Thinking of setting up a FOWOLR

[Palmer]

Hi Everyone,

So I have had my reef up and running for 2 and a half years and pretty happy with it no major issues (besides the occasional RO flood.) I have also kept Cichlids for about 15 years and I am kind of getting tired of my 125 G african cichlid tank.

I like the aquascaping of the tank though (Big Buddha statue and lots of slate rock.) I am thinking I would like to convert it to Fish only but without live rock and as a separate system from my reef.

So would a good skimmer regular waterchanges and perhaps some "detritus free" bioballs with mechanical filtration do the trick? I know everyone is pro live rock and negative on wet/dry filtration but is that more for corals which in many cases are more sensitive to nitrates?

Also I could start another thread but any suggestions on fish for a 125 G 6' long tank? I honestly have spent much more time reading about corals over the last couple of years and have spent little time researching fish I would not put in my 120 G reef.

thanks!

Palmer

[Palmer]

Wow not one response in a day and a half?!

Either nobody wants to get into a need to use live rock discussion and I am out to lunch or the FOWLR section pretty barren. :lol:

[lpsreefer]

If you have seen the show tanked. They use wet/dry filters it looks like on all there setups.

[Palmer]

I have never seen the show but heard about it here on Canreef. From what I remember there seemed to be a bit of contraversy over their tanks but I dont remmember what it was over.

[Reef Pilot]

Can't say myself, because have never tried that. But if you have enough surface area with your old rock work and bio balls with beneficial bacteria, maybe that is enough to provide an adequate nitrogen cycle for your organic waste. Then use a bio pellet reactor and with your skimmer you may be able to keep your nitrates low enough.

Why don't you give it a try and let us know how it works out. You can always add live rock later, or fill up a sump with it.

[Palmer]

I think that will likely be my plan. Good suggestion i was considering rock in the sump as well that is a good option if I dont want it in the display.

[ALang]

LR is nice for even semi-aggressive fish to dart behind and hide from time-to-time. Having them do some filtration is a huge bonus.
Plus most fish likes to hang near structures of some sort, especially at night.
Good luck with your fowlr.

[Reef Pilot]

You could also try this, if you don't want to use a skimmer and a bio pellet reactor.
http://www.aquaripure.com/

But again, have not tried any of this myself, so can't vouch for it.

Will be interesting also if you can limit the growth of coralline algae on your old rock and ornaments.

[wingedfish]

You don't need live rock for a fish only. The live rock is used for the anoxic areas and the beneficial denitrifieing this produces. The lack of an anoxic area will cause the excesive build up of nitrates. This is removed with water changes. The other pitfalls of high nitrates are algae growth. Marine fish are more sensitive to nitrate levels so they must be monitored.

This is assuming you use some sort of canister with sponges or wet/dry bio balls ect. Need surface area for nitrifying bacteria. Depending on the bio load, even the sand/gravel can be enough area. Usually fish only tanks are heavily loaded so count on weekly water changes with no rock.

[Skimmerking]

You don't need live rock for a fish only. The live rock is used for the anoxic areas and the beneficial denitrifieing this produces. The lack of an anoxic area will cause the excesive build up of nitrates. This is removed with water changes. The other pitfalls of high nitrates are algae growth. Marine fish are more sensitive to nitrate levels so they must be monitored.

This is assuming you use some sort of canister with sponges or wet/dry bio balls ect. Need surface area for nitrifying bacteria. Depending on the bio load, even the sand/gravel can be enough area. Usually fish only tanks are heavily loaded so count on weekly water changes with no rock.


YA OK and you should pee in your tank. Live rock is a natural filter for FO tanks using BIO Balls and sponges are a thing of the pass. water changes yes but that is going to depend on you filtering alot of the time the rock and sand will break down Amm to Nitrites and then to Nitrates. Heck if you want then use Ozone that will drop it right to Nitrates and then you still need to find a way to flush the Nitrates away. and Doing water changes on a huge Fo tank is a waste of money.

