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July 17th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| My first Salty!! Any advice?
My parents have agreed to get me one more aquarium before they kick me out -- I mean, until I move out of the house. They say that a 20 gallon will be the maximum size. Of course, I agreed.
I was thinking maybe a saltwater aquarium would be in my near future... if you consider 6 months or so to be "near". I know the bigger the better, but my parents won't allow anything bigger than 20 gallons, plus, I've always wanted to try saltwater.
I'm leaning towards a FOWLR setup, but I have a few of questions.
1. Can I use just a regular overhang power filter as my main filtration? I was thinking a Penguin 150.
2. How much live rock is best for a 20 gallon tank?
3. Approximately how much live rock should I use?
4. How much lighting should I have?
5. Is a protein skimmer a must?
6. How many fish can I have?
7. What kinds of fish are suitable for beginners? I like Ocellaris clowns.
If you have any other advice to share, please do. I'm totally new to this. | 
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July 18th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Hello TFA. I'm excited for you and the prospects of a new tank. I don't have any salt experience myself. Have you checked the salt water beginners section of the fish forum? Best of luck and will be looking forward to some pictures when you're all set up. Have fun and enjoy! | |
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July 18th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by TFA101  My parents have agreed to get me one more aquarium before they kick me out -- I mean, until I move out of the house. They say that a 20 gallon will be the maximum size. Of course, I agreed.
I was thinking maybe a saltwater aquarium would be in my near future... if you consider 6 months or so to be "near". I know the bigger the better, but my parents won't allow anything bigger than 20 gallons, plus, I've always wanted to try saltwater. That's cool! It would be better to start larger than 20 gallons, but if you are diligent about maintenance and testing then it can be done.
I'm leaning towards a FOWLR setup, but I have a few of questions.
1. Can I use just a regular overhang power filter as my main filtration? I was thinking a Penguin 150. You can. I have a 20 gallon reef (about to upgrade to 50) that uses an Aquaclear 50 filter. I pulled out the media and filled the chamber with live rock rubble instead. You can do that, or use the media, but if you use the media be sure to keep up on changing it, or it can cause nitrate issues. Your Penguin filter won't provide nearly enough flow, so you'll need to add powerheads as well. I use 2x Koralia 1's on my 20 along with the Aquaclear. The Koralias are awesome for the price and I'd recommend them for sure.
2. How much live rock is best for a 20 gallon tank? 1-1.5 lbs. per gallon is a pretty standard recommendation. It will vary depending on how dense the rock is. Look for porous rocks; these will provide the most surface area for beneficial organisms. Remember, your live rock IS your biological filtration.
3. Approximately how much live rock should I use? See above.
4. How much lighting should I have? If you're going for a FOWLR, you can use whatever lighting you want. The fish won't care, LOL. If you want to keep some corals, you'll need at least a power compact fixture. I used 2x 65W power compact lighting (total of 130W) and am able to keep softies, LPS, and even some of the easier SPS.
5. Is a protein skimmer a must? Not in a small tank. You can control excess nutrients through weekly water changes.
6. How many fish can I have? Not many. I have a yasha goby and misbar percula clown and could probably add one more small fish.
7. What kinds of fish are suitable for beginners? I like Ocellaris clowns. Great choice for a beginner. Small gobies are another good choice. Stay away from damsels (other than clowns), they can terrorize your tank and most grow up to be unattractive gray adults.
If you have any other advice to share, please do. I'm totally new to this. Look into buying a refractometer to measure your salinity. It's more expensive than a hydrometer, but much more accurate, and one of the single best purchases I've made for a SW tank. You may want to buy an RO/DI unit as well. Tap water can lead to major algae problems. | Comments in green. Good luck!  | 
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July 18th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| At least get some RO/DI water from Wal-Mart, (maybe a little harder with a 20g) But once I started using it, all my algae probs vanished, truly!!! I have Harpua to thank for this bit of info.
Another hardy fish that's been great for this beginner and is oh soooooo beautiful is the, Fire Fish! He/She is my favorite.
Have fun with your new tank and post pic's a.s.a.p | |
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July 18th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by MizRamzi At least get some RO/DI water from Wal-Mart, (maybe a little harder with a 20g) But once I started using it, all my algae probs vanished, truly!!! I have Harpua to thank for this bit of info.
Another hardy fish that's been great for this beginner and is oh soooooo beautiful is the, Fire Fish! He/She is my favorite.
Have fun with your new tank and post pic's a.s.a.p | Yes, I agree if you can't afford an RO/DI at the beginning it is much better to get water from the Culligan machine at Walmart than to chance it with tap water. My husband and I started the 20 a few months before we got the RO, and one thing that really helped us was to store the water in gas cans. It makes it easier to fill the tank too. | |
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July 18th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Great idea Harpua!! Never even thought of that one. | |
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July 18th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| Thanks for the advice guys. I've created an outline of a good portion of everything I need. If I miss anything, or leave anything blank, I could still use some advice from the more experienced. Thanks
Tank Size: 20 Gallons
Filter: Aquaclear 30 (Harpua, your filter sound like a better deal)
Heating: Hydor Theo 100WT
Temperature: 80o F
Substrate: ___lbs of live sand
Salt Mix: Recommendations?
Lighting: Whatever comes with the tank
Live Rock: Approx. 20 lbs.
Salinity: ~ 1.025
Livestock: 1 Ocellaris Clownfish, ... (suggestions?)
** Could I keep an anemone? I'd love to see the clownfish host the anemone. How much lighting would I need if its possible?
**Edit:
And is the cycling (tank maturing) process any different from the freshwater cycling process? Could I get an explanation on this process please and thanks.
Last edited by TFA101; July 18th, 2009 at 08:02 PM.
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July 18th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| You'll need quite a bit of lighting for an anemone, not to mention a mature tank (8 months + is a good guideline). To put it in perspective, when I was running 130W PC lighting over a 20 gallon, I would not have purchased an anemone.
Your list looks good, but remember you'll need a couple of powerheads as well. And once again, I can't recommend a refractometer enough. 
For a 20 gallon tank, I'd assume 20-30 lbs. of dry aragonite would be good.... I think! I don't remember how much we used. You don't need to buy live sand; the regular aragonite will become live in time, and is quite a bit cheaper. | |
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July 27th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| My second SW tank is 20 gallons. It's easily doable. HOB filter is fine. That's what I use. Just change out the filters once every few weeks. And be sure to clean out the sponge to remove any detritus it catches.
If the budget is tight, get the LR from and other stuff from Craigslist. You'd be surprised at the deals there. Usually you'll pay around 50% of retail. That can save you a upwards of over a hundred dollars on LR alone.
I agree on the extra powerhead but they're fairly cheap. Definitely get a refractometer. They're about $40 new but are quicker and far more accurate to use.
Skip the anemone. You'll need upgraded lights and you can't add one until the tank is nice and mature. Maybe then. But if you do that, then you can also add coral and turn the tank into a reef tank.
Another suggestion would be to bare bottom. No sand at all. I have that in my 20 gallon. It is easy to keep clean.
Once you have it setup and see the slightest hint of algae, it's time to add the clean up crew. I have 2 astrea snails and one emerald crab. They keep everything nice and clean. Just be aware that if you do go to a reef tank, most emerald crabs also like a number of corals. | |
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