Question about FOWLR vs Reef

[smithers]

Was just at the LFS talking through the set up for a new tank. I told him I wanted to do FOWLR and he said that I would want to add some "easy/hardy" corals. He said that it was better/easier and that I would not need anything additional for the tank.
Is this fact or BS.
I thought that when you introduced coral to the tank that you needed more water movement and bigger lights. Are there corals that require less ? and do not require loads of special care.

 

[rainbowsix]

You are exactly right, the guy at the store was full of crap. When you add almost any corals you need metal halides. There is also a huge price difference between FOWLR vs Reef.

 

[triga22]

Welcome! Mushrooms and most soft corals are hardy and need low light. I would give it a shot. You just got to watch out because some of the fish will eat the corals.

 

[bill109]

well its it bs. but i mean ur going to want reed sooner or later so starting slow and with hardy will make it easyier later. and buying lights is gonna be a want as well

this hobby is like a drug. addicting lol
-bill109

 

[smithers]

so I will need MH lights. Not to big of a deal I guess but I should mention that the tank I am looking to build is a corner that will be 30" deep. Haven't figured it all out yet but should be between 90 and 120g . Will I be able to fit regular and MH lights on top.

 

[mike15]

Yup, the guy at the LFS was totally wrong. There are many honest LFS employees but unfortunately there are some who try to rip you off to get a sale.
A FOWLR tank does not need corals at all but hey, corals can be pretty as long as the fish you keep are not going to eat them and they make a nice addition.
As for lighting, MH can work but i dislike them because they can get very hot and the ones on my friend's tank have a relatively short life in comparison to the flourescent lights i own. If MH lights become a problem from the heat, compact flourescent lights or other strong lighting can work well although some corals prefer MH. Its up to you.
As for fitting the lights to that type of tank, there are some companies that sell lights with side clamps that might fit but if that doesnt work out you could always make your own light stand to fit on top. I have seen a few sets of lights that can easily be fitted to a corner tank so it shouldnt be too hard
hope this helps,
mike15.

 

[jimmy 4]

THere are several corals that can live without Metal halides, and even some that don't require light at all.
PC and HO fluorecent lighting is cheaper and way more energy efficient. I have PC lighting and corals, but there are several corals that i want but can not have.
You really have to think of what kinds of corals you want to keep, because MH lighting can be too intense for some corals. If you want to have a clam you need MH's. I want a clam.... I need MH's

 

[smithers]

there are lots of things I want but will do without if it makes the setup easier. I have two young children so I dont have allot of extra time on my hands. Also I want to stay as energy efficient as possible. Electric bill already busting the bank every month.
This is great info thank you all for posting

 

[bexleyfish]

Originally Posted by TriGa22
Welcome! Mushrooms and most soft corals are hardy and need low light. I would give it a shot. You just got to watch out because some of the fish will eat the corals.
Fish like...

 

[jesses89]

You dont need metal halides.
Go with Power compacts.
sps corals, clams, anemones are mainly the stuff that needs metal halides.
Huge variety of corals you can have that dont need metal halides, but when the guy at the store told you you would need to add stuff to your tank if you went reef....
i think he was talking about chemicals and stuff...
like
Calcium
Strontium and magnesium
Iodine
Trace elements..
a reef tank does need these things, in order for the coral to keep growing and maintain its skeleton.
But Power compacts will work, lot cheaper than Metal Halides and cheaper to run also.

 

[rattler739]

Correct me if Im wrong but I have heard and seen that if you get T-5 lighting or PCs you can have all of those things (sps, clams, anemones) but you just need more of them or more watts. Most corals do better under better lighting (if they require lighting) they just have to get used to them, if you just put them under it and they're not used to it they "melt".

 

[perfectdark]

I believe you are correct rattler... just getting the correct wattage for a healthy coral is your goal..I know there are other benifits to having MH lighting but before those were available how were stony's, anenomes or any other high light coral kept in the past.. by increasing your wattage of your PC's right?

but reef keeping has been around alot longer than MH lights have been. I am upgrading my cube lights to 145w PC's whats the difference other than price if I do that or upgrade to 150watt MH fixture?...

 

[grumpygils]

Originally Posted by Smithers
so I will need MH lights. Not to big of a deal I guess but I should mention that the tank I am looking to build is a corner that will be 30" deep. Haven't figured it all out yet but should be between 90 and 120g . Will I be able to fit regular and MH lights on top.

You do not "need" MHs. Attached is a pick of one of my tanks with only PCs. There are numerous corals and cool stuff you can put in your tank with out having a nuclear light system. Zoas, shrooms, sun polyps, some leathers ect..... Also, I have a corner 92 Pic also attached. It has retro MH and VHO. You can put them on top and cut a hole in the hood like I did on my 54 corner.
Mc

 

[rattler739]

Originally Posted by grumpygils
You do not "need" MHs. Attached is a pick of one of my tanks with only PCs. There are numerous corals and cool stuff you can put in your tank with out having a nuclear light system. Zoas, shrooms, sun polyps, some leathers ect..... Also, I have a corner 92 Pic also attached. It has retro MH and VHO. You can put them on top and cut a hole in the hood like I did on my 54 corner.
Mc
Now on that first pic you have a clam and some sps but you only have PC on it, how long have you had those? are they growing? what is your watts per gallon?
sry so many question just asking for others (and myself) to show that you can do with PCs what you can do with MH

 

[smithers]

Grumpygils, That is a fantastic looking corner setup. That is exactly what I would like to get too someday.
I have a follow up question, where you able to fit the sump and pump in the stand? Looks like it would be tight putting a square box in a triangle space.
Maybe the sump I am looking at is just to big. The tank I am looking at would be 120g but 30" deep giving it a small footprint per gallon. The sump I am looking at is rated for 135g and I am not sure it will fit.

 

[turningtim]

Grumpy very nice tanks!!!!
Smithers, you don't NEED MH to have corals and PC's will NOT give you the PAR that is needed for a 30" deep tank. That to me is your limiting factor here is the depth of the tank. You will need lights with enough PAR to get all the way through the tank water. I would strongly suggest looking into T-5 lights.
I run 6x54w T-5 on a 55 and I keep everything from clams (2) and several SPS and LPS corals.
As far as what the LFS owner said being BS I would take a step back and ask why he is saying that. Some folks will stock different types of soft coral to work in their tanks. Example would be Tree coral. Very easy to keep and does filter feed on floating particles in the tank. So I guess you could say that it is working to improve water quaility.
Several ways to get where you want to go in this hobby so amybe a bit more explaination is in order.
Just a thought
Tim

 

[smithers]

Thanks for your thoughts Tim.
The thing I worry most about with my LFS guy is that he wants to sell me everything. I don't want to be told you can do this reef or add that fish and then later find out that it wasn't a good idea.
I have been testing his advice through out my planning phase. If I end up buying everything through him I will be paying a premium over ordering it online. This doesn’t bother me to much if I get good consulting from him as well. Although it is a tuff nut to swallow (his price for LR is 2x what SWF.com sells it for and on 120lbs well you can do the math). By the time all is said and done it will cost me at least 1K more to go with the LFS (and that is just on the hardware and LR/LS) so I want to make sure his advice is sound.

 

[turningtim]

You doing the right thing Smithers. But i wouldn't kill yourself over buying everything from anybody. I would get the best price you can get online and if he wants to match it or come close then that works. LR and LS are ripoffs from LFS's. It won't be as nice as SWF either.
I just buy my dry goods and most of my live stock locally b/c I know they can't touch online prices for hardware nor do they want to try.