29g FOWLR set up

T

Tankerblade

New member
So I'm wanting to start this tank since it's staring at me empty. And my thoughts are to go with a FOWLR sumpless set up. I have the original HOB filter that came with the tank and a smaller HOB as well.

Plan is 3" of live sand, dry rock, big filter as a refugium with some cheato, smaller filter with some filter floss and carbon to help the larger contaminants and religious water changes every week.

Plan is to just get it running and in the following months start to get the more pricey items like lights and protein skimmer/sump setup going.

What are you FOWLR guys suggest? Is it a legitimate idea or bust?

I have no plan for a large bio load. Maybe 2-3 small fish and a clean up crew.
 
I ran a 29g for quite awhile with just a HOB filter, heater and some powerheads. I had just some soft corals in it and few easy LPS and the fish and corals thrived. I did weekly WC's as well. As I learned more, I added a HOB overflow, built a sump and added a skimmer. Good luck just my 2 cents.
 
I believe it was just a couple carbon cartridges. I can't remember the exact brand of the filter but it was probably an aqueon. For just fish you really do not need anything special for lighting.
 
So no filter floss or anything? Obviously the rock/sand will take care of the biological aspect of filtering. A small cheato refugium will help with adsorbing extra nutrients and help keep algae at bay. Just wondering if putting in a filter floss or sponge to pick up the bigger chunks is a good idea.

As for fish, not too sure. I figure I have 8 weeks to figure out a plan with some small hardy fish. The local fish store doesn't have a big selection, nor are they too knowledgeable (they're a 1 stop every pet kind of shop). And the next decent shop is 2.5hrs away so we'll see what I come up with. But I think some sort or blenny or goby is on the list for sure
 
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I think I eventually pulled the sponge, I got tired of cleaning it every few days.

Look on Live aquaria they have a nano section for fish. it should help with some ideas.
 
I would say you could go w/o floss and rely upon vacuum , WC, and LR, skimmer for filtration. I think a helfrichi firefish would be a cool candidate if you only have a few fish since it's so colorful.:bounce3:
 
Frostyfishman said:
I would say you could go w/o floss and rely upon vacuum , WC, and LR, skimmer for filtration. I think a helfrichi firefish would be a cool candidate if you only have a few fish since it's so colorful.:bounce3:
Click to expand...

Plan is to have a skimmer down the road. But i still havent decided if i want a HOB skimmer or a sump. Im sure if i wanted to go with a sump, id be going bigger. I have seen something about converting a HOB filter to a sort of like skimmer. But i need to look into it.

So by the sounds of it, leave out any sort of mechanical filtration due to the headache surrounding it?
 
You could be successful with our without mechanical. You just have to stay on the maintenance. Eshopps makes a good budget skimmer. I would skip the hob filter personally. I'm not an expert but I think that tech belongs in freshwater.
 
Appreciate the help everyone. I think im going to just go with lr/ls and frequent water changes so we'll see.

What kind of sand does one recommend? not looking for something too fine but not too course
 
Also, since my original light is shot (its close of 8yrs old), what kind of easy/cheaper T5 set ups do yall recommend? I dont plan on running coral so dont need that 1800$ light, but might dabble in some more easy to care for/hardy corals for kicks when i get established way down the road
 
I had a 2 bulb HO T5 over mine. Still use the light over my refugium. It is a Deep blue model, pretty basic light. I use a light timer on it to turn it on and off. This should let you have some softies, leathers and some easy LPS

For sand I use a medium grade aragonite, i forget the exact particle size.
 
Have you considered the orbit led. If you are doing softies and lps only it is a great light at low cost with a ton of features. No bulbs to replace either.
 
Ill look into it. I was hoping to keep the light around $60ish. But it seems like theres plenty of affordable LED options out there. Ill have to keep looking i suppose.

So im thinking about changing my mind about the live sand/base rock. Im thinking about going with base sand from petsmart completely and get 20-30lbs of base rock and 1-2 pieces of live rock and just seed it to help save on cost. Any opinions on that?
 
By base sand do you mean dry sand instead of live, if so IMO good call. Make sure you rinse it well to minimize dust and cloudiness when you add it to the tank.
 
correct dry sand.

So question, since no one in town sells RO water, whats the consensus on tap water? Ive seen some tap water conditioners for marine water. Obviously its not the best solution, but i figure i can get one after the holidays when funds free up.
 
buckeye hydro sells a value RO/DI for 118$ Can you swing this. Something like this is something you would really want. Or even an RO buddy for 63 on amazon. It comes with a optional DI you can get seperate at a later date. Get amazon prime and you can get it in two days free shipping, they have a free trial. Tap water can cause algae issues down the road.
 
118 aint bad, ill put that on the wish list so the better half to get me for christmas. most of the ones i saw were 180 average. Ill have to get it. i found out the only pet store in town sells RO water for .20 cents a gallon or 1.00 mixed with salt. Thats not bad IMO at least until i can get a unit for myself. Now i just need to figure out containers.

Thanks guys
 
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