Fowlr desk top in Aqueon 4?

[colbertbr]

Hey guys,

 

I'm moving offices and will be able to set up a small tank. Has anyone done a super small fowlr like this? How much work would I be looking at? Would it be self sustainable for a couple days on weekends (evaporation and salinity being my major concern). Space is a commodity so a sump or A TO are not options.

[Jellyingabout]

A good lid is a must without an ATO. You aren't going to have the option of many fish, they would last a weekend here and there, but I doubt they'd do well missing food EVERY weekend.

Wouldn't it be less work and easier to do with shrimp or inverts? they would last the weekend easy.

[righttirefire]

Clown goby. Lol... they're cute too

[Jellyingabout]

I wouldn't put more than a single goby in an aqueon 4. I doubt that'll be very impressive in a FOWLR. Now a fire shrimp or two would look cool.

[colbertbr]

I kind of like the idea invert tank. Maybe a trio of sexy shrimp or a blood shrimp. Would these be hardier?

 

How often would you change the water?

[Jellyingabout]

They are very hardy inverts particularly the blood shrimp, and don't limit yourself to one, I reckon you could have 2 in there easy, or maybe 5 or 6 sexy shrimp.

 

Depending on what algae/coral/inverts you had probably get away with fortnightly water changes providing they were big and you kept on top of everything properly. But smaller weekly water changes are desirable.

 

I would feed a blood shrimp maybe 4-5 large LPS pellets (they love them) a day. And each sexy shrimp maybe one pellet. give them a bit extra on the friday and let them go hungry on the weekend, they'll eat each others poop and detritus if they have to, plus they peck on algae. Very low bio load.

[colbertbr]

Awesome. Sand or bare bottom?

[Jellyingabout]

Bare bottom will probably reduce your water changes and lengthen the life of the tank. Not as pretty though. i have seen bare bottom tanks where the entire floor was covered in brightly colored mushrooms coral though, was gorgeous!! especially under blues.

[righttirefire]

I like the coral mat idea. Pulsing xenia, mushrooms, clove polyps

[Jellyingabout]

Its would look pretty cool to have a sea of xenia at one end pulsing away with some bright rhodactis or actinodiscus at the other, with shrimp swinging about the sea of coral.

 

Maybe even ricordia if your flush with cash hehe plus no photosyntheic coral such as dendrophyllia would do well in a tank like that, just give them a pellet when you give the shrimp theirs.

[colbertbr]

The only thing I'm thinking about the invert only tank is the lack of movement or motion. Don't blood shrimps kind of just sit there?

[Jellyingabout]

I would say as far as shrimp go they are quiet active, particularly as the lights begin to fade. Mine are always in the front of the tank doing something. Much more active than my gobies which seem to just sit and stare all day long, especially the coral goby. if you give shrimp somewhere to hide they will but if you arrange your rock without spaces in the back then they will always be on view.

 

If motion is what you want then look at Xenia, and maybe invest in a nano wavemaker to give the tank that sloshing wave motion. I personally think motion is at its best when coral move as though they are in waves.

 

I doubt you'll find an active fish that'll be happy in a 4g pico at work. Possibly a single small clown but i don't think he'd be happy about not getting fed every weekend, but you could use an auto feeder.