Requirements for FOWLR

[Lemeshianos]

So the cost to start a reef from scratch is too much to bare within 2-3 months, so I'm thinking about starting as a FOWLR to add later on a good lighting system and then additional live rock, corals, etc.

The tank is 115 gallons. I'm going to have it drilled tomorrow.
I'm buying a skimmer in a couple of weeks and plan to buy the initial 40 lb of live rock the month after.
In the meantime I will be building an acrylic sump/refugium with all the required plumping.

If I add live rock with the plain fluroscent light fixtures that came with the tank will I cause any harm to the life on the live rock.
I know that in the case there are some small coral colonies on them, the weak light won't be able to sustain them, but I quick look at the rock at the LFS had no traces of corals.

My initial plans are to have 40lb of live rock, a DSB 3-4 inches and a pair of clownfish. Lighing will be provided from 2 plain 35watt fluorescent lamps.
If its not recommended I prefer to save money for a lighting system first and then get the Live rock.

 

[LJA]

FOWLR has no requirement for lighting, you could have candles above your tank .

I would suggest that if you have even a remote idea that down the road, even if its a year from now to have a reef that you start researching what kind of corals and the lights you will need. I would be very patient and wait for exactly what you want so you don't make an impulse buy and end up with lights you will end up upgrading later.

Lighting is one of the most expensive and important things and you wouldn't want to be too hasty and then have to spend even more money to upgrade a second time.

 

[Lemeshianos]

I've been reading for a year almost
I know the output of the lights, what lamps to buy, what ballasts, etc.
Size of skimmer.
It's that I just found that the prices on the internet are about the half of my LFS.
I will have to pay 2-3 times the value of a chinese lighting system compared to the value of an average US one.
Also the skimmer is twice the cost here so I'm having one shipped from US.
The live rock is 2-3 times as expensive.
So this has really thrown me back.

Since light is not an issue yet, i will start with buying stuff in the following order:
Sump & return pump,
skimmer,
circulation pumps,
live sand,
live rock,
cleaning crew,
a pair of clowns.

And of cource I'll wait for the tank to fully cycle before I add any livestock.

 

[tmz]

In some ways the lower lighting is easier. You will not likely have significant nuisance algae problems with ordinary flourescents ,for example. I would not expect much coraline growth though and when you do introduce new lighting and step up to a reef you may wan't to seed in some fresh rock with coraline.