[Skimmerking]

Palmer what I would do is a strong Skimmer and Live Rock eith asand bed deep enough to denitrfy and running Ozone will keep your water clean and allow you to only worry about Nitrates. That's where the Sand bed comes in to play Hi Everyone,

So I have had my reef up and running for 2 and a half years and pretty happy with it no major issues (besides the occasional RO flood.) I have also kept Cichlids for about 15 years and I am kind of getting tired of my 125 G african cichlid tank.

I like the aquascaping of the tank though (Big Buddha statue and lots of slate rock.) I am thinking I would like to convert it to Fish only but without live rock and as a separate system from my reef.

So would a good skimmer regular waterchanges and perhaps some "detritus free" bioballs with mechanical filtration do the trick? I know everyone is pro live rock and negative on wet/dry filtration but is that more for corals which in many cases are more sensitive to nitrates?

Also I could start another thread but any suggestions on fish for a 125 G 6' long tank? I honestly have spent much more time reading about corals over the last couple of years and have spent little time researching fish I would not put in my 120 G reef.

thanks!

Palmer

[Cugio]

Hey Palmer, your tank is already setup properly with a sump. Just replace the gravel with sand and add a protein skimmer and a refugium or bio balls in the sump.

Check out lafishguys on youtube and you'll see a whole bunch of different setups that he has going without live rock.

[Palmer]

Thanks everyone for the comments and great ideas! :smile:

[wingedfish]

YA OK and you should pee in your tank. Live rock is a natural filter for FO tanks using BIO Balls and sponges are a thing of the pass.

Really?

The question was, can it be done. Of course it can and was long before the science told us about live rock. Must have a way to deal with nitrates. If you want nothing but a budah and slate and fish, it's possible.

[The Grizz]

My FOWLR does have LR & sand, only because I had it here to use. Take out the gravel ( if you have it in the tank already ) replace with sand, add a few nice pieces of LR to the display & sump, run a good skimmer & forget the bio-balls, they could lead to major issues.

I have not done a WC in my FOWLR since day one, running a SWC 160 skimmer & that's it. Have not tested water at all except for salinity & havent had an issue.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

It is very possible to do what you suggested (little/no live rock, with good skimmer & bio-ball filter), but keeping the bioload low in order to reduce the number and volume of water changes until your bio-balls filtration gets fully up to speed would probably be a good idea.

Fish only with live rock is the preferred system nowadays because of the natural filtration provided by the rock. On the other hand, critics of FOWLR's point out that when the need to treat a tank arises, you're stuck because most effective medications will kill the live rock. So pros & cons.

Anthony

[Palmer]

The main reason for the post is that I know I am going against conventional advice and what has made my current reef successful. But to do something without LR I figured would require adjustments and other solutions would need to be looked at. I liked a lot of the suggestions like the deep sand bed and ozone and hiding the LR away underneath in the sump. Several things suggested I wouldnt have thought of.

How about algae turf filtration? That looked like some work and a bit of a mess from what I read about it but people seem to be getting good results.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I usually have a large sump/refugium (ie. 90g wide under a 165g display) and I keep up 100 lbs of cured live rock in there along with cheato for nutrient export. I also used to keep a large plastic tub filled with 8"-10" of sand as an in-sump remote deep sandbed. In this way, I could remove the dsb if I wanted to without too much trouble.

However, I like live rock in a fish only because it gives the fish a place to hide, swim through, etc.

[kole]

How about algae turf filtration? That looked like some work and a bit of a mess from what I read about it but people seem to be getting good results.

I think you should give the scrubber a try. Read up on it. It is very easy to build and will keep nitrates and phosphates low while being able to give the fish the food they are going to need.

