Setting up a 4 ft fowlr tank

[exomanor]

Hi everybody, im new here and i am considering starting up a 4ft fowlr tank, i also have several questions and doubts in setting up my tank. I have already ordered a tank with 4 ft sump and preparing to purchase my skimmers and UV and sump materials. I have several questions although i have read up and researched. I still need some help and advice. Previously i had kept several angels but that was a fowlr with artificial rocks and BB. Now i am considering running a fowlr with live rocks, maybe chiller and also a sand bed.

Im going to dive into the questions now..

Is it better to run 2 skimmers as opposed to 1?

Is it safe to run a large UV in my tank as im hoping to cultivate plankton in my sandbed. Ive heard that UV kills organisms. But im afraid of fish dieseases and i hope a large UV unit can help to control bacteria and and sterilize my water to a certain extent.

Liverocks as opposed to Dead rocks.. I feel that liverocks make the tank look more beautiful and contributes to a healthier tank with microalgae for fishes to graze upon. But the prospect of parasites and dieseases is very daunting. Should i cycle the tank for 3 months or 6 months? Is cycling for 3 months safe?

I really love the look of the sand bed!!! but im also worried about the sand dropping into my sump and jam my system. This worry is because my aim would be to stock large fishes(angels primarily). And those guys can easily stir up the sand bed am i right? Should i use coral bits as bottom? i have seen people using that too.

Previously when i kept my old tank i used a fan to cool the temperature, but the temperature was always around 28-29 deg. This makes my fishes color look less beautiful and i read that cold water accentuates the fish's colors. Is this true or can i still stick to fan without affecting my fish color?. Really hoping to make my fish color vibrant this time as previously my blue face, majestic and a couple angels became dull and not as vibrant as when i first purchased them.

There are still many considerations but essentially im really thinking about the purchasing of skimmers, chillers and UV and liverocks( or artificial) and the type of sand bed.. If anyone out there has any opinions or advice ill really welcome it..

[derrickyeo]

Hi bro

Cannot advise you much coz im also just setting up too - fowlr angeltank. Welcome! Where you stay? Im at fernvale.. maybe 2 mths later, can go shopping for angels together.

[gymbvolka]

i dont think u need 2 skimmer. U need just one reliable and powerful skimmer that is able hold your over overstocking and feeding.

One skimmer also mean less noisy and save more space for other equipment in ur sump.

of course anyone can have even 3 skimmers if they want, in case any of the skimmers broke down

[exomanor]

Hi bro

Cannot advise you much coz im also just setting up too - fowlr angeltank. Welcome! Where you stay? Im at fernvale.. maybe 2 mths later, can go shopping for angels together.

Hey bro! im staying at NE side too! compassvale walk hahaha. im sure one day we gona be heading down find fishes together

[exomanor]

i dont think u need 2 skimmer. U need just one reliable and powerful skimmer that is able hold your over overstocking and feeding.

One skimmer also mean less noisy and save more space for other equipment in ur sump.

of course anyone can have even 3 skimmers if they want, in case any of the skimmers broke down

yes.. im not trying to overkill as i have constraint on budget too, cant exceed that otherwise my co gona nag lol

But still looking for the most logical and ideal set up. Stocking and deciding what fishes to put in is my least priority and worry for the moment. Just got a general idea what i will put soon. =)

[[V]tEc]

Have u tot of doing a QT tank?

[exomanor]

tEc' timestamp='1354613980' post='1077476']

Have u tot of doing a QT tank?

yes, i already have prepared a 2ft tank for qt.. i definitely am going for qt cos im not really confident the fishes from lfs are all that safe

May i ask if you have a qt? and if so what do you use for it? skimmer im sure..how about sump and filtration and any uv?

[[V]tEc]

i cant afford to have a QT tank in my house. end up lost alot of angels and fishes.

[yeo99]

Nice to more and more people going into FOWLR tank.

How about wave maker? It is also important to have in a FOWLR tank.

My tank is a bare bottom tank, easier to maintain.

Temperature : I have a chiller but set it to very high about 30C.

[exomanor]

Nice to more and more people going into FOWLR tank.

How about wave maker? It is also important to have in a FOWLR tank.

My tank is a bare bottom tank, easier to maintain.

Temperature : I have a chiller but set it to very high about 30C.

yes definitely putting wavemakers, probably two of them..

may i ask why do you set 30 deg for temp if ur running a chiller? isnt the point of using a chiller to keep the water cool?

[yeo99]

The reason is during hot days not this time of the year, the room temperature can go to 31 to 32, the tank temperature can go to 32 with all the equipments, I want to maintain at 30 so not to stress the fishes.

I think the fish color depends not only the temperature, depends on many factors such as water quality, foods, diseases, etc.

Good to see more people going into FOWLR so we can discuss more....

[yeo99]

If you are keeping angels, lists what you want to keep., plan the sequence to introduce and the smallest size and shy one should go in first.

[FuEl]

Filtration very important as FOWLRS usually have heavier bioload than reef tanks. Good piece of equipments to have are an efficient protein skimmer & a fluidized bed filter in high bioload situations. Tank turnover rate very important, ideally at least 5 times per hour. Meaning if your tank is 200L aim to have a return of at least 1000L/hr. Do remember to take pump headloss into consideration (meaning you might need to get a pump rated 2500L/hr once headloss is taken into consideration). Match your skimmer turnover rate to your tank turnover rate. Meaning if your return into the tank is 1000L/hr, have a skimmer that has a feed pump of 1000L/hr as well. Do take note of the air intake and subtract this amount from the feed pump rating such that the value of the amount of water going into the skimmer is 1000L/hr.

A UV is a good bet, especially if you can find one size that can accomodate the entire return flowrate & yet still have maximum kill efficiency. Many people are skeptical about UVs as most of the aquarium units are designed with inappropriate turnover for maximum killrates. For example if the flow through the UV unit must only be 300L/hr for it to be effective, it will be of little help if your tank is for example 1000L. Assuming your tank volume is turned over 5x/hr (about 5000L), you need at least 17 of those aquarium UV units running in parallel to be really efficient. If a UV is chosen, get one that can handle the flowrate of your return pump. Meaning if your tank turnover is 5X, your parasite kill rate is 5X per hour as well. Most common marine parasites have a free swimming stage so if you can flush you system more frequently via higher turnover rates and through a UV it will help a lot. If you need me to advise on UV unit just drop me a pm, the brand I carry is one of the best in the industry.