which is better
 

ok here it goes please answer honesty. :exclaim:
I was going to have a DSB with some home made live rock for my tank 280 gallons :exclaim:
is this enough for the fish at the bottom of my signture.

The reason i'm asking this that you need 1gal of bio balls will do 20 gallons, I have 10 gallons and can get more. Ok what I'm asking is that can i have say 20 gallons of bio balls and a slighty bare bottom tank, will this equal the DSB and will this give me more of a biological load for the tank in stead of having lots of rock and a DSB

Re: which is better
 

Is what enough?? Some rock? How many pounds is "some"? Are you seeding it with any real rock? How much sand? Is it live?

sorry about that .
the rock will be around
30-40 home made
50 base
maybe 30 lbs live of fiji
live sand 4" with aragonite and GEO MARINE CC

"Eventually" it will provide enough filtration, however, it will not support feeding 2 mandarins and 2 six lines. You may want to consider an external pod factory, or refugium.
I would skip the bioballs altogether

Also, I wouldn't add the pod eaters until the tank has matured enough(like a year). And 4 tangs is pushing it, IMO. The tank is only 6 feet long. I think the tangs will be crowded.

thanks brad. But you look at these people that have 4 tangs in a 90 -150 gal tank and they are doing fine or a tank that is 200 -240
i dont understand not trying to get in a uproar but, people are alweays saying that a tank 24" is never wide enough ,so i get 30 " people say a tank 24 is never high enough so i get 30 ,i though that 72 " is plenty.

Sorry not trying to sound like a jack a@# here it's just funny hearingthat i dont have enough space in my tank...

But thanks for the tip on the goby's and the wrasse. :redface:

Mike, you have lots of water and you'll be able to maintain water quality really well. But the additional 6 inches here and there isn't going to cut it for 4 tangs. I have 2 tangs in a 150g. That gives 10sq. ft. for 2 tangs. You only have 15 sq. ft., not double the 150g area. Maybe three tangs would do OK, I just think 4 is pushing it. Will they die and your tank burst into flames?? Probably not. They will probably not be best friends though. I think your tank would make 2 tangs really happy. In the end, it is your tank to do with as you wish.

thanks for the advice Brad ,I'm not trying to sound like a ass ,But that is all i ever heard thanks for making it sound proper. may be i will give it a shot and have 2 tangs. Now which ones to pick.

whatabout 2 hippo's :mrgreen:

I think any combination except powder brown with purple. I think they would fight a lot. Hippo and purple would look nice and get along well. Scopas is a zebrasoma, just like the purple, so that might not work well.

welll i see you are not working today like me i'm at the office and doing nothing. Hows the mouth doing ... :frown:

Any way i really like the Powder brown and a hippo. be ok