The inevitable new tank questions

[realhiphop]

I've been researching marine tanks for a while now, and I'm trying to put together a tank in my head. Its always best to get advice from people with experience, so I'm gonna leave my questions with suggestions for you guys....

Right now, I'm placing the tank in a bedroom, and it's going to be a 20 L tank.

Here is where the questions begin.

LR: I plan on setting up the tank with around 20-30 lbs. of live figi rock

LS: What type of live sand, and how deep should the sand bed be?

Lighting :any suggestions for soft corals, and other generally easier to care for corals like polyps, I dont plan on any hard corals. Also what kind of timers to hook the lights up to, and advice for duration for lighting during day.

Skimmer: since this will be in my bedroom, I'm looking for a relatively quieter skimmer that is obviously efficient.

Livestock I plan on having around 3-4 fish. I was thinking a damsel, possibly 2 perculas, and any other suggestion

Inverts How many, what type and suggestions or differences between different hermits?

Thanks for your time.

Regards

[Dave ESPI]

Welcome to Nano reef.

 

To answer U, Please read some of the threads in the General info pages of history. A lot of these questions are answered there...

LURKING and READING you will learn a lot more than Us Just giving U the answers. read and dont post fer a week or 2. you will be bettre armed and have answered a LOT of your own questions......

see my signature.. please....

[Guest LudavicoTechnique]

20l? Do you mean 20g? 30 lbs of LR wont fit in 20l ever.

[realhiphop]

so how many lbs of LR do you recommend in a 20L tank?

[mattdog]

30 lbs won't fit? I got 40 lbs in my 20L (means 20 gallon long) and it doesn't look crowded at all.

[lizbeth]

On the live rock; If you can pick out the pieces don't go so much by the weight as by the size. Remember that many of your corals you get will come attached to rocks so think about that as you plan your rockscape.

 

Live sand; I wouldn't waste my money on all live sand. You can seed the sandbed with live sand if you can find decent stuff. Sugar sized sand is recommended. In a 20L you don't have much depth so I'd go with about 2 inches.

 

Lighting: If you are a do it yourselfer look at http://www.ahsupply.com/ or http://www.hellolights.com. I'm running AHS 2x55 on my 20 tall. You will also need a fan for cooling. The timer depends on if your lights have a grounding plug or not. Lighting duration; most people go for 10-12 hrs.

 

 

I don't run a skimmer so I can't advise you there.

 

We can get to the fish and inverts later. It's going to be a few weeks before you need them.

[Drysocket]

If you are a light sleeper, you might want to rethink having the tank in a your bedroom. I had mine in my room and it kept me awake occasionally. There are lots of buzzes, hums, and rattles associated with all of the equipment.

 

....just something to take into account.

[anthony812]

you can easily fit 40# of LR in a 20L..as long as they are not big chuncks..just pick your own shape and sizes...i have my tank in my bed room and i have no problem with the noises..but one thing you will definitly hear is the water sound..and i hope you like the sound of water.i can sleep like a baby hearing it all night long..hahhahaha

[realhiphop]

I went to my LFS to look at Figi LR and they were charging 8.99 a lb, which I thought to be pretty expensive. What do you think about this, and have you guys had good experience with ordering LR online? also, I'm still in search of the best lighting for this tank. any suggestions?

[Satchmo]

You could try http://www.gulf-view.com

 

They have a 30# special, and everyone raves about the life on their rock.