Any advice would be greatly appreciated !

[ice]

I am new to the reef aquarium and would gladly accept any help or recommendations. I want to get a 135g bowfront to house live rock and some fish. I work out of town sometimes and would like to know what I would need to make it somewhat maintenance free (my wife would just know how to feed and do water checks while I am away). I have been looking at the solaris I-5 for my lighting. Money isn`t too much of a hinderance, I would rather spend the money now than down the road with problems. I wanted everything hidden underneath in the sump. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Welcome to Canreef :) You should do some reading before you start, as that's the best way (regardless of the quality of your different components) to avoid mishaps and/or failure!

Check out this section of our forum:

http://canreef.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=51

Or this section of reefcentral.com:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1031074

Good luck and keep asking questions.

[ice]

Thanks for the reply ! I am reading the saltwater aquariums for dummies right now and will read those links you suggested. I can`t wait to get started but I just want to make sure I have the right equipment and don`t screw anything up.

[mark]

Few books good place to start and visit other reefers tanks is always helpful.

If doing a FOWLR, really don't need to be worrying supplementing. A ATO would go a long way in going maintenance free for your wife and all then that is needed, is to add food and empty the skimmer cup.

As for the Solaris, just because you pay the big bucks doesn't always make things problem free. Lots of threads about poor quality with their other series and since they just rearranged things, might want to give them some time to get the it right.

Also if just planning a FOWLR really don't need the intensity. When I just had fish and rock in the old tank ran just normal output flourscents (marine bulbs) and worked fine. Ended up switching to PC but that was only because started some sofies. Check out T5s still get the nice crisp white with the higher temperature bulbs and use the money saved for for that Bubble King skimmer .

[Doug]

http://216.187.96.54/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=40

Lots of good threads to read here in our reference library.

[mike31154]

Bowfronts can be very nice, but keep in mind they're a little more difficult to light properly than a flat front tank if you decide to move on to more demanding corals in the future. Stand & canopy design can also be an issue. Just my take if you're looking for something with easier maintenance requirements.

[slakker]

I have a 72 Bowfront as my main tank and have set it up so there's minimal work to do when I'm away execpt to feed and clean the skimmer if I'm away for more than a week.

A key to this for me is getting a controller. I have a Neptune ACIII that controls lights, heating, pH/Calc reactor, etc. I've set it up so it's accessible via the Net and it's come in handy. I was in Seattle when my wife called to say one of the HQIs burnt out and the ballast was humming really loud. Instead of her needing to figure out which switches to flick, I logged in and turned the light off till I got home.

It is also setup to email me if pH drops too low or if the temp get's too high.

Also having a buddy that is into reefing and can drop by in an emergency is really good too.

[ice]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. My head is spinning with a whole bunch of information. More advice is still welcome. I read about controllers that add chemical, and also feed your fish. I think that might be something to look at if I am away for an extended period of time, but then it takes all the fun out of having an aquarium.

[mark]

Here's a link to comparison charts for both controllers and skimmers.

http://www.aquariumcontrollers.com/

[slakker]

Once you get into it, I'd be willing to bet that the controller will actually ADD more fun to the hobby. It takes care of some of the mundane chores but will also help keep some of your reef chemistry stable (always a good thing). ie; auto top up will ensure that salinity won't fluctuate, calc reactor will ensure Ca levels, correct temperature so it doesn't fluctuate, etc.. There's still tonnes to do as the controllers won't take care of everything. I feed frozen so no auto feeder for that. You may end up running carbon or Phosban. And just more time to sit and watch the little critters...

Especially if money is not too much a hindrance, I'd recommend looking into it.

I was coincidentally down in San Jose earlier this year and went to the Neptune "factory". It was a pretty neat to see, they are in a commercial complex and was not a retail location at all. I called them and said I was from Canada and if I could just drop by... He took my order and I went and picked it up. It was pretty funny as since they manufacture and design/build right ther, they had 1/2 dozen tanks in various states of setup testing and running the controllers.