brand new 20g setup

jon_fiasco

jon_fiasco

Member
whats up everybody, ive had about 3 years of exp. with fresh water but never made an attempt to keeping up with a saltwater tank... im a lil bit wiser and got deeper pockets so here i am taking a stab at it...
ive currently got a 20 gallon up and running with live sand and live rock already in it. what im here for is just some feedback and of course ne advice would be great, here is a list of my equipment:
light: coralife dual fixture 1x65watt actinic, 1x65watt 10k day light
filter: Marine land canister c-160 (rated at 30g max)
heater: cant remember the brand right now (rated at 55g max)
ive got about 15lbs of live rock and 20lbs of live sand. the live stock im looking at right now is two nemos, one green or spotted mandarin, and a diamond goby... i would love to put some type of coral in here and a feather duster and an anemone.
what im looking for from you guys is again some advice and feedback/opinion..
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worrballer

worrballer

Member
Welcome to SWF! Get ready for a ton of advice. My advice: research research research! Doing your own research on what people suggest will help you in the long run. Oh and a consistent water change schedule will help you immensely.
So on to some suggestions:
Don't get a mandarin. At least not yet. They require expert level care because they are picky eaters. Again research before you make your purchases.
You might need more sand if you want a diamond goby but I'm not to sure about that.
Personal preference: Get more rock. Smaller pieces about the size of your fist; it'll look better IMO.
I'd hold off on an anenome until your tank gets older. Again, research which one before you buy.
Toss the canister filter. They are known for trouble down the line, unless you clean it biweekly. Google "Aquaclear 70 fuge mod" and give that a try. Personally, I'd do two AC70. One would be a fuge (refugium) and the other would hold chemi-pure or carbon.
If you want corals, seriously think of upgrading your lighting. It is okay for soft and (few) LPS corals, but you will probably want more than that down the road.
Other than my suggestions you are on the right track, your equipment is up to par if you keep your maintenance in check, and you made the right move on posting here.
 
tonynader

tonynader

Member
ya it all looks good, But hold back on the mandiran they require a well established tank of at least 6 months. I got one after 1 month not knowing too much about it and realized it never ate so i ended up taking it back, thats when the LFS gave me the facts about it...but anywayss lookin good
 
jon_fiasco

jon_fiasco

Member
thanks both of you guys for such a quick respones, regarding the madarin i have thousands of pods just hanging out in and around my rocks... reason being is, i took water from a friend that he was changing out water out of his 75g to rush the cycle period
ive already made my first water change and all test came back perfect... hopefully will be buying my cuc and first fish (two clowns) these weekend.. ill most def be on the look out for ne crazy changes in water, which i expect to happen..
regarding the lights i was told at my local pet shop that for my requirements and me owning wanting so coral leaning more towards the fish only side of the house but would love a feather duster and an anemone!!
again thanks for the advice
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
Okay, just a warning, you will get a lot of people bugging you about the mandarin thing. Try to talk to hlcrogan on this site. She/he has a green mandarin that is fat and happy.
What are you thinking as far as clean up crew?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
IMO I would get some clean up crew first...see how they do, and then after a week of making sure you have no water fluctuations get your first fish.
I agree with Worr...about the rock...get some smaller pieces so you can make a few caves and inlets for the fish to hide and swim through.
An anemone will not live under those lights (believe me I killed a few before I got my halides)
 
jon_fiasco

jon_fiasco

Member
well for the madarin that was the last fish i was going to put in ne ways for safety purposes, i guess the anemone is starting to look like a bad idea... i am trying to convice my pops for setting up a 65g+ in our house, hes just using me right now to see how it goes..
as far as cuc right now im looking at 3 or 4 emerald crabs, 5 or 6 scarlet hermit crabs, and about ten sails...
can you guys tell me about feather dusters or those in my future or still need better lighting for that as well
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
I wouldn't get all those crabs.....Get like 5 nassarius snail, 5 cerith's and maybe 1 crab for now....Emeralds live off algae and detrius...It will starve if it has no food...
You can add more later...also NOOO Feather Dusters do not need special lights, BUT they are filter feeders...they eat what's floating around...I'd wait for a fish or 2 before getting one
please know that this is only my opinion
 
