Newbie - first fowlr tank help

Pdandy · 03/02/2012, 07:11 AM

Hi all! My name is Dan. I have kept freshwater fish for some time now, but the saltwater bug has bit me! I have broken down my freshwater tank and have started on my first fowlr. I want to lay out what I was planning and get some feedback on what will work, and what won't.

Main tank is a new 90 gallon cornerflow from marineland. I have custom built a tall stand for it that fits a 40 breeder underneath for the sump.

Skimmer - reef octopus nwb-150

Return pump - mag12 (I know, a little much, but have plans to reduce flow to main tank, will discuss in a bit)

Heater- jehmco 500w titanium with ranco controller (once again, overkill, but my basement is cold year round, plus I already have it from my last tank)

Light - marineland double bright LED 48" ( is this adequate for a fowlr?)

This is as far as I have gotten. Let me know of any issues you may see so far. I will post pictures in a bit of what I have setup so far and what I am planning for my sump.

dzfish17 · 03/02/2012, 07:53 AM

Welcome to RC. Running a SW tank is just as easy as FW once you get the hang of it. Your plan looks good to me and the lights are fine for a FOWLR.

bnumair · 03/02/2012, 08:04 AM

sounding good so far. lets see a pic

Jocko · 03/02/2012, 08:30 AM

I would consider beefing up on the lights. All it takes is one frag and that FOWLR is a reef. It's really easy to fall off the wagon. And if that happens, you might be wishing you had spent the money on a better light from the start.

Pdandy · 03/02/2012, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnumair

sounding good so far. lets see a pic

Ask and you will receive!! LOL

Here is the 90 on its stand with the 40B underneath. I will eventuall frame and drywall around the tank so it appears to be built "into" the wall.

Here is my plan for the sump. The T coming off of my return which will be feeding my fuge will be the way I control the flow to the main tank if the mag12 proves to be too much. Let me know what you think. (pic is courtesy of melev's reef)

And as far as lights go...what would be a good middle ground? I was looking into a quad bulb 48" t5ho fixture running 2x54w actinic and 2x54w 10,000k white. Would this be sufficient that if in the future I wanted to try my hand at a reef I wouldn't find myself buying new lights?

03/02/2012, 07:11 AM	#1
Pdandy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Gretna, Nebraska USA Posts: 124	Newbie - first fowlr tank help Hi all! My name is Dan. I have kept freshwater fish for some time now, but the saltwater bug has bit me! I have broken down my freshwater tank and have started on my first fowlr. I want to lay out what I was planning and get some feedback on what will work, and what won't. Main tank is a new 90 gallon cornerflow from marineland. I have custom built a tall stand for it that fits a 40 breeder underneath for the sump. Skimmer - reef octopus nwb-150 Return pump - mag12 (I know, a little much, but have plans to reduce flow to main tank, will discuss in a bit) Heater- jehmco 500w titanium with ranco controller (once again, overkill, but my basement is cold year round, plus I already have it from my last tank) Light - marineland double bright LED 48" ( is this adequate for a fowlr?) This is as far as I have gotten. Let me know of any issues you may see so far. I will post pictures in a bit of what I have setup so far and what I am planning for my sump.

03/02/2012, 07:53 AM	#2
dzfish17 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Fresno,Ca. Posts: 2,545	Welcome to RC. Running a SW tank is just as easy as FW once you get the hang of it. Your plan looks good to me and the lights are fine for a FOWLR. __________________ 600g (96x36x46) FOWLR

03/02/2012, 08:04 AM	#3
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	sounding good so far. lets see a pic __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

03/02/2012, 08:30 AM	#4
Jocko Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Boston Posts: 595	I would consider beefing up on the lights. All it takes is one frag and that FOWLR is a reef. It's really easy to fall off the wagon. And if that happens, you might be wishing you had spent the money on a better light from the start.