rollingman]

i'm setting up a 75gal aggressive tank what will work better, a big refugium or a wet/dry with a good skimmer? i have 45lbs of lr 50lbs ls. im going to put 3 good sized fish. how do you keep it clean without a clean up crew?

[JDM130]

Depends on what kind of fish your planning on adding. When you say "good size fish" how big is that? 45 pounds of LR is not that much and 50 of LS is not a lot for a 75. Be a little more specific so we can tell you some options.
Jeff

[Rollingman]

I have a small Niger right now. i will get a huma huma & a lionfish.

[JDM130]

First, A 75 is not big enough to house the fish that you want. Triggers are teritorial and probably won't tolerate each other in such confined quarters as they grow. Even though the fish you are talking about are not generaly as agressive as other species of Triggers it's still IMO a BIG risk. Not to mention the size these fish can acheive in a short time. I have had many Triggers including a Clown for over 8 years, and they DO get more aggressive with age. Mine used to be a sweet fish that never hurt a thing, After about 5 years, it harrassed and tortured almost everything. And a Lion (unless a dwarf Lion) will outgrow a 75 within 6 months if purchased as a juvi. Lions grow very very fast if fed properly. My Lion is in a 180 and is over a foot long and very full in just over a year.

If you must keep these fish, I would have to say to get a WD and a good skimmer. If you load the tank with enough LR to support these fish there will be nowhere for them to swim. Please reconsider the livestock, a 75 is not an apropriate home for these fish.

My 2cents.............Jeff

[moonpod]

Agree with the above. All three of the fish named above will outgrow a 75. Granted if you get them small, it'll take a little while, maybe 2 years. Triggers and lions can grow fast. Triggers and lions also seem to be a bad combo as are triggers and triggers often. You've got the niger right? I'd stick with that for now and look at other smaller interesting fish. Neon dottyback, dwarf angel, hawkfish, etc... I personally was able to keep a clean up crew with a niger. They are predominantly planktonivores, so it's not an impossible thing. Forget it with a humu. They find hermits and often snails to be the equivalent of the buffet lineup. Up the LR poundage to closer to 1 lb/gal, and then if you have problems with nitrates, go for the refugium/algae scrubber.

[Iammatt219]

I also think you will need a larger tank. However, why not go with both a w/d which feeds to a refugium. I use this system in several of my tanks all of which have almost perfect water quality.