starting a FOWLR

[theviking]

hey i am new and iam gonna start a FOWLR my tank is 80 gallon and for ligth i am thinking of 4 power-glo NO fluorcents 2 blue 2 white
filtration live fiji rock(havent figured out how much) eheim pro 2 2028
canister with only eheim supstrat,course and fine filter pads and maybe add a sump later on heater will be a rena cal excel 300w two powerheads(dont know what brand i will buy)and my questions are would this setup work for a FOWLR and would i be able to add invertabrates and soft corals if i choose them depending on my ligth setup and if you have any suggestions about fish,corals or invertabrates that would be nice(sorry about my bad english am working on improving it)

[the_blue_tuna]

Yes , this set-up will work . I would also consider putting in a DSB . This will help with the nitrates , which are higher in FO tanks because of the fish waste. Using enough live rock and a good sand bed , the can filter will be used mostly for circulation and also a good place for carbon if/when needed.You should also figure you need a skimmer right up front .
The lighting will be ok for mushrooms . You can also have some polyps up toward the top of the water column. Inverts and certain corals (ones that dont require lots of light) will do well in this tank as long as your fish list does not include anything predatory .Snails , cleaner shrimp , small hermits and the like do well in tanks like this .Do you have any idea what you would like to see swimming around in the tank?

[theviking]

ups i forgot about the skimmer i was gonna get one of those i am gonna try finding a turboflotor 1000 and will set the skimmer up a month after the tank has been set up and about the DBS doesn it only work if you have live sand i cant get live sand here in iceland but will use CC sand ok about the inhabitants i relly like blue/red mushrooms and regal/hippo tang,ocellaris clowns,flame angels,fire fishes,sun polyps,colt coral,gorgonian,feather duster,finger leather,xenia coral do you think those soft corals would live under my ligth conditions

the_blue_tuna thanks for the quick response

[the_blue_tuna]

Yes a DSB only works with live sand , but your sand will become live in time thanks to your rock . It will seed the sand bed . You should stick with sand though for it to be an effective filtration device. CC offers grains that are to large to house the different bacteria .I dont know how mail order works in Iceland , due to customs restriction , but many of the online fish suppliers also sell live sand activation kits. www.ipsf.com sells a good set-up and Gerald is more than fair with his product. I dont have personal experience with them , but I hear that www.inlandaquatics.com also sells a good kit . Can you get supplies online?
Because you are just starting you also may want to figure out a way to get a sump in your system in the beginning. You can use anything from old fish tanks to rubbermaid type containers. The benefits are great. They provide more water for greater water stability , a place to put all your equipment ( heaters, skimmers, pH monitors and the like) and they are a good place to add supplements at and if you put a small light over the sump you can use it also as a refugium.
What are your tank dimensions? I am not familiar with an 80 gallon tank. The Hippo tang would probably be best left at the pet store , especially if the tank is a deep 4 foot long tank.The Flame may or may not pick at the polyps , this seems to be almost an individual hit/miss with these guys.Some will others wont .You may want to ask over in the reef forum about the leather , sun polyps , colt and the Xenia under those lighting conditions . I have not raised them myself so I cant offer any first hand experience.
By the way , please excuse my lack of manners,,,,Welcome to Reefland!!!!!

[theviking]

hey thanks

ok my tank dimensions are as follow 49,5 inches long 18,2 inches wide 20 inches high.But can you tell my something about sumps i really dont know all that much about them only thing ive heard is that it is better to have one.and nobe cant order online to young and why there isnt live sand here is because of the customs it is all pretty strict around here for example when fish stores here order fish they come in about a week before they ordered and they have to be quarantined for at least a month

[the_blue_tuna]

For info on sumps : http://www.reefland.com/mem/tbt/equip.html