[burgerchow]

no problem with fish only tank. We been doing them for decades before the berlin method came about. Just make sure you got a really strong skimmer, good wet/dry filter ( diy in a big sump) and you're set to go.
Actually, fish only tank is really fun. Everytime you go to the lhs and see a cool looking fish you want, no worries about if it's reef safe. Just buy what you see. Would also recommend a large uv sterilizer, ( at least 25 watts)

[paddyob]

Trial and error has shown that any marine tank does "better" with rock.

I am sure you CAN go without, but why? You can do good, or you can do great. Fish appreciate the hiding areas, and benefit from the pods and whatnot that they find to munch on.

Thats my opinion anyhow.

Plus a tank without rock would be plain and boring. IMO.

[Palmer]

Trial and error has shown that any marine tank does "better" with rock.

I am sure you CAN go without, but why? You can do good, or you can do great. Fish appreciate the hiding areas, and benefit from the pods and whatnot that they find to munch on.

Thats my opinion anyhow.

Plus a tank without rock would be plain and boring. IMO.

Don't get me wrong I like the look of live rock and appreciate it for its looks and function in my current reef tank.

I just like the look of the slate rock I have in my Cichlid tank as well and am just going for a different look in this new project. The fish will have plenty of hiding places in this set up as well. Although I agree the pods etc will not be present like in a LR tank.

I am also going to try to do this somewhat affordably so I am keeping the coralife compact with daylight and actinics for this and know I dont need expensive lighting for it. I will likely put my money most into the skimmer and a new sump (or used :lol:)

I have a little UV sterilizer for my Cichlid tank so may first just use that and restrict the flow in it.

The other idea I had was to consider mangroves. I like trying new things and I have never used them for my reef tank. Maybe mangroves in the sump with some light etc.

[intarsiabox]

Everytime you go to the lhs and see a cool looking fish you want, no worries about if it's reef safe. Just buy what you see.

Great advice if you have a lot of cash to burn on dead fish. There are a lot of other reasons to not buy any fish you see other than being reef compatible. Do the research before buying any fish! Compatability, special diet, etc.

[naesco]

Great advice if you have a lot of cash to burn on dead fish. There are a lot of other reasons to not buy any fish you see other than being reef compatible. Do the research before buying any fish! Compatability, special diet, etc.

Great advice from you. We have an obligation as reefers to provide the optimum of care for all the critters we remove from the ocean

[burgerchow]

Great advice if you have a lot of cash to burn on dead fish. There are a lot of other reasons to not buy any fish you see other than being reef compatible. Do the research before buying any fish! Compatability, special diet, etc.

Yo, what I mean is that I'm assuming the op is savvy with fish husbandry, as he already has a large reef tank, and would know about asking about fish diets and special needs. What I mean is that if he saw a nice queen angel or even a goldflake angel, maybe a clown trigger, he could get them without worrying about whether they would eat his corals or invertebrates.
How many times have you been in a fish store and saw the most beautiful fishes, but regrettably have to pass because they weren't reef safe?
As for hiding places, the slate slabs make beautiful caves and crevices for hiding.

If you don't think I know my fish, I've been in the hobby for 35 years. Reef for 20 years.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Yo, what I mean is that I'm assuming the op is savvy with fish husbandry, as he already has a large reef tank, and would know about asking about fish diets and special needs. What I mean is that if he saw a nice queen angel or even a goldflake angel, maybe a clown trigger, he could get them without worrying about whether they would eat his corals or invertebrates.
How many times have you been in a fish store and saw the most beautiful fishes, but regrettably have to pass because they weren't reef safe?
As for hiding places, the slate slabs make beautiful caves and crevices for hiding.

If you don't think I know my fish, I've been in the hobby for 35 years. Reef for 20 years.

Good point. There is an absolutely gorgeous parrotfish at King Ed's that selling for a good price but I can't bring it home because I don't have a big fish only tank for it.

[burgerchow]

Good point. There is an absolutely gorgeous parrotfish at King Ed's that selling for a good price but I can't bring it home because I don't have a big fish only tank for it.

