Fish Only setup Help?

[Amphilophus]

I apologize if this has been asked a thousand times but I had trouble searching. I am wondering all that is required for a fish only set up? I have been told everything from skimmer,live rock, etc. down to just add salt for fish only? I want to do it a cheap as possible while making the tank successful for fish so not too cheap.lol. any help for what I really will need would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

 

[reefergeorge]

The largest one saving I have found is to use good base rock, and seed it with live rock.
IMO you need rock (live or cured base). A good quality over sized skimmer. Power heads for flow. Koralias are cheap and proven. Lighting is basic. I had two 28 watt t5s over my 90, and it looked great.

If you go the cheaper route. Make sure not to overstock.

 

[Amphilophus]

thanks for the reply what do you suggest for base rock? I like the idea of doing that because I don't like to contribute too much to the harvesting of all that live rock so the least amount I need would be best. I plan on having one maybe two fish a lion fish and maybe another fish if I can. thanks so much.

 

[ledford1]

So Ill? A Saluki?

There's nothing too impressive LFS-wise in Southern Illinois that I ever found. When I was in C-Dale, I'd go down to Sunny Hill Pet Center in Cape Girardeau for most livestock. But St Louis has really good stuff for a little more of a drive.

IMO, you should invest most in the skimmer, and then in the LR. But like mentioned above, you can save some cash by buying dry base rock (found at nearly any LFS) and then throwing in some good LR to seed the base rock.

You'll want a powerhead or two, actual size depends on size of the tank, but lionfish won't appreciate tons of flow that fish such as tangs would enjoy.

If you can do a drilled tank and use a sump, that's the best way to go IMO. That's a good spot to put your equipment, such as the skimmer. If you can add a refugium, that would be a bonus concerning filtration.

 

[Amphilophus]

Yes I am a Saluki zoology major. thanks for all the suggestions. I might try to order some base rock because all the stores around here have nothing.

 

[viggen]

Well, if you want fish & only fish why waiste money on liverock? Just get a wet/dry filter & use that to run the tank. Even a skimmer isn't a necessity so if money is really on a budget don't get one!! I went for 10+ years w/o a skimmer & I had zero issues & very healthy fish. I did finally get a skimmer & back in November my EuroReef skimmer crapped out on me & I am still skimmerless. I am getting it running again but there definantly isn't a problem running a fish tank w/o a skimmer & with a wet/dry. It's a LOT cheaper to run a tank this way & as long as you keep up with the h20 changes, the fish will do fine as well!!

Going this route you can add chemicals when/if you have a ich outbreak & not worry about it hurting anything. If you go the LR route, chemicals are a BIG no-no, at least copper is.

 

[ledford1]

There are some base rock suppliers online, and I've seen a few mentioned around RC, but the only one that comes to mind is marcorocks.com.

 

[niles1967]

I agree with Viggen. Forget live rock, get a good wet/dry and you are set. However, I disagree about the skimmer. Yes it is possible to have a F/O tank without one but the money you save will slowly be eaten up by the more frequent water changes you will need to make. In case you haven't gotten to that point yet, salt may be more expensive than you think. Even a toy skimmer like a Berlin triple pass will prove to be a worthwhile investment. Dont forget to quarantine each and every fish for a full month or you will be both broke and frustrated.

 

[viggen]

True, they do make things easier but if a budget is really tight I do not think they are needed. Especially in smaller tanks where when a h20 change is done not much salt is used

I feel holding off on the skimmer -sometimes- allows for a better one to be purchased at a later date.

QT is VERY important & unfortunantly that is something that I have never done

 

[Magga Pie]

Im starting a 55 g Fo and I was just wondering could I just use an Emperor 400 filter or should I get a wet/dry filter?

 

[r0bin]

Tufa makes is great base rock that becomes live rock.