New Setup - What is YOUR ideal setup in a 20 Long?

[theclearblue]

This is my first post, so hello to everyone!

I've decided to make the switch from freshwater to saltwater. I've done a fair amount of research over the past three weeks and want to make sure that I'll be doing this right from the get-go. I'm not in a hurry to go out and buy things at first sight, so no worries about me rushing...

 

Here's what I have available to me from my freshwater past. (I included my 10 gallon in the list in case you think it might be better suited). I've never added any copper medication to any of my tanks.

 

- 20 gallon long aquarium (30"x12"x12")

- 10 gallon aquarium

- Brand New Emperor 280 w/ BioWheel

- Used Penguin Mini w/ Biowheel

- Ebo Jager 100 Watt Heater

- Visitherm 100 Watt Heater

- Perfecto Hood w/ Eclipse Natural Daylight fluorescent bulb (20w)

- Automatic Timer

- Marine Sand (not live or buffering)

- Tetra Test Laborett (pH, KH, GH, NO2, NH3/NH4)

 

Based on what I've read, here's what I plan on purchasing.

 

- Live Rock (around 30 lbs.)

- Live Sand (small amount taken from LFS)

- Powerhead (is this necessary w/ my current filters)

- Instant Ocean

- Deep Six Hydrometer

- Calcium Test

 

1) I know that I'm going to need to increase the lighting significantly if I plan on keeping any corals, can anyone give me a good estimate of what wattage I might need in a 20L? Is there a way I can modify/upgrade the perfecto hood or will I need to purchase a new lighting system?

 

2) Here's where the ideal setup part comes in, what would you stock the tank with? I'd like to add a clownfish and some coral - those are my only real desires - everything else is open.

 

3) I know I'll need to cycle the tank for at least three weeks with the live rock/sand (probably closer to a month). What time base should I be using when adding new life - i.e. the corals and the fish, and how long will I need to wait?

 

4) Would these filters be adequate (1 or both) or will I need a powerhead? Should I pull the biowheel and just let it trickle with carbon and filter floss?

 

5) Is there anything else I need to add to my equipment?

 

Thanks so much for all of your help.

[theclearblue]

anyone?

[DLeAnnM]

I am new to this too but you could get a retrofit kit for your lighting. Have you considered a protein skimmer? What kind of water are you going to use? Distilled/Premixed/RODI? Alot of people on here say they use HOB filters for circulation but I think you would prob need 2 smaller powerheads. Sorry couldnt be more help~Newbie here!

[Perpetual98]

I've got a 20L with a 2x65 power compact on it and it's pretty bright, especially up near the surface. For right now, I've got a 200gph PH in it and a large HOB filter with the media removed on the back, but I just ordered a fuge for it.

 

As far as stuff in it, I've got aroun 20lbs of liverock, but could probably use some more smaller pieces. I used a bed of crushed coral, covered with black sand. I know that it will all get stirred up eventually, but it looks pretty good right now.

 

As far as cycling goes, wait a little while then check all your parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, Ph)

 

I put some snails and some hermits in my tank fairly soon, probably too soon, but I didn't have room in my 10g for all the critters, and they were only $1 each anyway.

 

I plan on staying mainly with soft corals and some fish. If you want hard SPS, you're going to want some major light, preferably MH in the 10k to 20k range. I'm sure I'll get flamed for that comment though.

 

I'm not sure how SPS would flourish under my 130W of light, but maybe with the tank being so shallow, you could get away with it. I think a piece of my LR actually has a stony hitchhiker on it, but I have yet to determine what it is yet.

[Mmorse]

I have a 20L with 2x55 watt pc lighting along with a 13 watt NO tube. The NO tube is used for the sunrise sunset effect, it comes on an hour before and stays onan hour after the pc lights go on and off. I figure that I have about 30+ lbs of rock in the tank. I have one skunk clown and various snails and hermits. Currently I have a pom pom xenia, finger leather, crown leather, green star polyp, and I just bought a trumpet coral frag. I have a prizim skimmer but I only run it every now and then(its very loud) I run 1 maxi-jet 900 powerhead(thinking about going with two smaller ones) Thats my basic setup and its been up and running for about a year now.

[theclearblue]

Thanks everyone for making sure I'm not digging myself into a hole before I've started.

 

I decided to go with a ten gallon setup over the 20 long for two reasons. First, it will help with the initial investment put into my tank (particularly with live rock), I'm on a college student budget so funds are a concern. Second, I've found that by looking at others' 10 gallon setups, which seems to be a common one, I can better estimate what I'll be able to do with the tank in terms of equipment and stocking.

