FOWLR Tank Options

[ZyleZuin]

I've been searching for a while now and haven't found any current/updated resources on selecting components/equipment for Fish Only with Live Rock tanks and would love the communities ideas for setups. Also please feel free to comment on my rational for the FOWLR setup, always good to check your assumptions...


My reason for the FOWLR switch:
-Ability to travel and not have an expert maintaining the tank for me. I'd like to automate as much as possible.
-I rent and move with some regularity (every year or two), don't want to constantly have to rescape the reef and breaking it down.
-Cheaper setup/upkeep
-Interesting, large fish specimens
-Lack of patience for coral growth / money to buy larger pieces

What I am looking for:
4' wide tank
Sump or in-stand filtration
Quiet


What I am considering right now:

Red Sea Reefer 350 - yah its 'reef' spec, but really is just tank, stand, sump, and plumbing. I feel like the product is really well built and straightforward.

Aqueon 90g MegaFlow - Sorta a budget option I suppose. Would get a matching cabinet and ProFlex Sump

Crystal Dynamic - Easy-Reef 100g. Overkill option


Who else should I be looking at? Other affordable options that come pre-plumed for sumps and have matching stands? Still probably want to have ultra clear or low-iron glass (I buy into marketing hype lol...)

Would anyone recommend a wet/dry or canister option (Fluval FX?) over a sump?

Ultimately trying to make as great of statement as I can with a tank thats ~75-100g, open up some of my options with tangs or angels, and want to focus my money on whats important and actually needed for a FOWLR setup. Thanks for the help!

 

[ZyleZuin]

Also to attach some numbers (USD) to the equipment in question,

I priced out a Aqueon option of a 90g megaflo, ProFlex3, and aqueon pine stand for $1,428 and a similar 110g Marineland option for around the same.

A Red Sea reefer 350 is $1,649.

While the reefer is going to be 73g instead of 90/110, at $200 more I feel like the quality is going to be much higher with it (low iron glass) plumbing, etc. Plus it comes in white, which I might actually spring for.

So this gave me two questions:
1) is the quality difference noticeable enough (viewing or maintenance/function) to want to pay more for less gallons
2) how do dimensions affect the fish and what I can stock. For example an 18" deep by either 24" or 30" (Aqueon/Marineland) vs a 20" deep by 21" (Reefer).

 

[vonbeck]

Also to attach some numbers (USD) to the equipment in question,

I priced out a Aqueon option of a 90g megaflo, ProFlex3, and aqueon pine stand for $1,428 and a similar 110g Marineland option for around the same.

A Red Sea reefer 350 is $1,649.

While the reefer is going to be 73g instead of 90/110, at $200 more I feel like the quality is going to be much higher with it (low iron glass) plumbing, etc. Plus it comes in white, which I might actually spring for.

So this gave me two questions:
1) is the quality difference noticeable enough (viewing or maintenance/function) to want to pay more for less gallons
2) how do dimensions affect the fish and what I can stock. For example an 18" deep by either 24" or 30" (Aqueon/Marineland) vs a 20" deep by 21" (Reefer).

Personally I'd be going for the largest tank capacity wise as your budget allows especially if you want Angeles and tangs etc


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[benjammin03]

I agree with the largest tank possible. I think that you will end up disappointed in the fish appropriate in a 4 foot tank if you are interested in larger fish. If you can make a 6 foot tank work, I would highly recommend that. A 4 foot tank won't be big enough for large fish.

 

[ZyleZuin]

Thanks vonbeck and benjammin03, unfortunately a larger tank (6') is just a little troublesome/intimidating in my mind with renting. The weight of the tank, sheer size moving, filling, etc.

But focusing what you are both saying, considering the trade off of using a Red Sea reefer 350 (73g) vs the 90 or 110g. What species am I opened up to? I am kinda expecting that really in either case I'm in the realm of dwarf angels, smaller tangs, dwarf puffers, maybe a small trigger... Do I see much of a difference and larger fish with that size upgrade? Or do I simply have the ability to house a few more fish?

 

[mcgyvr]

These are really decisions you need to make based on your intentions,etc..
The equipment choices/sizes are really up to you..

No way in heck would I want a tank even near 75G size if I moved every year or 2.. Maybe a small (sub 20g system) and I would just give up my dreams of a tank/larger fish until I am more stable.
I've moved tanks before.. Its NOT something I enjoyed at all.. Its not fun.. It can be a lot of work when you are already worried about moving the rest of your house..

I also remind you that no tank "needs" a sump or a hob filter..
One can run a successful system with a tank/water/rock/powerhead and heater if needed.. Everything else is "optional" (skimmers/sumps/filters/reactors,etc...)

 

[benjammin03]

Unfortunately I agree with mcgyvr, in your situation, there really isn't a good recommendation. A small system would be the easiest to move, but it is also the most fragile. Moving any tank is a major pain and you risk losing everything. If you are set on it though, a dwarf angel could work but I don't know of any small tangs that would be a good fit in a 4 foot tank. I also don't know of any small triggers that would be good in a tank that size. If you do get one, they are likely to become even more aggressive due to the tight confines.

 

[Valentini89]

Go to your LFS and see what kinds of setups they can get you. I got a 48"x24"x30" tall with stand for 2 grand and saved money on sump and everything else because I bought from them. I know that's bigger than you want but I'm saying, supporting your local business is always good.

