Recommendations for a 20 gal tank

[trupel]

G'day Fellow Reefers,

 

I'm am starting to build my first tank and I am in desperate need for advise.

 

I have a 20 gal tank which is a spare one I have lying around and a stand for it. The dimensions are: 27*12*12 (in)

 

I guess I need to find what you guys would recommend.

 

Thanks in advanced

[tinyreef]

lights, you're going to need strong/intense light. hellolights.com or championlighting.com are good sources. i'd go with at least their 2x65W PC units, the integrated moonlighting is nice.

 

then just wade out into the GBR and chip off some choice pieces of rock and coral and you're set. (jk)

 

what do you intend to raise in there determines the setup and equipment. i recommend the lights first because most reef setups involve photosynthesizing livestock or the by-products of the process. but by first setting a goal of which livestock and 'look' you ultimately want is basically what determines the whole deal ahead of time.

[trupel]

I am a complete nooby when it comes to sw.

 

I am looking for something that is quite hardy an quite easy to keep. I also would like to keep a pair of clowns.

 

What would you recommend? I am going to purchase LR and LS and heater I don't know about a skimmer, I have read conflicting reports.

 

I have a spare aquaclear 500 lying around and would like to know if it is worth using as an additional filter (with the LR) or to convert it to a fuge. (if convert to fuge, is it difficult to convert?)

 

Powerheads, what is a good size one for flow for a 20gal tank? One or Two?

 

Lighting: ???

 

Thanks in advanced

[darwin604]

If your new to SW and want to get your feet wet then I'd say go for a good CF fixture - good value and you can keep many types of beginner corals. The AC 500 can be converted to a fuge no problem, but I'd worry about that later. Get some LR and LS in there, invest in some good lighting and poke around at your local fish store for livestock. As far as clownfish go, try to find a true tank-raised pair (if you want a pair) - I have a single ocellaris and he's doing great so a pair isnt essential. You'll be into corals before you know it so you should focus on the lighting and do it right the first time (instead of screwing up multiple times like I have ). I'm still a bit of a newbie compared to lots of the ppl. on here but I've learned lots of stuff the hard way so thats my two bits!

 

d.

[trupel]

Thanks for your input d.

 

CF - What is that stand for?

 

What is the best uses for the fuge and what would you recommend in there? LR and LS is a must I know, but what about Macro Algae, I have read that it reduces ntrate levels, but how much do you need for a 20 gal? Which is the most efficient Macro?

 

Are skimmers beneficial? The information section of this site does not recommend the need for one however, I have read here that it is a god send, what are your opinon on this?

[AMcNeice]

Get good lights first and foremost, most people skimp on this area at first and end up having to upgrade thus spending twice the money they had orginally intended to.

 

You could get away with one of the 2x65's pretty easily, especially since the the tank is only 12 inches tall. I've got a 250w halide on mine but unless you're going balls to the way with SPS and Clams, you don't really need that much power.

 

For circ on my 20, I've got a converted AC 300 as a fuge and an aquaclear 301 powerhead, provides pretty darn good current inside the tank. Converting the AC was a piece of cake provided you get the measurements for the piece of acrylic for the inside right.

 

Inhabitants: I've got a pair of TR A. Ocellaris (Clownfish) in mine and a bicolor blenny and they all get along quite well with each other and my cleaner shrimp and my cleanup crew.

 

I initally put 20 lbs of Kalieni Live rock in mine along with about 25 lbs of base rock, it took about 2 months for coraline to start forming on the base rock and soon you won't be able to tell the diffrence between the pieces. About 30 lbs of live sand went into my tank.

 

No skimmer as the tanks in my bedroom and I need it to be quite as in order for my better half to keep okaying spending money on the tank, it had to be quite.

 

I just keep up with water changes about 3-4 gallons a week and everything's gone fine.

[tinyreef]

CF - What is that stand for?

Compact Fluorescent (aka Power Compacts-PC)

Are skimmers beneficial?

imo, yes. considering the amount of waste pulled out by any skimmer versus leaving it in to slowly metabolize away or slowly makes me believe they are very beneficial. are they always beneficial? probably not, as certain systems and livestock do utilize (even depend on) those 'wastes'.

 

wc's can greatly help keep a system clean and is the oldest form of tank maintenance but it is still pollution fighting via dilution, whereas skimmers, carbon, and algae scrubbers are direct exporters.

 

re: skimmers, you can even use an counter-current (CC) skimmer. very quiet and very cheap. not very aggressive skimming tho but something is better than nothing imo.

[trupel]

Thanks for the input guys,

 

AMcNeice: what size tank do you currently have and what do you have in your fuge?

[markjd]

Trupel

 

 

Compact fluorescent lighting is very new in Australia. AFAIK, there are basically only two types released that can be used for a reef tank.

 

I know of one shop only in Australia that sells ready PC fixtures like mentioned by tinyreef: www.reefandriver.com.au The highest wattage PC lamps they have are 55W.

 

Just released is a fluoro lamp that is about 35cm long x 10cm diameter with a wattage of 130W and Kelvin rating of 14000K or 6500K. I have had one of these lamps on my 20G tank for a month and it seems to be doing well.

 

For more Aussie information on marine aquariums and lighting see:

 

http://www.masa.asn.au/rtaw/ubbthreads.php?Cat=

[AMcNeice]

I'm running a 20 gallon regular (US) 24 long by some other dimensions. 250 Halide for lighting and all the other specs were in my previous post.

 

I've got the fuge packed full of various types of macro and I at most local club meetings I try to swap out some of mine for some from others tanks. Gives it a bit of diversity with criters, IMO.

 

I am religious with water changes though which helps.

 

 

Tiny: Thanks for the heads up on the CC skimmers, I'll have to look into those.

[trupel]

I am thinking of getting either CF or MH lighting.. I guess it does depend on the final costing. I know that lighting is extremely important in a reef tank.

 

I also realise the importance of water flow so I ask this question, do you really need 2 powerheads or would 1 be enough?

[AMcNeice]

Depends. If I added another powerhead, I'd have a class 5 rapid in my tank.

 

I've currently got the output from the HOB AC fuge and an AC301 cranked all the way up.

 

 

My final MH setup was 180 for the complete retro+bulb. Which wasn't oo bad considering I I've got enough that if I decide to upgrade later I won't have to plunk down any more cash. An Aussie reefer can probably help you better there.

[trupel]

I am looking into getting a powerhead for my setup. I wonder if a unit which pumps through 2000lph rated too high for a 20 gal (90 Litre) tank?

[londonaussie]

Trupel,

 

There's no such thing as Powercompacts there when I was still there. I'd rec. getting the MH if you can afford it. There's really not much out there, its either Mh or alot of NO tubes.

 

Also with summertime you will need a chiller. I had mine setup in the living room. Breezey, in Sydney and I didn't notice till it was too late. My tank over heated and that was just on normal flouros.