Joining the "Dark Side"

[Doc_Polit]

Well.....

I have a soon to be drilled and re-sealed 120 gallon (48"x24"x24") tank to fill.

I had initially decided to put Discus in it, but since they are every bit as pricey as marine specimens, I am contemplating a FOWLR instead.

For those with some expertise with FOWLR's, would you mind taking a minute to offer some advice?

I love to hear some of the pitfalls to watch for, some tips on getting established, tricks for success, etc.

Fire away.

[ponokareefer]

Add the meanest fish last.

It's a good idea to take a look around and research what fish you want to add and then try to figure out which is the least to most aggressive and add them in that order.

Any idea what you wanted to add?

[sphelps]

My advice is go larger for a FO, 120 is fine is that's what you want but you'll be very limited to the fish you can keep, especially the ones that are ideal in FO like angles, groupers, lions, triggers, ect. With a 120 you'll likely end up with smaller reef like fish so you might as well though in some corals as well.

[The Grizz]

I have a 116 Fowler Brad and there are lots of nice fish like triggers, puffers & dwarf lions.

[SauceBoss]

6' is where the fun begins. A 180G being 6'x24"x24" is ideal, for when you get into the big dogs IE: panther groupers. Brings a LOT of fish options to the table.

[jorjef]

Originally Posted by Doc_Polit

I love to hear some of the pitfalls to watch for, some tips on getting established, tricks for success, etc.

Fire away.

1) Watch for obsessive thinking to creep into your everyday thoughts, if you have a wife/husband sensitive to run away spending have them watch for early warning signs and to intervene ...

2) Wait and then wait even longer for the tank to cycle before you put anythng in. If item one starts at this stage you are in trouble.

3) Listen to people here to solve problems for you, not really a trick unless you are bull headed lol....but if your prone to run away spending heed the advice.

My advise would be to select fish carefully. One day corals will come into play and if at that point you have a tank full of coral munchers it will limit what you could put in. If you are set on FO a six foot tank would be better suited

[BlueWorldAquatic]

Keep our store number on speed dial. j/k

Any questions that aren't answered here, please don't hesitate to call.

Ken - BWA

[Myka]

My best advice for any newbie marine hobbyist whether they are starting a reef or a FOWLR is to get an over-sized skimmer of a good quality brand. You should expect to pay about the same amount for a new skimmer as you would for a new tank (minus the stand). To save some money, or to buy a better skimmer for the amount of money you have available you could consider buying a used skimmer. There are lots of good deals in the classifieds here and you're in a big enough community that there will be some selection too! For a 120 gallon tank you're looking at $300-500 for a decent new skimmer...or course the sky is the limit and you could spend well over $1000 if you wanted the Astin Martin version!

Your next most expensive buy will be the live rock. I suggest you buy this "used". Google some pictures of Aiptasia and Majano anemones to familiarize yourself with these pests that can be a real pain in the butt to get rid of - take pictures with you when you go to look at rock. Beware of rock that the seller says has baby bubbletip anemones as they aren't usually bubbletips, and are usually Majanos. "Used" rock will cost you about $4/lb compared to the $7-12/lb you will pay at the LFS. Rock from the LFS will come with its own fair share of pain in the butt as well. Dry base rock is not live rock, and will take several months to become live rock. The more base rock you use the longer it will take. Live rock is your main biological filtration, so if you buy base rock you will need to stock your tank much, much slower.

Research EVERY fish BEFORE you buy it. Don't buy the fish based on what the person at the LFS says about it. Not all LFS employees know what they are talking about, and sometimes they make mistakes too. Add the most aggressive fish last.

A 120 gallon tank is a tad small for the most exciting FOWLR stocking options, but if that's what you have, and that's what you want then there is no reason why you can't make it work. Be aware that you won't be able to add any of the large Angels to the tank other than a Majestic Angel which stays smaller.

Last piece of advice, prepare yourself to only be able to add 1/4 of the stock to the tank as you would expect to add to a freshwater tank because then you won't be disappointed when you are told your tank is full.

[MarkoD]

Aston Martin makes protein skimmers?!?!?!? We're do I get one and how much is overnight shipping?

Originally Posted by Myka

My best advice for any newbie marine hobbyist whether they are starting a reef or a FOWLR is to get an over-sized skimmer of a good quality brand. You should expect to pay about the same amount for a new skimmer as you would for a new tank (minus the stand). To save some money, or to buy a better skimmer for the amount of money you have available you could consider buying a used skimmer. There are lots of good deals in the classifieds here and you're in a big enough community that there will be some selection too! For a 120 gallon tank you're looking at $300-500 for a decent new skimmer...or course the sky is the limit and you could spend well over $1000 if you wanted the Astin Martin version!

Your next most expensive buy will be the live rock. I suggest you buy this "used". Google some pictures of Aiptasia and Majano anemones to familiarize yourself with these pests that can be a real pain in the butt to get rid of - take pictures with you when you go to look at rock. Beware of rock that the seller says has baby bubbletip anemones as they aren't usually bubbletips, and are usually Majanos. "Used" rock will cost you about $4/lb compared to the $7-12/lb you will pay at the LFS. Rock from the LFS will come with its own fair share of pain in the butt as well. Dry base rock is not live rock, and will take several months to become live rock. The more base rock you use the longer it will take. Live rock is your main biological filtration, so if you buy base rock you will need to stock your tank much, much slower.

Research EVERY fish BEFORE you buy it. Don't buy the fish based on what the person at the LFS says about it. Not all LFS employees know what they are talking about, and sometimes they make mistakes too. Add the most aggressive fish last.

A 120 gallon tank is a tad small for the most exciting FOWLR stocking options, but if that's what you have, and that's what you want then there is no reason why you can't make it work. Be aware that you won't be able to add any of the large Angels to the tank other than a Majestic Angel which stays smaller.

Last piece of advice, prepare yourself to only be able to add 1/4 of the stock to the tank as you would expect to add to a freshwater tank because then you won't be disappointed when you are told your tank is full.