I know what u mean, I actually bought a gorgeous one at j&l the other day, but had to return it cause I bumped into Jason darr who was shutting down his big reef, and bought about 30 corals from him. Would have been an expensive dinner for the parrotfish. Lol
Seahorse, which tanks u still running? How's that eheim pro filter work out that I gave you?

[intarsiabox]

Yo, what I mean is that I'm assuming the op is savvy with fish husbandry, as he already has a large reef tank, and would know about asking about fish diets and special needs. What I mean is that if he saw a nice queen angel or even a goldflake angel, maybe a clown trigger, he could get them without worrying about whether they would eat his corals or invertebrates.
How many times have you been in a fish store and saw the most beautiful fishes, but regrettably have to pass because they weren't reef safe?
As for hiding places, the slate slabs make beautiful caves and crevices for hiding.

If you don't think I know my fish, I've been in the hobby for 35 years. Reef for 20 years.

I'm sure the OP knows this but a lot of people new to salt water also read these posts and may take things very literally. I forget that anyone could be reading what I write as well and am sure I've probably inadvertently posted some bad advice if the context was unknown.

[SauceBoss]

Can't say myself, because have never tried that. But if you have enough surface area with your old rock work and bio balls with beneficial bacteria, maybe that is enough to provide an adequate nitrogen cycle for your organic waste. Then use a bio pellet reactor and with your skimmer you may be able to keep your nitrates low enough.

Why don't you give it a try and let us know how it works out. You can always add live rock later, or fill up a sump with it.
+1000

[Palmer]

In my case in particular there still is a lot I don't know about saltwater species because I have avoided many fish for my 120 G reef. After having Cichlids for years I really didnt want to deal with a lot of fish aggression. So I have 6 fish in my reef but all farily small and polite to each other :lol:

I plan on researching any fish I get for the next tank and only asked for suggestions because of the expertise on this board and the fact that I can be lazy and get recommendations and have some great conversations about fish at the same time :redface:.

[paddyob]

Good point. There is an absolutely gorgeous parrotfish at King Ed's that selling for a good price but I can't bring it home because I don't have a big fish only tank for it.

Having a big tank is only one issue with parrots. The specialized diet is a bigger issue.

[paddyob]

Yo, what I mean is that I'm assuming the op is savvy with fish husbandry, as he already has a large reef tank, and would know about asking about fish diets and special needs. What I mean is that if he saw a nice queen angel or even a goldflake angel, maybe a clown trigger, he could get them without worrying about whether they would eat his corals or invertebrates.
How many times have you been in a fish store and saw the most beautiful fishes, but regrettably have to pass because they weren't reef safe?
As for hiding places, the slate slabs make beautiful caves and crevices for hiding.

If you don't think I know my fish, I've been in the hobby for 35 years. Reef for 20 years.


Just have to say.... being in the hobby a long time does not mean you know it all.

At least hoping that is not what your are saying. Always something to learn. I am sure you have lots to offer... but most of us do not know who you are... and some comments in a forum can be quite amateurish... if you know what I mean. Amateurish meaning it seems like something a person new to the hobby might say.

Sorry to the op... but it drives me nuts when people talk in years of experience.

[burgerchow]

Just have to say.... being in the hobby a long time does not mean you know it all.

At least hoping that is not what your are saying. Always something to learn. I am sure you have lots to offer... but most of us do not know who you are... and some comments in a forum can be quite amateurish... if you know what I mean. Amateurish meaning it seems like something a person new to the hobby might say.

Sorry to the op... but it drives me nuts when people talk in years of experience.


Just because I rarely post, you wanna call me amateur? I don't spend my whole life trolling canreef. Lots of people around Vancouver know me. Ask seahorse or naesco. I never said I was an expert, heck, with all the new technology, it's hard to keep up. The original poster wanted to do a fish only tank without live rock and all I'm saying is that it can be done quite easily and NO, you don't have to have live rock to keep fish.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Yes, I've known Burgerchow for many years and he has a very beautiful, well-established reef tank. As he states, he may not post much but he knows his stuff.

