FO setup recomendation
- Thread starter Ltspd
- Start date
Ltspd,
FO these days is a dying hobby. Why, because nearly every person who starts down the "saltwater" path eventually succumbs to their desires and converts over to a reef tank.
That said, here's my advice. Start with at least a 50 gallon tank. Make sure it is set-up with a surface skimming overflow. Put in a deep sand bed or plenum, that has been seeded with a live sand culture from a local buddy's tank. Then put in enough live rock to make things pleasing to the eye. In a matter of days, when ammonia and the rest of the cycle calm down, you can start to add fish.
A small 10K/Actinic combo will work out well for lighting and be adequate to keep the coralline algae going. But isn't necessary, live rock will stay "alive" without light. You will lose some of the more interesting hitchikers like zoanthids, and micro corals without the light.
The overflow should go to as big a sump as will fit in your stand. A rubbermaid storage bin works great. In there you can put a skimmer, and some carbon/polyfilter, etc...
Bottom line; set things up from the start to support the conversion later on, because you will eventually catch the bug. Better to be in a position to transition to reef, than have to start all ovr again at greater cost
Nellie
FO these days is a dying hobby. Why, because nearly every person who starts down the "saltwater" path eventually succumbs to their desires and converts over to a reef tank.
That said, here's my advice. Start with at least a 50 gallon tank. Make sure it is set-up with a surface skimming overflow. Put in a deep sand bed or plenum, that has been seeded with a live sand culture from a local buddy's tank. Then put in enough live rock to make things pleasing to the eye. In a matter of days, when ammonia and the rest of the cycle calm down, you can start to add fish.
A small 10K/Actinic combo will work out well for lighting and be adequate to keep the coralline algae going. But isn't necessary, live rock will stay "alive" without light. You will lose some of the more interesting hitchikers like zoanthids, and micro corals without the light.
The overflow should go to as big a sump as will fit in your stand. A rubbermaid storage bin works great. In there you can put a skimmer, and some carbon/polyfilter, etc...
Bottom line; set things up from the start to support the conversion later on, because you will eventually catch the bug. Better to be in a position to transition to reef, than have to start all ovr again at greater cost
Nellie
I would give the same advice Nellie gave. I am currently setting up a FOWLR but I've done everything reef-ready except lighting and calcium reactor. I'm gonna do fish for about a year until my tank is well established and I have the money for lighting. You will most likely eventually lean towards reef as inverts are so cool! Reef ready FOWLR is the way to go IMO.
I already have a HUGE reef tank setup.
I am wanting to set up a FO on the cheap. I do NOT need ungodly lights and all the elec consumption to run a FO tank it would seem. Why do I need 1000's of watts of halides, huge pumps, and massive skimmers to run FO???????????
My pockets are not that deep, I already have about 7k in my current setup.
I am wanting to set up a FO on the cheap. I do NOT need ungodly lights and all the elec consumption to run a FO tank it would seem. Why do I need 1000's of watts of halides, huge pumps, and massive skimmers to run FO???????????
My pockets are not that deep, I already have about 7k in my current setup.
Hi:
I will first disagree w/ nellie for making such an unsupported statement and then say that many people like myself (and 1000's of other) who have killer Fo tanks will find FO a better outlet or an additional outlet to a sperate reeftank (i personally will not succumb to full blown reeftank). While the beauty of a reeftank is impressive, so are the colors of emperor angels, lionfish, australian tusk,
colored b'flies, etc, etc,. How many people enjoy the dog-like attention of a large puffer fish?
Many of these fish are unsuitable for a reeftank and deserve their own place. So i say FO tanks are not a dying breed. Just ask me I answer lots of questions of FO tanks here and here
Do some people eventually switch over to reeftank? yup
Off my soapbox......
bigger tanks are better, 50gal would be small IMO, I woul consider a 75 or 100 a better choice 180's are great. Bigger tank bigger fish, and better water quality.
What size you thinking?
Filtration-two choices....Wet/dry systems (yup they still work) and DSB/Live rock. DSB/Live rock work great for non digging fish, the water quality is better w/ DSB/LR but its more pricey and again no digging fish. wet/dries work great but tend to cause water quality issues, but nothing that dilgence and attention to details and husbandry won't take care off.
What kind of fish you looking at?
frank
I will first disagree w/ nellie for making such an unsupported statement and then say that many people like myself (and 1000's of other) who have killer Fo tanks will find FO a better outlet or an additional outlet to a sperate reeftank (i personally will not succumb to full blown reeftank). While the beauty of a reeftank is impressive, so are the colors of emperor angels, lionfish, australian tusk,
colored b'flies, etc, etc,. How many people enjoy the dog-like attention of a large puffer fish?
Many of these fish are unsuitable for a reeftank and deserve their own place. So i say FO tanks are not a dying breed. Just ask me I answer lots of questions of FO tanks here and here
Do some people eventually switch over to reeftank? yup
Off my soapbox......
bigger tanks are better, 50gal would be small IMO, I woul consider a 75 or 100 a better choice 180's are great. Bigger tank bigger fish, and better water quality.
What size you thinking?
Filtration-two choices....Wet/dry systems (yup they still work) and DSB/Live rock. DSB/Live rock work great for non digging fish, the water quality is better w/ DSB/LR but its more pricey and again no digging fish. wet/dries work great but tend to cause water quality issues, but nothing that dilgence and attention to details and husbandry won't take care off.
What kind of fish you looking at?
frank
FMarini":22rypmlz said:
Frank, in my 230 I am doing a DSB w/ LR and it is surprisingly cheap. I just used Southdown Sand and 500 pounds cost me about $40. The LR I am getting is kind of expensive but doesn't have to be. I think a 4-5" DSB will be sufficient with a few pieces of purchsased live rock and the rest home-made rock. As for the digging fish, I plan on keeping a snowflake morray on my DSB. As Danmhippo suggested to me, I silicone 2 1/2" pieces of half inch PVC vertically on my tank bottom. Then I layed eggcrate over the top of that and added 4-5" on Southdown Sand. The eggcrate should keep the eel on the top 2" on sand and never disturb the bottom layers. keep in mind, no screen on the eggcrate, just the eggcrate.
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