FOWLR Question.

[Leandre]

Hello,

Having just joined and spent the last few weeks researching on reef setups, i have come to the realisation that i'm not really into reefing and that marine fish has a bigger pull on me. so, i have decided to abandon the initial 90g setup in favor of a 180g 72x24x24 used FOWLR setup, which i should be picking up this saturday.

It is my understanding that the two styles share many of the core principles when it comes to care and maintenance. which leads to my question.

How important is dosing in a FOWLR setup? I've read a few conflicting ideas ranging from "don't bother with it" to "its far more important to keep stable parameters rather then chase the magic number" and the "its absolutely needed!"

Of course i understand that each setup is different and that will have an effect on the answer, so i'll try describe the setup that's in my head.

• Tank: 180g
• External overflow to sump (bean animal)
• Reef Octopus 8" Regal 200INT Internal Protein Skimmer
• Sicce voyger 4 steam pump - 1600gph x2
• Sicce pro 1500 return pump (looking at 5x return from sump and the rest from powerheads.)
• 1" sand bed
• trying for 160lbs of dry live rock.
• two heaters
• T5 lighting (ty bvysochin)

The live rock will be a mixture of tonga and pukani and purely for aesthetics, the rest will go in the sump. optional, would be an Apex with temp and lab grade ph probe or would the Jr suffice for a FOWLR build?

Thank you for reading.

Lean~

 

[Leandre]

oh and a GFO/Carbon reactor.
(need to sell my current tank, c'mon 20 post!!)

 

[LAreefguy]

Imho with fowlr stability is key, so just make sure you have an auto top off so your salinity stays stable. In terms of dosing other things iv never heard of anything else. I also would suggest keep your salinity a bit lower so water changes are cheaper just cause you will need less salt. Also that may help keep parasites at bay. Hope this helps lmk if you have any other questions.

 

[Leandre]

thank you LAreefguy for the reply.

i did pick a tunze osmo ATO, forgot to add to the list. i'll be sure to read up on the water chemistry info on the forums. want to know if they drop or rise how do i fix it, in the grand scheme of things, an extra $200 for a dosing pump isnt going to break the bank. but likewise, i dont want to buy and never use it. which really is my main problem with this subject. i pickled the red sea test kits for ammonia, nitrite/trats but after the tank is stable i was thinking of getting the Hanna's alk and cal. im reading that "if you cant test dont does" does that work backwards too? "if you cant dose, dont test?" really should read that water chem on the forums before i write this...

lower the salinity you say? how is low is lower? like 1.023 ish? or in the teens? i read that lowering the salinity effects the way skimmers work?

anyways, thanks for answering my questions. i'm sure i have many more to come ><

Lean~

 

[Leandre]

should really change this threads name to "water parameter for fowlr" question, but not sure how too....

ok having read the "water chemistry" thread on the forums and other sites, it is my understanding that marine fish need both mag and calc for living. but the amount is so low that weekly water change would replenish these minerals. without corals and clams nothing really should taking in too much cal/mag to alter the water parameters.

testing alk would be a good way to read the parameters in a fowlr tank. if your alk drops continually that water changes isnt keeping up, then you have really do something about it, but chances of this happening is low in fowlr.

is this correct?
thanks in advance.

Lean~

 

[mmarro22]

I have a 225 fowlr with 100 gallon sump, 200 lbs of live rock and like 50 fish, you don't need to dose anything really. Salt keep it at 1.019 to 1.021. If you can do weekly water changes that would be ideal... I'm still working on that lol. About the skimmer working differently in lower salinity I'm not sure but I clean out my skimmer cup every 3 to 4 days and it comes out dark dark green and smells worse than the worst dukey you have ever smelled. The only only thing I dose in my tank like religion is vodka. I had a nitrate issue not too long ago and between water changes and vodka dosing they are still a bit high but it has helped with the nitrates quite a bit and am patiently waiting for then to slowly get to where I want them. I don't think you mentioned anything about a uv sterilizer I would highly recommend one for water clarity and assistance with parasites. Lastly me personally I have extremely low flow through my sump to allow my skimmer to skim well and most contact time with uv light. However I have tons of flow in my tank.

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[lowbudget]

oh and a GFO/Carbon reactor.
(need to sell my current tank, c'mon 20 post!!)

i think they raised the post count to 50. at least you are honest

 

[Zoarder]

i think they raised the post count to 50. at least you are honest

That is correct sir. And also 6 months required before selling

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[lowbudget]

That is correct sir. And also 6 months required before selling

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thanks for the correction and conformation

 

[touchingstoves]

Imho with fowlr stability is key, so just make sure you have an auto top off so your salinity stays stable. In terms of dosing other things iv never heard of anything else. I also would suggest keep your salinity a bit lower so water changes are cheaper just cause you will need less salt. Also that may help keep parasites at bay. Hope this helps lmk if you have any other questions.

+1, I have 5 SHWOLR tanks. One with sand and the others BB. Key is stability. I have Reefkeeper lite on each of them and agree wth others salinity is really key.

Your setup sounds awesome. Good luck!


I like seahorses. I got nothing clever to say. Boo.

