First Thread - First 20g - First Marine [Need Help]

air_putih

air_putih

Member
Hi Guys..just join couple days ago,but been reading lots and lots of great stuff in here,and decided i might as well ask if i dont know something [which is everything]
anyway,i just got a present from my friend and she gave me a 20g tank that comes with heater,aqua clear powerhead,power filter and lightning.
ive been thinking about making a marine FOWLR [haha,my first Acronym] and i've set my mind. i've read Lion_Crazz's 101 which been very helpful for me,thanks Lion
i bought 2 books for meand i bought Fluval 105 External Canister Filter for my 20g that have yet made it here.
now,my problems :
1.honest to God,i dont want to wait to make my own saltwater .i went to this store and they actually have a pre-made saltwater.i figure i should just buy 17-18g water from them. and LR from them also.
i still dont know what fish im going to get,but for sure i will get a set of Maroon Clownfish.
and since i've read not to put Yellow Tang in 20g..i'm dissapointed because YT is one of the fish i want to have.
i wouldnt even think about anemone yet

2.should i just put together the LR and the pre-made saltwater once i got it ?? or do i have to wait until the water cycle ?? i know i have to check for Ph,amonia and everything.
3.should i use the Fluval 105 together with the PowerHead and the Power Filter ?
is it going to be 'too much' filter for the fish ?? or is it good ??
4.do i need to have protein skimmer ??? i know it's better to have but do i need it ?
if i do,which one should i get ?? anybody can tell me specific brand and type ?
5.what are the things i shouldn't do ?? i know i will make a lot of mistakes but i hope to learn from it and hope you guys [and girls] help me through this headache period :D

really hope anybody would reply and give me an advice..
i will take some pictures soon

thank you so much :D
 
paintballer768

paintballer768

Active Member
Ok lets see here. Im just going to number them to make it easy to read.
1.) I would have the LFS test the water before you buy it. Have them run a nitrate, calcium, alkalinity, and pH, and salinity test on it. Have em give you number results instead of "its good." Nitrate should be as close to 0 as possible, calcium 380-450, alkalinity 8-12 dKH, pH 8.0-8.4, and salinity 1.025. For an only fish system, I would not test the calcium, because it doesnt really affect the fish much at all.
For a 20 gallon, maroon clowns can get quite big, up to 6". This is way too big for it to be happy in a tank that size. I would recommend something from the categories of goby, blenny, or clownfish. I would say stick to the occelaris or perculas if you choose that route. I have 1 maroon in my 24 and he is quite happy. (Ive seen that most female maroons get close to 6", whereas males stay around 4". If you really wanted a maroon, I would say get only one.) Just my opinion.
2.) Add the LR, LS (live sand), and water all together, and monitor the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Plenty of info on here about cycling so Ill save that long explanation. LR and LS will kickstart cycling process, by adding ammonia and good bacteria all at once.
3.) Im not too good with filtration and turnover, but here is what I would do. Add the filter and the powerhead. While the sand is newly added, it will be a huge cloud, and you will be able to see directly where the flow is shooting, and then you decide whether you need another powerhead or not.
4.) Not necessary, but helps. But again, not necessary haha. I would say buy one maybe once the tank is up for a while and things are starting to get stable and you get some sort of routine down.
5.) DO NOT USE DECLORINATED TAP WATER!!! So many problems I cant even begin to list, just please save yourself the trouble and used RO/DI freshwater for topping off the tank and stuff like that. I started up my tank with dechlor tap water and I had phosphate issues and silicate issues and all that fun stuff. Im sure theres plenty more people can add to this what theyve done wrong.
Hope it all works out for you!!
 
air_putih

air_putih

Member
^
thank you so much

1.If,i ask for them to do the test right then and there..should they feel offended ??? i dont want to offended them since im planning to go back there to buy more stuff [it's the closest store from my house :D]
2.how many pounds or LR or how thick should i have my LS ?? 2-3" ??
again,thanks
 
paintballer768

paintballer768

Active Member
I use the rule is 1.5-2#s of LR per gallon. LS I would say anywhere from 1-3", but its mostly personal preference. What I would really sugget doing also about the water part, is to buy your own test kits, because its a whole lot better if you get aqquianted with your own and have them on hand in case something goes wrong. I recommend the API Master Test kit, and I have the Hagen calcium and alkalinity, and both work well for me. The master kit was 25$ and the calcium and alk were 7$ a piece.
 
yerboy

yerboy

Active Member
Originally Posted by air_putih
http:///forum/post/2470626
^
thank you so much

1.If,i ask for them to do the test right then and there..should they feel offended ??? i dont want to offended them since im planning to go back there to buy more stuff [it's the closest store from my house :D]
2.how many pounds or LR or how thick should i have my LS ?? 2-3" ??
again,thanks