The way I took his original comment (as he intended) was that if the OP puts in the same care he does in choosing his fish only inhabitants as he presumably does with his reef tank, then there is a whole new "world" of species that are now possible to keep that were not compatible with stocking a reef tank before. He was NOT suggesting the OP go willy-nilly on just picking up any and every fish without doing his research.

By posting his questions in this thread on Canreef, the OP is demonstrating that he is willing to do research prior to acting. That is the assumption Burgerchow (and I) got from reading this thread.

Burgerchow also only mentioned his fishkeeping/reefing history after being chastised by other members who jumped on his case for his original posting. He has never before mentioned how long he has kept fish or corals. He does not "brag" about these things, but in this instance, I believe he is justified in defending himself from people who assume he knows nothing about reefing due to his low post count. And he has never claimed to be an expert or sw guru. Never. Those who have attacked him over his original post are making the assumption that due to his low post count, he must be a sw newbie. Now if you are attacked in that way, would you not also defend yourself and point out that you've been successfully keeping reef tanks and fish only tanks for decades (so you're not just making empty comments but have the hands-on experience to back up your statements)? Could he have stated his comments better? Probably. Is this a reason to tear into him like this? No.

Unlike Burgerchow, I do spend a lot of time on this forum and I've noticed how some members are getting very quick to take offence or to jump on statements made by others. Good way to drive away members (both newbie and old-timers). I've been told by other Canreef oldtimers how this type of aggressive posting by certain members has caused them to stop coming on this forum for a while now. Each time this sort of "let's jump all over someone for a random comment" happens, other members lose more and more interest in posting here. In the end, we are losing lots of good members with lots to contribute and replacing them with people who feel this type of behaviour is fine and dandy. Soon, nobody else will post their answers to questions on here and only come to check the classifieds. Then we all lose.

Well that's my two cents on this unnecessary Canreef drama.

[burgerchow]

Thanks for the support Seahorse.

I guess I gotta post my fishkeeping resume now... LOL

well, here it goes.

1. goldfish as a kid. We had a large 30 foot cement fishpond and had hundreds of goldfish and koi in it. ( did you know that goldfish coud survive through the winter even when frozen in ice? Honest to god, one cold winter, the whole pond froze, and I guess they were in a state of cryonic suspension, cause once they thawed out, they were still alive)

2. Late 80's , Oscars and jack dempseys Asian arrowanas

3. 1990-1993 Went big into African cichlids, Tropheus, aulonacaras, peacocks, electric blue ahlis, was even breeding them

4. set up my first saltwater in 1993. 90 gallon fish only.
changed over to my first coral tank, running only lps. bubbles, candy canes, softies. etc


You gotta remember that people were just dabbling in sps at that time.
Information was hard to get. Before the internet, the only info you could get was from books and magazines. No such thing as Forums....google, or wikipedia. You wanted to know something, you asked your local lfs or had to buy a book. We learned by trial and error. It's great that new people to the hobby can access such a vast wealth of fishkeeping experience instantly with a few strokes of a keypad.


5. set up my first "true reef tank " in 1995. 90 gallon with a 100 lbs of live rock and 2 bak pak skimmers. Was one of the first people in canada to get ice cap vho ballasts, and was running vho lighting, Ran this tank for 10 years, even surviving a tank move in 2001. ( 40 mile move, took the tank, live rock, and even all the water, and everything survived) Roger from Roger's Aquatics and I did the move over 8 hours.

6. 2005, set up amazon fw plant tank in my 55 gal corner bowfront, complete with co2, and 150 cardinal tetras. Got bored, and in

7. 2009 decided to set up my 120 as full reef including sps.
this is the first time I've done sps, They're ok, but my main love are lps.

