Starting a FOWLR... what do i need?

[chris127]

So i want to start a 20 gallon fowlr (and get some corals when i can afford it) please tell me if my list is okay. after a month or two of cycling I would only have a pair of clowns and some shrimp/snails/crabs too. eventually i will try to get the clowns to host an anemone

Need:
Coralife 2x65w pc light
can i get away with a HOB filter?
25-30 lbs ls
20 lbs lr
salt mix
heater
powerhead
is a protein skimmer or fuge necessary?
heater+bucket for water changes

have i forgotten anything?

thanks guys !

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

my comp is working rite again lol so we can continue the stuff on here now lol.

 

[chris127]

aha. i sent you another PM. just post your response here lol

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

oops lol, i 4 got, go check ur messages again lol.

 

[chris127]

so heres what weve been talking about if anyone wants to learn from this as well!

sorry im sending this in a pm, but it wouldnt let me reply for some reason. so let me recall on your post rite here...


So i want to start a 20 gallon fowlr (and get some corals when i can afford it) please tell me if my list is okay. after a month or two of cycling I would only have a pair of clowns and some shrimp/snails/crabs too. eventually i will try to get the clowns to host an anemone

Need:
Coralife 2x65w pc light
can i get away with a HOB filter?
25-30 lbs ls
20 lbs lr
salt mix
heater
powerhead
is a protein skimmer or fuge necessary?
heater+bucket for water changes

have i forgotten anything?

thanks guys !




ok so here we go...

the light should do ok for corals (most types i believe) but not sps or clams, but those are much harder to care for anyways.
you could do a HOB filter but make sure its a decent one.
skip the live sand, and go with some type of dry sand, all sand becomes live eventually and buying live sand will just be a waste of money.
get a little more lr, or even better, to save extra cash go with 1/2 base rock and 1/2 live rock in the tank. aim for 25-30 pounds toal rock.
what type of salt are you planning on using, just curious?
heater, ok
shoot for 2 power heads, more flow is always better and it will save you from some algae problems later.
protine skimmers and fuge's arent nessecary.
heater and bucket, ok. make sure that you also get a powerhead to mix salt as well.
missing things include a hydrometeror even better refractometer. a thermometer for the tank and salt mixing. a magnet cleaner for the glass (not nessecary but it helps a lot) and i think that thats about it. ill reply again if i think of anything.

haha i knew i forgot the hydrometer and algae scraper

i would probably use instant ocean salt.

i was gona ask if i could just get dry sand+half lr to seed it but you read my mind! will any type of dry sand from the lfs do? or is one better than the other? does the lr need any type of food or light to seed all the way down to the sand while im cycling?

thanks for the quick reply!!

haha, i actually used to be into magic big time, makes me laugh lol. and when i said 1/2 live rock and 1/2 base rock, that means that 1/2 is the traditional live form and 1/2 doesnt actually have the live element yet but the lr will seed the base rock so it will become live later. uhh, caribsea dry argonite is good but u gotta rinse it a lot before you put it in the tank, others will help you with the rinsing ingo cuz i haven't a clue as how exactly to do it, i just dumped mine in (bad mistake). the live rock doesnt really need food or light but i kept my lights on anyways to promote early algae growth so its not a bad idea. to kick start the cycle throw in a raw cocktail shrimp fron the grocery store until you get an ammonia reading. oh which reminds me, a test kit, u need that big time.
no prob on the responce, i always get greedy and want quick replies to my stuff so i try to return the favor as often as possible lol!

haha. ive got a test kit cause im into planted tanks pretty big. i have a DIY light fixture right now but what ususally comes first to salt tanks, fish or frags? and im assuming frags need the extra light? (the coralife light i plan to order)

so could i theoretically have a salt fowlr without the expensive light? not saying that im going to, ill end up getting a light and some frags around xmas time when ive got the cash

thanks again!

fish should always come first (wish i would have known that). yep, fowler lighting is all astetic, actinic lights make SW fish pop. what type of corals are you thinkin? oh and you were a freshie? well, welcome to the dark side lol.

haha yeah im a freshie i still have my planted tank. i just want something to contrast it. im still shopping around for corals right now while i total up everything to whether or not i can afford it. i think i can because i dont have to buy everything at once now! and coupons are always awesome

so when i go to the lfs to buy some rock, should i be looking for a specific type? (fiji, caribbean, etc) or is that aesthetic as well?

 

[chris127]

oh, and heres another big question. can i use my tap water? its florida well water, pH of about 7.4-8 i think right out of the faucet. thats out of the softener, should i use the hard water? and i only use prime to condition my water.

