Hi guys! I haven't had a saltwater tank since 2018, I am currently planning a new reef tank build, but I am also toying with the idea of doing a FOWLR, and I was hoping for some suggestions on how to stock it.
I happen to have in storage a standard 65 gallon rimmed, "reef-ready" tank that I bought new a good 20+ years ago, and it's still in like-new condition. I never actually setup this tank, I used it briefly to hold some live rock back in the day, but largely it has been sitting unused in storage all this time. I also happen to have a "nook" in a newly redone room that was originally intended to hold an old standard definition television, and this 65 gallon tank would fit the "nook" perfectly. The tank measures 36"Lx18"Wx24"D and I believe it's a Marineland brand tank.
I also have plenty of sand and dry base rock, a sump, pumps, skimmer, etc. to get this tank going. The one thing I really don't have already for this tank is lighting, and that's why I thought I could get an inexpensive "black-box" type T5 or LED from eBay or Amazon and go FOWLR instead of a reef tank. I know these tanks can run dirty, and my plan was to use the rock, of course, as biological filtration, and then some socks or floss as mechanical, with a oversized skimmer and a large fuge to hopefully pull out nitrates. I think, since I'm not keeping coral, near zero nitrates would be idea, right?
What would you guys do with this tank that's reasonably different and interesting? I at first saw this as an opportunity to keep some cool fishes that are typically not reef safe, but at 65 gallons this isn't really a tank that I can keep big Angels, Tangs, Triggers, Puffers, etc. in. I am interested in lionfish, and thought maybe a dwarf or Fu Man Chu or two, but I was recently reminded that the Fu Man Chu can be reef safe, so I don't necessarily need a whole separate FOWLR just for a Fu Man Chu.
I love Seahorses, but we we do go out of town a few times a year for 3-7 days at a time, and I just don't think Seahorses do well without constant attention.
I have for years be interested in Octopuses, and I know that they are short lived, sensitive to changes in water parameters, and expert escape artists, but if I could get a small one I would LOVE to do an octopus tank.
What other ideas would you guys have for a 65 gallon non-reef tank? Honestly, I think for me to go through the trouble and expense to set this up as a saltwater tank, it would have to be more interesting that some Damsel fish and a Chocolate Chip Star. If I can't come up with a really great theme for this tank, I will likely just make it a freshwater tank - GASP!!!
I happen to have in storage a standard 65 gallon rimmed, "reef-ready" tank that I bought new a good 20+ years ago, and it's still in like-new condition. I never actually setup this tank, I used it briefly to hold some live rock back in the day, but largely it has been sitting unused in storage all this time. I also happen to have a "nook" in a newly redone room that was originally intended to hold an old standard definition television, and this 65 gallon tank would fit the "nook" perfectly. The tank measures 36"Lx18"Wx24"D and I believe it's a Marineland brand tank.
I also have plenty of sand and dry base rock, a sump, pumps, skimmer, etc. to get this tank going. The one thing I really don't have already for this tank is lighting, and that's why I thought I could get an inexpensive "black-box" type T5 or LED from eBay or Amazon and go FOWLR instead of a reef tank. I know these tanks can run dirty, and my plan was to use the rock, of course, as biological filtration, and then some socks or floss as mechanical, with a oversized skimmer and a large fuge to hopefully pull out nitrates. I think, since I'm not keeping coral, near zero nitrates would be idea, right?
What would you guys do with this tank that's reasonably different and interesting? I at first saw this as an opportunity to keep some cool fishes that are typically not reef safe, but at 65 gallons this isn't really a tank that I can keep big Angels, Tangs, Triggers, Puffers, etc. in. I am interested in lionfish, and thought maybe a dwarf or Fu Man Chu or two, but I was recently reminded that the Fu Man Chu can be reef safe, so I don't necessarily need a whole separate FOWLR just for a Fu Man Chu.
I love Seahorses, but we we do go out of town a few times a year for 3-7 days at a time, and I just don't think Seahorses do well without constant attention.
I have for years be interested in Octopuses, and I know that they are short lived, sensitive to changes in water parameters, and expert escape artists, but if I could get a small one I would LOVE to do an octopus tank.
What other ideas would you guys have for a 65 gallon non-reef tank? Honestly, I think for me to go through the trouble and expense to set this up as a saltwater tank, it would have to be more interesting that some Damsel fish and a Chocolate Chip Star. If I can't come up with a really great theme for this tank, I will likely just make it a freshwater tank - GASP!!!
