20g reef advice

The Reefer91 · 04/18/2006, 04:44 PM

my B-day is in may, so it is possible i can obtain a 20g kit. it comes with tank, submersible heater, power filter, and fluerescent hood.i have a powerhead for flow.

here are my questions.

1, if it's fish only, is a protein skimmer neccesary? i may not be able to afford it. also, it will contain no coral. just 2 clownfish and cleanup crew.
2 the nitrate in my tap water is is about 10ppm. could i use this instead of having to go to buy RO water? i'm not sure about the PO4, but i will also be using amquel water conditioner.

is this setup feasable?

rustybucket145 · 04/18/2006, 04:51 PM

I would definately think you would need a skimmer. Especially with no refugium. Skimmers are mainly for exporting fish waste, ie, poop. Good luck either way. Hope everything goes well.

You should be able to find a Hang On Back skimmer for relatively cheap. <$150 It may not be the best skimmer in the world but IMO as long as it skims something it is better than having no skimmer at all.

As for tap water, the fish will probably be fine but you might find yourself battling algae blooms 24/7

The Reefer91 · 04/18/2006, 04:57 PM

i was thinking of converting the powerfilter into a HOB fuge.

jer77 · 04/18/2006, 05:18 PM

I started out with a 20 gallon tank. It had a anemone in it too. I had a seaclone, a millenium 3000, and a 55 W CF light. I had a clown, shrimp, and a cardinal. My birthday is also in may and thats what I got for my birthday many years ago too. I have upgraded considerably since then, but still have all the fish and anemone.
I would suggest a skimmer of some sort. They are the most important part of saltwater filtration.
P.S. your gonna want a bigger tank soon.

jer77 · 04/18/2006, 05:22 PM

about your water, you can get a cheap DI filter at petco for like $30 to go onto your sink.

Cutiewitbooty · 04/18/2006, 05:45 PM

you can also go to your LFS and buy ro water for about 25c gal or even wal-mart distilled water that will work fine.

Salty Brother · 04/18/2006, 07:02 PM

I would run a skimmer, it will help keep you tank nice and clean. If you dont mind spending a little more, go to www.drsfosterandsmith.com and look at the coralife super skimmer. Im getting a 125 for my 29, but you could probably only get the 65 for $74.99
Good Luck

The Reefer91 · 04/18/2006, 07:17 PM

alright, jer77 i will want a bigger tank, but can't get one for awhile(like a year at least) also, i don't want t o get into corals and such for awhile. i may eventually get a VHO or PC lighting for shrooms, but not yet.

04/18/2006, 04:44 PM	#1
The Reefer91 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 1,250	20g reef advice my B-day is in may, so it is possible i can obtain a 20g kit. it comes with tank, submersible heater, power filter, and fluerescent hood.i have a powerhead for flow. here are my questions. 1, if it's fish only, is a protein skimmer neccesary? i may not be able to afford it. also, it will contain no coral. just 2 clownfish and cleanup crew. 2 the nitrate in my tap water is is about 10ppm. could i use this instead of having to go to buy RO water? i'm not sure about the PO4, but i will also be using amquel water conditioner. is this setup feasable? __________________ Dan "Every day we fade little by little, 'till there's nothing left of us but the lies we've sown." Current Tank Info: 20g L display: 2x65watt Coralife light, Octopus 150 needle wheel protein skimmer, 1 Koralia 2 and 2 powersweeps, and a DIY sump/fuge.....120G in the works!!!

04/18/2006, 04:51 PM	#2
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	I would definately think you would need a skimmer. Especially with no refugium. Skimmers are mainly for exporting fish waste, ie, poop. Good luck either way. Hope everything goes well. You should be able to find a Hang On Back skimmer for relatively cheap. <$150 It may not be the best skimmer in the world but IMO as long as it skims something it is better than having no skimmer at all. As for tap water, the fish will probably be fine but you might find yourself battling algae blooms 24/7 __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

04/18/2006, 04:57 PM	#3
The Reefer91 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 1,250	i was thinking of converting the powerfilter into a HOB fuge. __________________ Dan "Every day we fade little by little, 'till there's nothing left of us but the lies we've sown." Current Tank Info: 20g L display: 2x65watt Coralife light, Octopus 150 needle wheel protein skimmer, 1 Koralia 2 and 2 powersweeps, and a DIY sump/fuge.....120G in the works!!!

04/18/2006, 05:18 PM	#4
jer77 Phish Lover Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,642	I started out with a 20 gallon tank. It had a anemone in it too. I had a seaclone, a millenium 3000, and a 55 W CF light. I had a clown, shrimp, and a cardinal. My birthday is also in may and thats what I got for my birthday many years ago too. I have upgraded considerably since then, but still have all the fish and anemone. I would suggest a skimmer of some sort. They are the most important part of saltwater filtration. P.S. your gonna want a bigger tank soon. __________________ - Jonny -, 120g 5 Year Old Reef w/ SPS, BTA, Zoos & some Softies. 40g Frag Tank. 40g Sump. Super Reef Octopus XP 3000 External Cone Skimmer. 250W Radiums. TaoTronics LED. PanWorld 200PS w/SQWD

04/18/2006, 05:22 PM	#5
jer77 Phish Lover Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,642	about your water, you can get a cheap DI filter at petco for like $30 to go onto your sink. __________________ - Jonny -, 120g 5 Year Old Reef w/ SPS, BTA, Zoos & some Softies. 40g Frag Tank. 40g Sump. Super Reef Octopus XP 3000 External Cone Skimmer. 250W Radiums. TaoTronics LED. PanWorld 200PS w/SQWD

04/18/2006, 05:45 PM	#6
Cutiewitbooty Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Alaska For 18 Years, Now Cape Coral, Florida Posts: 2,795	you can also go to your LFS and buy ro water for about 25c gal or even wal-mart distilled water that will work fine. __________________ WARNING: Taking my advice may result in personal injury and/or jail time. ~Amber~

04/18/2006, 07:02 PM	#7
Salty Brother Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 1,119	I would run a skimmer, it will help keep you tank nice and clean. If you dont mind spending a little more, go to www.drsfosterandsmith.com and look at the coralife super skimmer. Im getting a 125 for my 29, but you could probably only get the 65 for $74.99 Good Luck

04/18/2006, 07:17 PM	#8
The Reefer91 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 1,250	alright, jer77 i will want a bigger tank, but can't get one for awhile(like a year at least) also, i don't want t o get into corals and such for awhile. i may eventually get a VHO or PC lighting for shrooms, but not yet. __________________ Dan "Every day we fade little by little, 'till there's nothing left of us but the lies we've sown." Current Tank Info: 20g L display: 2x65watt Coralife light, Octopus 150 needle wheel protein skimmer, 1 Koralia 2 and 2 powersweeps, and a DIY sump/fuge.....120G in the works!!!