Help Setup of 125g FOWLER

[eddtango]

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

[justinl]

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.

[Raf]

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

[eddtango]

Originally Posted by Raf

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

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

[Raf]

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

[eddtango]

Originally Posted by Raf

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?

[BCOrchidGuy]

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

[Raf]

Originally Posted by eddtango

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

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.