new saltwater tank?????

[n05tr4d4mu5]

Hey folks,
 
Just new to the site, like ten mins ago. Currently have a 23 gallon freshwater tank. Want to change it and get a 75 gallon marine/reef tank.
 
I have been doing research ALL DAY on the internet, researching saltwatre tanks, FOWLR, and Reef. Can someone explain the difference between a reef and FOWLR? As far as i can tell it is only the coral and live rock that differ? but in what way?
 
Also, i know there is a LOT of equipment needed to start, protein skimmers, powerheads, pumps, sumps, lighting, coral etc etc etc.
 
Could someone give me pointers as to exactly what i would need and what size? for example how big a pump would i need, how big a powerhead?
 
I have a lot of questions, so please forgive my ignorance. Also, are a sump and refugium the same thing?
 
 
 
 
OOOPS!!! sorry, just realised i may have posted this on the wrong forum, sorry............................
 
If someone could reply to this, that would be great, i just wish to know everything i need to know before purchasing the stuff, want to do it correctly, as the fish are too expensive to lose, not like freshwater, which are only 4-5-or 6 £££££.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Scott

 

[mrdc]

FOWLR = fish only with live rock
Reef tank will have live rock and coral ... so when someone says that they have a reef tank, I tend to think coral.
 
I'm sure someone lse will help you will your other questions. I took the easy one.

 

[monsinour]

Hey scott, welcome first and foremost. This is exactly the right spot to post this thread. I was in your shoes about 3 weeks ago. Reasearching all day is good for finding out what fish you want but not nearly enough time to think you have "a good grasp" on things. The first thing I suggest doing is finding a good book to read. I read The Conscientious Marine Aquarist and it helped tremendously. you should be able to find that book used for about 15 to 20 pounds if I have the dollar to pound conversion right. Once you have devoured that book's excellent info, there will be more places to look on the internet for more info.
 
The first, most simple question you should ask yourself is whether or not you want coral. IF you want coral, then its a reef tank for you. If you do not want coral, then I would suggest the FOWLR setup. You just cant pass up the benefits of LR in a tank.
 
As far as equipment, do what i did. Make a thread about what you intend to buy, list it all in the thread, and someone will be along to comment on the equipment.
 
Sump/refugium - Having these increases your water volume making it easier to maintain a high quality of water. I recomend it only because i have seen and heard the negative stories of canister filters that went un cared for for too long. There are people here who use them, who also clean them religously. I have a tendancy of "out of sight, out of mind" and this would make a canister filter bad for me. The sump is primarily for increased water volume where the refugium is for growing macroalgae, copepods, and "time out" for fish.
 
All in all, keep posting your questions as there are some real helpful people here.

 

[slice]

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrdc http:///forum/thread/380082/new-saltwater-tank#post_3306798
FOWLR = fish only with live rock
Reef tank will have live rock and coral ... so when someone says that they have a reef tank, I tend to think coral.
 
I'm sure someone lse will help you will your other questions. I took the easy one.

yeah, what mrdc said.
 
I think a big difference is the required water quality. With a FOWLR tank, you can get away with nitrates of 20, 40 or even higher. A reef tank requires nitrates as close to 0 as possible.
 
To my understanding, a sump is a place to increase your water volume (increasing the system's stability) and to hide equipment such as heater(s), skimmer, and other things. A refugium is a separate section that houses macro algae for nitrate consumption and provides a refuge for critters such as copepods, etc.
 
As far as someone telling you exactly what you need....ain't gonna happen. Ask 10 people, get at least 8 different answers.

 

[mrdc]

True .... and reef tanks will empty out your wallet faster too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice http:///forum/thread/380082/new-saltwater-tank#post_3306810
yeah, what mrdc said.
 
I think a big difference is the required water quality. With a FOWLR tank, you can get away with nitrates of 20, 40 or even higher. A reef tank requires nitrates as close to 0 as possible.
 

 

[n05tr4d4mu5]

Well, i must have been reading the web sites wrong. i thought a reef tank was the easiest to maintain, and that the coral would help lower the Nitrite/Nitrate levels? or maybe it was the FOWLR i was thinking about.