1. Any responsible marine keeper would understand that you want the best possible water for your tank. If it offends them then you need a new store.
2. I recently converted my 20long to a barebottom tank and im much happier with the results. In tanks this small i don't think there is really any benefit from having a 2-3" sandbed unless your keeping fish that like to bury them selfs or you just like the overall look of the sand itself. Take a look around on the forums at bare bottom tanks and you may decide to go that route. Will also save you a little money and its much easier to keep clean.
As far as LR goes i would shoot for 30-35lbs mark. Also if your LFS will let you when you go in pick up a 20 gallon tank and put some of there LR in it to see how it works. My LFS lets me do this so i can see how individual pieces will look in my tank and how well it will fit
before i buy the rock.
 
air_putih

air_putih

Member
^
i just realize that some of their tank dont have any sand....now i know it's possible not to have sand...well..i guess it would make it easier for me right ???
but,in the future,can i add the sand ??? or do i have to re-do everything just to add the sand ??
 
air_putih

air_putih

Member
Originally Posted by paintballer768
http:///forum/post/2471202
What I would really sugget doing also about the water part, is to buy your own test kits, because its a whole lot better if you get aqquianted with your own and have them on hand in case something goes wrong. I recommend the API Master Test kit, and I have the Hagen calcium and alkalinity, and both work well for me. The master kit was 25$ and the calcium and alk were 7$ a piece.

so should i test it there or after i brought it home ? [with my own test kit]
 
yerboy

yerboy

Active Member
Originally Posted by air_putih
http:///forum/post/2471451
^
i just realize that some of their tank dont have any sand....now i know it's possible not to have sand...well..i guess it would make it easier for me right ???
but,in the future,can i add the sand ??? or do i have to re-do everything just to add the sand ??
if you decide to add sand in the future you will have to do it very slowly. Very small amounts added at a time or you may cause a large cycle and crash your tank.
Everything in this hobby is slow slow slow. Like maybe 1 lb of sand a week poured in slowly.
also remember the main reason for a barebottom tank is to keep all the detritus in the water and off the bottom so that your skimmer/filter can pull it out. So you will need very good/high flow along the bottom of the tank to keep everything suspended.
 
air_putih

air_putih

Member
just got back from my LFS..i bought pre-made saltwater for $1.75 /gallon i bought 15g.
bought 1 medium size LR for $4/p and it weight around 5 pounds...im planning to buy more LR later this week..is this okay ?? or do i have to set my LR right now when they cycle ??
bought 20 pound LS for 25 bucks...
spend around US$70 and so excited with my nano....LOL...
what should i do next ??? should i get crab ? shrimp ??
 
air_putih

air_putih

Member
man..this is 'bad'....i cant stop looking at my tank and thinking about lots of stuff...
need to buy this
buy that
get that fish
get this anemone
this is addictive !!!
really 'dangerous' hobby...ahahahahahah
im sooo excited....
 
air_putih

air_putih

Member
i think i have a problem....
anyone can help me ??
it's been about 4 hours now...but my water still dirty...lots of sand...is this normal ??
i use Whisper 20g Filter right now...and i have aquaclear powerhead
should i leave the filter on the whole night ?? or together with powerhead and heater ??
help please
here's the pic..

i hope this is normal...
[again,really sorry...im new with this stuff]
thanks
 
granny

granny

Member
Reading your posts makes me smile. We all remember that excitement. Its what gets us into trouble because we want to rush everything.
Take a deep breath and go slowly. Your sand should have said to rinse it thoroughly ahead of time to get as much of the cloudy stuff out as possible. It seems I rinsed mine for hours before most of that was gone and before putting it in my tank.
Now that yours is already in there, make sure you have some good filters material in your canister and you will need to remove it and clean it out frequently so it does not get clogged. Eventually, in a few days, it will all settle down, then you can move on to the next step.
It will be several weeks before you will be ready to add any fish at all. Keep in mind that a small tank can go wrong faster than a large one. You just dont have much leeway for error.
Good luck. Stay posted.
 
granny

granny

Member
OH, I meant to tell you that your water will evaporate and you will need to top it off with NON-salt water. You can purchase distilled or RO water for your topoffs, just remember to buffer the water before adding it to your tank or it will make your ph drop. I add about a gallon a day of top off water to my tank.
 
air_putih

air_putih

Member
^
thank you so much...
that means i need to have a backup saltwater ???
does it need heater also [the backup]
man,i thought im ready..this is really hard....
still dont understand about top off non saltwater ..... [searching]
 
yerboy

yerboy

Active Member
Originally Posted by air_putih
http:///forum/post/2472236
^
thank you so much...
that means i need to have a backup saltwater ???
does it need heater also [the backup]
man,i thought im ready..this is really hard....
still dont understand about top off non saltwater ..... [searching]
top off non saltwater because only the water evaporates, the salt stays in the tank :D
 
air_putih

air_putih

Member
Originally Posted by yerboy
http:///forum/post/2472374
top off non saltwater because only the water evaporates, the salt stays in the tank :D
ahhhh...ok..i get it...
anyway,now it's getting better and clearer than before...i hope to see some progress tomorrow...
 
air_putih

air_putih

Member
yay..finally i could see my liverock...
the water's clear now...but its still green color...
should i leave the light on the whole time ?? or just every 12 hours ??
i'll check the pH,ammonia,nitrate,salinity tomorrow...
 
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