How Easy Are FOWLR tanks as compared...

lennon

lennon

Member
Originally Posted by promisetbg
Before you make this decision,I suggest you take a look at some tanks that run with a skimmer.Look into the collection cup....do you really want THAT in your tank?? :thinking:
I saw some and I definitely don't want that in the tank. BUT ecosytem owners do not use a filter and have incredible success for years. They also say that it works differently and that is why you do not need the skimmer.
I am still researching it though..I have read some ecosystem users still put a skimmer..but once they did..they started getting negative results. supposedly the calupr
needs these things to thrive...
I will keep researching..thanks for the input
 
lennon

lennon

Member
Originally Posted by snailheave
i run an ecosystem AND a skimmer. ecosystem alone is not enough

They say you do not get good results if you use the ecosystem with the skimmer. Supposedly it defeats the whole purpose. Otherwise I would not even bother with the ecosystem. Too expensive if you still have to maintain a skimmer..I'll keep researching thanks
 
lennon

lennon

Member
Originally Posted by snailheave
avoid built-in, or built-on-the-back tanks. like really.

Sorry, I am new. Do you mean hang on filters?
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
oh that's just my opinion. easy to me means effort on maintenence. i don't mean reef is easier when it comes to water parameters. but that's really not that hard either. keep them constant in acceptable range and you're fine.
i have two tanks, one is an 80g mixed (lots of fish and corals with an anemone), the other is a 75g reef (corals with two clowns.)
i feel that as long as fish is involved, your 'work load' increases as far as feeding and maintaining are concerned. fish produces phosphate and the food you feed fish contains phosphorus. waste and uneaten food leads to nitrates. with this comes water changes. i only need to do monthly water changes, a change every two months if i want to, but that's only after months of tinkering with the routine and schedule i prefer. i don't add much trace elements, maybe once every other week. sometimes i top off with 'tap water' to provide the trace elements and my macroalgaes handle the unwanted stuff, namely phosphate.
not many people stay fowlr for very long. most eventually add corals in their fowrl tanks. i suspect you would be the same and it'd become a mixed tank.
 
lennon

lennon

Member
Originally Posted by snailheave
oh that's just my opinion. easy to me means effort on maintenence. i don't mean reef is easier when it comes to water parameters. but that's really not that hard either. keep them constant in acceptable range and you're fine.
i have two tanks, one is an 80g mixed (lots of fish and corals with an anemone), the other is a 75g reef (corals with two clowns.)
i feel that as long as fish is involved, your 'work load' increases as far as feeding and maintaining are concerned. fish produces phosphate and the food you feed fish contains phosphorus. waste and uneaten food leads to nitrates. with this comes water changes. i only need to do monthly water changes, a change every two months if i want to, but that's only after months of tinkering with the routine and schedule i prefer. i don't add much trace elements, maybe once every other week. sometimes i top off with 'tap water' to provide the trace elements and my macroalgaes handle the unwanted stuff, namely phosphate.
not many people stay fowlr for very long. most eventually add corals in their fowrl tanks. i suspect you would be the same and it'd become a mixed tank.

Yes, I am definitely going to become reef eventually. I guess I will just do the FOWLR for now..get settled and then maybe add little by little.
I am surprised to hear you use tap water. I have gotten scared away from that due to all the posts saying not to. I am glad to see that it works out for you. I am getting a ro/di system but want to connect it to my washing machine as to having the waste water go there instead of actually being wasted. Oh how I wish I could use tap instead...
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
Originally Posted by Lennon
Sorry, I am new. Do you mean hang on filters?
no i don't. hang-on filters are fine. i mean those systems with filtration built in, usually in the back.
do avoid bio-balls though. i ran my refugium with bioballs to reduce noises and they trapped detritus and raised nitrates and phosphate. once i removed the bioballs, my nitrates fell from 30 to 15, my phosphate went from over .5 to .25 in 2 weeks. both numbers are still falling.
i run my tank with a refugium (ecosystem) and a skimmer. the mechnical filtration is handled in a chamber of the refugium. there's no need to have a wet/dry filtration if you enough live rocks in your system.
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
Originally Posted by Lennon
Yes, I am definitely going to become reef eventually. I guess I will just do the FOWLR for now..get settled and then maybe add little by little.
I am surprised to hear you use tap water. I have gotten scared away from that due to all the posts saying not to. I am glad to see that it works out for you. I am getting a ro/di system but want to connect it to my washing machine as to having the waste water go there instead of actually being wasted. Oh how I wish I could use tap instead...
no. do not START with tap water. start with ro water. i only 'top off' using tap water when the tank is low on trace elements. and i don't use tap water alone, i mix tap water with ro water.
 
lennon

lennon

Member
Originally Posted by snailheave
no. do not START with tap water. start with ro water. i only 'top off' using tap water when the tank is low on trace elements. and i don't use tap water alone, i mix tap water with ro water.

Oh, I see. Why do you mix with tap for the elements? Do you do that instead of dosing the tank?
I will start with the RO water definitely..
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
Originally Posted by Lennon
They say you do not get good results if you use the ecosystem with the skimmer. Supposedly it defeats the whole purpose. Otherwise I would not even bother with the ecosystem. Too expensive if you still have to maintain a skimmer..I'll keep researching thanks
i stubbornly refused to use a skimmer for two months after setting my tank up with ecosystem. it just didn't work that way. a skimmer and an ecosystem serves two different purposes i was just too stubborn to NOT believe what they claim.
ecosystem has its advantage and disadvantages. it gives a very neat appearance and you can display your refugium if it's done nicely.
 
snailheave

snailheave

Active Member
i do dose my tank.
and i do the tap water thing infrequently.
you'll find a routine that you feel more comfortable with. everyone's different in their way of doing water changes, etc.
 
lennon

lennon

Member
I think I am going to do a refugium and start with the FOWLR for now. That way I get used to the whole routine...
 
lennon

lennon

Member
Originally Posted by snailheave
do you like fish more or corals more or both?
or... you don't know
Well being that I started out wanting to do this because of all the beautiful fish and different species that flow with the water...I love both.
But if I had a choice..the fish would be the most important to me. I know they can tolerate more than if I added corals and such..So I don't want to overwhelm myself
in the beginning..
 
rumrunner

rumrunner

Member
I think I am going to do a refugium and start with the FOWLR for now. That way I get used to the whole routine...
I think that is a great way to go. Get used to the FOWLR maintance and water chemistry. Once you get that down it will make transitioning to a reef easier if you decide to go that route.
 
merredeth

merredeth

Active Member
Originally Posted by carshark
I have the funds readily available just need a plan to do so...any ideas?? BTW i saw on another post you were "sponsored" by a certain online retailer, which i have looked at that page, but I cant seem to find a decent retro kit for 1 T-5 super actinic , well totaling 2 T-5's but they are going to DIY on my hood I have, building four fan ports for cooling...
Stupid question here. How does someone get sponsored into a free board?
Denise M.
 
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