questions on setting up 20g for saltwater

[HailtotheFish]

whats up reef central!!

so me and the girlfriend have been entertaining the thought of starting a saltwater reef tank on the 20g aquarium we have now.

we are transferring our current sarasa comet into a 55gal tank, and cleaning out the 20g in hopes of prepping it for a reef tank.

we have just some general questions about inverts, fish, live rock and setup.

so our (plans) were to have a sand bed (think the guy at LFS said 20lbs?) and 20lbs of live rock.

we have no idea how to choose inverts or such, but we did plan on having a hardy fish such as a clownfish.

with it being a 20g we are unsure what other types of species/little critters we can add, but we certainly don't want to overcrowd the tank.

as far as filtration what can you recommend as far as a HOB filter? we are currently using a fluval aquaclear 30 (150 gph)

is that enough for the 20g we have planned?
what about powerheads and what brand do you guys/gals recommend?

how can we go about setting up the tank including the live sand, rock, and RO/DI water?

[scott3569]

Hello and welcome...

I am newbie here also however I have been doing a ton of research...

for one Not saying that it can't be done becasue many people here do, But your 20gal will probably eventually become the 55gal

Live rock and sand is fine, tou could also look into doing dry/rock and sand research it here before you decide

as far as the filter, you want a HOB protien skimmer instead

You should get more answers I am sure

[HailtotheFish]

Originally Posted by scott3569

Hello and welcome...

I am newbie here also however I have been doing a ton of research...

for one Not saying that it can't be done becasue many people here do, But your 20gal will probably eventually become the 55gal

Live rock and sand is fine, tou could also look into doing dry/rock and sand research it here before you decide

as far as the filter, you want a HOB protien skimmer instead

You should get more answers I am sure

oh im sure a larger tank will be bought in the future!!

[HailtotheFish]

http://www.aquacave.com/Reef-Octopus...mmer-P451.aspx

is this a good start for HOB protein skimmer?

[thenewguy997]

The fluval will be fine, idk if you will eneed a skimmer for tht tiny a tank, you have plenty of inverts to choose from but youre probably limited on anemones

[thenewguy997]

The live rock will do a lot of the filtration the fluval will be more for solid waste which will need cleaned every week or so

[HailtotheFish]

a lot of people from the LFS and personal friends have said I don't need a protein skimmer, that the fluval will be fine.
they did mention something about a powerhead

[thenewguy997]

Yea tht just keeps things flowing which is a good thing

[Xavibear]

The aquaclear will be fine on your tank. A powerhead or two will help with water movement.

Get an RODI filter for your water, this is a must for saltwater.

Go on Liveaquaria & check out their recommendations for nano fish. When you get an idea of what you like you can post questions to ask what combinations will work with your tank.

[RubenG88]

Go big or go home buddy lol jk welcome to rc im a newbie too but i've gotten a bunch of good advice from the people here good luck on the build

[sk8ter20art]

I have a 20 gal (tall) setup. This is what I have had running it.
Hob filter, 2 powerheads 325gph+ 400?gph. 20lbs of oolite dry sand, 15ish lbs of brs dry base rock, RODI water for salt and topoff. Custom diy led fixture(marineland led light fixture was too weak). I had 2 clownfish and a green mandarin( shortly moved to 90gal with lots of pods). Variety of soft and lps corals. Skunk cleaner shrimp, nassiruss snails, blue leg hermits (no luck with turbo snails).

I was doing weekly 4gal water changes weekly to keep levels good. I would say yes to a skimmer, I just didn't have the funds for one. I got a bit off my routine water changes and green hair algea reared its ugly head. I migrated everything to my 90g and started battling the gha. My sea urchin is fat and happy chowing down on the gha(and my coraline)

20gal can be done, but after running my 90g now, bigger is better for saltwater tanks.

[HailtotheFish]

Originally Posted by sk8ter20art

I have a 20 gal (tall) setup. This is what I have had running it.
Hob filter, 2 powerheads 325gph+ 400?gph. 20lbs of oolite dry sand, 15ish lbs of brs dry base rock, RODI water for salt and topoff. Custom diy led fixture(marineland led light fixture was too weak). I had 2 clownfish and a green mandarin( shortly moved to 90gal with lots of pods). Variety of soft and lps corals. Skunk cleaner shrimp, nassiruss snails, blue leg hermits (no luck with turbo snails).

I was doing weekly 4gal water changes weekly to keep levels good. I would say yes to a skimmer, I just didn't have the funds for one. I got a bit off my routine water changes and green hair algea reared its ugly head. I migrated everything to my 90g and started battling the gha. My sea urchin is fat and happy chowing down on the gha(and my coraline)

20gal can be done, but after running my 90g now, bigger is better for saltwater tanks.

do you have any pictures of your 20g setup?