fowlr filtration

[SwimsWithFish]

ok so I'm setting up a 55 gallon fowlr and i have gone back and fourth on filtration ideas a million and a half times. but now i think i have a game plan for filtration...
i want to take an aqua clear 110 and turn it into a refugium with cheato, live sand, and live rock rubble with a sponge for mechanical filtration that i would clean/replace every month.
i also want to have a sea clone 100 protein skimmer
and around 40 pounds of live rock and 80 pounds of aragonite sand.
this be good?
also, ill be stocking lightly with a ton of scavengers/inverts

 

[Fishguy2727]

I would add more live rock, ideally 75-100+ pounds. Good news is that it doesn't all have to start as live rock. You can use dry base rock as long as the live rock you do add is very good.

If you are going to use a Seaclone (heads up: you will get harassed over it) go with the larger one.

I would add a powerhead in the tank, the fish will appreciate it.

What fish are you planning on?

 

[SwimsWithFish]

yeah I've got a power head already...
i was thinking like 2 ocellaris clowns, a diamond back OR mandarin goby, a scopes tang, and a big clean up crew... what do you think could i go with more fish?

 

[SwimsWithFish]

and why the 150?

 

[ezy33]

The Tang police will tell you that your tank is too small for any Tang as it needs plenty or room to swim. Unless you plan to up size your tank in the future.

The Mandarin Goby you should see eating live brine shrimp at your LFS to have a good chance to make it in your system. It will need a Colony of Copepods living in your rock. Or you can buy them in a bottle on-line or from your LFS.

 

[Fishguy2727]

More live rock would definitely be needed for the mandarin.

A larger protein skimmer is always good. For the price difference between the 100 and 150 it would be worth the upgrade.

With that setup, in my experience, it is almost inevitable that you will go reef. Because of this I suggest planning on this now. There is nothing really wrong with your plan that would inhibit you from easily going into corals. Just don't change the plan and add a fish that is not reef-safe. That would require you to tear all your rock out to get that one fish out when you do go reef.

 

[SwimsWithFish]

ok ill go bigger.... for some reason the 150 is cheaper than the 100? :0

 

[Fishguy2727]

All the more reason.

 

[SwimsWithFish]

All the more reason.

hahahahahaha.