Fallin' For FOWLR: Would you ever consider having a fish only with live rock (FOWLR) tank?

[AlyciaMarie]

There are many ways to enjoy our saltwater hobby and to make your experience unique. For instance, some people love coral, and that's their priority when setting up an aquarium. Others still love coral but love fish that love coral (and other forms of chaos) a little too much. Luckily, there is a solution for hobbyists who want to try their hand at keeping beautiful and charismatic troublemaking fish...

Would you ever consider having a FOWLR tank?

 

[shakacuz]

i have so many species specific tank ideas that i'd need to win 1 or 2 powerballs to afford it all.
top 3 for FOWLR would be:
eel
frog/angler fish
wasp/lion fish

 

[design.maddie]

Eels, Anglers, Wrasses and let's not forget my dream fish, the Blue Line Grouper. Yes, I would love to have the space for a large FOWLR tank.

 

[JoJosReef]

Got enough to do keeping up with a mixed reef tank and a nano clownfish prison and an observation tank. That said... I could imagine a tank with a lot of live rock, several heavily calcified macroalgae and some fast-growers, some bad boy anemones and some non-reef-safe fish like a trigger, a butterfly or two, an angel or two... an eel would be fun, too. No, JoJo, NO!

 

[Reefer Matt]

My biggest tank is my fowlr at 135 gallons. It has a 12” volitan lionfish, 6” Dogface Puffer, 6” Burrfish, 6” Bi-color Foxface, 5” Humu Humu Trigger, and a 6” Emperor Angelfish.

 

[steveschuerger]

I’d make a non reef safe wrasse tank

 

[Arkardios]

I would enjoy a simple FOWLR, but I couldn't guarantee that some gsp or anthelia frag wouldn't find it's way into there

 

[TheDorkLord]

I'd drop the fish before I'd leave out the coral, lol

 

[puddleglum]

Valentini Puffer

 

[starfishguy869]

Frogfish or lionfish. I want something weird

 

[Rach77]

porcupine puffer. puffers are just so loveable and interactive

 

[Rach77]

i have so many species specific tank ideas that i'd need to win 1 or 2 powerballs to afford it all.
top 3 for FOWLR would be:
eel
frog/angler fish
wasp/lion fish

Had a fowlr years ago and had a stone fish. that thing was awesome, especially when feeding. That tank also had a lion, snowflake eel, yellow hawk, porcupine puffer. Mid 2000's had a storm come through, almost whole town without power for 12 days, tried everything including oxygen tanks. lost whole tank

 

[0MNSH1ZLLC]

DO IT! I've been seeing some more FOWLR love around here recently...here's my tank.

 

[BristleWormHater]

A cuttlefish fowlr tank is my dream, only reason I started with a normal tank is because I want to build up some skill.

 

[Timfish]

There's such a wide variety of "corals", if a system has wild or maricultured live rock there are corals that can be kept.

 

[EliMelly]

Maybe for sharks

 

[shakacuz]

A cuttlefish fowlr tank is my dream, only reason I started with a normal tank is because I want to build up some skill.

cuttlefish are cool!!! definitely on my list of species only tank lol.

 

[Lloyd Heilbrunn]

After over a dozen years out of the hobby, I've set up an old school 150 gallon fish only, without live rock tank.

It's what I know since the 1960s, and what I feel comfortable with.

After a while I've added 3 pieces of live rock just to make a cave to increase my hiding places.

And added one Anemone and a few Hermit crabs.

I estimate it costs me 1/3 as much as a fish only with live rock, and 1/5 as much as a comparable reef tank sizewise.

Seems to be going very well.

Yes, I needed to clean the glass, but I just added a fish that day and didn't want to scare him. It's clean now, LOL.

Sometimes old school is the best school.

 

[drbrivers]

After over a dozen years out of the hobby, I've set up an old school 150 gallon fish only, without live rock tank.

It's what I know since the 1960s, and what I feel comfortable with.

After a while I've added 3 pieces of live rock just to make a cave to increase my hiding places.

And added one Anemone and a few Hermit crabs.

I estimate it costs me 1/3 as much as a fish only with live rock, and 1/5 as much as a comparable reef tank sizewise.

Seems to be going very well.

Yes, I needed to clean the glass, but I just added a fish that day and didn't want to scare him. It's clean now, LOL.

Sometimes old school is the best school.

Undergravel filter with powerheads? This definitely does work. Had a simple system like this for several years in the 80's myself.

 

[PharmrJohn]

I'll never have a FOWLR, but if I did I'd have a Clown Trigger in there. My favorite fish (second to the an adolescent velvet damsel (or a YT Damsel). I like Damsels!