20 Gal. starter needs advice

[myamia113]

I have a 20 Gal. saltwater tank That I have already cycled without live rock. I just added 5 lbs of live rock this week. How much more do I need for a 20 gal. tank. It's very expensive at my lfs. So I am starting slow. As of now I only have the basic freshwater supplies, meaning a filter and heater. Are protein skimmers nessesary for a small tank? Anything else I need to get me going?
What are some good fish that do well in 20 gal. tanks?

 

[bbailey231]

The very first thread under "new hobbists" is "A list of extremely helpful threads for all hobbyists" in reading through that, it states that you need 1-2 pounds per gallon of water. You might want to check that thread out, I just located it myself and am finding it EXTREMELY helpful in understanding things I thought I knew, but didn't!

Good luck with your tank!

 

[rbaldino]

You want to aim for about 1 pound of live rock per gallon, though this can vary because some rock is more dense than others and it may take more to fill your tank to get the right look. If you can't afford to get that much live rock, you could do about half the tank with base rock, which is much cheaper. Over time, the base rock will be seeded by beneficial bacteria and get covered with desirable algae.
Skimmers aren't really required for any tank, but they help a lot. It really comes down to what you want to spend and how often you're willing to keep up with maintenance.
Good fish for a tank that size include clowns, damsels, gobies, psuedochromis. Basically anything that doesn't get too big or need lots of room for swimming.

 

[trigger11]

As to your question about the protein skimmer. I myself have just recently went skimmerless. The more LR you have the better your filtration is. So, if you keep the tank lightly stocked until you can get more LR you could avoid getting a skimmer. Or, get a skimmer until you get more LR if wanting to have more fish.