jon_fiasco

jon_fiasco

Member
sweet...
cant wait to get my cuc im tired of stairing at bugs on my glass and rocks lmao....
honestly i still think im gonna get fish this weekend aswell being that i got my water from a well established tank (over a year old) and just hope for the best ive heard great things about clowns on how hardy they are, plus ive heard to many bad things about damsels and the s**** attitude...

how long is long before i can go out and get a feather duster...?
 
jon_fiasco

jon_fiasco

Member
i wanna thank all you guys for the great advice... i will be keeping you guys updated through out the weekend if i end up buying ne fish or not...
please dont be shy ive seen post here on this site go forever ne one else with some words of advice/feed back opinions let me no...
 
teds tank

teds tank

Member
You want to put a mandrain in a 20g !!!
I'm very intrested i was always told 60g and up but if you can keep one in a 20g i might not get my new tank
also i don't know why people bash damsles i've got 2 and they are rather shy
would always hide when i walk into room now with my other fish they keep and eye out but still never leave there rocks and still never seamed like they would take a bit out of my hand. my clown on the other hand.......
 
jon_fiasco

jon_fiasco

Member
from what this site says, adult size for a green/spotted mandarin is about 4 inches.... im guessing in my 20g hes got more then enough room to free roam around the place, then again i dont have to much exp on this subject.
whats the deal with your clown.... ive heard and read on this site that damsels can be very territorial and pick at other fish if left in a tank by themselves for too long... as well as im not to big on ne of the damsels that are recommended for beginners
 
teds tank

teds tank

Member
clow just likes me i put my hand in for cleaner shrimp and my small clown comes up instead i don't think he would bit me (do they even have teeth)

as for dansles i think most are aggresive and ugly so don't get one but mine are kind of cool and have funny personalities but i do wish to change them for somthing else but have grown atached to them
mandrains only eat pods eat a more pods then a 20g could sustain(at least thats what I'm told) but people on your post say its possible so i want to keep an eye out
i can only see two possible ways of feeding the mandraine ether put in pods once a week-month or a large riefgum
but I have no expirence with the fish
 
jon_fiasco

jon_fiasco

Member
well ill keep you posted on my getting a mandarin, i really dont mind having to run to my pet shop once a week to buy pods but i could see how in the long run it could be a pain in the ass.. like mentioned earlier i will keep you posted thanks for looking in
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
There is no reason that you can't have a mandarin if you want one. I have one in my 45 high, and he is happy as a clam to just sit around and eat pods all day. Trick is, about a week and a half before getting him, I bought a bottle of pods and put them in and let them do their things. I have them everywhere now and he can barley eat enough to make a dent in the population! I do however have about 40 pounds of LR and mine has lots of little holes and very little crevices that none of the fish will fit into. You need little nooks like this for the pods to live in, since like me, you have no fuge. If you go about it right, you can certainly have a mandarin. (Mine lives with two clowns too).
 
rlablan

rlablan

Active Member
BTW I have only ever had to buy one batch of pods. I have never purchased anymore, as they breed like crazy! I thought for sure once he was in my tank i would need more but like I said, he is always on the hunt and I have never had to replace any of them.
 
jon_fiasco

jon_fiasco

Member
rlanblan thanks for the comment, that right there made my day
, nothing against teds tank and others who have been posting up here....
being that i have such a small tank i just love too have these four fish and maybe a couple of inverts and soft coral.. btw i totally regret going so small now that i see everything that is really availible.. wish i could have been a lil bit more patient on my part, but we'll take it as it is... hopefully i could go bigger and soon!!
thanks a lot to all for the advice and feedback keep those post coming....
 
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