Hello all, i am looking into FOWLR setups and considering a really big canister filter and a false back to cover the ugly pipe and not a skimmer on a 90 gallon predator tank, i know a skimmer is obviously better, but it is my understanding that a FOWLR tank would run just as good without one, skimmers are more geared towards reef setups. anyone have any words of wisdom or similar set ups that i can ask a few more questions?
Cheers :inquisitive: Ronnie
predators equals feeding heavy equals lots of poop equals skimmer
I realize the excess food n poop bits, but with a cannister and good water change practices i think that should be taken care of...No?
I hate a dirty tank...i do bi-weeky (10-20%) changes on my reef setup. So a few more buckets of poopy water....i can handle that. Do you have a FOWLR set-up?
:idea2:
Society Member
do both :D more the marryer!
i cant spell :(
my pets and tanks. 10 gal planted
1 beardie 45 gal reef
2 sugar gliders (ask me what they are!) 36 planted
2 ferrets 33 brackish
and the betta :D
doing large water changes can stress your system.. keeping your levels as even as possible between water changes is one of the best approaches to keeping a healthy tank... i would run both.. but these are my views..
Found a big spoon to stir with...
Ya i'd run (and do run) both too. Even though I do have a reef, I started with just a FOWLR before I got into corals and I still ran an XP3 filter with my skimmer. IPZ has good deals rena xp filters, and bigg's has those skimmer's for pretty cheap too.
110 gal reef - 5 false percs, 2 3-stripe damsels, 6-line wrasse, lemon, blue, silver damsels, orange-spot foxface, spotted hawk, flame hawk, niger trigger, cleaner shrimp, sebae, green bubble tip anemone, 25 gallon sump: 3 x 150watt Coralife MH and 4 x 96 watt coralife actinic PC, Coralife 220 gal protein skimmer
a skimmer aerates the water as well.. no filter that I am aware of will do that ..
Member: BC Coral X Change on facebook.
What is keeping you from running the skimmer Cost??? if that is the issue well then do your best but what I have read, a skimmer will never harm a thing.
a decent skimmer can be had for less money than a really big canister.
Steve
In my expirience if you are doing a saltwater tank a skimmer is a must. Just my opinion.
Re: skimmers vs canister filters for FOWLR?
Awesome input...thanx. Yeah i am going to do a skimmer then, so then i guess i can cut out the canister? Or on a 90 gallon predator tank with a 40 gallon sump, some kinda skimmer...undecided which one so far...then i could move my rena xp2 from my 46 gallon reef to the pred tank? And just leave my reef with the remora skimmer and 30 gallon sump with refugium? I am trying to save a few pennies and more importantly-just have less hardware.
also while i'm asking; for the predator tank i am thinking volatian lionfish, frogfish, black trigger, and longhorned cowfish, and lemonpeel to keep it squeeky clean (had a lemon peel in the past, the cleanest my tank ever was, but he really loved coco worms for dessert). And live rock too. Anyone see problems with these as tankmates? Or have any other suggestions for predator FOWLR?
Cheers Ronnie:idea2:
Oh my i almost forgot, my eel will be moved to y predator tank too.;)
yippee going to get a sump for my 90....yeah on the way!!!
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