Help me with switching my reef to a FOWLR

[CleverBs]

Ill have a few questions along this process to I figured id make a thread to ask my questions in instead of making a bunch of new threads over and over

So iv never done a fowlr tank really other then temporary ones. I had an issue and will be switching some thing around and want to change my 75g to a FOWLR. the 75g is a reef tank with a bare bottom but I want to put sand in if im doing a FOWLR tank. What should I use for cleaning my sand and turning it over, I know i can use sand sifting gobies but they are messy. I will be using a sugar grain sand because i am going to hatch a cat shark. Im just not really firmiluar with they type of clean up crews people have in a fowlr tank. I cant have shrimp in the tank because my marine betta will eat them and so will the snowflake eel.

 

[Mr. Crabs]

I did something similar about a year ago. I just removed the sand all together and replaced it with starboard. That way I could hit the bottom hard with circulation so nothing settled and the skimmer picked up the pooh and uneaten food.

It was just easier so I could keep more fish without having to worry about detritus building up. Fish are messy and I wanted to concentrate on growth with heavy feeding. Worked out well and never had a water quality issue.

 

[bonniewoodruff]

switching over

I have live sand at the bottom...very cool to turn off lights and wait about an hour and take a flashlight and look at all of the stuff moving around. I also have a 30" snowflake. I have hermit crabs, brittle starfish and a few snails for my clean up crew. No issues yet. I also have a 6" koran angel, trtigger, foxface, and 4 damsels.

 

[CleverBs]

I did something similar about a year ago. I just removed the sand all together and replaced it with starboard. That way I could hit the bottom hard with circulation so nothing settled and the skimmer picked up the pooh and uneaten food.

It was just easier so I could keep more fish without having to worry about detritus building up. Fish are messy and I wanted to concentrate on growth with heavy feeding. Worked out well and never had a water quality issue.

well i have to have a sand bed because i will be raising a cat shark in the tank until he gets about 1.5ft then he will go into a larger tank.

The tank will have a cat shark, snowflake eel, marine betta, sailfin tang.

So im trying to figure out what kind of CUC I should have in the tank.