 

[Leandre]

[MENTION=10145]mmarro22[/MENTION]

i have been reading about getting a UV, and tbh kinda on the fence about it. reading a good vagarious QT regiment shouldnt allow any parasites into the tank and was hoping that should be ok. slept on the idea and thought, nothing is certain, even with QT'ing when you have a few thousand dollars in livestock trying to skimp $400 that could possible keep them alive better. so will consider it.

my idea was to have an oversize skimmer (400 on a 180DT) running at x5 from the sump. the rest coming from powerheads, guess if the wife allows me more cash for the uv i'll run that off the manifold with a larger pump ball valve. the build isnt going to happen for long with kids and all, but this gives me ample time to research and learn more, im gonna have to start a log book with info on it.
[MENTION=654]lowbudget[/MENTION]:

that kinda suck, i have a nice clean 90g tank for sale that the wife wants out of the house. i kinda understand why they did this, but now someone from CL is gonna benefit, oh wells
[MENTION=10249]touchingstoves[/MENTION] : im guessing you have an affection for seahorses....lol wife likes crabs/shimps i like big fish and non of us are really that into coral lol


thank you all for the replies ^^

 

[mmarro22]

I know some people like top of the line stuff but seriously I think a uv light is a uv light... it's a ballast and bulb. Just make sure to read reviews before purchasing as some are not made very well and you don't want water getting in where it shouldn't and burning your ballast or bulb. You could probably pick one up on here for pretty cheap if you just keep your eyes peeled. It's best when you are not in a rush, you are able to save more $$$.

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[mmarro22]

And about the 50 post 6 months thing I think it's pretty Darn silly.... i have well over 1000 posts and I think I just barely hit the 6 month mark maybe a week or two ago. Sucks some people have to ruin things for everyone. Sorry you have to deal with that.

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[Leandre]

nah, dont worry about it. it is what it is. dont have to be sorry. ideally the wife lets me keep it and i get to have two tanks. always wanted to keep discus. i think my dream fish would be a chilli red asian arowana...

about the lights, ive been looking at the ones on BRS, they look nice and sturdy. been reading that its really about the wattage, like some bacteria wont be killed with a lower and such. if i do end up getting a massive fowlr then a few less fish will be better for the tank, i'll for sure to overstock it >< and using the cash for the uv, kinda double win for the fish. spent the night reading up on vodka dosing. so vodka would replace the GFO? with better results? i already picked a higher rated skimmer for the tank so im really interested with the vodka thing.

thanks for all the info, i'll be sure to ask more questions as i have them.
Lean~

 

[mmarro22]

nah, dont worry about it. it is what it is. dont have to be sorry. ideally the wife lets me keep it and i get to have two tanks. always wanted to keep discus. i think my dream fish would be a chilli red asian arowana...

about the lights, ive been looking at the ones on BRS, they look nice and sturdy. been reading that its really about the wattage, like some bacteria wont be killed with a lower and such. if i do end up getting a massive fowlr then a few less fish will be better for the tank, i'll for sure to overstock it >< and using the cash for the uv, kinda double win for the fish. spent the night reading up on vodka dosing. so vodka would replace the GFO? with better results? i already picked a higher rated skimmer for the tank so im really interested with the vodka thing.

thanks for all the info, i'll be sure to ask more questions as i have them.
Lean~

Over skimming for fowlr definite plus. I personally think vodka dosing is better than gfo if you can be consistent. Led work, less money same if not better results. http://melevsreef.com/node/184 great article. Check it out.

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[asdfasdfkevin]

I have a 225 fowlr with 100 gallon sump, 200 lbs of live rock and like 50 fish, you don't need to dose anything really. Salt keep it at 1.019 to 1.021. If you can do weekly water changes that would be ideal... I'm still working on that lol. About the skimmer working differently in lower salinity I'm not sure but I clean out my skimmer cup every 3 to 4 days and it comes out dark dark green and smells worse than the worst dukey you have ever smelled. The only only thing I dose in my tank like religion is vodka. I had a nitrate issue not too long ago and between water changes and vodka dosing they are still a bit high but it has helped with the nitrates quite a bit and am patiently waiting for then to slowly get to where I want them. I don't think you mentioned anything about a uv sterilizer I would highly recommend one for water clarity and assistance with parasites. Lastly me personally I have extremely low flow through my sump to allow my skimmer to skim well and most contact time with uv light. However I have tons of flow in my tank.

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I agree with Manny.

I would highly recommend UV sterilizer (just not the Coralie turbotwist - water got in mine and it also leaked. Now I'm looking for a more reliable UV sterilizer too).

I never had issue with pouring in rodi into my Fowlr tank, since I believe a decrease in salinity is not as dangerous as rapid increase in salinity - ie rapid increase in salinity might result when you do a large water change using saltier water than the water being thrown out. I keep my salt around 1.020 as well

I dose instant ocean nitrate reducer but I think vodka is cheaper.



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[ndrwater]

I think a UV on a FOWLER is a really good idea. Not so much for eradication of parasites, but to keep the risk of spreading throughout the fish population. Couple that with lower salinity ie 1.019 to 1.020ish is also very helpful. Lower salinity makes it more difficult for parasites like ich to reproduce.
Back to the UV, wattage and contact time are key. You could have a 1000w UV, but if the water is moving through the UV at such a high rate, contact time is greatly reduced. Make sure to match the UV feed pump with the manufacturer specs for optimal contact time to maximize the effectiveness of the UV.
As far as skimming, lower salinity does indeed affect skimmer performance. The less dense water of lower salinity decreases the bubble density in the skimmer. As [MENTION=10145]mmarro22[/MENTION] said, slowing down the water through the sump, and subsequently increasing the contact time the skimmer has to do it's job will greatly increase skimmer production and effectiveness.

 

[rose2411]

dosing volka works for me, eventho it takes a bit of time.