New Tank- N Wennerae checklist

[finkjor123]

Hi everyone, so after posting countless questions about my tank I think I am ready to get started. I have tried to plan out my initial expenses, so here is what I have come up with. Please criticize, add to, and give advice. Thank you! And yes I know the mantis will eventually kill the damsel. Thanks

80$- Top Fin® 20 Gallon Starter Kit (tank, hood with lights, filter, heater, thermometer)

20$- CaribSea Aragonite Aragamax Oolite (30lbs)

18$- 50 gallon sea salts

100$- 20 lbs Live rock

Specific Gravity Tester- 10$
Saltwater chemicals- 15$
PH tester- 15$

Livestock
Mantis Shrimp Wennerae- 10$
7 blue leg crabs- 10.50$
Turbosnail- 2.50$
Yellowtail Damselfish- 4$

[nirvanaandtool]

You probably can get out cheaper if you buy a 20 gal long from Petco this week during their sale. It's the Dollar Per Gallon sale.
Then just buy a 100w heater, an Aquaclear 50 or 70 power filter and maybe a Maxijet or Koralia Nano powerhead for extra flow.

I'd also suggest ditching the hydrometer and getting a refractometer. They are much more accurate.

[othercents]

I agree the Petco sale is great especially for a larger 40 Breeder, but I'm not sure when adding in the cost of lights, if the starter kit isn't a better deal. The Aquaclear is definitely a better filter to use. Check with Petco and price a setup with one of their 20G tanks, Aquaclear, heater, and lights. If it is close to the same price do that instead since the Aquaclear will be the better filter.

Also buy the CUC from reefcleaners.org. Just buy it for a larger tank, so the mantis has things to eat. Mine likes the small snails and the last few times I got a CUC from them I also got a bunch of baby blue leg hermits that turned into medium size hermit meals. If your LFS sales ghost shrimp get one of those for food. Much cheaper than buying hermits or snails for food.

[finkjor123]

Thanks for the responses- i like the idea of the 20l but ive decided I want a light fixture that can support corral down the road, and am having trouble finding an inexpensive light fixture that can support corral.

[jason2459]

What kind of coral are you looking to grow? I have a 20g long with softies doing great under a reef bright led strip I fit into the hood. You could easily find other solutions as well for a 20l.

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[finkjor123]

not entirely sure what kind of coral, i will be buying the 20g long tank in the petco gallon for dollar sale, so i doubt it will come with a hood. so do i need the leds? if i need to buy a hood it will probably be fluorescents.

[nirvanaandtool]

Build a DIY led light or search around for a used T5 light if you want coral.

[jason2459]

No mater what if you want corals you'll need better lighting then what comes with that hood. LED lighting was just perfect for the amount of PAR given off in such a small amount of space taken up by the actual fixture. Even if you bought the 20g long separate you'll spend less then $80 to get the same components as long as you can get the tank for $20. You also need something to keep the mantis in the tank. For me the full hood and fitting in the LED was perfect especially for the location I have the tank and the low heat . You could go with a glass top and get a T5 or LED fixture that sits on the tank with brackets or can be hung above it.

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[nirvanaandtool]

Originally Posted by jason2459

No mater what if you want corals you'll need better lighting then what comes with that hood. LED lighting was just perfect for the amount of PAR given off in such a small amount of space taken up by the actual fixture. Even if you bought the 20g long separate you'll spend less then $80 to get the same components as long as you can get the tank for $20. You also need something to keep the mantis in the tank. For me the full hood and fitting in the LED was perfect especially for the location I have the tank and the low heat . You could go with a glass top and get a T5 or LED fixture that sits on the tank with brackets or can be hung above it.

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Yea, forget the fluorescent hood lighting.

I hung my LED fixture over my mantis tank. Get some 1/2" or 3/4" conduit from Lowes or Homedepot and bend it to hang the light.

Or you could even do 2 PAR38s over a 20L. Coverage might not be the best but it would get you by.

[othercents]

Originally Posted by finkjor123

not entirely sure what kind of coral, i will be buying the 20g long tank in the petco gallon for dollar sale, so i doubt it will come with a hood. so do i need the leds? if i need to buy a hood it will probably be fluorescents.

The hood that comes with the 20G kit will have to be replaced for coral. If having Corals is your goal then for now you can get a 20L from Petco and run with just room lighting. Spend the rest of the cash on the filtration and flow.

The TrueLumen Pro lights will work well too for corals. Since they are waterproof, you could mount those directly between two pieces of wood that could be cut to fit in the top of your tank. However the T5 lights will be less expensive in the short term while increasing in costs as you replace the bulbs.

[nirvanaandtool]

The Marineland reef capable LED lights are decent too if you are afraid of building your own. Dont think they are dimmable though so its 1 brightness-fits-all.

