Moving up from FOWLR to Reef

Jbixler

New Member
We are moving at the end of May, and my husband suggested that I get a new tank for the new house (No clue how I scored this!). I have had a 75 gallon FOWLR tank for 10 years now and I really have no clue how to start on a new tank since it has been so long. I have a few questions I am hoping someone can help with.
1. Do I take the old tank to the new house so that I can move the live rock, and some water into the new one I to help reduce the cycling time? or I can just sell the one I have and start new?
2. I would love to try my hand at coral, but have never paid any attention to my lighting previously, so what would you suggest as far as lighting and a good beginner coral? I do really like the colored mushrooms, would this be good?
3. I am guessing I would go with 125/150 gallon tank for the new house so any suggestions on filtration and lighting would be appreciated!
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Keeping the rock would help. Depending on the stand size the 75 could be used as your sump for filtration. 125 and 150 are the same length. Just a touch higher and wider. A fair amount more money tho.
If you can afford it predrilled is excellent, but costly.
lighting, alot of folks are going w high output leds these days. Such as kessils
 

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
Congrats on the future upgrade. I would definitely take the old system with you. You might need it for the first couple weeks until the new tank is set up. You can always sell it later.
I think both 125 and 150 are about 18" front to back. If you go with 180 that is 24" front to back. If it were me I'd get a reef ready tank, meaning it has built in overflows and is pre drilled. I ordered my through my local fish store. It was a bit more, (375 vs. 450 for reef ready for a 125). I was convinced by my local fish store to go reef ready and I am so happy I did. The 75 would be a great sump but it just might be to wide and high to use, unless you can put it in a different room or basement.
I use Kessil lights, I'd recomend 3-4 of the A360we. The nice thing about that style of LED is you can add more easily if you need more.

I use a very simple filtration system. I have a sump with a refugium. In the refugium I have some small chunks of live rock and keep trying to keep macro algae to help remove nitrates and phosphates but I can't keep it alive. I have a protein skimmer in the sump and a dual GFO/carbon reactor.

Mushrooms are great corals. They are supposed to be easy to keep, I can't keep them for the life of me. Zoanthids and palythoas are great easy corals that come in a huge variety of colors.
 

Jbixler

New Member
Thanks for the advice. The 75 is a corner tank, so it would not work for a sump, but I might just have to have 2 tanks! I have a tomato clown I love, but the kids really want a "nemo", so this might be a good excuse.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Wow!! You don't want to mix them lol you did your homework very good. i have diff clowns in all my tanks. (3)
 

Kristin1234

Active Member
I have a fowlr and a few colonies of mushrooms and like 2 polyps of some sort. The mushrooms are very hardy, and reproduce pretty quickly. I think they would be ideal for you to start with.
 

Jbixler

New Member
Well the move did not got exactly as planned...the movers originally agreed to move 2 large totes of water for me, but then when the truck arrived at the new house they said that they were unable to bring it due to insurance purposes?? So I had to keep the fish in the small tote an extra night since I didn't have enough salt to mix for the amount of water that I lost and the LFS was closed for the day.
As of now I only have a tomato clown and emerald crab in the tank and I have decided to keep this tank in the office. I still need to upgrade the lighting for corals, and someone suggested Ecoxotic Stunner LED Strip - 8000K - 36 in and putting 3 together. Does anyone have any opinion on these? I am at a loss for specs on lighting as far as what I would need. I would prefer strip I can just place on the hood rather than trying to hang something from the ceiling.
Also, is there a limit on the amount of inverts like there would be fish? For example if I plan on a mushroom coral, star polyp, and rose bubble tip anemone, could I still get more corals provided I space them out in the tank?
 

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
No limit on corals and nems other than their own chemical warfare. Different species have different levels of aggression toward other corals.
 

jay0705

Well-Known Member
For a nem you will need very good lighting. Honestly kessil leds are some of the best. Depending on how much you wish to spend
 
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