If you had a friend who was looking to start a small fish only tank, what would you recommend by way of equipment?

[Daniel@R2R]

If you had a friend who was looking to start a small fish only tank, what would you recommend by way of equipment? What do you think is the basic necessary equipment for a FOWLR?

 

[ScottR]

Great question. I’d always ask what type of fish first. Equipment is typically easy but caring for different types of fish is more difficult. They each have different needs.

 

[andrewkw]

A lot would depend on what kind of fish only. Do they want 2 clownfish on a nightstand or sharks in the basement?

Unless they are 100% not interested in coral I would try and find equipment that can be used for a reef tank as well just in case. You never really know what you want when you first start out.

 

[dbowman5]

Daniel,
having just decided to go beyond the FOWLR idea, i would wonder what delusion my friend was entertaining.
then, after we stopped laughing, I would wonder what fish would be involved. we would talk about fish size and numbers, heavy poopers and mini coopers, i mean mini poopers. easy care vs hard to keep. whether the friend has a history of starting small then regretting that and going bigger or not.
I would suggest that my friend get a 75 gal tank, a 40 gal sump, 20 gal tank combo kit for quarantine, power heads, a protein skimmer, two heaters, LED lights, an ATO, a RODI system, Refractometer (with calibration solution), test kits for Saltwater plus Alkalinity, hardness, TDS; scrapers, suction water change set up, an acclimation device, buckets and more buckets.
If my friend wanted to keep a saltwater molly or chromis i would suggest a ten gallon AIO and a relationship with a reefer and a LFS

 

[Daniel@R2R]

These guys are looking for a really basic setup. Maybe 20 gallons. They're looking at keeping a couple of clownfish and maybe a goby of some sort. It's going to be kind of a nightstand nano setup.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Here's what I'm recommending to them (feel free to check me).

• 20 gallon tank
• Heater
• Basic LED light (not strong enough for corals)
• HOB waterfall filter
• Sand
• Live rock
• Hydrometer

 

[Daniel@R2R]

For water, I'm suggesting they just use distilled or let me give them RODI when I make mine (I'll definitely fill them up to get started).

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sump
Get quality equipment you cannot afford thereby buying it Once
Focus on lighting and water movement
Live rock
Good test kits - not API
CONTROLLER unit
Titanium heater
Grounding probe
Skimmer
UV sterilizer

 

[andrewkw]

If budget allows an all in one biocube or similar would be a good idea. All the stock options in most / all of those kits should be enough for the setup. I would also test their tap water and see how bad it is. For this setup an RO/DI is probably not needed if you can supply them with water BUT if the water is really bad you still don't want to put it in the tank, in case the rocks will be used in a reef later. However if its not horrible it can be used for a water change in an emergency. I know there are a lot of reefers who don't mind hauling water from wherever to home but I would think that would be a real turnoff for a new hobbyist.

For this kind of setup I don't think you can go fatally wrong with any kind of equipment, if you can find / provide decent rock then sand, rock, hob filter may be all they need. The hardest part will probably be convincing them to wait until the tank is ready to add the fish.

 

[dbowman5]

Here's what I'm recommending to them (feel free to check me).

• 20 gallon tank
• Heater
• Basic LED light (not strong enough for corals)
• HOB waterfall filter
• Sand
• Live rock
• Hydrometer

I thought you were being hypothetical... i agree with your list. Especially since you will be there to advise and provide support.

 

[arking_mark]

If they are just starting, I recommend a cheap smaller used AIO setup. This will let them see if they can be successful with a smaller setup. They can start with easy fish and coral...then if successful and they confirm their interest in the hobby, move on up to a bigger tank.

 

[dbowman5]

in this circumstance, this equipment and set up will be great for them. Easy to maintain, with the added benefit that if they go bigger, or more complex, this is perfect for quarantine,

 

[KrisReef]

Here's what I'm recommending to them (feel free to check me).

• 20 gallon tank
• Heater
• Basic LED light (not strong enough for corals)
• HOB waterfall filter
• Sand
• Live rock
• Hydrometer

Way too small, imo. That tank is going to be a QT for a bigger DT within 6 months.

But then again, if they can't handle a 20 it won't set them back a whole lot when they decide to get out.

SO planning ahead, I tell them to get everything I want at the moment and wait and see.
What are friends for if not for sharing?

 

[Miller535]

Here's what I'm recommending to them (feel free to check me).

• 20 gallon tank
• Heater
• Basic LED light (not strong enough for corals)
• HOB waterfall filter
• Sand
• Live rock
• Hydrometer

I would agree with this EXCEPT I would never recommend a hydrometer. For an extra $20 get the refractometer. And I would also recommend something like that python for vacuuming the sand. Especially as new hobbyist are very prone to over feeding.

 

[Leon Gorani]

If you had a friend who was looking to start a small fish only tank, what would you recommend by way of equipment? What do you think is the basic necessary equipment for a FOWLR?

I would suggest a 20 or 29 gallon Aqueon tank from Petco, an aquaclear 70 filter, a heater, a small wave-maker, dry rock, live sand, API saltwater test kit. I would also suggest a refractometer instead of a swing arm salinity thing lol. Thats pretty much all you would need, and it's the cheapest route. Thats exactly how I got into this hobby.

 

[KWT]

Looks like plenty of information and most is the same. A good start to a nice journey

 

[xxkenny90xx]

New reefer testing the waters?

Hydrometer
Distilled water
LIVE ROCK
Dry sand (or not, whatever)
Heater
Hob filter
Powerhead
Cheap second hand light
DONE!

 

[aquapaul]

Here's what I'm recommending to them (feel free to check me).

• 20 gallon tank
• Heater
• Basic LED light (not strong enough for corals)
• HOB waterfall filter
• Sand
• Live rock
• Hydrometer

I would say you would want to add some sort of circulation pump, I have a similar setup but am planning Anemone’s so lights are a bit higher end and I went with a Red Sea 25 gyre for circulation. Works well.

 

[A sea K]

Here's what I'm recommending to them (feel free to check me).

• 20 gallon tank
• Heater
• Basic LED light (not strong enough for corals)
• HOB waterfall filter
• Sand
• Live rock
• Hydrometer

Your list looks perfect for starting out with a budget FOWLR system. I see no need for fancy lights, additional flow or even the refractometer (someone was bending my ear about how inaccurate a hobby grade refractometer is). A basic system is all your looking for and your list pretty much nails it.

 

[MonsterMush]

If they are going FOWLR, it may be a good idea to get a much larger tank than 20 gallons. Larger tanks are more stable with heavy poopers, and they will not be super limited to livestock: for example, down the road the may fall in love with a trigger that needs a much larger tank. Protein Skimmers are very useful with the big poopers too.