Anyways, i know what FOWLR meant, but just couldnt differentiate between that and Reef, EXACTLY what is the difference??? Yeah Slice, i knew i would get a difference of opinion from everyone, just wanted a general consensus, you know??
 
I am eager to get this up and going, even though it must run for several weeks (even months) to cycle. I want it to be up and running before christmas, this is my christmas present (so the wife says)

 
So i intend buying a 75 gallon tank, i want a sump, not sure what type (return)?? I dont know what type of pump i will need, or powerhead, infact i still cannot grasp what a powerhead does?
Again, please forgive my ignorance, but trust me, it will eventually sink in, as it did with the freshwater. Took a while though.
 
So you would suggest a FOWLR rather than Reef then peeps?
 
Again, keep the pointers coming.
 
Cheers

 

[slice]

I think you are on your way to a wonderful Christmas present!
There is no reason you cannot have a tank with some degree of liveliness by then, just keep up the research.
As far as FOWLR vs reef, start with FOWLR, then graduate to reef (that is what I am currently doing).
 
A powerhead tries to emulate the natural currents of a reef. They are pumps that go inside the tank that "blows" water around.
 
If you have not done so already, read the "Recommended Threads" at the top of this forum listing here:
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/list/15
 
The search function will direct you to many threads with same/similar questions you have, you will find many great answers!

 

[monsinour]

Do you want coral?
 
(you answer)
 
Yes - it is a reef setup for you, and yes, they are expensive.
 
No - then it should be a FOWLR setup for you and they aren't as bad as a reef setup.
 
How about reading this thread from start to finish to maybe help you decide - https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/379818/new-aquarist
 
Once you are done with that, here is a thread to read for the equipment - https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/379879/what-tank-and-equipment-to-use
 
With a tank that size, you will probably need 2 if not 3 powerheads. Powerheads are tools to get the water moving inside the tank. you cant have the water just sitting in there, the ocean moves with currents and waves. We need to simulate that in our tanks. Think of a powerhead as a prop on a boat. Since the tank wont move, just the water will move inside the tank. you will have to stay away from circular motion in your tank (think whirlpool) as this will not benefit hardly any of the inhabitants.
 
You can most asuredly have this up by christmas, but you might not have all of your tank inhabitatns in there by christmas. I know that for my setup, I am looking to have all the inhabitatns that I want not to be all in there for atleast 1 year (spotted mandarin).
 
You want 0 nitrite in your tank as it is bad for the fish. Having as close to 0 if not 0 nitrate is optimum as well. With a sump/refugium you can place macroalgae in the refugium area to help eliminate nitrate.

 

[mrdc]

A powerhead just pushes water around. You need a certain amount of current and water turnover based on the size of your tank. FOWLR and reef tanks are both cool but I think reef tanks are cooler. It's really more about what you want. Go into the fish photography thread and you will find both types of setups.

 

[sparty059]

Getting a tank up and running by Christmas is possible but you won't have your tank finished at that point. When you are setting up your tank keep in mine that you will need to have a QT (Quarantine Tank) as well. The fish will sit in this for no less than 4 weeks, and up to 6 (if I remember reading correctly). The reason for this is because you will want to make sure they aren't infested with any diseases. If they are the QT will be doing its job by keeping the fish in solitary confinement and won't be spread the disease to any of your rocks, sand, or any other fish that might be in there.
 
So in other words, you can expect to have fish in your DT (Display Tank) within about 6 weeks after you get your DT running.
 
Also something to keep in the back of your head; if you want to have the fish in there sooner rather than later, I would work on getting a QT quickly and having that run the full cycle right now. Otherwise if you wait until you finish your tank you'll find yourself waiting for your DT and QT to cycle at the same time, leaving you with a 12 (6 weeks for the DT/QT to cycle, 6 weeks for the fish to sit in the QT) week gap between putting fish in your DT.
 
One other option you would have is if you know someone with a mature tank right now, you could use a sponge filter to soak up their water, and place it in your tank... this will help the cycle move much faster (about 1 week) and you will be able to add your fish. The only downfall to this method is that the fish in the QT won't match the levels in the DT (once the cycle has finished) which can stress the fish.
 
To add on to what Monsinour and mrdc wrote, a powerhead will add movement to the water... you will never want to have any dead spots in your tank. Fish rely on movement in the water as well as the corals too.