 

[ZyleZuin]

Thanks for the thoughts. I should say that my moves are first, and foremost local, not hauling everything coast to coast. Second, I'm a bachelor and my **** fits into a uhaul in 2-3 hours with helpers. One of the ideas for me is with a FOWLR bagging the fish, grabbing a few buckets of the existing water, and then replacing with some new water on the other end, it just isn't as scary as a reef and corals and such. I'm not looking for no-head ache move, but I figure if I gotta bag up a few clown fish and other small guys and move a tank and some water/existing biomass, the difference between doing that at 20 and 100g isn't much more than an effort of a little more space for some extra 5g buckets and the tank.

That's why I think some thing like yellow tangs, kole eye tangs, flame angel, lemonpeel angel, coral beauty, one spot fox face, Valentini puffer, some wrasse, etc would be great for this size. Compatibility between species of course taken into account.

So redirecting back to the question about 4' tanks. If I can get them in 73, 90, and 110g versions (varying depth and height), am I increasing types of species with the increase in gallons? Or asked another way, does having extra height matter to certain fish? Does extra depth? Do I get the same fish in a 4' sorta either way?

 

[mcgyvr]

In general I would say that its the tanks footprint (length mostly) that dictates max fish size and type.. Increasing the height can allow an increase in quantity..

However for the most part all of the sizes are just "recommendations" and most of them just pulled out of someones..um.. yeah with little factual backing..

And yes its really only one generic factor with multiple variables...
People have kept yellow tanks in 20G tanks before..
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1946079

 

[FowLR_Phil]

Speak as someone who just moved his 90g FowLR tank, all things considered, it wasn't so bad. I ended up saving money to afford a tech from my LFS to help with the move, I also traded in a lot of my existing livestock to re-scape + change the tank up. It really wasn't THAT bad. It also helped that I had brewed 40g of new R/ODI water, so the full volume didn't need to be transported.

I feel like if you get the fish knowing they will ultimately out grow your tank (if you're looking at tangs or larger angels and such) there shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Not sure everyone else's thoughts!

 

[ZyleZuin]

Thanks mcgyvr, I suspected that vertical height (and by corollary adding gallons via that dimension) doesn't accurately translate into being able to house fish with larger gallon recommendations.

Back to equipment. Anyone able to recommend other setups, brands, etc for 4' tanks? I think at this point I'm leaning towards the Red Sea Reefer 350. But part of me also likes the idea of the simple bioball sump with Aqueon ProFlex.

 

[ZyleZuin]

Thanks Phil, yah I have similar thoughts about what it would entail to move it. Again I will likely have it for 1-2 years before moving it, but this isn't my forever home so I want to make an investment in something that isn't a total bear to move.

I also appreciated your comment regarding smaller fish. I've seen plenty of 3/4" Blue Tangs. I know they can get 1', but I assume that won't be happening in < 3 years.... so I can deal with that when I need to....

 

[scooter31707]

I notice you mentioned you were interest in large fish. 90g will probably still be too small for fish like Triggers and most Puffers (except Toby species). What fish were you really looking into. If I were you, I would look into a 150 or bigger.

 

[ZyleZuin]

Lol I guess when I say large I really mean larger than the nano species I have been able to access thus far. You're right that triggers, puffers, and many if not most angels and tangs are out, but I'd be looking to stock the dwarf and smaller types of those kinds of fish.

Basically hoping to get into a 4' tank that allows stocking beyond just the gobies, clowns, cardinals, dotty, damsels, etc. If I could get yellow/blue hippo (baby) kole eye tang, flame angel, coral beauty, Valentini/leopard puffer, sunburst/princess anthias, fairy wrasse, Tahitian butterfly, etc I think I'd be really happy with the result.

With that above list of sample fish that is what I have in mind when I am deciding between the 73g reefer or up to the 110g Marineland aquarium. Does that extra 7" height help in stocking or is it kinda wasted space/gallons.

 

[ZyleZuin]

So I've remeasured my space and can easily fit a 5' tank and could probably get away with a 6'. My only hesitation is gonna be the eventual moving of such a large object (and thus the large inhabitants in it) and shear amount of water. Going to want to probably stick to 18" for flow of the room, but can get a 150 in without too much struggle. End of the day if I am gonna bag sand, container water, bag fish, dolly the furniture. The difference between doing that for a 90g 4' tank and a 150g 6' is probably not all that noticeable in what I'd need to do or plan.

So with all that, I want to get back to the original purpose of this thread. Discussing aquarium setups that are available when it comes to FOWLR setups. Reefer vs Aqueon vs Marineland setups for this type of gallon range 100-200 lets say. What is cost effective? If you were gonna build a rig what would you use for this?

 

[randomfishguy85]

Are you planning on buying everything brand new? If so, expect to spend around 2000. Maybe more. Maybe less. I feel its a good starting point. If you can purchase pre drilled to make things easier. Research every purchase to make sure you don't have to re purchase key items. Tank brand doesn't really matter unless you plan on buying the tank with the stand. If that is the case, get a stand that can accommodate a sump. As far as lights are concerned, decide now if you want a canopy or not and figure out if the lights you want will work in a canopy. And don't stop reading and figuring out what is right for you