Brand New with 110 Gallon
- Thread starter RoryJ
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Welcome to Reef2Reef, Rory!
A FOWLR in a 110 sounds like a barrel of color, a swirl of excitement from here! You'll find plenty of information in the stickied threads, and plenty more in the minds of the folks who post here on a regular basis. Read. Learn. Ask. Learn more. Build. Learn more yet (including all the things you'll want to do differently next time!). Observe. Learn continuously.
~Bruce
A FOWLR in a 110 sounds like a barrel of color, a swirl of excitement from here! You'll find plenty of information in the stickied threads, and plenty more in the minds of the folks who post here on a regular basis. Read. Learn. Ask. Learn more. Build. Learn more yet (including all the things you'll want to do differently next time!). Observe. Learn continuously.
~Bruce
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RoryJ
Active Member
I was going to start with the Fluval FX6 and go from there...should i buy cured live rock?..uncured?..live sand or not..like i said real new at this..just wanna make the right choices..thanks for any and all input
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RoryJ
Active Member
with the cured rock and live sand, tank still has to cycle, correct?
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RoryJ
Active Member
How do you feel about the Fluval FX6??
Joey waid
Well-Known Member
Yes.
Duke4Life
Just a crazy eel guy, LMAS
Yes. I wouldn't buy live sand, your rock will make it live in no time.
Joey waid
Well-Known Member
Canister filters are not as forgiving in salt as they are in fresh water. You rock sand is for the most part doing what the fluval does. Saying that I have used them and do like them. I would use it for more of polishing the water than pure filtration.
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RoryJ
Active Member
ok so i will go with live rock but not live sand...can you add the live rock gradually or do it all at once?..110 gallon tank would be pretty expensive to do at recommended 1 pound per gallon..or do i not have to have all that live rock?
Duke4Life
Just a crazy eel guy, LMAS
This looks pricey and you could do a basic sump setup for that cost.
Duke4Life
Just a crazy eel guy, LMAS
You can go gradually but will then need to cure it real good before adding. Depends on how you scape you may want more that 110lbs. I've got 140lbs and wouldn't hesitate adding 30lbs more but I also have a very lite fish load as well at the moment.
Joey waid
Well-Known Member
All at once and roughly one pound per gallon, the more the better.
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RoryJ
Active Member
What would be your recommended way to go about starting up?..
As it turns out, there's a lot more to liverock than just "cured" and "uncured". I was excited to purchase "Pukani air rock", because I'd read that Pukani is porous and light, a haven for small creatures, 'pods and just the sorts of bacteria you want the most. It may well be, but the rock I received had very little, if any living creatures on it, although it did have some dead sponges and things (they might have been dried & rehydrated, for all that I could tell) that fed the cycle in my tank. I went ahead and used it anyway, got a nice robust cycle, and it's covered with life now ... but most of that life came in on frag plugs. The most glowing reviews seem to be for Tampa Bay Saltwater rock, which is basically maricultured, shipped in water, and arrives covered with living things. For a FOWLR, you may not need or want that - or the rather steep shipping that it comes with.
As for filtration, canisters make for great filters in freshwater, but aren't highly regarded by saltier folks. Most of your biofiltration will be handled in your rock and sand, so look to filters for mechanical (socks), skimming (well ... skimmers ...), chemical (resins if you choose to use, carbon, Granular Ferrous Oxide for phosphates, etc...) filtration from a sump system. Using a sump means that you can see what's going on in there at a glance. Socks are overflowing after three days? Change 'em out. Most of it's about removing nutrients from the water relatively promptly. It's worked moderately well for me in the 65, and it's what I'm planning for the new build as well.
~Bruce
As for filtration, canisters make for great filters in freshwater, but aren't highly regarded by saltier folks. Most of your biofiltration will be handled in your rock and sand, so look to filters for mechanical (socks), skimming (well ... skimmers ...), chemical (resins if you choose to use, carbon, Granular Ferrous Oxide for phosphates, etc...) filtration from a sump system. Using a sump means that you can see what's going on in there at a glance. Socks are overflowing after three days? Change 'em out. Most of it's about removing nutrients from the water relatively promptly. It's worked moderately well for me in the 65, and it's what I'm planning for the new build as well.
~Bruce
Joey waid
Well-Known Member
Come up with a budget. Decided corals fish or both. Buy everything you need to get saltwater rock and sand in the tank. Set the tank up and cycle it. Read and read some more and ask questions on here. Start buying the rest of you stuff based on what direction you are going in. Light and filtration will vary based on what's going in your tank. You are going to need a full cycle to succeed, do not rush this part. Cycling is the life blood of the tank.
Mr_Banana_Pants
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I'm no genius when it comes to aquariums, but I started my aquarium with all dry base rock (1/3 the price of live), live sand (agra alive), and a canister filter. I used a bottle of bio spira and a couple of damsel to cycle it. If your on a budget and have some patients it works well. If your looking to do some serious corals then the canister won't work, but it seems ok for my Fowler setup. Yea live rock is nice and instant gratification, but you never know when your getting on it. I'm very happy with the money I saved and everything is running great for me.
