Reef to FOWLR conversion

PufferGuy

Reefing newb
So its been a while since I've been on here... or had time for anything over the summer. (thanks to the tons and tons of MCAT studying I've had to do, its SUPER fun :frustrat:) Anyway, I digress... my tank is one of the things that have really taken a hit from the lack of maintenance... so instead of letting all of my coral die, which has happened to a few frags already, I've decided to switch to a FOWLR tank.

The tank as it is now if COVERED in green hair algae, and when I say covered I mean it literally... so my plan of attack so far is:

1. Change water, a lot.
2. Turn lights off for a few days to a week.
3. (if needed) get a sea hare (temporarily) to clean up the rest of the algae.

All of my fish and coral will be taken to the LFS for credit, and I will be going FOWLR.

I have had an eel before (white ribbon) which I had to get rid of because it got a hold of a couple of my fish... but i LOVED the eel and how much fun it was to watch, how much attention it got... etc. So i would like to get another eel.

My LFS gets in Snowflakes pretty regularly, and mostly small... 5-6 in and pinky sized... so I would like to get one of those, and am looking for 1 other fish. I was looking at the dwarf lions and some of the smaller puffers... like the saddlebacks, etc. Which of these would be a better match for the snowflake and will be more active/fun to watch?? I used to have a puffer (green spotted) and he was like a dog, recognized me as an owner, was very active, etc... and i really liked that. Are the smaller saltwater puffers anything like that??

Also, aside from the Dwarf Lion and a Puffer, what other alternatives would I have for a tankmate??

Thanks in advance,
Hope all you guys are doing well.
 
Hi,welcome back.....I have a FOWLR and love it..I do admire the reefs also,but love my angel and triggers more...So your plans are to have an eel and one fish,why not look at some type of trigger..?
 
what about puffers?? i really like that they can develop a real personality w/ the owner but i know they are "nippy"... would this be a problem with the eel?

EDIT: I know that Undulate Trigs can be MEAN mofos... but if i remember correctly ive seen people successfully keep them with tank mates, whats the probability of this working? Reason im asking is b/c they only require a 50gal tank (according to live aquaria).
 
Last edited:
Holy shit! 20 gallons for an undulated trigger! I think that has to be a typo. I won't even put an undulated trigger in my 90... They grow very fast.
 
undy is out, i was just wondering... so what other options do i have?

1. Dwarf/Radiata lion
2. Puffer of some kind (smaller species)
3. Angel/Dwarf angel of some kind....??
4. ....

Anything else? Any other options for tank mates with a snowflake eel are welcome... I'll probably only have 1 tankmate, as i know aggressive fish like that tend to make a mess and mess up water quality pretty quick.
 
If your only going to have 1 tank mate, I would go straight for a Dwarf lion, forget the rest :P

Lionfish are just amazingly awesome.
 
I looked into the scorpionfish and asked my LFS about them a little more and this is basically what I got, 1. They arent really active fish, they more or less just hang out in/on the rocks until feeding time when they come out to eat, and 2. my LFS does not get them in all that often.

I know lions and the stingfish would be similar to the leaf fish, activity wise, thats why i was looking into puffers as well. Would a puffer be ok in a tank with a leaf fish?
 
Back
Top