hello saltwater

clowninaround · 03-27-2008, 02:42 AM

Hello. I have kept freshwater aquariums for about a year and a half now and have recently converted to saltwater and would was wondering if anyone can help me out with a few suggestions. For starters, i am planning on a FOWLR type tank. I have a 60 gallon with a 130 watt odyssea light, 2 aquaclear filters together doing 600gph, good heater and thermometer, and a few other little things like the hydrometer necessary for saltwater. Now, i have been running it for a few days and have a few damsels in that i am not in love with to start the bio as i was told to do by my LFS. I have a few weeks to go before thinking about an actual nice fish but what are my possibilities of a good looking 2nd stage fish to introduce to my tank? ill take any suggestions. And as far as equipment goes, i dont have a PS yet because i am told that can wait for a while. Now i know this site obsesses over protein skimmers so i know yall can help me out with that. What is the best bang for my buck (emphasis on the buck because i would like to keep their losses to a minimum) I know that FOWLR tanks are supposed to get messy but i am not looking for big fish or alot of fish or anything. just something pretty that wont be too hard to handle. Damsels seem to be doing great. Any comments would be appreciated, TYVM.
William

Garrett · 03-27-2008, 12:14 PM

Welcome...

Reading through the Sticky thread about Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium is always a good start. Just look above at the other sticky threads in the FOWLR forum also. Be patient and good luck. There are many fine people on this site that can help.

G

clowninaround · 03-27-2008, 09:19 PM

yeah there seem to be many people that know what they are talking about. Well tonight i did go ahead and purchase a seaclone 100 that maxijet 1200 pump. is this a decent one? i am not looking for the best out there but if this one can get the job done alright please tell me until then ill keep the receipt. thanks again
William

okcalla · 03-27-2008, 10:38 PM

Im not familiar with that particular skimmer however i am familiar with the remora pro i have it i love it. if you have limited space its definitely the way to go they also have an in sump version called the urchin. just my 2 cents.

clowninaround · 03-28-2008, 12:42 AM

nevermind i am gonna buy a cpr backpack and take back the seaclone i read up on it screw that haha

Dart_Fro9 · 03-29-2008, 05:22 PM

why is there not a seperate FOWLR forums? I know people are going to say FOWLR is a form of FO but its not. Fish only uses the basic aquarium eliments such as those in a freshwater aquarium. FOWLR is more like a reef tank and most people end up making them reef tanks... just wondered.

**leebca** · 03-30-2008, 11:04 AM

Dart,

You've pointed out something I hadn't considered. I think you are pretty much right, unless I have my definitions wrong.

The title may be a bit confusing. I always sort of thought the FO marine systems include FOWLR category. What higher marine lifeforms the LR brings along with it is incidental to the fish husbandry.

It would be a bit more informative to include in the description of this forum that this also includes FOWLR systems. But maybe the owner prefers those topics be discussed in the Reef Forum. ?

clowninaround · 03-31-2008, 04:54 PM

well thank you all for your input. Sorry but i am gonna touch back on the main topic in this thread because it seems that my last couple of post-ers have slightly digressed from it. I am going to be getting the cpr backpack soon. Thoughts? and i am hearing severel different opinions on angel fish. Some people say they are somewhat of a hardy fish others say they are a little more fragile. I would really like a blue faced angel after waiting this month out what else should i do to prepare to get one

**leebca** · 03-31-2008, 07:18 PM

In the large Angelfish category, like the Blue Face, only juveniles that are in their juvenile coloration and less than 2" in length are suitable for the 60 gallon aquarium.

If you want a large Angel that is in its transition phase, then you want a 300 gallon aquarium. If you want to have the fish grow to full adult, then you should have about a 500 gallon aquarium. The space requirement is only the beginning when considering properly caring for this group of fishes.

clowninaround · 04-01-2008, 10:10 PM

haha i am getting a 210 gallon in less than a year.. thanks for the advice though! what other fish would you suggest for a 60 then? any fish you find particularly pretty that would do well in a 60

**leebca** · 04-02-2008, 09:23 AM

I don't recommend any particular fish, since it is a personal kind of choice. There are many out there. You may want to obtain a book on Marine Fishes and thumb through it for some ideas. For the average 60 you don't want any fish that grows over 6" and no more than a total of about 10" in the display. Read through this for other considerations when choosing to stock your marine fish aquarium:
Fish Stocking Limit - for FO and FOWLR

Good luck!

clowninaround · 04-02-2008, 07:42 PM

thank you very much that was very helpful! btw my lfs said i dont have to worry about a skimmer for like 6 months. correct? also. how much does the average live rock per lb. cost where everyone is from. it is 6 bucks a pound here. sounds kinda steep to me

**leebca** · 04-03-2008, 10:06 AM

Live rock provides some unique benefits for today's marine aquarium, but it isn't absolutely necessary. There are alternatives I don't have the space or time to get into. You want to read this next:
What is Live Rock, Anyway?

It's expense is related to how much value you put into its benefits.

If you do choose live rock, then when you set up your system with LR the LR will begin to add organics to the water. Some live rock will even have parts of it that die off. Thus, the skimmer is recommended from the very start.

clowninaround · 04-14-2008, 01:41 PM

ok sorry all my electricity and cable have been out due to bad weather but tank is alright. almost in my 4th week of cycling what is an easy way to tell if my tank is ready? i have a little bit of algea but crabs are takin care of it. Damsels are still doing fine and i have a little bit of pretty liverock. anyone got any rules of thumb? btw i would like an Eibl's angel. It is a hardy, dwarf angel that gets to be around 5 or 6 inches i do believe. Is that ok as my first fish or should i get something even cheaper.

**leebca** · 04-14-2008, 10:53 PM

I'[m sorry you have fish in the system. You don't need to put such stress on fishes in the beginning. It was the 'old way' of breaking a system in.

Where you are at is in this post, at about step 14.
Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

Read the above and follow it along. Also read the above for things you may have forgotten or didn't know about.