FOWLR vs. Reef

PaulPerger · Nov 8, 2017

I am about to build my first saltwater tank, and my wife has asked me to put it in our family room. All of my current FW tanks are in my Mancave, and that is where I assumed I would be putting my first SW tank as well.

Being that it was going to be in my Mancave, I didn't really need to take anyone else's opinions into consideration about what would be in said tank. I would prefer several smaller reef safe fish and some unique and cool corals. My wife prefers the super colorful butterflies, sailfins, foxface etc. which from what I have read will eat corals.

So, I have been looking at some FOWLR tanks which house the very fish my wife loves to see, and I have to agree they are beautiful, but they don't seem to be very interesting aquariums, aside from the fish. So, what can be done to a FOWLR tank to make it beautiful? Are there some wavy soft corals that wouldn't be eaten by "non-reef safe" fish? What about anemones? Also, I noticed when looking at FOWLR tanks that I saw starfish, something I haven't seen in reef tanks. Honestly, I hadn't really thought about not seeing them in reef tanks until I saw them in FOWLR tanks. Are they not compatible with Reef tanks either?

There are obviously positives and negatives to both, and being that I am just starting, I am looking for some help in identifying what those positives and negatives are so I can make some intelligent choices as I move forward.

PaulPerger · Nov 8, 2017

I guess I should have added that I am building a 75 gallon tank with a 40 gallon breeder for a sump.

JoshH · Nov 8, 2017

The first thing you need to do is take a good look into the types of fish you wish to keep, reef safe or not they all have needs in relation to the size of system they will be in. And making sure your system is large enough for these fish is the first step. This may or may not help in your decision on what way to go. Starfish, depending on the type can be netoriously difficult to keep. Just a heads up, they aren't impossible but usually require much more mature systems in order to thrive. Some corals like Kenya trees, GSP, clove polyps and xenia grow like weeds and might just grow fast enough to keep from being totally wiped out in a tank with inhabitants who have a taste for coral.

Mr. Bill · Nov 8, 2017

You may want to take a look here to get a better idea of what you actually want. http://www.liveaquaria.com/

What corals or inverts you can keep with "non-reef safe" fish depends on the actual species you wish to keep. Some target specific corals, some anemones, some shrimp or feather dusters, etc., etc. As for sea stars, choice few are actually reef safe. Unfortunately, many are sold as scavengers or algae grazers when in reality they actively prey on prized clams or specific corals and will slowly starve in any tank devoid of their natural food source.

andrewkw · Nov 8, 2017

I'll try not to sound like a saltwater snob but if you are entertained by freshwater tanks I think a fowlr will keep your captivation. That being said a fowlr is far less interesting than a reef. My fowlr is a Lionfish tank which I consider to be almost like a freshwater tank, as in it's not a lot of work. That being said if you are doing a 75 other than dwarf angels there aren't many non reef safe fish you can do in a 75. Most of the beautiful fish that eat coral require much larger aquariums. Even the dwarfs I mention would be fine with a lot of beginner corals.

The fish only starfish are certainly easier to keep but there are quite a few reef safe ones as well they are just harder to keep and require a mature tank. If I were you I'd setup the tank to at the very least be a basic reef, or if you are interested in more challenging corals set it up so that it can support them, start with fish and go from there. Since you already have multiple tanks there is a good chance you will want another tank one day and then you could do both.