sorry to bother you all knowing and all powerful reefers...

[appstateguy]

but i must. do you all think that i could, with a 2-3 inch sand bed and about a lb of rock per gallon, run a "well" stocked tank without skimming but with a 10% weekly water change like we do with our nanos? tank is 30 gallons. 36" long. 18" high. 12" wide. what other might i need to consider?? im wanting to test out this whole FOWLR concept but i am concerned since the fish will be throwing much more waste than my corals do in my nanos... ive never hade more than 1 or 2 fish in my nanos.

 

'preciate it - mike

[LiQuiD]

You may need to investigate your change times and amounts but it should work. You may need to do a 15%-20% instead or every 5 days as apposed to every 7. You see what I'm getting at. The bottom line to all that is inclosed aquaria is your water quality. Skimmers, additives, sand beds, etc. are around to keep your water cleaner and more nutrient filled longer without haveing to get rid of the water with new clean nutrient filled water. I hope this is making sence, if you have a hundred fish in the tank you could just do a daily or tewice a day water change and get away with it (this would be a huge pain in the ass but it is just an example). As long as you keep an eye on all parameters and can judge how much and how often to do the water changes you should be just fine.

[tinyreef]

:|

 

if it's really going to be a FOWLR then just get a good wet/dry hob. (penguin or emperor 280 is perfect imo) i ran an eclipse 6 (biowheel) as a FOWLR for over a year before going nano on it with no water changes, ever. then again it was only two clowns and minimal feedings but it wasn't LR/LS either, just dry lava and tufa and 1/2" of dry sand too.

 

if you don't want the hob then it'll depend on the type of fish (metabolism) you're expecting to raise and how often you'll feed.

[Dave ESPI]

Let it get well established fer 4 months, and you could keep whatever you wish. I have had 40 gal tanks with 19 fish in them no problems at all and a 380 gal with over 80 fish. Not a hint of nitrates. Skimmers are really not needed fer all tanks. Use yer best judgement. Just make sure you "flip" the tank volume at least 8 times an hour with filtration and good airation.

[appstateguy]

thanks folks, thats what i was wanting to hear.