Needing advice on setup and stocking list.

RoxRigRid · Feb 26, 2017

Hello I am very new to the saltwater world I have been raising freshwater fish for 12 years and finally decided to switch. I have been doing a lot of research but would like advice from others I have been thinking of doing a 45 to 65 gallon tank I'm unsure of going higher than 75G because from my understanding when doing water changes it needs to be premixed and kept to temperature and using buckets to fill the tank back up seems to be a lot of work unless there is an easier way. We have well water not sure if this is an issue. I would like to start with a FOWLR setup. The fish I seem to like to most are Clowns, Cardinals, Blennies, Gobies, Angels, Basslets, Dottybacks, Butterfly, Yellow Tang, and Wrasse I don't think I will do a reef but maybe someday and I know some of these fish won't work but would like to know if they are compatible. The other thing I see mixed comments on are a protien skimmer and how long the tank needs to be setup before adding fish?
Thank you

carlson · Feb 26, 2017

RoxRigRid said:
Hello I am very new to the saltwater world I have been raising freshwater fish for 12 years and finally decided to switch. I have been doing a lot of research but would like advice from others I have been thinking of doing a 45 to 65 gallon tank I'm unsure of going higher than 75G because from my understanding when doing water changes it needs to be premixed and kept to temperature and using buckets to fill the tank back up seems to be a lot of work unless there is an easier way. We have well water not sure if this is an issue. I would like to start with a FOWLR setup. The fish I seem to like to most are Clowns, Cardinals, Blennies, Gobies, Angels, Basslets, Dottybacks, Butterfly, Yellow Tang, and Wrasse I don't think I will do a reef but maybe someday and I know some of these fish won't work but would like to know if they are compatible. The other thing I see mixed comments on are a protien skimmer and how long the tank needs to be setup before adding fish?
Thank you

Congratulations on the switch! Not congratulations for your wallet haha, saltwater aquariums are addicting and you are going to spend A Lot of money on yours [emoji322] if you think you want to start off with a smaller fowlr tank, I think that's a good idea as an introduction to saltwater. I will say though thay as you learn more about the beauty of reef tanks, and the space needed to keep bigger fish, there is a good point you will want to upgrade one day. One note from personal experience, instead of buying things one at a time as you get extra money, buy everything you could possibly need (lights, skimmer, reactors, sump, live rock.) if I could go back to when I set up my most recent (but not recent tank) I would save up and order everything I could possibly need before I setup the tank. This will save you a lot of headaches in the future. Also, if you ever want to keep any tangs, even though it seems like an extra pain, quarantine them first. I have spent over 200 on a fish in the past and lost them because I didn't quarantine. Now I have learned my lesson haha. Good luck!!!

melypr1985 · Feb 27, 2017

Welcome to R2R! I'll say that water changes on almost any size tank can be made easier with a length of hose and a small pump to get the water from the jug, bucket, or trashcan into the tank. With this, you shouldn't be afraid to go a little bigger if you want.

RoxRigRid · Feb 27, 2017

Thanks for the Info I think what I am going to do is start off small I have a 36 gallon bow that was FW and if everything goes okay Ill go bigger. I am old school in a way that I'm not a fan of sumps. I like canisters or hob filters. I also am unsure of the whole RO water thing is it really that big of a deal to use tap or what if I used a PUR filter for the faucet?