60 Gallon Conversion to FOWLR

[StealingNemo]

Hi All,

I have been lurking around RC for a while, as well as some other forums, but just signed up here as it seems to have more of the knowledgeable and users ready to share info like I am searching for.

First off, I am not new to aquariums by any means but this will be my second attempt at a marine tank and I am looking for some information on guidance on possibly converting my current 60 gallon over to a FOWLR setup.

My first SW was not an absolute failure, but was too much to care for at the time, so it was up for less than 6 months.

Since then I have had quite a few different FW setups ranging everywhere from native stock (like bluegills) to cichlids and tanks ranging from 100 gallons to a recently completed Low Tech Nano Biotope. I am fairly confident that I am ready to get back SW and now have the time to dedicate to it as I work from home and the tank is/will be in my office where I spend 12+ hours a day.

I am just rambling now, so I will get to the point/questions:

So, converting a 60 gallon DT to a FOWLR tank:

In terms of dimensions, is a 48L x 13W x 24D footprint sufficient?
I currently run Canister filters. I have seen some conflicting information on the web, but in your experiences, would it be OK to use canister filters in place of a sump? I have seen that some people run canisters with regular media (bio balls, ceramic, filter floss, etc.) while others use crush coral or rock. Since I have two canisters, I can mix it up.
Are there any additional caveats that should be noted for the conversion, whether it is in regards to the actual process or the setup I should be aiming for? I am also fine with being told I need to stick with FW if that is a honest opinion...
Any considerations on stock? I am open to anything at this point!


Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any input you may have!

[ReefsandGeeks]

I think going to FOWLR would be fine. I have a 40 gallon (30"X12X 24tall) mixed reef and I've been using a canister filter for the 10ish months I've had the tank. Sure, a sump is much nicer, and I wish I had one, but a canister can be used. They are often refered to as nitrate factories because without regular maintainance, they trap detritus. Proper maintanance and they work well.

having a tank that is only 12-13 inches front to back can be annoying for aquascaping, but you can make it look good. The tank is on the smaller end for saltwater, so your live stock options will be a bit limited, but not bad with a 60. Look at liveaquaria for live stock and see if you like what they would recomend for 60 gallon tanks.

What i would do is drain your tank, clean it and all of the equipment, and set it bck up to cycle. You'll need to get salt, and RODI filter is strongly perfered, a refractometer (swing arm hydrometers are known to be inaccurate), and probably a powerhead for some more flow. Do a fishless cycle, add some live rock (mostly dry with only partialy live if you want to save money), and some sand and you're good to cycle. I'd sugest a shallow sandbed, or no substrate, for a FOWLR.

[ReefsandGeeks]

Also, welcome to Reef Central. I also think it's the best forum, very knowlegable people on here. Once set up, I don't think it would be much more maintanance than a FW tank, being FOWLR. Just need to keep up on cleaning the canister. SW fish do have tighter tolerances on perameters like pH that they need compaired to FW, but the salt has buffers in it that help maintain those perameters.

Also, a heater is likely needed. Typicaly, people keep their tanks around 78 degrees. Hopefully you don't need a chiller, they can be pricy.

1 more thing, Although not necessary, a HOB proteinskimmer would help remove organics that lower water quality before they have a chance to start breaking down. You can get a good one for that size tank for $120-200 new.

So what I had sugested:
Skimmer $150
RODI filter: $120
Saltmix: $60
Powerhead: $50
Live rock: typicaly $5/lb, or Dry for $1.50-2$/lb
Total: $380 + $100 for rock = about $500 to convert.

Can get by without the skimmer, or a cheaper powerhead for FOWLR, but you'd be gad to get decent equipment. The skimmer can wait a few months if needed, but you'll be glad you got it whn you do.

Good luck!

[StealingNemo]

Hi devastator, thanks for the response!

One thing I forgot to mention is that I am on a well. A very deep well... Water from the 'tap' has a pH of around 7.8 (easy to buffer up and down as needed), ammonia and nitrites are 0, nitrates are detectable, but less than 5 ppm. I am just not sure of all the other readings usually done on SW. What should I be testing for and recording before I invest in a slow dripping RODI? I already pre-filter the water for any possible sediment (only get some after a large rain) and the water is pristine.

[ReefsandGeeks]

Do you happen to have TSD meter? total desolved solids. This is what people typicaly use to check their water out of an RODI to see if the filters need replaced. Anything above 0 means it needs replaced. For a reef, I'd say it's RODI or nothing, but without coral you may be able to use tap with your well. Not optimal, but may be acceptable for you. I'd test it for phosphate, as that will likely be present and causes algea. pH out of the tap realy doens't matter at all for a reef. The salt mix will buffer the water to about 8.2, and that's about where it will stay. Acceptable pH for a FOWLR tank would be 7.8-8.5ish. as long as it's stable. 8.2 is kind of middle of the line. A side note, don't "chase pH" in a saltwater tank. Trying to get that perfect pH reading will mess with other more important perameters like alkalinity (kH).

If you wanted to try your well water, you can. be aware that it could cause algea problems. Also, assuming you have copper pipes, trace amounts of copper are poisonous to inverts, but not so bad for fish. If the copper lines in your house leach copper into the tap water, than that could get into the tank and kill any inverts, including worms and pods that are beneficial to the live rock. Worth the risk? maybe. you could always drain the tank and add another peice of live rock if it was bad. I don't think it would be much of a problem, but don't want to say do it and then it mess with your system. Personlay, I'd try the tap water first and get RODI if you see a problem, or if you get tired of algea that may be caused by tap. Just know that if you have a problem and post on here, the first thing people will normaly ask is if you're using RODI. Troubleshooting is hard to do when you're not certain what you're putting into the tank.

[StealingNemo]

I do not have a TDS meter, but I can pick one up while I am out this weekend.

All pipes are PVC, so no copper worries.