20 gal tank

[g3ckz]

Hey all, i have decided that a 90gal tank would be a bit too much for a beginer like me ... i have decided to make my current 20gal freshwater into a reef tank.
so what i will need is pretty much everything i need
ex. sump, filters, ect. (sizes and all please)
also if its not asking too much please give me a full tutorial on what to do, and how to set this up PROPERLY - i really dont want to f*#k up
thanks
th3 g3ck0

 

[yimmy]

I'm new to the hobby too and am getting my first tank in 2 weeks,(95G). I think that a 20 gallon is too small for starting out. The bigger the tank the better. I would go with a 90 like you were going to go with before. Also Reef Tanks are really hard to keep the water paremeters correct especially in a 20 to keep your corals healthy. If you have your heart set on a 20g reef this is what I would do....Make a fish list and make sure they are all reef safe. Since your going with a 20g reef you will probably not be able to go with tangs and more like a pair of clowns. What I would do is get your first fish(small&reef safe) after your tank is cycled put them in. W/ no corals. If you are able to keep the water levels perfect then you can go ahead and buy your corals to make it a reef. If you go with a 20g I'm not sure if you have a sump or not but a pro on here could help you out. You would also need a protein skimmer, it will probably be like 80-100$ for a 20g about 20lbs of LR,possibly more. In this hobby no matter how big the tank it is still going to cost a lot of money so be prepared to spend a lot. Your going to need substrate and live sand, live sand is awesome for a reef tank. The major thing why reef tanks are so expensive is because of the lighting. For a reef you need Metal Halides or VHOs(very high output)lights. These are not cheep and cause a lot of evaporation. They might not be so much for a 20 but for a95 ( I was going to do a reef but decide a FOWLR"fish only with live rock) was going to be between 600-800$. They could be 200-300 for a 20g. Your tank is going to have a lot of evaporation so your going to need some RO water on hand to top it off. You don't want to top off your tank with saltwater because it will sky rocket you salinity. You also might be investing in a chiller because of the heat which is produced. They might be 200-300$ for a 20but for my tank it was going to be 800. Those are some general prices but I'm not sure of the prices for the equiptment for a 20g. I would still recommend a bigger tank, they are easier to mantain and all it means is more filtration and your changing more water. I hope this helps and I would encourage you to go with a bigger tank. In SW the more money you spend on filtration and pumps in the beginning the less your going to be spending in the long run.
Don't take this as a step-by-step guide because I'm a beginner too and am not a 100% positive on it.
Good Luck

Jimmy

 

[zoie2]

Hi, I'm new too. I haven't even bought anything yet, still doing research. But though I would mention the Nano cube or the Aqua pod. That's what I'm looking at. It comes with eerything you need. I'm looking at 12 gal deluxe. It's 129.00 on ----, new. the Aquapod is also 129.00 and it comes with more litght watts. I mostly want live rock, corral, polyps, maybe an anemone and 1 or 2 fish. from what I have read these tanks will be fine.

 

[fishmamma]

I run a 16 and a 29 gallon with the following: HOB Bio-wheel filters (rated for highest gph turnover possible), Aqua C Remora hang on skimmers, multiple maxi-jet powerheads with FLO Rotating Deflectors and over two pounds per gallon of live rock. No sump or fuge for me though I am looking into turning my bio-wheel filter into a sm. hang on fuge.
A 20 gallon tank will need more maintenace and close monitoring for any problems, must be proactive with a tank this size but you can do it for sure! :cheer: Specifics will be up to you, do a little research and see what you want to keep for fish and corals then set up the right environment from there.

 

[jafrench]

I have a 20long, open top, with a Prizm Skimmer,150watt MH, 130watts of pc lighting, 30lbs live rock, 30lbs live sand,heater, one power sweep PH, one Maxi jet PH, and no filter. I let my rocks and sand filter my tank. My inhabitants include about 10 blue leg hermies, 2 emerald crabs, 3 astrea snails,one turbo snail, one brittle star, one tomato clown, and one sailfin blenny. I have a Goniopora that is growing great, 4 mushrooms on a rock, and one umbrella shroom. I also have a little caulerpa algae in one corner. You will have to monitor water daily, especially with evaporation from warm lights. However, my tank only raises .8 degrees aday from the MH's. It is a daily job, but I love it. I also have a ten gallon setup, FOWLR. And another 20long FOWLR. I would settle on only 2-3 small fish if I were you, though. Just my two cents. Hope it helps.

 

[g3ckz]

when i am to buy corrals, where can i place then (does it have to be on LIVE rock or on LIVE sand ... or anywhere)
thanks

 

[leftyblite]

This is a very addictive hobby. If you start with a small tank you will probably want to upgrade very soon. I have a 12G saltwater nano cube and an 80G freshwater. The 80G definetely requires less maintenance. I'm in the process of upgrading my saltwater tank to a 150G tank that may or may not become a reef tank(depends on who gets their way, my wife or myself). I have a friend who also has a 29G tank and a 300G tank. He told me that he spends alot less time maintaining the 300G than the 29G. Good luck