07-18-2011, 11:21 AM
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#1 | | | Newbie Question - Plants same as Reef?
Hi all,
I am at the researching stage of planning my first SW tank. Looking through the threads here, I see people have reef tanks or FOWLR tanks. I don't think I want to start with a reef tank but I'm wondering if there are plants that can be added to a FOWLR tanks or if FOWLR tanks are just fish, live rock & live sand? I'm kind of thinking of plants somewhere along the line of what freshwater plants look like - you know, kind of tall with flowing branches. If there are such plants, what would be good ones for a beginner?
Thanks for all the info at this site! I'm already learning a great deal!
Marcia
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07-18-2011, 02:21 PM
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#5 | | |
the plants your speaking of are types of macro algaes, keeping these will still require a good light source. certain species will also go sexual and over populate your tank. research and google anything BEFORE adding it to your tank. by doing this you will increase your chances of buying something you can actually keep.
as for the live rock/sand convo,
i personally would set up a FOWLR the same as a reef ( minus the coral and lighting )
this includes enough rock, an overflow, sump and skimmer. i think i would even use RO/DI water too. FOWLR systems can be more basic, but these methods always worked for me with my reef tanks.
as cali said, enough rock with enough flow will be your filter. ofcourse that can work in tandem with a skimmer, but i personally dont suggest canister filters, hang on filters, bio balls, and anything that can collect debris to break down into un-wanted nutrients. hang on filters and even canister filters have been used by others, but frequent cleaning of the media is a must. even filter socks must be cleaned very frequent. proper feeding will also help to keep water quality pristine.
on the sand topic, you can go without it, which will even allow you to increase flow ( this is why alot of SPS keepers go bare bottom ) but i personally like sand in my tanks. a deep sand bed to be exact. ( you want to keep sand 1'' and under OR 4'' - 6''
seeing as you wish to keep macro algaes, a deep sand bed might be needed for certain species. research will tell.
some fish NEED sand. jawfish, gobies, some wrasse will dart into the sandbed when they feel a threat... as well as other things like nassarious snails, sand shifting starfish and so on...
depending how your fish only tank will be set up, keeping inverts usually doesnt happen unless you pick all reef friendly fish.
so sand doesnt always depend on personal liking. i do however advise to keep away from crushed coral or gravel in a saltwater system.
welcome to the forum.
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07-18-2011, 02:29 PM
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#6 | | | Quote:
Originally Posted by onefish2fish  the plants your speaking of are types of macro algaes, keeping these will still require a good light source. certain species will also go sexual and over populate your tank. research and google anything BEFORE adding it to your tank. by doing this you will increase your chances of buying something you can actually keep.
as for the live rock/sand convo,
i personally would set up a FOWLR the same as a reef ( minus the coral and lighting )
this includes enough rock, an overflow, sump and skimmer. i think i would even use RO/DI water too. FOWLR systems can be more basic, but these methods always worked for me with my reef tanks.
as cali said, enough rock with enough flow will be your filter. ofcourse that can work in tandem with a skimmer, but i personally dont suggest canister filters, hang on filters, bio balls, and anything that can collect debris to break down into un-wanted nutrients. hang on filters and even canister filters have been used by others, but frequent cleaning of the media is a must. even filter socks must be cleaned very frequent. proper feeding will also help to keep water quality pristine.
on the sand topic, you can go without it, which will even allow you to increase flow ( this is why alot of SPS keepers go bare bottom ) but i personally like sand in my tanks. a deep sand bed to be exact. ( you want to keep sand 1'' and under OR 4'' - 6''
seeing as you wish to keep macro algaes, a deep sand bed might be needed for certain species. research will tell.
some fish NEED sand. jawfish, gobies, some wrasse will dart into the sandbed when they feel a threat... as well as other things like nassarious snails, sand shifting starfish and so on...
depending how your fish only tank will be set up, keeping inverts usually doesnt happen unless you pick all reef friendly fish.
so sand doesnt always depend on personal liking. i do however advise to keep away from crushed coral or gravel in a saltwater system.
welcome to the forum. | EXTREMELY well said! I agree completely 
Good Luck mnewcomb!
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07-18-2011, 03:07 PM
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#7 | | |
to add,
not only will some algaes need sand, others will need rock, empty shells, dead coral skeleton to grow on, some are free floating, all this will depend on its type which will need to be researched. by keeping good alk, cal and mag levels your live rock should in time be covered in some very nice coraline algae. certain algaes may even battle the coraline for space, again depending on algae species. i would suggest testing for alk, cal and mag anyways since you plan on housing these algaes. ( i personally would test/dose for this in a fish only system or reef anyways as both fish and corals benefit from proper levels. )
along with these tests dont forget liquid tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, thermo for temp, refractometer for salinity ( i suggest a refractometer over a hydrometer anyday for better accuracy, check ebay) at the minimum. some more demanding algaes may require other testing and dosing. NEVER dose without testing. i suggest picking a reef quality salt mix and sticking with it. by using this it will provide your major elements for alk, cal and mag, along with the minor elements that are found in sea water. water changes alone should replenish these, but testing for alk, cal and mag will tell if additional dosing is required.
i will say, there are some very nice tyes of algae out there, and again coraline is pretty in itself IMO and ive seen it in some very nice colors ( which seem to be rarer then common shades of purple, which still provides a beauty )
regardless, good luck, have fun, take your time, ask questions, research and again welcome to the forum.
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07-19-2011, 07:21 PM
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#9 | | |
Thanks everyone for the great advice! I will definitely take my time & research before deciding on which if any plants to add.
So far, here are my thoughts for my first SW tank: 40 breeder tank, live rock (don't know how much yet), live sand (don't know how much yet). I'm currently thinking I might get a dwarf zebra lionfish for my lone tank occupant. Hopefully, I'll find a few nice plants to finish off the tank. I know I haven't addressed the skimmer, powerheads, sump setup, lights, heater, etc yet - those are on the list to research.
I'm thinking setting up this tank will be a good winter project so I have several months to figure out what the actual setup will be.
Any suggestions along the way are greatly appreciated!
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