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

so heres what weve been talking about if anyone wants to learn from this as well!



haha yeah im a freshie i still have my planted tank. i just want something to contrast it. im still shopping around for corals right now while i total up everything to whether or not i can afford it. i think i can because i dont have to buy everything at once now! and coupons are always awesome

so when i go to the lfs to buy some rock, should i be looking for a specific type? (fiji, caribbean, etc) or is that aesthetic as well?

lr is pretty much aesthetic. do u understand what i meant with the live rock/base rock thing? im confusing sometimes so i just wanna be clear.

oh, and heres another big question. can i use my tap water? its florida well water, pH of about 7.4-8 i think right out of the faucet. thats out of the softener, should i use the hard water? and i only use prime to condition my water.

you are going to want to get a ro/di unit cuz of the hard water. or you could always buy filtered/premixed water from your lfs but youll be glad that you speant the money on the ro/di unit, u can get em cheap on ebay ive heard.

 

[chris127]

lr is pretty much aesthetic. do u understand what i meant with the live rock/base rock thing? im confusing sometimes so i just wanna be clear.

yeah i get that. get like 15lbs of live rock to seed ~ 10 lbs unlive? rock lol. and ill probably go with some aragamax sand. how deep of a bed should i be looking for. 1-2 inches? more?

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

yeah i get that. get like 15lbs of live rock to seed ~ 10 lbs unlive? rock lol. and ill probably go with some aragamax sand. how deep of a bed should i be looking for. 1-2 inches? more?

sandbeds are strange, its opinion but yeah, 1-2 inches should be fine. yup, rock stuff sounds good.

 

[melosu58]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/stock-list-and-tips-for-maintaining-your-sw-tank-73477.html

 

[intimatecple]

as far as corals go ....imo I would wait longer than christmas time...at the earliest I would go is spring to late summer

 

[catmel]

You can get away with using treated tap as long as the parameters are ok for a FOWLR ( keep an eye out for unwanted algae), but in the long run RO/Di is best, especially when you get corals. Get plenty of live/base rock, it'll make your fish more comfortable and give you places to put coral later on.

Research!! Make sure your fish will get a long well and stock lightly, especially if you want corals later, water quality needs to be perfect. Also, make sure you add a QT tank onto your list, its invaluable. You NEED one, trust me It will save you a lot of heartache.

They do make nano skimmers, you might want to try it, it certainly wouldnt hurt, though ive heard you dont need them on a nano, i'll let the nano experts elaberate on that.

Keep a close eye on water parameters. I know my 10 gal QT changes VERY quickly ( and the 55 gal is almost always stable).
Have fun!!

 

[chris127]

thanks guys i read all the nano reefing and starting up a fowlr tank articles last night. i learned alot!

and this might sound stupid but is freshwater filter bacteria the same as saltwater? the tank is currently freshwater with a good colony of bacteria. should i clean the filters before converting it?

edit: i also have a uv from battling green water in my planted tank. would it help to have that hooked up too?

 

[chris127]

as far as corals go ....imo I would wait longer than christmas time...at the earliest I would go is spring to late summer

why is it best to wait? i will if its necessary.

and are zoas good beginner polyps?

 

[chris127]

and is RO/DI water absolutely necessary? i dont think ill be able to afford it if it is :|

 

[Ziggy953]

In my opinion RO/DI is a must to keep a healthy reef. The water you start with should be near perfect and the best way of doing that is having an RO/DI unit. You can get one on ebay for under $100 shipped.

Your source water, you lighting, your skimmer are things you don't want to skimp on. You are going to find that having the RO/DI unit will make things a lot easier to deal with especially with a 20g tank. It is going to require regular and frequent PWCs as well as daily top offs. The better your water is the better your tank will do and limit the possible issues of algae.

Also check for a T5HO fixture instead of the PC fixture. You will get more life from the bulbs and better light. The cost should be similar.

 

[chris127]

instead of buying a better hob and a skimmer, will this work?

Skilter Filters

 

[Ziggy953]

I don't know much about those. I personally would not have it on my system. Regular and frequent PWCs will keep things balanced for you and you wont need as much mechanical filtration. I still think the RO/DI unit is something that will benefit you the most. If you have enough LR in the tank and do the PWCs like you should you will be ok.

 

[chris127]

i can do pwc's every week. i already have a time set aside on friday to do it on my freshie tank so adding another one shouldnt be a problem

do i need a skimmer?

 

[Ziggy953]

On a tank that size it is debatable. Some people will say yes others will say no. I had a 15g nano that I ran for nearly a year without a skimmer on it. I did at the time have my current reef (well the 72g version) running so if I had an issue in the small tank I could replace the water rather quickly. I say with regular PWCs (weekly is great) then you should be fine with out a skimmer or for that matter a HOB filter. Make sure to have at least 1.5-2lbs of LR in the tank for good filtration and a couple of power heads for good circulation. Topping off daily will be the only real issue I see in the tank. You want to keep that SG as stable as possible. Oh and the temp, make sure to have a good heater so your temp remains stable.