I have a 45 gallon tank and I am in the process of setting it up for sw. It is going to be fowlr, no plans for coral. I have a canister filter, live sand, and some aragonite sand that I plan on using to make a 1 inch bed with. I want to start cycling my system soon and give it a week or two, but I do not have any powerheads at the moment, nor do I have a skimmer. What do I absolutely need to have before starting the cycle?
fowlr setup
- Thread starter mullinsd2
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gotfish
Well-known member
Get yourself some live rock and you're good to go. The canister filter will give you enough flow for the time being. I may take a little more then a week or 2 though. If you get good cycled live rock, it may take a couple days. Then again, it could take a few weeks.
gotfish
Well-known member
Well, that just depends. If you're going to keep the same sort of setup you have now with the canister filter, go with a CPR bakpak. One thing though, take everything but the carbon and the filter floss out of the canister. Don't use any of the bioballs or ceramin rings if it has it.
If it were me, I'd ditch the canister and either drill the tank or get a hob overflow and put in a sump. In that case, I'd go with this skimmer http://www.nuocean.com/skimmers/bubble-magus-nac6.html
If it were me, I'd ditch the canister and either drill the tank or get a hob overflow and put in a sump. In that case, I'd go with this skimmer http://www.nuocean.com/skimmers/bubble-magus-nac6.html
gotfish
Well-known member
Yeah, you can just put it on the back of the sump instead of the tank. The bakpak is an external protein skimmer.
Sascha D
Well-known member
Welcome to RF!
a protein skimmer will help out your system. You wont get the kind of gunk that you would in a reef tank unless you feed really heavy like alot of the bigger FOWLR tanks do.
IMO you would want to add atleast one circ pump, flow depending on the fish you choose, but the canister isn't going to produce enough especially after its been used for awhile and gets stuff in the tubing.
a protein skimmer will help out your system. You wont get the kind of gunk that you would in a reef tank unless you feed really heavy like alot of the bigger FOWLR tanks do.
IMO you would want to add atleast one circ pump, flow depending on the fish you choose, but the canister isn't going to produce enough especially after its been used for awhile and gets stuff in the tubing.
Thought I would give an update. I have a 4 to 5 inch sand bed, aqua c remora ps, 50 lbs of rock (20 live) and a HK 3 for flow. I ditched the canister filter. Tank is now cycling. Stocking plans: yellow watchman and pistol shrimp. 2 false clowns. and a royal gramma. I will probably go with some kind of star but idk yet, and some snails.Thats it for now! Oh, and I plan on upgrading my lighting to do corals in the future; right now I just have normal t5.
eltemeble
Member
every one changes to coral its better anyway i was told for the first few weeks thaat you shouldnt run the skimmer just so the tank sets up faster
Darthv247
Well-known member
run the skimmer 
do water changes too ! i never agree with overloading a tank to "cycle faster " if 2 weeks to cycle is too long to wait then this is the wrong hobby.
do water changes too ! i never agree with overloading a tank to "cycle faster " if 2 weeks to cycle is too long to wait then this is the wrong hobby.Sascha D
Well-known member
only 20 pounds of live rock, will take awhile longer than 2 weeks. I would run the skimmer because you'll have more polution than your bacteria will take care of and it will stink.
Be careful which starfish you pick, things like chocolate stars, crown of thorns ect are pretty but not reef safe. Also stay away from purple linkia and sandsifting stars because of the high mortality rate. Don't try blue linkia until the tank has been set up closer to a year and stable.
Darthv247
Well-known member
id think you would be cycled enough to start adding a cleaner crew after 2 weeks. a fish or 2 maybe after 1-1.5 months depending on the fishes size.
I want to stress that the times are estimates. Your should test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Only begin adding creatures when ammonia and nitrite are zero. Then begin adding slowly. A clean up crew at first and check the measurements. If they stay stable begin adding fish.
Darthv247
Well-known member
definatelty. just estimating the normal timeframe. many things can come into play.
gotfish
Well-known member
If your ammonia/trites are 0, adding a clean up crew will not move those anywhere. Crabs/snails do not add a significant amount of waste to your system. If this were a 1 gallon, it might be a different story, then again I doubt it.
I was hoping I could get someones advice on here as well about lighting. This guy replied to a post I made on craigslist about lighting and this is what he said.
"You can have it all fo 50 bucks, I just want to see it get used. I dont have any pics . you would have a total of four 36" long flourecent bulbs. two power compacts and two actinics, everything needed for a reef tank."
Is this a good route to go?
"You can have it all fo 50 bucks, I just want to see it get used. I dont have any pics . you would have a total of four 36" long flourecent bulbs. two power compacts and two actinics, everything needed for a reef tank."
Is this a good route to go?
Bored4ever86
Well-known member
I disagree on it being "everything needed for a reef tank" but i'm personally running a FOWLR 125g and i have 2 t5HO bulbs over my tank and it looks nice to me, Though i just ordered a new fixture with 4 bulbs that will fit my tank better
At any rate for a FOWLR lights aren't as important seeing as fish don't need lights to grow. If your planning for the lights to not have to be replaced once you want to start adding corals then go for either t5's or Metal Halides. Otherwise a Power Compact solution is the cheapest route.
Okay. I think I will probably wait then and see if I can get a deal on some t5 ho lights and ballast. I do want to do corals in the future, but not for a while, so I was not expecting such a quick reply to my craigslist post. My tank dim. are: 36x12x24
