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FOWLR AquariumFish Only Marine Aquarium Learn How to Setup a FOWLR Aquarium...This article explains the basic equipment, setup, fish suggestions and maintenance for a Marine Aquarium.
A FOWLR style aquarium refers to a saltwater setup consisting of Fish Only With Live Rock. Traditional Marine aquariums in the past were setup with artificial plastic decorations and “fake”, dried coral. This old school method for setting up a marine fish aquarium does not make for a natural display and reduces the survivability of the fish. Using live rock for your aquascaping in a marine aquarium provides a much more natural look and allows for a natural filtration technique. The techniques that we recommend are not that different than the methods used for maintaining a reef aquarium. You would be able to convert this style aquarium to a reef style later on depending on your fish selections. Saltwater Aquariums…Easier Than Ever! The more common setup is the peaceful "community aquarium" with the smaller, more omnivorous fish like Clownfish, Chromis, Cardinals and Dwarf Angels. Choosing these types of fish will make it easier to convert your aquarium to a reef aquarium later on. Some of these species may still be territorial and should be carefully matched for compatibility. We will offer some more suggestions on certain species later in this article. Aquarium
Protein Skimmer
Live Rock Live Sand Reef Sump The return pump should allow for 3-5 times the volume of your display per hour. In other words if your aquarium is 50 gallons you will need about 150-250GPH going through your sump. Choose a pump that will also push the distance you need vertically. Most setups will have 3-4 feet of head pressure just from pumping the distance from your sump where your pump is located to the water surface in your aquarium.
Lighting
Retrofit Lighting as an Option
Water Movement
Heating
Other Equipment
Recreating the Reef We will recommend two different styles based on keeping either a peaceful "community aquarium" with smaller fish or keeping the larger aggressive predator fish. A community aquarium for smaller fish will benefit from having larger amounts of rockwork with many caves and overhangs that the fish can populate. The larger predator fish will benefit from a more open design with sufficient swimming space and several structures for individual fish to claim territory. Two styles of FOWLR aquarium Habitat
Substrate The water chemistry needs to closely resemble that of natural seawater. Here are the recommended water parameters for a FOWLR aquarium:
Salt Mixes
Test Kits
Supplements
This chart is a timeline describing step-by-step setup of your FOWLR aquarium. After the chart is an explanation of each step.
Choose Location Take a moment to thoroughly clean the aquarium’s glass using only freshwater and a new clean sponge. This will remove any dust or residue on the aquarium. Wet Test
Check to make sure you overflow and sump are filled and primed. Plug in the power strip and check the function of all of your equipment. Check that the return pump is flowing properly, the lights are working and that the heater is doing its job as well. As an alternative you can place your heater and thermometer probe in the sump area of your wet-dry filter. This will allow the same heating and temperature maintenance of your water and remove some equipment from view in the main setup. Note that the protein skimmer will probably not produce any foam but it is still a good idea to hook it up to check the pump. You will want to run everything for about 24 hours as this will also serve to clean the equipment a bit before you actually set everything up. After your done with the ‘wet test” turn all of the equipment off in the aquarium and drain out the tap water and unplug everything. Be sure and empty the water out of the refugium as well. Mixing the saltwater We recommend the use of RO/DI water for the basis of your saltwater mix. The use of RO/DI water will eliminate a larger number of problems that can normally arise from the use of tap water. Tap water contains many impurities and contaminants that are not suitable for many saltwater species. Large amounts of phosphates and silicates in tap water can contribute to nuisance algae blooms. RO/DI water can be purchased from your grocery store pre-bottled or from a vending machine. Local fish stores may also sell RO/DI water. Another option is to get your own RO/DI unit. If you plan on being a saltwater aquarium hobbyist for any length of time then a RO/DI unit is a great investment. Fill the mixing bucket with a known amount of RO/DI water. You may want to mark off the sides of your bucket by filling a gallon jug, pouring it in the bucket and marking the outside of the container with a marker. Repeat this process until you have marked the majority of the container with 1 gallon increments. Add the indicated amount of salt mix (see manufacturers instructions) for the amount of water in the bucket. This is usually about ½ cup per gallon. You can use a large spoon to initially mix the salt. After adding the salt mix drop your powerhead into the bucket and plug it in. Let the powerhead run for about an hour to thoroughly mix the salt. Preparing the sand Finally, add the rinsed sand to the aquarium. Smooth out the sand to create a fairly uniform depth of about 2”. Adding the saltwater Add your first batch of saltwater to the aquarium by slowly pouring it over a plate to prevent excessive stirring of the sand. You may also add a hose to the return end of your power head to pump the water from the bucket to the aquarium. Immediately start mixing another batch of saltwater as it may take a few batches to completely fill the aquarium. Aquascaping
