Maintenance Question

[brian313313]

Which is easier to maintain, FOWLR or reef only? By how much? My setup is 180g and it will handle either but I'm not sure how much work it would be to maintain a reef this size. I'm going to cure live rock first so I have some time to decide.

Thanks.

 

[rdnelson]

A bit more work but.....I would bet that if you went FOWLER you would at some point want to add corals. It is hard to resist. LOL For me, the only way I would have a FOWLR is if it were a second tank. Love a lot of the fish that can't be put in a reef tank but I also love the corals.

 

[brian313313]

I've done both fish and coral before in my 65 gallon but I got burnt out on the maintenance and switched it to freshwater for a break. Now I'm going back to salt but I really need to keep the maintenance part lower so I don't get tired of it. I love the looks but when there's a problem it's a lot of work on this size tank. A guy at my local fish store is trying to talk me into reef and says it's low maintenance if there's no fish but I'm skeptical.

 

[ripped tide]

Ease is relative, as well as the definition of "maintainance"

Let's say that you have two tanks:

One is a fish tank, and one is a reef tank.

Corals normally require more attention to fine details. This usually means less fish, more monitoring, and more frequent water changes.

Not all fish will respond negatively in poor water conditions. However, fowlr tanks are normally packed full, and have a much heavier waste load.

So, does the fact the fish are more forgiving allow the owner of the aquarium to slack on the care?
I've seen many people with this mid set. Sometimes it works great sometimes it doesn't. I can only imagine that long term exposure to excessive waste will cause health issues for your animals. I look at it like living in a polluted city versus an open country.

In my opinion, there "is" very little differance between how a reef should be kept and how a fowlr is kept.

 

[brian313313]

I'd be doing water changes with either setup and I'm not prone to overstocking fish. My sump is overkill also so the water stays very clean. However, with fish I only need to monitor a few parameters and don't need to do much but partial water changes. With corals, don't I need to monitor many more parameters and add chemicals? Also, feeding them is more difficult although I know they don't all need to be fed.

 

[miami dolfan]

My tank in Florida did better with very little maintenance for 6 months while I was packing to move here that when I was at it every day. Go figure.

 

[tony_caliente]

Can one safely use copper or other ich meds in a FOWLR?

 

[rdnelson]

Tony_Caliente;778488 wrote: Can one safely use copper or other ich meds in a FOWLR?

In a FOWLR yes as long as you have no inverts.

 

[tony_caliente]

Thank you!

 

[grouper therapy]

The water qaulity should be just as good so far as waste pollutant levels in either IMO. The levels of calcium ,magnesium and the micro nutrients etc. probably do not have to be monitored as closely with the FOWLR. The lighting is cheaper for sure. Higher temps can be maintained on the FOWLR, I think that the FOWLR is easier to setup and maintain. I think they are ugly as well,:yuk:

 

[frantz]

Reefs have a higher start up cost and slightly higher maintenance, but it's well worth it IMO. Plus, it's fun and easy to trade and sell frags of coral with other members. Fish breeding (or specifically rearing the babies) is much more challenging.

 

[ralph atl]

both will be low maintenance until you run into problems...

reef will need MH lights, Vortech's for flow, calcium reactor and maybe a reactor for carbon, and a skimmer...a fuge would be good for this model as nutrient export won't be as needed without fish...

fish
just buy from the very best and quarantine all your fish! feed high quality food, good to go.

 

[brian313313]

Thanks for the advice. Lighting's not a deciding issue. I like a bright tank so I already have LED made for reef's. I got three of the Eshine Systems 200W. I'll probably just keep getting sucked in like before and have both fish and corals. This hobby can be quite addictive. I'm starting to think about FOWLR until the water stabilizes then adding some easy corals like zoas.

 

[holabird]

I've had both and it really comes down to what you like to look at more, be it corals or fish. When people come over and see the tank I always get more reaction from them on the fish, seldom do they dwell or drool over a coral. It is personal preference. Personally, I prefer a FOWLR. I enjoy watching the fish move around the tank. Sure, there are fish in a reef tank but I like bigger, more agressive fish. Things like triggers, lions, puffers, wrasses etc. Again, it comes down to what you want to look at. The maintenance is higher on a reef tank IMHO. The water has to be more pristine. A coral can die and wither away while one right next to is thrives. Good luck.