Like to say hi

Welcome welcome welcome!

Where is Lacona?

 

Welcome Mike. Make sure you join the Des Moines region forum. We are here to help.

Craig, It is about 20 miles SE of Indianola.

 

I started out with a FOWLR as well. I am now in to a big ole mixed reef tank. But do not get hurried. It took me a 1.5 years to make the move to corals. A FOWLR is a great way to start. You can learn how to maintain proper chemistry this way. Fish are alot more forgiving than very expensive corals are. Take your time and have fun! Mistakes will be made but it is all part of the learning curve. Good Luck!!

 

Welcome! Def get a sump hang on filters arent as effective in sw. Any light will do if your doing fowlr. Lots of cheap led fixtures out there with marineland ebay etc. If you dont have one already get a rodi for your water. Live sand and rock is crucial as its the majority of your filtration. Lionfish is what made me get a tank 3 yrs ago and ive yet to get one. Saw reef tanks and got hooked like everyone else lol.

 

I started with a 75 gallon with a canister filter to go with the live rock/live sand. Worked great for many years, but I added other things over time, most of which was HOB. I was just starting to dabble with corals before we lost everything due to a freak accident in our house.

Flash forward to 8 years since that tank was torn down. I have a 120 gallon FOWLR with a 40 gallon sump, tons of live rock and live sand, a nice big, over-sized skimmer. The tank is "reef ready" meaning it was pre-drilled for the overflows and return water lines. Things have been "amped up" compared to my 75 gallon, but I still don't plan at this time to get into corals. As awesome as they look, my current lifestyle (expenses and time) don't allow me to get to that level, but it is still awesome to stay at FOWLR. You can have fish that the reef keepers can't.

So give your 75 gallon a whirl. I think that it is a great beginner size. Most start with 55 gallon, but the footprint of a 75 isn't much bigger, yet 36% more water for more stability and better fish choices. I know that you are looking at a predator tank, so you will only have a few fish in the 75 since they will make a mess for the bio-filtration to deal with, plus eat anything that they can fit in their mouths.

Oh, and welcome by the way.

 

Fish only will be sufficient for so long. There always will be something trying to pull you to the dark side. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

Welcome to GIRS!