20g fowlr

[MarineMiLk]

hi im looking to start a 20g fowlr ank, i was wondering what type of filter i would need? any help is appreciated...thanks

[Aiptasia]

The live rock will do the majority of the biological filtering for your tank provided you use enough of it in the tank. Depending how dense it is, you'll need between 1 pound and 2 pounds per gallon. Read up on articles about cured and uncured live rock and the nitrogen cycle for more info.

 

Water movement would be your main concern, to prevent dead zones of water. For that, you will need at least two small powerheads, one on one side, one on the other blowing water back and forth in a loop. The golden rule is to buy powerheads rated at about 10 tank volumes per hour.

 

If you were planning on adding a few anemonies or hardy corals later on, you can also add a small skimmer to the tank (prizm deluxe, aqua-c remora, cpr bakpak II reef ready). However if you're going to keep fish only (no inverts), then you can probably skip the skimmer.

 

After the tank and the LR cycles out (see above) you can start adding fish and performing 10-15% water changes per week. Read up on fish behavior, diet and special needs before purchasing them.

 

If you need a source for good live rock, check with your LFS to see if they carry nice pieces. I've recently gotten some excellent Kaelini tonga LR from Dr. Mac's corals online (www.drmaccorals.com), tell em aiptasia sent you.

[Tempest]

You can use regular HOB filters like aquaclear for circulation as well as poweerheads. This gives a place to use carbon or phosphate remover if necessary. I have a 20 long FOWLR with 20 lbs live sand, 30 lbs live rock, 2 Aquaclear 150's, 2 azoo mini powerheads (one aimed at the surface to increase surface agitation to promote gas exchange) and a dual bulb NO striplight (10,000 and actinic). I don't use a skimmer on any of my nanos because I believe it is beneficial for the corals (just don't over feed). However, that's my personal preference.