Please recommend me a decent setup. Question

Hi
I have read into what a SW aquarium requires and have decided I'd like a FOWLR. Just curious if it would be easy to upgrade a FOWLR to a Reef? Or would modifications be too complex and need to start from scratch?

Please recommend me a set-up for the FOWLR. E.g a tank? Size? etc..

Thanks a Lot!
Dan

 

I'm afraid of saltwater....everything is so expensive!!

 

Haha Yeah but if you save up for a while; I suppose it's worth it. Despite the utility bills & maintenance costs. How much would it cost to maintain per month inc electricity, water changes, salt etc. FOWLR

 

 
Hello Dan. The above link will help you to determine how much it costs for electricty to run your tank.
Ken

 

That is a very loaded question! I am (very, very slowly) switching my FW 10g out for FOWLR. It's hard to recommend what size and etc, it just depends on what you want to do. Are there fish you have your heart set on? Triggers and tangs need 90g+, or if you wanted to do like a clownfish and a goby you could possibly go as small as 10g. Live rock is the biggest expense IMO, you need a pound or two per gallon (and it runs somewhere around $10/lb), so you should choose your size accordingly. You add base rock though below the live rock so eventually the base rock will become seeded from the LR. The bigger the tank though, the easier it is to keep everything stable. You may not need a protein skimmer under 30g (although it's always a good investment).

Switching to a reef tank isn't that hard I guess, lighting is the biggest thing, I can't really offer much advice on that though. You need to use caution when buying a used tank if you want to switch to a reef tank...I've heard that if anyone's ever used a copper based medication, even the smallest trace elements of copper will kill corals.

 

As long as you choose reef safe fish and don't medicate the tank, it would be quite easy to switch it over to a reef from a FOWLR. You'll just need a lighting upgrade and possibly increased flow.

As far as recommending a setup, I really can't do that for you as it is based so much on what your budget is. Go as large as you can without cheaping out on your equipment. If you have a local reef club, you may be able to get a lot of things used that would cost you a ton new.

What fish interest you the most? As you know, they have minimum tank sizes that must be met, so maybe we can start there.

 

I would like a clown fish set-up if possible. Also sea horses look amazing!! but they require a 55gal?

 

I wouldnt recommend sea horses for 1 big reason: Hard to keep, even for advanced marine members.

 

Yeah I heard that. I think I'll build my tank around clown fish, and other smaller ones. Thanks