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Hey guys. I have been reading the marine boards for a few months and now that I have a spare 55 gallon tank I'm thinking of making it a FOWLR. I was wondering if you guys could give me an estimate of the cost. I would not be running a sump. Our HOB okay, and would I need a skimmer?

How much does live rock usually cost? Do I need special lighting like on a reef tank or not? Any advice would be helpful.

If you aren't going to have any corals that are photosynthetic, then you will not need to upgrade your lighting at all if you don't want to.

Live rock in a retail store can be anywhere from 5-10 dollars per pound. If you want to have the live rock do your biological filtration it's recommended you get one pound per gallon or more.

A good HOB can be used for mechanical and chemical filtration, but should be cleaned very regularly....say twice a week. This prevents the gunk from breaking down into nitrates. I'd also include some powerheads. Water movement is VERY important. Try to reach at least 600 gallons per hour water movement on the 55, preferably more like 1200 gph.

A skimmer will really help you take care of your tank. It removes waste before it becomes nitrates and other pollutants. I would recommend a decent skimmer like a coralife super skimmer. There are a lot of HOB's that aren't up to par, so just ask here before you buy one.

For a 55 gallon tank you could easily spend over a thousand dollars if you already have the tank, stand lighting etc. More if you have to buy that.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Thanks, unfortunately I don't have that kind of money right now. I'm gonna make it a freshwater tank and hopefully sometime in the near future a saltwater tank.

Highly dependent but you could do a basic setup for far less than $1000. Sure you could spend that easily but if you want just liverock and a couple fish you can come in way under. Somewhere around $200 for the rock and maybe another $100 or so for extra powerheads and filters because 1 hob is not nearly enough. Argonite sand here costs me about $20 for a 20lb bag(you can find it much cheaper some places). If you go with a shallow sand bed you'd need around 70lbs of sand and for a DSB you'd need at minimum 110lbs so another $60-$120. Next depends if you want a hydrometer ~$10 or a refractometer ~$60 to several hundred depending what quality for measuring salt levels. Then salt which is $40 for a bucket that makes 160gallons.

$410-$520 so far. Lighting is unimportant on a tank without corals, macro, or plants so whatever you have around or want to pick up to view your fish under is fine. If you have the tank and stand that just leaves fish which vary greatly in price from $10 to $100s. You'd have to stock lightly and clean filters frequently without a skimmer but in a 55 you could still enjoy a few different fish depending on size.

Check out http://premiumaquatics.com/ for rock and equipment.

Wouldn't I need a RO/DI filter for when I change the water?

Depending on your tap water, you may need one. If your tap has ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, or a lot of heavy metals like copper then an RO unit is a must. Otherwise it's not necessary unless you were going for a reef tank due to algae growth.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

If you need an RO system you can get one off ebay for around $100 or less. Most people I know use either filter direct or aqua safe systems off ebay: http://stores.ebay.com/Filter-Direct-store_Water-Purification-Systems_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2QQftidZ2QQtZkm
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Aqua-Safe-Pure-Water-Shop_W0QQfcdZ2QQfromZR10QQsaselZ70548722QQsofpZ0QQtZkm

Here is a link from a friend of mine that gives good advice on equipment and start up tips and will answer some of your questions.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=76139

Hey guys, I didn't want to start a whole new topic for this so here it goes. I got a 15 gallon Eclipse System tank with the bio-wheel filtration system and everything, and was wondering, could I use this tank for a FOWLR setup? I know that bio-wheels aren't necessarily good for marine tanks but this is probably the last tank I'll get for a few years, except for maybe another 55 for a couple Fancy Golfish and Dojo Loaches. But back to the topic, I would probably have anywhere from 20-30 pounds of live rock in the tank, a very thin layer of sand or just a bare bottom. I was wondering what I could stock in a tank like this, would a pair of Percula Clowns work? Just one? Any help would be appreciated.

I'd probably only have one clown, and maybe a smallish goby or something like that.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Yeah, I thought a pair might be pushing it. I'm gonna have to hold off on a saltwater tank, as I've decided to use the 15 as a breeding/growout tank for my Rams when I try breeding them in a little bit. I'll try to get my hands on a cheap 30 gallon tank and set it up as a marine tank in a year or two, maybe even longer. At least when I do get a tank that I can use, I know where to ask questions. Thanks for all the advice I've gotten in this thread, even though I won't get a marine tank for quite a while. When I do I'll be sure to come back for some more help.

Keep your eye out for the breeder style tanks, or anything 18 inches front to back when you get back into it. They make for great sw tanks.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I'll be sure to look for that Matt, thanks for the tip.