How Would You Stock A 120 Gallon

If your concerned about the heater I'd say to get a 300 or 400 watt and if your really worried about a heater then buy two this way if one dies out the other will cover. Living in florida I worry about it getting too hot. I keep the front half of my canopy lid open and I have the a/c vents aimed at the tank and it stays between 78 and 80 degrees.

 

well im in cali so it really doesnt get hotter than 90 and doesnt get too cold and we also keep the house around 70 or so.

 

so one 300-400 what heater should be ok? what should i do about a skimmer...im looking for one with a smaller footprint if thats possible.

 

If by footprint your considering an in sump skimmer which is what I have. I have a Marineland Marine Pro 300 and I believe it's 6" round. This skimmer is good and does it's job. It basically works when the water level is kept at a certain set level. It's fairly easy to setup. The problem occurs when you don't have an ATO(auto top off) or RO/DI system set in place. What happens then is the skimmer only works when you've recently topped off. Either way it still is a very good unit priced anywhere from $200 to $329 average price is $279. Check the web and then see if your LFS will come close. I do respect my LFS and will at least give them a shot to meet or come close to the price. Fish stores are very valuable to us so I like to give them a bone now and then. Here is some pics of the skimmer from the beginning to recently. Notice that I used eggcrate to keep the heater away from the cheato on the back wall of the refugium.

 

ya i always go to my LFS on sunday because i know the guys pretty well who work that day and they can usually hook me up with a discount. the thing is im not going to be able to have an auto top off because i just dont have the money and its not to high on the list for me. if i take water straight through the tap and then treat it with a dechlorinator will that work for the tank? there will be no corals so that isnt in question. am i also gonna need something to get rid of the metal? thanks

 

Oh boy wow, well I buy RO water from the LFS in 2 gal containers. I have 6 containers. Tap water has minerals and chlorine in it, I used to put Amquel in the water in a large drum and scooped out the water for top off. Anyway you look at it we all have to deal with evaporation one way or another.

 

ya ive used amquel on my freshwater and it was fine and as far as i see it it will be ok since i dont have corals. is that correct? i can buy water from the store but its too expensive and i dont have money for a ro just yet so

 

I have an RO/DI unit which works great. I would never use tapwater and strongly advise against it. In the long run the RO unit pays for itself. Water from the store is a hassle to schlepp and so, if I were you I'd look into it. Water Purification: Aquarium Reverse Osmosis Systems

 

anybody know anything about a yellow head eel? they have one at my LFS and wanted to know some info about them.

 

Adam I really think you should get a 300 gal tank. Lock yourself up in a room and then lock yourself up in a closet. Take into consideration how big these eels and fish get. I was at a restaurant yesterday that had a FOWLR tank and it was about 10' long 30" deep and 3' tall. They had a sohol tang and a hippo tang that were 8' and 7" respectively. I look at my sohol and hippo and dread the day that I might have to give them up because their room became a closet...