New Setup Help

[KISSfn]

Hello everyone! I have a 50 gallon freshwater tropical tank. The reason I'm here is because I want to learn all I can about FOWLR. My friend is converting his 20 gallon to saltwater. His wife wants clownfish thanks to "Finding Nemo". We both started our freshwater tanks around the same time. I did the research, he chose to wing it. He lost everything. My tank is thriving. I want to learn all I can so his new tank does not suffer the same fate. What I'm planning to tell him so far: He needs 20 pounds of live rock. Live sand. RO saltwater from LFS. RO water for top offs. Powerhead rated at 400gph. Skimmer rated for a 40 gallon tank. Refractometer. Liquid test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, pH and alkalinity. When ammonia and nitrites reach zero, 20% water change (also weekly) then it's time to add cleanup crew (consisting of ?) and a pair of Ocellaris clownfish? Any and all advice and suggestions are welcome and much appreciated! Tanks in advance!

 

[Smitty]

Wow, sound like you've been doing your research...good job. Also, welcome to the site. :)

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

That's awesome that you know your stuff! I got into reefing about a year ago with very little knowledge at it has been challenging, rewarding and fun, but challenging. Once your levels are at 0, you can add CUC or a couple of hardy fish like damsels, including the clowns. My tank cycled fast and I added a pair of clowns first. They are still alive and thriving. Good luck!

 

[Jmck]

Well, one thing I will stop, when nitrates hit 20 that is the limit on what is generally safe in tanks, we want to do constant water changes to keep it as close to zero as possible,

In saying that, FLOWR tanks can have higher nitrates because fish are not as sensitive to it, however, algae blooms are still very common when that is the case.

You also don't need live sand, normal dry sand will do, and live rock is good, but you can start with all base rock and put one or two peices of live rock to seed the other rock.

Congratulations on the thriving tank :) We love hearing about someone who does research and saves their animals.

Welcome to the site as well :)