Calcium

[Viv]

How important is calcium in a fowlr? Should there still be 450-500ppm? I mean if its fish and live rock....weel, I just don't know the answer.....I seem to be moving away from a reef tank with corals to a more dominant fish tank...it should obviously be like the ocean, which contains Ca., but is it a needed supplementation like a reef tank with corals? For that matter, is there a different way to run a fowlr compared to a reef tank with corals?

[Wiskey]

In an FOWLR you won't see the rapid depleation of CA that you will in a reef tank, so keeping it up won't be such a problem, you will still see some drop in Alk though, and that should still be kept in check, but once again the drop won't be as fast as in a SPS reef.

HTH,
Whiskey

[Loverotties]

No you don't need to keep it up that high,because you don't have any corals that need it.

[Viv]

Ok, so do you keep the parameter the same? I'm toying with the idea of going fowlr in the 350. I've got a 100 gal sump (which is probably holding about 200 in reality) Big skimmer, Ca. reactor. Big 400 watt MH with 4x96w actinics...and now thinking of fowlr for this tank and making the 29 gal. upstairs the tank with corals....dang this is crazy! Or I'm crazy! The 350 is in the basement (mold spores). I really can't keep SPS-it just doesn't work..I mean some do ok-but its not what it should be, and I think its due to the mold spores and the constant water changes to keep them going. The cost to keep this tank proper is something I really don't know if I can maintain this next year (3 in college,ugh!!!). So I was thinking I could move frags to the 29 and just keep the 350 for a fowlr tank....I'm kinda lost and not sure what to do....Maybe just change to LPS, I don't know...now with a new Trigger (Niger) and removal of the snails to the 29, well maybe its time.......................any thoughts????????? What would you do? Would stuff like this keep you awake? 4:20 am and I can't sleep...ok, so I work nights, but dang this is on my mind!!!!!!!

[marineduud]

On a FOWLR if you are doing regular water changes the L/R will have all it needs as far as Cal. but you might have to add a little buffer every couple of weeks to make sure you PH is stable.