I been shopping at J&L before they even had a store. Alan and John used to deliver stuff directly to my house in person.

Just because I don't post a lot doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing.
I spend my time on a lot of other forums, cause I have lots of other hobbies. Harleys, guns, r/c boats and cars, audiophile, etc.

Hell, we party like rockstars every day.

so Paddyrob, you got anything else to say, I'm calling you out.

[burgerchow]

Hi Everyone,

So I have had my reef up and running for 2 and a half years and pretty happy with it no major issues (besides the occasional RO flood.) I have also kept Cichlids for about 15 years and I am kind of getting tired of my 125 G african cichlid tank.

I like the aquascaping of the tank though (Big Buddha statue and lots of slate rock.) I am thinking I would like to convert it to Fish only but without live rock and as a separate system from my reef.

So would a good skimmer regular waterchanges and perhaps some "detritus free" bioballs with mechanical filtration do the trick? I know everyone is pro live rock and negative on wet/dry filtration but is that more for corals which in many cases are more sensitive to nitrates?

Also I could start another thread but any suggestions on fish for a 125 G 6' long tank? I honestly have spent much more time reading about corals over the last couple of years and have spent little time researching fish I would not put in my 120 G reef.

thanks!

Palmer

Go for it Palmer. You don't need live rock if you've got good filtration.

The fish might appreciate it too for the extra swimming space.

[lockrookie]

first off palmer anything can be done if you plan your head off so i say go for it have fun doing it and plan for future changes as need be to ensure the health of your waterlogged friends. alot of ppl told me not to have my returnplumbing mid tank. i did it solved the problems and i love it so imdoing it again.. just scarier with morewater volume now lol.

secondly i have learned from this thread and others.never to judge a fellow reefer by thier posts. or from date of joining. i myself have become a member since 2009 and still learning and experimenting. but have had kept fresh water since 93 starting salt in 09. when ppl give me advice i listen to both sides and come to my own conclusion. or just ignore ppl and do hat i want lol. i was told that it was too early for a manderin in my new tank. yet it did quite well till another fish killed it.

all in all there are alot of great informative ppl on canreef new and old to the hobby/forum and im thankful to have access to you all with out this collective of knowledge id still be running a seaclone skimmer and fluval 405 on my 90..gawd was i an idiot lol not to mention the horrible fake reef background i started with

do a utube search if you already havent there where a few cool vids of fowolr with driftwood and such that whereinterestingto watch the fish swim around...your imagination is your only limitation.

[paddyob]

Just because I rarely post, you wanna call me amateur? I don't spend my whole life trolling canreef. Lots of people around Vancouver know me. Ask seahorse or naesco. I never said I was an expert, heck, with all the new technology, it's hard to keep up. The original poster wanted to do a fish only tank without live rock and all I'm saying is that it can be done quite easily and NO, you don't have to have live rock to keep fish.

I think you should read my post again. I never called you an amateur.

I was standing up for someone who, as I also did, mistook your words.

I could care less for someone to post a "resume"... Just stating maybe understand that things you post may be misconstrued.

The person who replied about your buy any fish post replied with innocence. To which you replied maybe not so nicely... And a tad condescending.

Just saying. Read my post again. And maybe put it in context and don't let it tarnish your ego.

How should we know who you are?

[paddyob]

There is no drama. Its an obvious misunderstanding.

I agree. This forum has gone down in quality over the last while. That's what happens when something grows.




Yes, I've known Burgerchow for many years and he has a very beautiful, well-established reef tank. As he states, he may not post much but he knows his stuff.

The way I took his original comment (as he intended) was that if the OP puts in the same care he does in choosing his fish only inhabitants as he presumably does with his reef tank, then there is a whole new "world" of species that are now possible to keep that were not compatible with stocking a reef tank before. He was NOT suggesting the OP go willy-nilly on just picking up any and every fish without doing his research.

