HOw difficult is it to upgrade from fowlr and reef?

[lennon]

I heard fish only is the easiest to take care of..but although it is mostly about the fish for me..I would love alittle more. Do corals and anemones and such change it to a reef system?
What is the difference?
And if I decide on fish with lr or fish only..wouldnt the change be stressful to the fish?
Is a reef much more difficult?
thanks for any advise!!

 

[birdy]

Well I guess it depend on what you have, if you have the correct equipment, LR and you don't have fish that are not reef safe, then it is not too hard.
If you list your entire tank equipment and inhabitants then we can help you decide what to do next.

 

[lennon]

Thanks. I am actually just getting ready to start now on a 55 gallon.
I am starting to get set to buy equipment and such...but I am trying to decide which way to go.
Ultimately, I would love a reef BUT after reading Fenners books..It sounds like I am better off not doing that now. So I wanted to figure out my options..
Thanks for any help
anyone?

 

[mudplayerx]

The main investment in going from a fish only to a reef is money. Your most expensive item will be your lighting, followed by your live rock. If you want to keep anemones and all sorts of corals, you are looking at $400-$500 on lighting and about $200-$300 on live rock (for a 55 gallon tank).