Help Setup of 125g FOWLER
 

I'm going to set up a 125 gal FOWLER tank. I would like to know which equipment are essential for this setup. People told me to keep the setup simple,but how simple? Will LR and a good Protein skimmer do the job? Will I need Phosphate reactors? Sump suggestions? Can I use ordinary conditioned tap water?

You don't need any reactors (phosphate or calcium) imo if you stick to fish only and no corals. You can skimp on light and get a cheap one. If your lights aren't hot then evaporation will be relatively low so an auto-top off isn't needed either (even if it would make life easier).

In a FOWLR, people like to put a lot of fish, so waste build up can be a problem. This is where a good skimmer is useful. Not absolutely necessary but nice to have no less. Keep an eye on nitrate too because this can go up fast. Some people like to use a mechanical filter to complement their skimmer but i just stuck to the latter. You can also use carbon too if you want. I do.

I like the look of just fish, LR and sand. the lr and sand is all the bio filtration you need. Sump helps, but I don't have one and many don't. Most beginners use tap water but this can lead to algae blooms. I think that if you have a few organisms to control algae then it would be okay.

There are so many brands of skimmers. What brand (Coralife,Euroreef) is good for this setup? Is an Eheim Canister filter good for Mech. Filtration? I better scout around for those R/O units.

I have 2 - 2 x 96 watt Coralife 6700k w/c I plan to change to 10,000k and actinic. I think this will be enough light for a fowler. I also plan to install a sump under the tank so that I can put in my skimmer, heater and Bio-balls(Is this necessary?) I also intend to decorate the tank w/ artificial corals later.

i just upgraded from a seaclone 100 skimmer, which worked, to a euroreef rc80, and man am i sorry i did not do it earlier. it rocks. and is priced very reasonably. (only about $30 more than i paid for the seaclone)

enough light? hehehe my friend, that is MUCH more than enough light. The only thing in a fowlr that is photosynthetic is the algae. If you stick to that lighting you could very well put in a few kinds of live corals later. Fish generally don't care much about light. Some fish/inverts prefer low light but it won't be a problem so long as they have holes/overhangs/crevices to hang around in to escape the light (stay away from the light!!:mrgreen: ).

Some people have given bio-balls a bad rep because they think they produce a lot of nitrates. And they do, but only if you don't bother cleaning them once in a while. Once a month or so i think. I wouldn't use bioballs myself just because im too lazy and will forget to clean it. I don't think its really that necessary if you get a good skimmer. Even less necessary if you got a mechanical filter. If your filter has a place for bioballs and you decide against them, you can fill it with LR rubble or activated carbon.

think about how much maintenance you'll be doing on a regular basis for this tank and how much time you can afford to spend on it.

ive heard plenty good things about the later edtions of the eheim canisters. No experience with them myself though... anyone else got input?

Actually, I plan to put the Bio-balls in the sump, but if it will create more problems than good,then I'll just shelve the idea for now. A low maintenance FOWLR is what I want. I think I'll go with LR, skimmer and maybe a good canister filter. I might use the Coralife T5s for lighting,they're not as intense.

Is it better to have substrate or go BB(easier to clean)?

depends what you want. BB is easier to clean and seems to be the new in thing. I like my sand because it's aesthetically pleasing and acts as part of my bio filtration with my LR, even if it does mean some more maintenance.

If you go with sand I highly suggest some things to keep it stirred up and don't go for a deep sand bed because they require more work from you.

Good advice given.

As for filters, pick one that is easy to maintain as the more frequent you service it, the cleaner it and you water will be, not to mentio lower DOC's and NO3. When using canisters, use lots of mech media, floss works well, remember to clean it or toss it as needed. A good skimmer is the best investment IMO for a FOWLR, especially on heavily stocked. Mine pulls out the nastiest crud you have ever smelt!

Good luck

220g FOWLR
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/Raf_MM/210_4.jpg

Nice setup. Do you use XP3's? Sump? I noticed the tubes at the back. How many inches sand do you have?

I run 2 Rena XP3's with mostly mech media in them. I also have a good skimmer on there and 2 SEIO 1200 pumps for circulation(very important). As for sand, about 2" but the fish move it around all the time. Also, it is not the fine sand as the pumps would move that around too much. I plan on adding another 50lbs of LR to the 50 already in there.

HTH :)

What brand skimmer are you using? Euroreef (pricey)good? How big is your sump? Did you buy your tank reef ready?

