new 46 gal fowlr

[noodus]

what's the best way to set it up?

sand or no sand?

wet/dry or refuge?

i only plan on putting in 25-30 pounds of live rock.

opinions please, thanks

 

[animalutopia]

livesand always works best because it cycles the tank much faster then using coral.
remember to add the sand after the tank is at a proper salinity other wise the sand will die!

now to maintain healthy sand substrate and keep it thriving add a couple of sand sifters to keep it moving.

refugiams are good but in my opinion very complicated. wetdry will work. just remember to upgrade the protien skimmer!

 

[Guest]

Sand
Fuge (HOT in you have the room)
Lots of LR
Good quality skimmer - Coralife Superskimmer (the one rated for 65 g)

Good luck!

 

[HoopsGuru]

For a fish only tank, I would go with a shallow sandbed (1" or less), this would eliminate the need for sand sifters. I would then go with a wet/dry and a good skimmer (remora or bakpak).

 

[seaham358]

Agree with hoops about the sand bed, Sand sifting stars require lots of LS and they will eat benificial SB critters and in a 46 they will eat the food source quickly. SS snails would be a better option. A fuge IMO is a great addidtion to any tank and if you have the room should be added. A fuge is different then a W/d and sump.. So your talking about a sump/fuge combo?
Do not skimp on the LR it will be the main filtration on the tank and is one of the most important parts of a tank. If you must use less LR then maybe a W/D would be a better way to go.
Do lots of planning and keep asking questions..

 

[Guest]

Sand is always fun. If you're planning on putting live rock, why not just get regular sand or aragonite or something. The LR will seed it with goodies.

It's always a great challenge to go the refugium way. With that said, I really have no experience with refugiums. I would try the sump way. Maybe put a bit more LR in the sump.

FOWLRs are very easy to maintain for a saltwater setup. You'll have a great time and have an awesome experience learning new tricks.

Good luck

 

[greenmaji]

If you only want up to 30lb of LR in the main tank.. would you consider another 20lb+ LR rubble in the sump? I like the idea of a fuge better then wet/dry and a good skimmer would be very benificial IMO.. HTH

 

[noodus]

thanks everyone!! i'm think i'm going with 1 inch of live sand bed. wet/dry with extra rock rubble. and a skimmer of course.