View Full Version : Need Advice Please
Angler7
01/19/2011, 11:13 AM
Me and my wife just bought our first saltwater tank. Our plan is to go FOWLR. I need advice on what is the best course of action from here. It was already running and here is what i have.
150 gal tank
6 T5 bulbs. About 8 hrs use
40 gal. Sump with Bio balls and carbon sponge.
125 lbs live sand
Rena external filter w/pump
Lil giant return pump
4 power heads
30 lbs of live rock
My plan is to buy RO water and fill it up this weekend to start cycling. Im not in a rush and want to do it the best way. Thanks in advance.
username in use
01/19/2011, 11:21 AM
[welcome]
well, not rushing is a great first step.
I would add the sand so that it is roughly 1-2" deep, no deeper as it will get difficult to keep clean.
Your going to want to get a protein skimmer. There are countless choices so your best bet is to go over to the equipment forum and do some reading there on different skimmers. Whatever you do, don't skimp on this item. You will regret it later when you end up buying a decent one anyway.
Your going to want a lot more rock, but you don't need to buy live rock, you can use dry rock and seed it with your live rock and it will cost you a lot less money.
I wouldn't use the bio balls, as that is what your live rock will do, only it will do it better.
Instead of buying RO water, by an RO filter for yourself. It pays for itself very quickly especially if your going to go and buy 175g right off the bat.
seapug
01/19/2011, 11:45 AM
While a good skimmer is always a worthwhile purchase in the long run, if the plan is to be a fish only tank, I'd recommend thinking first about what your vision is for the setup before immediately spending a bunch of money on a skimmer and live rock.
Definitely go ahead and fill the tank and get it running with the existing rock and equipment ASAP, then take a few weeks to research the needs of the fish you are interested in keeping and think about what type of "biotope" will best suit them. This will give the tank time to cycle and settle and give you time to research and think about exactly what fish you want to keep and what additional purchases you'll need to make to tank to best suit their needs.
cyberwild360
01/19/2011, 11:53 AM
I use a skimmer on FOWLR setup only becuase I know that later on I will be adding corals. If corals is something you can see yourself doing later on than go ahead and purchase a good skimmer. Your fish won't mind it either way.
WELCOME and good luck!!!
Angler7
01/19/2011, 05:15 PM
dont plan on getting corals. So do i really need a protein skimmer?
also my lfs guy said i could use a couple of damsels to cycle my tank. rather than using the shrimp method i saw on here. any thoughts?
Please do not cycle your tank with fish. It is cruel and inhumane. There is a reason why the LFS says its ok...they make money that way
Ilovesalt
01/19/2011, 07:19 PM
use the shrimp one shrimp will cost less than the damsel and its already dead.
Angel*Fish
01/19/2011, 08:03 PM
dont plan on getting corals. So do i really need a protein skimmer?
also my lfs guy said i could use a couple of damsels to cycle my tank. rather than using the shrimp method i saw on here. any thoughts?
I'm not good with weight - 125 lb of live sand...is that a deep sand bed? If so, you need to do some research on dsbs - lots of people fail with these for simple reasons having to do with a misunderstanding of how to maintain them. They need to be at least 4 inches deep for starters.
Regarding skimmers, my view is completely opposite of the others. In my opinion, whether you have corals or not, a good protein skimmer is vital and the more live rock, the better (it doesn't have to all start as live rock, but buy good rock that was once live -- holey rock is awful for your tank and doesn't house bacteria needed).
Salt water fish can live 20 years. If you saw all the gunk the skimmer pulls out, you wouldn't want your fish living and breathing in that. Plus all the things you have to keep the water clean helps allow you to feed your fish more and get plenty of good nutrition into them. You don't want to have to control your nitrates by low feeding.
The more biological filtration you have - deep sand bed, live rock and possibly cheatomorpha algae in your sump - the better. It will either allow you to have more bioload (fish) or require lower maintenance (water changes) and the aforementioned feeding well.
Agree - get those bioballs out of there. If you'd like some physical filtration you can put a "sock" in there. Note the sock should be cleaned once a week if you use one.
Ammonia is a very awful thing for fish, poor little damsels may or may not survive it. There is NO NEED to put them through it.
And before you buy any fish, research needs to be done. In choosing your fish, those compatibility charts are only a starting point. There are lots of fish the LFS is happy to sell you that you won't have the expertise or time for or should be left in the ocean because nobody can provide for their needs. The 4 stickies at the top of this link are the place to start to make sure you don't wind up making that kind of mistake. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=88
Back to that skimmer thing...the truth is sooner or later you will likely wind up with some corals anyway ;)
This is my position: If you want to keep a stable tank, it's easier if you don't buy fish that fight you on that. In other words, don't buy fish that deplete populations of your worms, pods, or sessile invertebrates. They are responsible for cleaning up lots of detritus and help you avoid algae problems. Also any type of crab, even those that are part of "clean up crews" can eat stuff you want to keep. The types of pod/worm eating fish that come to mind are wrasses (the type that feed on the rocks - others are ok) and triggers.
HTH :D
Angel*Fish
01/19/2011, 08:07 PM
And
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