[finkjor123]

Dont know if the forum will let me post links but will this light support corral? Ill buy a glass hood with it and somehow place this over it
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...=Fish+Lighting

[finkjor123]

Ok so assuming that led fixture will work, here is the new tank setup.
$20 20 gallon long
$27 Aquaclear Filter (the one rated for 20 gallons)
$40 LED Light
$22 Versatop hinged glass top
So total $109- not bad, only 29 dollars more than the probably p.o.s. petsmart combo, and should serve me alot better. Not sure if anyone answered my other question, do I need a heater if I live in Florida? Probably a dumb question, but just wanted to check.
And about the divider, I want to split it so I can have the mantis alone in a 5 gallon section of the tank, and leave the other 15 gallons for some small fish. have to do some research on what fish can hold in a 15 gallon, but that is the plan. Someone mentioned they sell aquarium dividers, how are they secured? I'm not sure if I trust myself to silicone seal anything. You guys have been alot of help, thank you!

[nirvanaandtool]

Originally Posted by finkjor123

Dont know if the forum will let me post links but will this light support corral? Ill buy a glass hood with it and somehow place this over it
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...=Fish+Lighting

No probably not.

You need the Reef Capable version to support coral.
http://www.marinedepot.com/Marinelan...FILDFX-vi.html

[othercents]

Originally Posted by finkjor123

Ok so assuming that led fixture will work, here is the new tank setup.
$20 20 gallon long
$27 Aquaclear Filter (the one rated for 20 gallons)
$40 LED Light
$22 Versatop hinged glass top
So total $109- not bad, only 29 dollars more than the probably p.o.s. petsmart combo, and should serve me alot better. Not sure if anyone answered my other question, do I need a heater if I live in Florida? Probably a dumb question, but just wanted to check.
And about the divider, I want to split it so I can have the mantis alone in a 5 gallon section of the tank, and leave the other 15 gallons for some small fish. have to do some research on what fish can hold in a 15 gallon, but that is the plan. Someone mentioned they sell aquarium dividers, how are they secured? I'm not sure if I trust myself to silicone seal anything. You guys have been alot of help, thank you!

1) You should get the Aquaclear 70. The filters are rated based on freshwater, and the AC70 is the better choice for 20G saltwater.

2) We usually don't use glass tops on saltwater tanks because there needs to be some evaporation. If you want to keep things from jumping out then the better choice is to use a custom screen which you can get the parts for under $20 from homedepot. Here is a link to youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0CzorCknWQ. If you are trying to keep things from getting in then you should build a custom canopy.

3) A good reef capable LED is going to cost almost $200 and if you want to keep SPS then you will need multiple of those. Your best inexpensive option to start is going to be either using room lighting. When building a Reef lighting can't be skimped on. You can use the one you quoted before if you only want to keep low light soft corals, but not any of the high light corals especially the SPS ones.

The better LED option for Reef is: http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-s...PM30-5050.html.

David

[nirvanaandtool]

Originally Posted by othercents

1) You should get the Aquaclear 70. The filters are rated based on freshwater, and the AC70 is the better choice for 20G saltwater.

2) We usually don't use glass tops on saltwater tanks because there needs to be some evaporation. If you want to keep things from jumping out then the better choice is to use a custom screen which you can get the parts for under $20 from homedepot. Here is a link to youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0CzorCknWQ. If you are trying to keep things from getting in then you should build a custom canopy.

3) A good reef capable LED is going to cost almost $200 and if you want to keep SPS then you will need multiple of those. Your best inexpensive option to start is going to be either using room lighting. When building a Reef lighting can't be skimped on. You can use the one you quoted before if you only want to keep low light soft corals, but not any of the high light corals especially the SPS ones.

The better LED option for Reef is: http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-s...PM30-5050.html.

David

+1 on what othercents said.

Totally forgot to hit on the glass top issue.
I am a big fan of the screen top like he mentioned. I used one when I kept a reef with jumpers like firefish. I bought 1/4" mesh online because I was afraid 1/2" mesh from homedepot would still let skinny jumpers like firefish out.
Or if you have larger bodied fish, you can get egg-crate for your top. It will still let you have evaporative cooling but will keep larger fish (clowns, damsels, etc) in the tank.

I'd go for a heater even though you live in Florida, you will need it in the winter and when the AC is on. You want a stable temp, big fluctuations are bad.

[jason2459]

Just wanted to make note that he will be trying to keep in not a fish mainly but a stomatopod. I don't know how well mesh will work. Eggcrate may be just fine with something on top to weigh it down like a light fixture.

I'm using a full hood and like the low evaporation to keep salinity swings down as I don't have a ATO for my mantis tank and many don't like salinity swings very much.

I have had zero issues with it. I've noticed many mantis setups with glass tops.