When first jumping into the hobby

[Reefer Leafer]

Hey guys! i just was wondering what your opinions were for when new people start jumping into the hobby would it be a smart idea to go with FOWLR tank before getting into corals? I have a 55 gal that i wanted to step into the hobby with I've been reading and reading and reading up on things and planing out how i want the tank to look but i do know from reading that this hobby takes time to work yourself into.

Thank you for your time!

 

[S2G]

I think fowlr is the way to start out. Work on maintaining your parameters. Once your able to keep your salinity, alk, etc stable then get some coral.

 

[andrewkw]

If this is a standard 55 gallon I'd strongly suggest another sized tank. The dimensions are just terrible. It's too narrow to aquascape. Doesn't have a ton of water volume and can end up being very frustrating. A 40 gallon breeder which is 15 gallons smaller actually has a lot more room to aquascape.

As far as FOWLR vs Reef that's up to you. There isn't going be much work maintaining alkalinity for instance if nothing is absorbing it. There are plenty of beginner corals out there but doesn't hurt to start with just fish. Will give you something to watch while you consider what you want to do next.

 

[foxt]

You will want to let your system mature for a while before adding most corals, so FOWLR is almost the default. Sure, there are some corals, mostly softies and LPS, that you can add quickly, but there is a saying in this hobby that are words to live by: nothing good happens quickly.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

!!! Welcome to R2R @Reefer Leafer !!! Great suggestions from our fellow reefers. The same happens to me when I start with saltwater. I had a 55g but the problem was the width of the tank, that I think is about 12". Then I got the 40g breeder that has more room but now upgrading to a 75g.