By posting his questions in this thread on Canreef, the OP is demonstrating that he is willing to do research prior to acting. That is the assumption Burgerchow (and I) got from reading this thread.

Burgerchow also only mentioned his fishkeeping/reefing history after being chastised by other members who jumped on his case for his original posting. He has never before mentioned how long he has kept fish or corals. He does not "brag" about these things, but in this instance, I believe he is justified in defending himself from people who assume he knows nothing about reefing due to his low post count. And he has never claimed to be an expert or sw guru. Never. Those who have attacked him over his original post are making the assumption that due to his low post count, he must be a sw newbie. Now if you are attacked in that way, would you not also defend yourself and point out that you've been successfully keeping reef tanks and fish only tanks for decades (so you're not just making empty comments but have the hands-on experience to back up your statements)? Could he have stated his comments better? Probably. Is this a reason to tear into him like this? No.

Unlike Burgerchow, I do spend a lot of time on this forum and I've noticed how some members are getting very quick to take offence or to jump on statements made by others. Good way to drive away members (both newbie and old-timers). I've been told by other Canreef oldtimers how this type of aggressive posting by certain members has caused them to stop coming on this forum for a while now. Each time this sort of "let's jump all over someone for a random comment" happens, other members lose more and more interest in posting here. In the end, we are losing lots of good members with lots to contribute and replacing them with people who feel this type of behaviour is fine and dandy. Soon, nobody else will post their answers to questions on here and only come to check the classifieds. Then we all lose.

Well that's my two cents on this unnecessary Canreef drama.

[paddyob]

Sorry to the OP for the off topic.

Im outtie.

[Edmonton newbie]

plamer i set up a scrubber on my 50 gal over the holidays, 3 weeks later and its working great no skimmer no pellets nothing other than the rock in my tank and a scrubber, i took water yesterday to another place to get tested cuz i wasnt believing my kits, confermed im running 0's across the board ulns for the first time in 3 years. i also doubled my feeding when i started the scrubber just to see how it would work. looks like the skimmer i bought to do my next upgrade might never see water

[Palmer]

plamer i set up a scrubber on my 50 gal over the holidays, 3 weeks later and its working great no skimmer no pellets nothing other than the rock in my tank and a scrubber, i took water yesterday to another place to get tested cuz i wasnt believing my kits, confermed im running 0's across the board ulns for the first time in 3 years. i also doubled my feeding when i started the scrubber just to see how it would work. looks like the skimmer i bought to do my next upgrade might never see water

THat sounds good! Do you have any pics of the scrubber? One of my only aversions to that concept is the sighte of it or the potential mess lol... Would be great if it could somehow be incorporated into the sump and tucked away.


Also thanks for everyone's advise!

[The Grizz]

THat sounds good! Do you have any pics of the scrubber?

Also thanks for everyone's advise!

Ya like really Craig where are some pics already...........geeez :twised:

[fishoholic]

I plan on researching any fish I get for the next tank and only asked for suggestions because of the expertise on this board and the fact that I can be lazy and get recommendations and have some great conversations about fish at the same time :redface:.

If you are ever wondering about a certain type of fish, or if one kind can be kept with another etc. feel free to pm me. Generally speaking I know a fair amount about many different types of fish, and if I don't know I can usually find good info on most fish.

[Edmonton newbie]

ill take some pics this weekend and post them and yes its the only thing in my sump in my stand so it is hidden the only reason to have them out above the tank is if you want them dumping the pods into the display without going through the pump. very simple it cost me a total of $25 to get it up and running only cuz i didnt have a spare ball vavle and union laying around

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

In the past, I actually had an above tank sump/refugium and it worked great for cascading live pods/mysis into my display tanks. Just used a Maxijet1200 to pump water up a few inches and then it gravity fed back into the tank. You can always cover up the algae scrubber tank so its not so visible but you still get the live food waterfalling into the display.