Question Please Give Me Some Info

[Tank Predator]

ok what i have is a 180 reef ready tank with a 40 gallon sump. what me and girl want to do is a fish only so i guess what we would like to know is how to go about doing so i already have a 90 gallon reef tank so i do have some sense of saltwater

ok for the list of things am i going to need the following

SKIMMER
LIVE SAND
LIVE ROCK
WHAT KIND OF LIGHTS CAN I GET AWAY WITH ?

any help would be great we are really looking forward to getting this started soon

MUCH THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

[Lion359]

for a fish only you could use the standard light fixture that comes with the tank, but there are alot of reasonably priced t5 fixtures that would look much better, you dont really need or want as much light on a fish only as you would a reef, the heavier bio load would create an algea farm

 

[Tank Predator]

yea i was thinking that with how my canopy is set up i may do 4 28' t5's

now what about the skimmer live sand and rock ?

 

[Tank Predator]

anybody?

 

[Ranzan]

umm yes all of the above or you can use no sand a do barebottom tank and get a good skimmer rated for atleast 300 gallons

 

[Tank Predator]

ok thank u

 

[Jocephus]

I like the look of sand, even in a FOWLR. Bare bottom will be easier to maintain, but it's personal preference. I'd slap a refugium under it if possible.

 

[stdreb27]

Yeah, with a folwr tank the more mechanical filtration the better, and a beefy skimmer is important.

 

[oceancowboy]

You will have a basic choice to make with a FOWLR regarding handling nitrates......big fish = more bioload. The sand and live rock are good choices.....and I hate the look of a bare bottom tank. A refugium would be highly recommended as a way to export more nitrates. The other option is more water changes. I opted for the sand/rock/refugium as water changes in my size tank are quite large. I still change some water out...needed for trace elements/good practices, etc. If the latter, be sure you plan on how you want to do this. I have a drain right next to the tank so I'm covered either way. Make it easy on yourself by planning ahead.

I recently added a sulfur reactor (see the thread on DIY on this topic....good info by the guy that set it up) to cut nitates down more....built and up and running now 2 weeks. I'd like to get it down to the <10-20 ppm or so level. My experience is that levels 50 ppm or so are tolerable in a FOWLR but seem to weaken certain types of fish (for example...butterflys).