Introduction & Questions

[olive]

Hey, I've been lurking on the forum for a while and I've been interested in setting up a reef tank for much longer. I thought I'd introduce myself and ask a few questions that I couldn't find clear answers to. 

 

My nickname is Olive or Oli, and I am a high school student and complete science geek. Once I discovered the chemistry involved with aquariums, I started a 5g planted betta tank and I have been very successful with that. However, I am looking for more of a challenge. I had originally steered away from saltwater in general because I heard it was hard, but after more research it sounded just like the challenge I wanted. I am on a semi-budget, but am willing to spend the money to maintain the best quality of life for both my fish and corals.

 

Here is a list of equipment I have figured out:

- standard 20g long

                 I would go larger, but it won't be long until I go to college and I don't know what amount of maintenance my parents are willing to do, or if they are willing to any at all

- Seachem Tidal HOB 55

                 I have heard nothing but good things about this filter + it has a surface skimmer

- Koralia nano powerhead 

 

And here are my questions:

- What light do you recommend for softies and LPS (I would prefer something under or around $200)? I may keep some SPS near the top but I prefer lots of movement

- What is the best pellet/flake food? How often should I feed my tank? I will feed frozen a lot of the time, but I can't seem to find many people talking about what pellets/flakes they feed.

- What would you suggest for stocking a 20g long? I am interested in unique fish (not clowns, I love them but I definitely would not keep a pair) that won't break the bank

- I won't be staring this till mid-March...What do you wish you had known more about before you got your first reef?

 

Any other advice would be appreciated and sorry for all the questions.

[Thrassian Atoll]

I would go with something like this for the light or the cheaper non Bluetooth version.

 

https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/orbit-marine-24-36-bluetooth-ic-loop-led-current-usa/

 

Just make sure you have a way of getting rodi water easily.  Lugging around a bunch of water jugs isn’t fun.  
 

I am not sure where your located but in my area, there’s always a ton of stuff for cheap with people getting out of the hobby.  Check on Facebook pages closest to your area for reef hobby pages and just regular marketplace pages.

[Clown79]

3 hours ago, olive said:

Hey, I've been lurking on the forum for a while and I've been interested in setting up a reef tank for much longer. I thought I'd introduce myself and ask a few questions that I couldn't find clear answers to. 

 

My nickname is Olive or Oli, and I am a high school student and complete science geek. Once I discovered the chemistry involved with aquariums, I started a 5g planted betta tank and I have been very successful with that. However, I am looking for more of a challenge. I had originally steered away from saltwater in general because I heard it was hard, but after more research it sounded just like the challenge I wanted. I am on a semi-budget, but am willing to spend the money to maintain the best quality of life for both my fish and corals.

 

Here is a list of equipment I have figured out:

- standard 20g long

                 I would go larger, but it won't be long until I go to college and I don't know what amount of maintenance my parents are willing to do, or if they are willing to any at all

- Seachem Tidal HOB 55

                 I have heard nothing but good things about this filter + it has a surface skimmer

- Koralia nano powerhead 

 

And here are my questions:

- What light do you recommend for softies and LPS (I would prefer something under or around $200)? I may keep some SPS near the top but I prefer lots of movement

- What is the best pellet/flake food? How often should I feed my tank? I will feed frozen a lot of the time, but I can't seem to find many people talking about what pellets/flakes they feed.

- What would you suggest for stocking a 20g long? I am interested in unique fish (not clowns, I love them but I definitely would not keep a pair) that won't break the bank

- I won't be staring this till mid-March...What do you wish you had known more about before you got your first reef?

 

Any other advice would be appreciated and sorry for all the questions.

The orbit marine is a good option for a long tank.

 

Another option while on a budget are the black boxes like mars aqua.

 

The seachem is a great filter. I bagged my own media while using it and there was plenty of room. The surface skimmer is great, it's an extremely quiet filter.

 

Fish choices can be limited with nano's but there are cool fish that can be added.

 

Here are some fish to look into. A good site is liveaquaria.com which also has a compatability chart. 

 

Wrasse - there are few you can add but some can get aggressive and a mesh lid is advised. (U can diy an easy one with windows framing and 1/4" mesh.

 

Blennies- great fish with tons of personality.

 

Gobies - small breeds like watchmen, clown gobies

 

Royal Gramma

 

Flame hawkfish

 

Filefish

 

Firefish

 

 

Valentini puffer - requires a dedicated diet 

 

With Flake food and pellet food everyone has their preference.

 

I feed PE mysis flakes, new life spectrum thera a

 

For frozen I feed mysis, omega one reef formula, and cyclops

 

[billygoat]

Hello and welcome to Nano-Reef! 

 

4 hours ago, olive said:

What light do you recommend for softies and LPS (I would prefer something under or around $200)?

For lighting I would also recommend the Current USA Orbit Marine. I haven't used it myself but it seems very affordable and many other reefers here on N-R have found good success with it. Seems like a nice light for a 20 long.

 

4 hours ago, olive said:

What is the best pellet/flake food?

