Howdy!

[NickNiz]

Since your tank is so tall, you might be able to get by with 10 lbs of sand. Check Amazon-they tend to have decent pricing on sand, and free shipping with Prime.

A CUC is highly recommended. You don't need one right away, but when algae starts growing on the sand, rock, or glass (which is inevitable at some point), then you'll want to get some snails. There are some breeds of starfish that come out at night and go around the tank scavenging all the leftover food that the fish didn't get.

As for the skimmer, in-tank models are made for filtration chambers (such as in Nano- or Biocubes) and sumps. Since your tank doesn't have a filter chamber, HOB would be the way to go if you want to keep the tank looking clean. I personally wouldn't put a skimmer on a 15 gallon tank though. Unless you find a great skimmer, most of those made for nano tanks <20gal aren't all that great.

 

[H2S04]

Since your tank is so tall, you might be able to get by with 10 lbs of sand. Check Amazon-they tend to have decent pricing on sand, and free shipping with Prime.

A CUC is highly recommended. You don't need one right away, but when algae starts growing on the sand, rock, or glass (which is inevitable at some point), then you'll want to get some snails. There are some breeds of starfish that come out at night and go around the tank scavenging all the leftover food that the fish didn't get.

As for the skimmer, in-tank models are made for filtration chambers (such as in Nano- or Biocubes) and sumps. Since your tank doesn't have a filter chamber, HOB would be the way to go if you want to keep the tank looking clean. I personally wouldn't put a skimmer on a 15 gallon tank though. Unless you find a great skimmer, most of those made for nano tanks <20gal aren't all that great.

Ok. Thanks.
Any recommendations on sand brands? Or ones to avoid?
Also, lighting.
If im not going to get corals, do I need that much lighting.

Thank you for all your assistance. My kids are getting antsy for some "nemos" ...

 

[NickNiz]

You're welcome! For live sand, I always go with Caribsea. Right now I have the Hawaiian black sand, but Fiji Pink is another favorite.

I'm not an expert on lighting with FOWLR tanks, as the only lights I've had experience with were for reef tanks. If you can find something that is LED, I would recommend it. LED lights give the tank a neat shimmer effect. You can post a new thread in the lighting forum if you want more input!

 

[H2S04]

You're welcome! For live sand, I always go with Caribsea. Right now I have the Hawaiian black sand, but Fiji Pink is another favorite.

I'm not an expert on lighting with FOWLR tanks, as the only lights I've had experience with were for reef tanks. If you can find something that is LED, I would recommend it. LED lights give the tank a neat shimmer effect. You can post a new thread in the lighting forum if you want more input!

Is live sand sold in bags?
Petsmart/Petco/Walmart?

 

[needbiggertanks]

Petco has bags of live sand you can buy. When you place it dont drain the water out of the bag, that will contain the beneficial bacteria.

Lighting can be cheap for a FOWLR, dont get too hung up on it. Honestly, i wouldnt recommemd the skimmer with the set up you are planning on using. Itll be more noise you dont want with such little return. Two clowns will not make a huge mess especially with 33% water changes.

 

[H2S04]

Petco has bags of live sand you can buy. When you place it dont drain the water out of the bag, that will contain the beneficial bacteria.

Lighting can be cheap for a FOWLR, dont get too hung up on it. Honestly, i wouldnt recommemd the skimmer with the set up you are planning on using. Itll be more noise you dont want with such little return. Two clowns will not make a huge mess especially with 33% water changes.

Awesome, thanks!
Also...
With the HOB filter, I'm gonna remove the media and just use carbon in it, because my rock roll do most of the filtering, correct?

 

[flowflezy]

HOB skimmer aquamax very good skimmer super easy to clean and set up.

 

[H2S04]

HOB skimmer aquamax very good skimmer super easy to clean and set up.

Thanks for the reply!
WoW, $225! I'm not so sure I can justify that to the old ball and chain. She's already on me about my fishing expenses...;Greedy;Greedy;Greedy

 

[nervousmonkey]

Thanks for the reply!
Could simple playground sand be used for substrate? Pool filter sand (which I have easy access to in abundance)?
Also...
CUC?

There are people that use pool sand, namely @Humblefish. He has a post on it here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/pool-filter-sand.314746/#post-3879666

Welcome to R2R and the salty side!

 

[beaslbob]

I would start the tank with macro algae at the very start. then do the rest. With that tank you could add some 1/4" plastic grid (egg crate) sold as lighting diffusers for drop ceilings. Cram in a piece 2" from a side wall and add some side lighting to light up the area. then add chaetomorphia algae between the egg crate and tank wall.

Let it set a week to get things balanced and stabilized.

Then add a single male molly.

don't feed the molly for a week.

Then start feeding a single flake per day.

Once the molly lives a few weeks then add the marine fish like clowns.