 

So, here's what I've ordered that should be arriving soon. Along with all the other items I have listed above.

- 1 50 gallon mix of instant ocean

- 1 Hagen Aquaclear 201 Powerhead

- 10 gallon molded tank stand

 

I plan to order 16 pounds of live rock, and will be ordering a light fixture as soon as I get the rock in (as I've read here that lighting isn't necessary during cycling).

 

I'm still debating between the CSL Moonlite 2x40w and the powerquad 96w, but that topic's been beaten to death on this forum so I guess I'll just make a personal choice.

[meiamcool]

Don't forget to buy a test kit of some kind. One that tests pH, amonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite. I have a 10 gallon also and I find myself doing a 20% water change every week or two. Depends on how my numbers look. Don't forget that near perfect specific gravity is 1.025 also. Hope that helps some. Those emporer filters are great by the way.

[KrackerG]

what's your water source? start off right...use distilled or RO/DI

[Jahkaya]

When you say "some Corals" I must ask what type of corals? Do you plan on keeping clams? keep this in mind when buying lighting. PC's may not cut it. I would say at least 2x55 or 2x65.

[theclearblue]

I'm not planning on putting any clams in my tank, maybe once I get comfortable I'll convert my 20 long and get some MH lighting (assuming I have a positive experience with my nano). I'm new to the hobby so I don't know what exactly I want, but I'm just looking for some color so mushrooms would be fine with me.

 

Couple quick questions. I put some non-buffering marine sand in the bottom of my tank after rinsing it and the filled it with freshwater to see how it would settle. I'm starting to think this might have been a mistake. The sand is still a little damp to the touch, but it's got about two weeks to dry up, but I'm concerned that some minerals or other non-desirable tap water elements might have mixed into my sand, which would really p*ss me off when I'm going to be buying RO/DI water.

 

1) Is this any different than what would happen if you just rinsed it in fresh water and then put it in?

2) Should I take it all out, clean the tank completely, and go buy more sand?

3) Is non-buffering marine safe sand going to be a problem as long as I seed it with some sand from an established tank when I add the live rock?

 

 

Thanks for all the help everyone, I'm slowly but surely learning.

[Perpetual98]

I can't imagine that it will be a problem. I set up (for shame) both of my sw tanks with tap water. I'm going to invest in a RO system in the near future, but for right now, nothing too bad seems to have happened. I can't answer your question about non-buffering sand thuogh. You may just need to watch you Ph a little more closely until you feel comfortable with the results.

[TheCurriculum]

Co-Worker used(notice past tense) tap water, added treatments to the water get all of the crap out of it.

Factiod learned

City of Houston water authority will occansionaly flush the system (double the normal additives)

 

10% water change with treated tap water that worked fine for over a year.

Went to sleep

Woke up to a white tank.

The corals where toast. Almost a total loss

Water test showed all of those specail things that water authorities add.

 

After enough phone calls got the factiod listed above from the city.

[theclearblue]

I noticed on a freshwater forum that someone said that some places may have copper pipes, which concerns me.

 

I used this as a freshwater tank for juvenile african cichlids. I never added any copper based medications so the thought that copper in my tank never crossed my mind. Is it at all possible that a college could have copper pipes or is that just unheard of. I want to make sure I'm not doing anything stupid, but I also can afford financially to be excessively paranoid.

[rehren]

for reference here's a coralife 2x65...

[SLOreefer]

if i were you id get the 2x40 watt fixture....other than that everything youve got soudns to be good...i wouldnt worry about the copper pipes too much

[theclearblue]

thanks SLOreefer... I'm on my way.

 

BTW - good article on the copper issue, probably many of you have seen it, but if not scroll down the page until you see the section on copper - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan...an2004/chem.htm

[The_Barbe-Hatten_Project]

We have a twenty long and the lighting we have is as follows:

2 coralife Actinic 03 blue (24"/20w)

2 triton 10,000 k (24")

We have been running successfuly for just over 1 month with our only problem being accessive algea growth due to the amount of time our lights are on so we recently purchased a timer and have our lights running for eight hours a day. We have also recently added a trumpet coral, mushroom coral and a bubble tip anemone and all are doing great.

[drunkfish13]

just remeber to get a protien skimmer

[The_Barbe-Hatten_Project]

i was told that since i was running such a large filter (emperor 280) in a small tank that i would be fine without the skimmer.... on the other hand i don't know what they do or how they do it, so would anyone care to explain....