This may be a strange question

[slintzen]

I am interested in setting up a FOWLR tank because from what I read, it seems that FOWLR tanks do not require quite the expertise that a Reef tank requires. However, I may not really want to have more than a pair of fish or so in the FOWLR. I know FOWLR is "Fish Only", but is there any happy medium with just a few fish and alot of pleasant looking little critters that don't require the expertise of a reef aquarium?

Sorry for the dumb question here.

[rluix]

I am interested in setting up a FOWLR tank because from what I read, it seems that FOWLR tanks do not require quite the expertise that a Reef tank requires. However, I may not really want to have more than a pair of fish or so in the FOWLR. I know FOWLR is "Fish Only", but is there any happy medium with just a few fish and alot of pleasant looking little critters that don't require the expertise of a reef aquarium?

Sorry for the dumb question here.

FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock) Tanks do not require the same light and flow's that reef tanks do, thats why they are easyer.
Before starting the FOWLR , i would like you to post the Tank info, ( Size, Equipment, etc ), and what fish's you are thinking of geting. That way the good people here can help you start it the correct way.

[slintzen]

It will be in a 75 gallon tank. I have not worked out the specifics on sump, refugium, and quarantine yet. I currently have a 2x65 watt coralife fixture left over from my freshwater planted tank that I will replace the freshwater bulb in, and I will likely add another fixture to maybe double the light to ~260watts.

I am not sure what I can house in that lighting. I would like possibly a pair of clowns and as many inverts as I can get away with. I doubt that an anemone would work. So far that is as far as I have gotten in my planning. I am most likely moving in the next 6 months, so I won't be actually starting to put it together until I do. But I like to plan in advance.

I think I know how much live rock I will need, but I still need to do my research on the sand though. I keep seeing people talking about Deep Sand Beds, then I see other posts talking about little to no sand.

[leebca]

Deep sand beds tend to fall into the category of 'heavy-duty' water quality treatment efforts. If you are not going to overload the system with marine fishes that create wastes, then there won't be that many/much waste produced and you can setup a system with less 'bells and whistles.'

A 45 gallon aquarium makes for a nice aquarium for a pair of Anemonefishes that stay on the small side. For the larger Anemonefishes, like the Maroon, it is best to provide a 60 gallon aquarium.

The live rock will likely bring with it a variety of marine life forms, many of them benthic, others that will grow and come out of the rock -- depending on the quality of live rock you obtain. Adding many snails to control unwanted algae and microbe blooms will be needed, but you can add to that shrimp and other interesting mobile invertebrates that are more tolerant to water quality shifts and conditions and yet are suitable for a home aquarium. A normal sand bed in the 75 works well with maybe a sand sifter fish for entertainment and for keeping the substrate 'moving around' can be included with the fish pair.

Read through this post so you get the idea of what you will need to do: Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

When you specifically wish to cultivate immobile invertebrates, then you've crossed the line into a reef system, but until then, you are either into FOWLR or at the edge.