hi all new to the group

[wildbill36]

i have plans of starting up a FOWLR system i have been reading book and online and trying to figure out what all i would need to get this dream off the ground this is what i have come up with so far please tell me what if anything i am forgetting to factor in
125 gallon glass aquarium not marine ready into FOWLR

700.00 125 gallon tank and stand {no more than i inch of fish {per gallon of water}
187.00 live sand 1 lb per gallon 125lbs=20lbs for 30.00
625.00 live rock at 5.00 per pound 125 lbs
99.00 eco aqualizer protien skimmer with pump
229.00 orca 150 wet /dry trickle filtration
$ 1,840.00 total so far
15.99 aquarium pharmecuticals master test kit
6.99 cycle water treatment
200.00 natural ocean water 5 gallonx25 at 8.00 a gal Catalina $ 2,046.00 Water Company Real Ocean Pure Natural Seawater
-187.03 0r {50gallons of salt mix at 12.97 {.29lbs per gal $1,858.97 total to start cycleing
Any thing im forgetting or did i figure it right????????
Please give me any suggestions you can as well

[aquaman3680]

First of all welcome to RS! With your system you have planned said eco aqualizer protein skimmer. I sell those at the LFS i work at and they by no means are a protein skimmer. It is just an extra method of cleaning the water(reduces nitrates and ammount of waterchanges you have to do) You will still nead a protein skimmer. It also sounds like the 125 with out overflows is over priced as you can get one with dual overflows for that price with the stand. Are you ever planning on going reef with this system? Oh and the 1 inch per gallon is not accurate for salt water only for fresh. Its 1 inch per 3-5 gallons is the general rule

[wildbill36]

i may go to reef at a later date as far as the tank goes it the best deal here i have found so far living in a small town of manhattan kansas plus those prices dont include the 20% off i get for buying the tank from the salt water aquarium dude here which is where i will get my live rock cause he buys in bulk and wont sell a live rock till its been in his own tank at least a year this should help seed and cut down on cure time so i need a good skimmer like a berlin thanks i guess with all this filtration stuff out there i got confused as for the overflow your talking of ? well im lost give me an idea here..... oh and if I go reef i will probably get a acrylic tank instead cuse i hear you got to have a sump and still even more filtration and better lighting

[blue_eyes53813]

Hey wildbill, welcome to RS.. Sounds like you are on the right track...I just wanted to add that boxes of salt,, Mine comes in a box for 200 gallons of mix. it is usually around 50.00.The premixed stuff seems pricey.. Get a big container like a trash can or big rubbermaid container ( big enough to do a 10% or 20% water change ) and add a powerhead and heater... Your good to go for water changes..

[Woodstock]

Hello and welcome to Reef Santuary~~

The recommended stocking rate is 1" of adult fish per five gallons of water. You can exceed that but keep in mind it will add more stress to the fish and require more water changes on your part to keep the water pristine. For Reef tanks the nitrAtes should be 10 ppm or less... some say FO tanks can go over that but IMO, it is better for the fish long term to keep the levels low.

For a skimmer, I suggest an ASM G3 in sump model. Save your $$ if you need to... you'll be happy in the long run for getting a great skimmer!

If you plan on getting that much live rock (1# per gallon) you do not need the wet dry trickle filter. The rock will serve as the biological filtration! Instead of a wet/dry, get a large sump

Instead of $200 of natural ocean water, Get Instant Ocean salt and put the saved $$ towards a skimmer!!

I recommend getting phosphate media (phosban) ASAP and if possible getting the phosban reactor to go with it. This will help keep the po4 level low and prevent nusiance algae blooms! Depending on how nasty your tap water is, you may want to invest in a ro/di filtration system... not a necessity but it will help prevent algae issues.

HTH~

[wildbill36]

Thanks blue eyes
i want to do this right im just hoping it dont turn in to a bottomless pit i regret later all have assured me with patience and taking the time to do it right i cant go wrong lol yeah right ...as for time i have plenty of that.... after an accident forced me to go on disability.
anyway enough of the sad stuff on to bigger and better things cause like i say i got plenty of time and i want to do it right so im planning ahead but taking things one step at a time so whats the story on these bilge and sump thing do i need to factor one of them in yet. or is that only if i go full reef?

[lcstorc]

Did I miss lights on the list? That is one of the more expensive pieces and if you go reef perhaps the most expensive. Also IMHO is the biggest expense in changing from a fowlr to a reef other than the corals.
As for a sump they can be done fairly cheaply and easily. Check out the diy section and many people have made sumps from rubbermaid containers. Really, it just gives you more water volume and a place to keep your protein skimmer, heater, etc. If time is not a factor then just buy ro/di water (or better yet a ro/di unit) and a good salt mix and mix your own. I would also, probably just cycle the tank with a dead shrimp to build the bacteria and put maybe half live sand and half regular sand. You can even do the same for the rock particularly on a long term basis. I just took several pieces of rock from my sump and moved them to my display tank since they had such nice coralline growth on them.
You would be able to add livestock more quickly by adding all the live bacteria etc, but you are going to have a cycle regardless so if time is not an issue you can save some money.

[wildbill36]

i was told regular sand contains silica and other bad stuff that will degrade water quality and cause problems as for light the tank has a standard two bulb hood included in the price but your right i didnt mention it. or a heater either i forgot it looking back oh well im sure there are a few thing i will be slapping my head over with a homer simpson "doh" before im ready to set in fish
i have heard of cycling with frozen shrimp to get everything going as well and that only a sadist would put fish in a tank that aint yet cycled
glad to hear some one else say it though thanks for the advice on the sump tank i will definately look in to that
Do i need a quarentine tank yet or is that only necessary when im ready to stock?

[Rougiem]

Welcome to the Sanctuary wildbill! Sounds like everyone one has you on the right track!

Cheers!

[billyr98]

Welcome WildBill!!

Any more questions... we are all here waiting to answer

[Kensn]

Hello... I would spend my money on a good skimmer as Woodstock said, and good pumps for water movement. If it A FOWLR tank, expensive lighting is not needed in the beginning. I would also think about buying the LR online and curing it yourself...

[blue_eyes53813]

Yes cycle with frozen shrimp in a nylon... And as for the quaratine tank.. You could hold off for a bit.. Doesnt have to be anything fancy.. Sometimes pet stores will have a 20 gallon or so they want to get rid of..

I agree with everyone else that says ,,, get the best skimmer possible. Do not skimp, It will b e the best purchase for this hobby.. Some have a sump and some dont( its up to you),, Good luck

[Gina]

Great advice given above just wanted to say Hello and Welcome to RS!

[ghostwolf]

Hi, WildBill and welcome. I agree with everyone else about the skimmer and lights. These are the 2 items you don't wont to skimp on. Our system came with a skimmer and we have just upgraded it. Sounds like you are already on the right track for setting up your system. Good luck and welcome again.

Lin

[lcstorc]

When I was referring to sand I was speaking of the sand you buy at the lfs that is not "live". It is much less expensive and if time is not an issue should be just fine.
There are several threads that speak of people using "regular" sand with no problems but there are things you should do to test it first and one is the silica content as you mentioned. Another is the ph. I have some in my garage that I keep thinking of adding to my tank but so far have not been brave enough. LOL