new to marine tanks, help required

adam6293 · 02/01/2014, 05:24 AM

hi there, I'm completely new to the salt water world but I'm in the middle of sifting through tonnes of information online and reading many different opinions.

I've currently got a 30 gallon tank downstairs thats a freshwater setup, as this is the largest tank i own (and I've read bigger tanks are easier to maintain) i was considering moving my fish to various other tanks around my house and setting it up as a marine tank.

my intentions are to do a FOWLR setup and only lightly stock it. (4 fish and cleanup crew)
i just have a few questions that are niggling me and id just like to combine all of my questions and hopefully get some good pointers

from what i have gathered, the only equipment i will need is a heater (obviously) some power heads for surface exchange and to agitate the water (any recommendations would be great) and 30 lbs of live rock.

it seems a protein skimmer is not necessary on a 30 gal if i keep on top of water changes, an air pump with air stone it a big no no..(remember my background is tropical) and my existing light setup for tropical will work fine as I'm not having any corals..

does this seem about right? because it doesn't sound as complicated as people are making out... looking at the different opinions from different sources is incredibly confusing?

thanks for any advice that you can give me.

acabgd · 02/01/2014, 07:00 AM

Sounds about right although a skimmer would definitely help. You need to cycle the tank obviously and you might want at least a hang-on filter to polish the water somewhat and eventually run some kind of additional filtration (carbon or GFO or nitrate remover).

BlindZide · 02/01/2014, 07:05 AM

A FOWLR is a lot easier to maintain than a Reef. You don't NEED 30lbs of live rock. Rule of thumb is 1.5-2lbs per gallon BUT there are a decent amount of people running with minimal rock and doing fine.

I wouldn't spend a ton of money on powerheads if you are going for no corals. Koralia would probably be your cheapest bet and they work pretty well. I have 4 Koralias in 2 tanks and they work perfect.

Lighting wont matter as well for fish. I do think if you want the colors on your fish to pop you may want to think about some new bulbs or a new fixture to hold more bulbs.

If you get a skimmer, you can reduce the amount of water changes needing to be done, not totally eliminate them. You will find your fish will be happier with one.

My question to you is do you think you will ever venture into corals? I thought I would do a FOWLR this time around AGAIN but I indeed fell into the coral trap and I can't get out.

foundnemo11 · 02/01/2014, 09:04 AM

Honestly I would run a sump.. I didn't and first then changed over to it. ( drilling my tank and setting back up with fish and corals) it was a nightmare but way worth it. If you start with it it will be a lot easier and better looking having the equipment hidden. Also if you get a protein skimmer you can add it later down the road. Stay away from sea clone. My LFS sold me one I had no idea how crappy it was. I have a bubble magnus and couldn't be happier.

I think if you start Fowler to get the hang of it and add corals as you go that would work. I personally like reef tanks a lot more and they aren't too hard to take care of. The waterchemsestry for the reef will just make your fish happier.

If you plan on keeping non reef safe fish then do Fowler.

My advice is get a good game plan of what you want in the future and make sure your plan let's you add as you go easily.

This is personal experience that I wish I knew when I started. If I knew what I knew now I would have saved a lot of time and money doing it right the first time

snorvich · 02/01/2014, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foundnemo11

Honestly I would run a sump.. I didn't and first then changed over to it. ( drilling my tank and setting back up with fish and corals) it was a nightmare but way worth it. If you start with it it will be a lot easier and better looking having the equipment hidden. Also if you get a protein skimmer you can add it later down the road. Stay away from sea clone. My LFS sold me one I had no idea how crappy it was. I have a bubble magnus and couldn't be happier.

I think if you start Fowler to get the hang of it and add corals as you go that would work. I personally like reef tanks a lot more and they aren't too hard to take care of. The waterchemsestry for the reef will just make your fish happier.

If you plan on keeping non reef safe fish then do Fowler.

My advice is get a good game plan of what you want in the future and make sure your plan let's you add as you go easily.

This is personal experience that I wish I knew when I started. If I knew what I knew now I would have saved a lot of time and money doing it right the first time

Good advice here!

02/01/2014, 05:24 AM	#1
adam6293 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1	new to marine tanks, help required hi there, I'm completely new to the salt water world but I'm in the middle of sifting through tonnes of information online and reading many different opinions. I've currently got a 30 gallon tank downstairs thats a freshwater setup, as this is the largest tank i own (and I've read bigger tanks are easier to maintain) i was considering moving my fish to various other tanks around my house and setting it up as a marine tank. my intentions are to do a FOWLR setup and only lightly stock it. (4 fish and cleanup crew) i just have a few questions that are niggling me and id just like to combine all of my questions and hopefully get some good pointers from what i have gathered, the only equipment i will need is a heater (obviously) some power heads for surface exchange and to agitate the water (any recommendations would be great) and 30 lbs of live rock. it seems a protein skimmer is not necessary on a 30 gal if i keep on top of water changes, an air pump with air stone it a big no no..(remember my background is tropical) and my existing light setup for tropical will work fine as I'm not having any corals.. does this seem about right? because it doesn't sound as complicated as people are making out... looking at the different opinions from different sources is incredibly confusing? thanks for any advice that you can give me.

02/01/2014, 07:05 AM	#3
BlindZide Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 1,273	A FOWLR is a lot easier to maintain than a Reef. You don't NEED 30lbs of live rock. Rule of thumb is 1.5-2lbs per gallon BUT there are a decent amount of people running with minimal rock and doing fine. I wouldn't spend a ton of money on powerheads if you are going for no corals. Koralia would probably be your cheapest bet and they work pretty well. I have 4 Koralias in 2 tanks and they work perfect. Lighting wont matter as well for fish. I do think if you want the colors on your fish to pop you may want to think about some new bulbs or a new fixture to hold more bulbs. If you get a skimmer, you can reduce the amount of water changes needing to be done, not totally eliminate them. You will find your fish will be happier with one. My question to you is do you think you will ever venture into corals? I thought I would do a FOWLR this time around AGAIN but I indeed fell into the coral trap and I can't get out. __________________ ~Trent Biocube 14 Mixed Reef 75G LPS Reef

02/01/2014, 09:04 AM	#4
foundnemo11 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 839	Honestly I would run a sump.. I didn't and first then changed over to it. ( drilling my tank and setting back up with fish and corals) it was a nightmare but way worth it. If you start with it it will be a lot easier and better looking having the equipment hidden. Also if you get a protein skimmer you can add it later down the road. Stay away from sea clone. My LFS sold me one I had no idea how crappy it was. I have a bubble magnus and couldn't be happier. I think if you start Fowler to get the hang of it and add corals as you go that would work. I personally like reef tanks a lot more and they aren't too hard to take care of. The waterchemsestry for the reef will just make your fish happier. If you plan on keeping non reef safe fish then do Fowler. My advice is get a good game plan of what you want in the future and make sure your plan let's you add as you go easily. This is personal experience that I wish I knew when I started. If I knew what I knew now I would have saved a lot of time and money doing it right the first time __________________ I am a compulsive liar, and a millionaire. Current Tank Info: 75 gallon mixed reef, mostly sps, bubble magnus skimmer nac5, Reefbreeders Photon48, hippo tang, kole tang, 2 clownfish, 3 chromis, 1 cleaner wrasse, 1 cleaner shrimp, crabs/snails

02/01/2014, 07:00 AM	#2
acabgd Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Belgrade Posts: 1,086	Sounds about right although a skimmer would definitely help. You need to cycle the tank obviously and you might want at least a hang-on filter to polish the water somewhat and eventually run some kind of additional filtration (carbon or GFO or nitrate remover).