Fowlr Reef Tank Tank Size Question

[Poseidon]

short back ground- moving into my own house next year.
I want a 120g- 150g tank for my corals, and a 200-300g for a fish only (FOWLR) reef.

I recently had the chance to buy a wicked tank- 200g starfire front, 4.5'x 3' wide x 24'' tall, with external overflow.
so obviously, i bought it..... lol

My question is. Is this 200g going to cut it for a FOWLER
I want: eel, angels (this is the big one), harlequin tusk, moorish idol, possible a bamboo shark,
few interesting tangs etc.

I realize larger fish need more space to swim, preferably 6-8ft long tank, but im wondering if i can make the 54'' work due to the large width i have to work with.

opinions are very welcome, i have plenty of time before the move (next fall/winter, 2015/2016)
if you need me to clarify my question let me know!
thanks in advance.

 

[reeferkeeper420]

If it was me i would want the extra length. Give the fish a little more length to swim and still have a good width, especially if your going to be keeping larger angels and a bamboo shark, i believe bigger is better lol. But im no expert in this field since ive never had a FOWLR tank. Just my honest opinion. Good luck . And awesome scoop on that tank btw

 

[Poseidon]

yea thats what im thinking, i might just use the 200g for corals then rather than a bit smaller one.
im keeping my eye open for a large 7-8ft acrylic tank. (im done with moving heavy glass lol)

 

[reeferkeeper420]

Yeah that seems like a better idea, that tank would look great packed full of corals again. And yeah i hate heavy tanks, such a pain.

 

[EricTMah]

Even with the added width. It's still a 4.5' tank. They may do alright for the first year or so. But will get crowded out quick.

Definitely a 6' or 8' tank would be ideal.

Long story short. The 200 is too small. Sell it to me

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Poseidon]

well the hardest part of this situation is convincing the gf to let me have two very large tanks... shes is ok with one large and one small/medium.... but i dunno... it will be a challenge haha, i certainly hope not but i might have to sell the 200 eventually. we will see

 

[sunnykita]

Congrats Brandon ! You must be excited about your own place. If you want to have a large predator tank look for that tank with the length, you won't be happy with less. I started out with a 65 gallon tank and upgraded to the 135 for the wrasses, not huge fish, but not small either, they love to go from end to end of the tank, and it's great to watch them swim and splash, yeah they like to let me know they're there LOL take a fast corner and flip that tail !
I am upgrading again, I am so excited I have purchased Adam's tank and within the month will have the 150 gallon beauty up and running, they'll still only have 6 feet of run length but will have 24 inches in width. I think I'll love the wider tank. I know I am in love with the cabinet that Adam built, my dream tank When I first saw Adam's tank I was drooling and then when it came up for sale I knew I had to have it ! - the fact that the cabinet was made from reclaimed church pews and gorgeous to boot only made this acquisition that much sweeter ! Thanks so much Adam, (Nexusnight for those who haven't met him) I am happy beyond expectations and can hardly wait till I get it home and set up WOOOO HOOOOOO ! and a WOOO HOOOO for you and your own place and your coming predator tank ! The more length the better Brandon, you won't be happy with the shorter length for any time.
best of wishes
Sherry

 

[Poseidon]

haha you sound excited! i would be too that tank was/is gorgeous !! best of luck with it!

 

[sunnykita]

Yeah, I am very excited, it certainly is a beautiful tank and I am a very happy camper! I'll be selling the 135 once the 150 is up and running. Lots to look forward to ! I honestly never thought I'd have such a beautiful tank, my dream come true Brandon Lucky me

 

[yveterinarian]

Our FOWLR tank is a 220 and is 6 feet long. I know Dave is very happy with it and there is plenty of room for the fish to grow.

 

[AdInfinitum]

My 200 acrylic is 6 feet and it is definitely too small for the Sohal tang but in the past was fine for basically the same population you are planning.
(emperor Angel, three idols, Harlequin tusk, black edge moray, Clown Trigger) IMO leave the shark fora shark/ray only system I never had luck with sharks in community tanks...pita

 

[Poseidon]

My 200 acrylic is 6 feet and it is definitely too small for the Sohal tang but in the past was fine for basically the same population you are planning.
(emperor Angel, three idols, Harlequin tusk, black edge moray, Clown Trigger) IMO leave the shark fora shark/ray only system I never had luck with sharks in community tanks...pita

well do ya wanna sell it?? haha

 

[Aquariums by Design]

So much will obviously depend on what fish you want to keep. We have a client who we service weekly that has 2 FOWLR tanks, one is 72" X 30" X 24" (224 gal) and the other is 96" X 24" X 28" (279 gal). I really love the 30" width but at the end of the day the longer tank seems to work better. Ideally a 96" that is 30" wide would be nice however I really believe that if your looking at getting big Eels, Angels, Groupers etc. and a Shark that your tank is too small. I know with our clients tank we have to do some serious weekly water changes to keep the Nitrates in check as his tanks are filled with very large fish that eat a LOT! Lol
A 54" 200 gallon would be fine for a FOWLR with various ass't of Wrasses, Tangs, smaller Triggers and Groupers etc.
Sounds like if you decide to sell this tank and go bigger you have plenty of buyers on here! Lol

 

[Poseidon]

Yea undoubtly , I should always mention that Intend to have a 2-300g stock tank refugium for the fowlr tank because I have a whole basement to utilize at my new place haha

 

[AdInfinitum]

If I ever get the 90x24x30 acrylic on line I will have to sell one of the others......

You will need that large fuge space to grow a constant supply of sponge and polyps on rocks to keep Idols healthy and happy.

 

[Poseidon]

I would be interested so let me know first

 

[scubasteve]

skip the shark everything i read on long term keeping you need minimun 300 gal and they need a 3' wide area to swim and turn properly..... and those are the small ones ive been dreaming but my pockets arent big enough but still going to be a nice predator tank