75 gallon FOWLR Easy Mode question

[EchoPear]

I have been keeping nano reef tanks the past year, all on a stand that maxes out at 75G capacity with dimensions 48x18.

Lately with a toddler and planning for next child, have been thinking about upgrading to a 75 gallon (or large tank that fits on my stand) that would be easier to take care of and let me have fish that would otherwise eat the coral I have now.

The stand is a freshwater stand from petsmart, and is not made to accommodate a traditional sump (Stand). I could potentially fit a canister in one of the sides with the doors and store chemicals/supplies elsewhere. I could also do a hang on refugium that I was planning on adding to my current nano (33 long) anyways.

The goal of this tank would be to have easy/low/minimal maintenance (not testing and dosing for corals or keeping nitrates/phosphates in the coral “sweet spot”). I also think having a tang or rabbitfish would be cool, except one idea I had to achieve the low maintenance was stocking lots of macroalgaes and/or soft corals to uptake nitrate/phosphates. These would decimate any macroalgae right?

If I made the tank one giant refugium with macro, what fowlr fish would leave the macro alone? I would be really interested in dwarf angels, the smaller butterfly fish, a puffer (green spot acclimated to salt or a blue spot), maybe a lightning maroon clown or damsel that would otherwise terrorize smaller reef fish. Flasher/fairy wrasses are cool. Will the butterflies eat soft corals like gorgs or shrooms or GSP?

If I had herbivores like a tang or foxface, would the hair algae that inevitably grows from the high nutrients just get eaten by them so it wouldn’t matter (still supplement nori)?

I have a Sicce shark 300 internal skimmer I could use, I just have issues with it not making micro bubbles all the time. Am I crazy for thinking a larger, fowlr with no sump would be less work?

 

[LPS Bum]

No, it’s definitely less work than a comparably sized reef. I have a 240 gal FOWLR that isn’t drilled (no sump). It runs off an old Filstar canister and a HOB skimmer. And it’s much less work than my 165 gal reef that has a roller mat and is heavily automated.

Crank up the flow in your FOWLR and do a good siphoning/water change every few weeks, and it’ll do great with little maintenance required. Dwarf angels would be a good choice. You can keep a single Zebrasoma Tang in a 4 foot 75 gal (say a Yellow or a Purple). A smaller butterfly could work too.

 

[JumboShrimp]

FOWLRs are so underrated!! ;)

 

[EchoPear]

No, it’s definitely less work than a comparably sized reef. I have a 240 gal FOWLR that isn’t drilled (no sump). It runs off an old Filstar canister and a HOB skimmer. And it’s much less work than my 165 gal reef that has a roller mat and is heavily automated.

Crank up the flow in your FOWLR and do a good siphoning/water change every few weeks, and it’ll do great with little maintenance required. Dwarf angels would be a good choice. You can keep a single Zebrasoma Tang in a 4 foot 75 gal (say a Yellow or a Purple). A smaller butterfly could work too.

Appreciate the info!

If I was looking to minimize water changes as much as possible, any recommendations? Is there a parameter you monitor to know when you WC your fowlr or just do a schedule out of principal?

Thinking either carbon dosing (if I have a tang/rabbitfish, have to run my skimmer) or lots of macroalgae that gets pruned as needed (if I don’t have a tang/rabbitfish that will eat it all)

 

[LPS Bum]

Honestly the best way to minimize water changes is to go heavy on the filtration. A roller mat and an oversized skimmer is ideal for nutrient export, but if your tank doesn't have a sump, that won't work. You definitely need to run an efficient skimmer if you're not going to be doing regular water changes.

I love my simple Aquamaxx HOB skimmer. It's very undersized for a 240 gal, but it's efficient. Not too expensive either. My canister filter does its job but does need to be cleaned out regularly. I wouldn't bother with carbon dosing in a FOWLR. Just keep the water clean and clear, and you can use GFO or other products to keep the phosphate in check. Your fish aren't going to worry about elevated nitrates. Macroalgae can also work as a nutrient export method, but requires pruning (maintenance) and might be consumed by a Tang or a Foxface.