Ed, where are you from, if your in the lower mainland then I'd say you don't need an RO filter, tap water that's conditioned will do fine. If you do regular water changes and feed regularly you can get away with out a lot of stuff, how ever if you feed like your trying to grow your fish to market size in a week then you'll need all sorts of stuff to keep the water clean. Bare bottom means less places for crud to hide, sand means natural look but crud trap so you'd have to deal with that. If I were going a FOWLR I'd probably go bare bottom and if you want you can put some sand in your sump with some critters/scavengers to keep it clean.

Doug

I live in South Surrey. What kind of Critters? Snails? Brittle stars? What's the advantage of having sand in the sump? Isn't sand a dirt trap?

The skimmer is a Deltec MCE600, a bit underpowered for that sized tank but I plan on adding another in the longrun.

No sump, i rather hate them. The two renas are the filters with the SEIO's for circulation. Hence, the tank is not drilled.

That's a nice skimmer and it doesn't take up too much space at the back. If you don't have a sump, do you use surface skimmers to deal w/surface scum? What's the disadvantage of installing a sump?

I also read about a lot of good stuff about SEIO pumps. There's even a package at J&L's that comes w/a wave controller. Nice equipment you got there.

The skimmer is really great for an HOB and only takes about 3-4" of space behind the tank....it pulls out lots of smelly stuff from the water, I was surprised!

As for surface skimming, the pumps combined with the spraybars from the renas help break up that. Obviously it won't be as good as surface overflow as with a sump but very manageable.

This is a personal opinion, but many(not all) sumps have several things that I dislike. Firstly, i find excessive evaporation with sumps with a neccesity to keep up on top ups for feer of running air into the pumps. Secondly, salt creep, because of the water movement and splashing in a sump, there tends to be saltcreep on many surfaces, including the stand in which the sump resides...Thirdly, fairly poor mech filteration, most sumps have little to no mech media...many have just a drip tray on which floss is set....I find one layer of floss tends to let a lot of crud through. Fourthly, noise...I find many sumps way to noisy in both water movement from the overflow and into the sump to pump humm noise. Lastly, the danger of overflow/leaks. IMO, the less holes in your tank, the better. Also, plumbing over time can develop leaks or can suddenly develop leaks. I prefer a filtration system that is contained and safe. For all the above points I mentioned, there are sump designs/top off systems that help or negate those problems, but with many sumps, these problems are still commonplace.

Again, these are my personal opinions, many will disagree and tell you sumps are the way to go. So really it is up to you to decide. :)

What type of lights are you using on your FOWLR? T5s? Anyway,your tank looks so clean and seems devoid of algae,it seems like the skimmer and your filters are doing a good job.

yup, T5's. as for algae, it is a fairly new tank still in that pic. :)

125 g fowlr
 

Ed I saw your post and just started a 90 g fowlr with 33g sump instead of mech filters or can filters I used lr in the middle compartment of my sump later on I might turn it into a fuge with some macro I'm growing out in my reef's sump. My fowler has been running for about 3 weeks and I'm slowly adding fish they're all getting along fine my lighting is 2 coralife t5 and one 65w 50000k t5 for the bluey loue look love that light so far I have about 150 lbs of rock some more cured than others I used reef waterchanges for the tank so that hopefully the cycling will be faster loving the way it looks, I'm also thinking of adding a uv sterilizer supposedly essential for a fowler. My components are a new euroreef rs135 return is quietone 3000 and flow is return split in two and a seio 1500 more than enough to move everything in the tank. Also I have about two bags of sugar sand (aragonite) if you ask me I like sumps that way you can use a larger skimmer keep more rock and your other equipment underneath salt creep is an issue but what I did was buy myselg some of that sign plastic took a measurement of the sump and piping and covered it all up so there's probally only quater of a square foot uncovered. If you are planning on putting sand go with the medium stuff I made the mistake of going with the sugarsand lots of washing and 3 days of cloudiness brutal atleast there were no fish in the tank now that the sediment has relaxed it's groovy. I've seen a couple of 120 set up's and the cleanest has got to be the one with the uv sterilizer it makes the water crystal clear and the guy doesnt use ro water bluddy stunning he had about 15 different angels and 6 other fish in there pretty amazing. Oh if you go with a sump go with a 50 long and p/u some lr you can never have enough...
here are pics of my fowler. Cheers Chris

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...IM000507-1.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/IM000513.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/IM000514.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/IM000508.jpg

nice job Tang Daddy! Did you install the baffles in the sump yourself? Where did you get your tank drilled?

Hi Ed yes I got the baffles cut at a glass shop pretty expensive for the glass about 45 bucks my tank was purchased at BA and got them to drill it and throw in a bulkhead with the tank all for 300 bucks, now I know I could've easily gone with a bigger tank but the garage is directly under so there are no supports wouldn't want the whole floor sagging or even fall on my wife (my car) gets even better treatment than my GF heheh lol