You can use limestone rocks from your local quarry and play sand from a building supply store.

Don't do water changes just replace water that evaporates.


The idea is to establish a balanced eco system that basically takes care of itself, uses commonly available materials, and is forgiving of woopsies guys like me make.

my .02

 

[H2S04]

I would start the tank with macro algae at the very start. then do the rest. With that tank you could add some 1/4" plastic grid (egg crate) sold as lighting diffusers for drop ceilings. Cram in a piece 2" from a side wall and add some side lighting to light up the area. then add chaetomorphia algae between the egg crate and tank wall.

Let it set a week to get things balanced and stabilized.

Then add a single male molly.

don't feed the molly for a week.

Then start feeding a single flake per day.

Once the molly lives a few weeks then add the marine fish like clowns.

You can use limestone rocks from your local quarry and play sand from a building supply store.

Don't do water changes just replace water that evaporates.


The idea is to establish a balanced eco system that basically takes care of itself, uses commonly available materials, and is forgiving of woopsies guys like me make.

my .02

So play sand CAN be used?
As for everything else you suggested...
Ive got some researching to do!

Also...
Is substrate a necessity?

 

[H2S04]

Ok, so a nephew of mine tells me he has a SunSun (that IS what he called it) canister filter in his garage. He said it was in his 55 gallon Oscar(?) tank. Says it has a UV sterilizer(?).
Would this work for my setup?
Thanks for any and all replies!

 

[beaslbob]

So play sand CAN be used?

Yes. especially if you get the rare almost not available silica free play sand which is calcium carbonate. But even with the silica sand the concern is diatoms which bloom then die off as the sand matures. The silicates don't make much difference in the tank and besides the glass is silica also. Of course, it is a more brownish color and some what the white color. But yes common play sand can be used successfully

As for everything else you suggested...
Ive got some researching to do!

Also...
Is substrate a necessity?

No. It's more for appearance. some like bare bottom anyway.

With a system balanced and stabilized with macro or other algae, the algae is the controlling factor.

my .02

 

[nervousmonkey]

Sure, a canister filter would work, and the UV sterilizer will certainly not hurt.
I would take most of the stuff out of the canister though, and just run carbon and some filter floss. You will need to take it apart weekly and clean it thoroughly. Your nephew will not think that you do, but he was running a freshwater tank where it isn't as important. A SW tank will tend to fill it with waste which will break down into nitrates = bad for your tank. A great resource for help with using a canister is @saltyfilmfolks . I know that there are plenty of people that use a canister, but I don't know them, and I do know Salty.

 

[H2S04]

Sure, a canister filter would work, and the UV sterilizer will certainly not hurt.
I would take most of the stuff out of the canister though, and just run carbon and some filter floss. You will need to take it apart weekly and clean it thoroughly. Your nephew will not think that you do, but he was running a freshwater tank where it isn't as important. A SW tank will tend to fill it with waste which will break down into nitrates = bad for your tank. A great resource for help with using a canister is @saltyfilmfolks . I know that there are plenty of people that use a canister, but I don't know them, and I do know Salty.

Ok. Cool.
I looked into the canister's specs online and it says its flow is 265 gph.
That's sounds like a bit much for a 15 gallon tank, no?

 

[nervousmonkey]

Yeah, a little too much. Lol. Can you dial it down? I also doubt that it is still putting out 265. And it will lose pressure the taller the stand is. Check to see how much pressure it has at the height your tank is. The flow may be OK, though. 265 isn't a ton of flow; the way to tell is if it blows stuff around in your tank. If it does, too much flow.

 

[H2S04]

Word gets around!
So my wife was telling the neighbor lady about our tank dreams. Well, "Tom" just stopped by with a Aqueon QUIET FLOW 55/75 HOB filter. It has two compartments in the back and says its for tanks up to 90 gallons. The box states it moves 400 GPH.
I'm assuming this is WAY too much for my little 15 gallon, right?

 

[H2S04]

Yeah, a little too much. Lol. Can you dial it down? I also doubt that it is still putting out 265. And it will lose pressure the taller the stand is. Check to see how much pressure it has at the height your tank is. The flow may be OK, though. 265 isn't a ton of flow; the way to tell is if it blows stuff around in your tank. If it does, too much flow.

How does one check the pressure? Is it scientific or just an eyeball thing? Is there a specific flow I should be looking for for my specific tank? 50GPH? 75? 200?

 

[nervousmonkey]

There are ways to do it with Apex, but it costs a good bit and not worth it for a canister, but you will be able to tell if your sand is blowing around all over.

 

[Gweeds1980]

Thanks for the reply!
Could simple playground sand be used for substrate? Pool filter sand (which I have easy access to in abundance)?
Also...
CUC?

Both playground and pool sand is full of silicates which will feed things you don't want to grow!