You'll find a lot of different opinions on dried foods, and I think almost all of them are probably mostly right. 😅 Personally I feed my fish once a day with a rotating menu of PE mysis pellets, Ocean Nutrition prime reef flakes, and frozen mysis. Generally speaking Piscine Energetics (PE) makes some high quality dried foods, so that could be a good brand to look to.

 

3 hours ago, Thrassian Atoll said:

Just make sure you have a way of getting rodi water easily.  Lugging around a bunch of water jugs isn’t fun.  

This is very important and should definitely factor into your plan. Sourcing your water can be one of the more obnoxious parts of this hobby, but finding a good, reliable source of RO water is essential for the long-term health of your tank. If you have a trustworthy LFS nearby they could be a great resource for learning more about water options in your area.

 

As for general advice, in my mind there are two major things: don't rush, and don't panic. Everything goes really slowly on the reef (or at least, everything good does), so you have to kind of attune yourself to the rhythm of the corals and embrace their very different sense of time. And don't worry when things go south! Disasters of some scale or another are bound to befall your tank sooner or later, and when they do it's important to keep your cool and think carefully about the proper course of action. Many common aquarium issues such as algae growth or phytoplankton blooms are not nearly as serious as they seem, but overcorrecting for them can make things much worse in a hurry. 

 

Most importantly though - just do what you're already doing and ask plenty of questions! There are a whole lot of very experienced reefers here on N-R, and they love to help out. I don't know where I would be without them! 😁

 

[Seadragon]

Hello Oli, Welcome to NR!

 

Since others already took a stab at your questions (some even mentioned the exact LED lights that I already use on my reef tanks 😉), I will instead give you advice pertaining to the future.

 

5 hours ago, olive said:

I would go larger, but it won't be long until I go to college and I don't know what amount of maintenance my parents are willing to do, or if they are willing to any at all

 

You should find out the answers to the following questions:

1. If your college did allow for a small fish tank, would you bring your reef tank?  And if so, are you comfortable lugging around a 20 long to your dorm?  Or would you rather have a smaller tank for easier transport?
2. If the tank is staying at home, how often would you visit to keep up on maintenance?  Are your parents willing to feed the fish?  Top off the tank when water evaporates?  Dose the tank with Calcium, Alkalinity, etc?  Test the water parameters to make sure everything looks OK and so that you know how much Ca and Alk to dose?

 

5 hours ago, olive said:

- I won't be staring this till mid-March...What do you wish you had known more about before you got your first reef?

 

Any other advice would be appreciated and sorry for all the questions.

 

I would start by reading the many Nano Reef Articles & Guides on this website and also read over the Stickies on this sub-forum.  Learn as much as you can before you buy anything, and read all of the reviews on the equipment that you're thinking about buying before you buy it, especially the negative reviews.  For the livestock that you think you may want to get, read the care guides and the requirements to keep these animals alive and thriving.  Once you have a good foundation of knowledge, start asking any questions that you may have on the forums and go from there.

[Tamberav]

I am probably the minority in that I don't feed flake or pellets. Nutrition is very important to me (for all my animals) and I am just not a big fan of processed foods. The only dry food I feed is massick rehydrated with selcon (vitimins/oils). For frozen, LRS nano is an excellent frozen food so be sure to check that one out. 

[Thrassian Atoll]

4 hours ago, Tamberav said:

I am probably the minority in that I don't feed flake or pellets. Nutrition is very important to me (for all my animals) and I am just not a big fan of processed foods. The only dry food I feed is massick rehydrated with selcon (vitimins/oils). For frozen, LRS nano is an excellent frozen food so be sure to check that one out. 

For some reason my fish don’t like the LRS as much as Rods food.  My longnose Hawkfish will only eat frozen mysis as well.  

[olive]

16 hours ago, Seadragon said:

You should find out the answers to the following questions:

1. If your college did allow for a small fish tank, would you bring your reef tank?  And if so, are you comfortable lugging around a 20 long to your dorm?  Or would you rather have a smaller tank for easier transport?
2. If the tank is staying at home, how often would you visit to keep up on maintenance?  Are your parents willing to feed the fish?  Top off the tank when water evaporates?  Dose the tank with Calcium, Alkalinity, etc?  Test the water parameters to make sure everything looks OK and so that you know how much Ca and Alk to dose?

 

Thanks for pointing this out. I've also considered the IM nuvo 10 or a standard 10g. I might go with that to save on cost for stocking + open up the possibility of taking the tank to college. 

[Saltslinger]

Yeah I'd also caution against going large if you're going away to college. Personally I'd say even 10g is too much trouble for most people to be bothered to move, just something to think about. I can't even imagine trying to break down and move my 5g's personally 😂 If you want to go bigger later you can always throw all your livestock into the bigger tank with lots of room to spare. Also it's always a good rule of thumb to always assume that no one else will be able to take care of your pets but you. Just because mom and dad might fall in love with the little fishies when they see them doesn't mean they'll want to, or even be able to take care of them. So it's prudent to only buy livestock you could pack up and take with you when you go.