There are many types and personal styles of scenes that can be created in the FOWLR aquarium. In this article we will recommend two basic styles that have both function and form. One is the central rock structure with swimming space on each side of the aquarium. The other is the Bay style with structures on each side of the aquarium with open swimming space in the middle. The main idea is to create an environment that the fish can be comfortable in. The central structure is great for a community style aquarium with the less aggressive species. It can be arranged with cave-like openings and overhangs that fish can hide in and call home. The Bay style with the side structures is a good choice for the more aggressive predator species. These fish require more open swimming space and having the two structures offers more territory for the fish to claim. Both styles main structures are built from live rock. Live rock is also a primary filtration component for this setup so you will need to select the best quality live rock you can afford. You will need approximately 1 lb of live rock per gallon of aquarium water. This amount will vary with the density of the live rock you select. Stacking the rocks The next step is to place the upper rock structure. These can be larger live rock pieces and should be supported by the foundation rocks. Take into consideration the natural upper surfaces of the live rock that need to be facing the light. These surfaces will usually have more coralline algae growth. Securing the rocks Try to avoid placing the Live Rock directly against the glass leaving sufficient room for good water flow. Also remember to leave enough room on the sides and front of the reef structure to allow cleaning the glass with a magnet cleaner. Seeding the sandbed Filling the aquarium The First 24 Hours After the aquarium has circulated for about 24 hours test the saltwater for the following parameters:
Adjust any of the above that are out of range. Adding Fish Adding too many fish too quickly can be dangerous to the fish. The ideal situation would be to wait approximately two weeks before adding your first fishes. This will allow the aquarium to stabilize and the live rock to establish. For more information on the Nitrogen Cycle read our article on Cycling Your Aquarium. There are many beautiful fish that can be kept in the FOWLR aquarium. We will make a few recommendations of different fish. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the requirements and behavior of the various marine fish before you purchase them. Community Species
Aggressive Species
Stocking Here is a reference chart for determining stocking levels based on water surface:
Another method is to base it on total aquarium volume. Recommendations of ½” of adult fish per gallon are common. Here is a reference chart for determining stocking levels based on aquarium volume:
As you can see there is a big difference between the two methods. The second method recommends that you can keep many more fish in the same size aquarium. This can cause problems with the increased bio-load on the aquarium. This can also lead to conditions that can be unhealthy and stressful for the fish unless strict maintenance is done on a consistent basis. We recommend a stocking level closer to the first method based on water surface. This method takes into consideration the oxygen exchange capability of the aquarium. This is an important factor in keeping your fish healthy. Some other things to remember when stocking your FOWLR aquarium:
To feed your fish properly you need to know whether your fish are omnivores (plants and meat eaters), herbivores (plant eaters) or carnivores (meat eaters). Your fish also need to eat a varied diet so they get all the proper nutrients to maintain good health. It is not recommended to just get a can of flake food for your fish’s only meal. Here are a few recommended diets for your fish.
A little bit of maintenance done on a regular basis will go a long way to keeping your aquarium healthy. Water Changes You should change about 10% of the water in the aquarium about twice a month. A good way to remember is to do water changes on the 15th and 30th day of each month. Follow the directions above to mix up your replacement saltwater before you start your water change. In a 50 gallon aquarium you will need to change about 5 gallons of water. Your 20 gallon plastic trash can will come in very handy for water changes. We recommend that you use RO/DI water as the basis for your saltwater mix. Add the indicated amount of salt mix (see manufacturers instructions) for the amount of water in the bucket. This is usually about ½ cup per gallon. You can use a large spoon to initially mix the salt. After adding the salt mix drop your extra powerhead into the bucket and plug it in. Add a heater if necessary to bring the temp up to the 76-78F range. Let the powerhead run overnight to thoroughly mix the salt. Test the water for specific gravity using a hydrometer. The specific gravity should be between 1.021-1.023 and should match the specific gravity of the aquarium water. Adjust the specific gravity if necessary by adding RO/DI water to lower it or by adding salt mix to raise it. Remove the necessary amount of water from your aquarium (5 gallons in this example). At every other water change you should use a gravel vacuum to carefully siphon any detritus off the rocks and sand. When siphoning the sand you may need to pinch the hose of the gravel vacuum so that it is just strong enough to remove any waste on the surface but not so strong as to siphon up the sand itself. Add the new saltwater into the aquarium. You can attach a hose to the end of your power head to pump the water into the aquarium. Skimmer Maintenance Sump Maintenance Top-off Cleaning the Glass You may also need to clean the outside of the glass to remove fingerprints and other residue. Use a clean paper towel with freshwater to clean the outside glass. If the outside glass gets excessively dirty you may use glass cleaner to clean it. Be extremely careful when using glass cleaner. Do not spray the cleaner directly onto the aquarium glass. Spray a paper towel, away from the aquarium, and then wipe the glass clean. It is also a good idea to wipe the aquarium down with freshwater to remove any leftover glass cleaner residue. Salt Creep For more information on the FOWLR and other saltwater aquariums take a look at these great books. Books The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species Sam Pol 30 years ago Sam Pol didn't know he would still be keeping aquariums today...what he did know is that aquariums were fascinating. He used to "collect things" from the Gulf beaches at low tide to take back and stock his trio of 10G "Metaframe" saltwater tanks. That fascination of "fish tanks" continues today. Sam has been sharing his experiences of both freshwater and saltwater aquariums for several years now through his articles appearing here on aquabuys.com. |
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