setting up 20H tank

[clown_nut]

Hey guys/gals i have been looking into setting up a 20H tank for quite some time now. I have had experiance with freshwater fish and did well manageing them. However of course i hear and read that saltwater tanks are much more demanding. Anyways I am tryen to decide what fitration i should use keeping in mind budget. I have been thinking of a Penguin 125 with bio-wheel combined with an undergravel with crushed coral for substrate. I have come to realize that salt tanks require more circulation it seems. However i am just planning on getting some life rock and a couple of clowns with some hermits possibly. Any suggestions??

 

[greenbananas87]

first off welcome
If you are planning on corals down the road a 20g long tank may be easier to light (from what i hear), and also crushed coral and ugf collect debris so they're not to good either (adds nitrates). I would look for sand, argonite(sp?) based. im not sure about the other filter.
You may or may not know of the month setup time (nitrogen cycle) in which most animals may not be introduced (this cycle starts when uncured lr is added to the tank, and ends when water levels become stable) during the month you wil have plenty of time to read-up on any shady areas, from there fish and inverts maybe added.
(if i forgot anything or have mis-spoke myself please correct me or add on i dont bite)

 

[clown_nut]

what is ugf? and i know of arogonite sand but the SP?? i take it with the sand though undergravel fitration will be a no-no for obvious reasons. as far as coral go i have no plans for it...i'm just beggining this salt thing so i'll have to wait later down the road for coral when i have a larger set-up goin. Ultimately would like to have a 75 gallon goin. Course by then i'll prolly want bigger. Anyways the filter I was referring to was the Penguin 120 20-30 gallon with bio-wheel. I have had positive experiance in the past with the bio-wheel...however this is a new territory for me. Also as far as live rock goes...is there a recommended amount for this tank? And when it comes to getting the sand how many pounds is appropriate? I just want 1-2".

 

[ivanfj]

Nice short and informative post green

Yesyes, forget about the UGF, you would regret it if you get that. Water circulation is very important IMO and maxijet powerheads are the best IMO. I am using 2 for my 20 and they run great so far. I think for the penguin, you could run it once in a while when you wanna run carbon or other stuffs. I personally don't run the hang-on if it's not needed. You may also as well consider getting a skimmer. Skimmer with LR and LS should do the trick for you for filtration. Are you sure you don't want any corals??? I first thought I didn't wanna have any corals as well and I ended up throwing some money to some garbage lighting. :nope: :nope: Make sure a FO tank is what you want and buy your equipment from there.
HTH
Edit: UGF = undergravel filter

 

[clown_nut]

I really appreciate the advice. I just picked up a $13 book and read up on it and the author believes UGF's are essential. And also what are ya'll useing for filtration if all you are doing is running powerheads for circulation?? Would running the Penguin 24/7 actually be harmfull? Perhaps just run it without the filter cartridge and just use the wheel for extra flow and bio-filtration and have a single powerhead on the side perhaps?? Remember all i want/can afford is perhaps liverock and a couple of clowns with some hermits...possibly some kind of shrimp.

 

[ivanfj]

I don't think it would hurt if you run the penguin 24/7. I just don't run mine 24/7 just because I don't have enough power outlet. This is what I have for my setup and maybe you could have a brief idea.
Prizm skimmer
25lb LR
3" LS
maxijet 900 and 600
a "no-name" hang-on filter for carbon
That is all I have and my water paras are stable for over 6 months now with regular water changes. You could of course have one powerhead and use the penguin for water circulation. I personally just like more waterflow and my fish love to swim against the flow more. I too have a pair of clownies and a shrimp and just love them.

 

[clown_nut]

Now with the clown fish I have that in times of need can transform from male to female..can they also do the reversal? And just how diffacult is it to breed a couple of clowns? Any special requirements? I had guppies in the past that multiplied contantly. And also i hear that Clowns will choose a life partner and stick with them..how can you tell which two clowns are paired when it comes time to purchase??

 

[ivanfj]

No, once one of them becomes a female then she could never change back to male. I am not too sure how hard is it to breed but you could do a search in the other sections and Bang guy does breed clownies. When it comes to buying them, a mated pair are usually more $$$ than regular ones. And you may wanna consider buying tank raised ones instead of wild caught ones because I find the tank raised are more hardier than the wild caught, but the tank raised tend to have less knowledge about an anemone.

 

[clown_nut]

well i better be sure to get atleast 1 male out of the two. And yeah i had read that the tank raised are hardier and such. So anyways once i get my tank setup a good way to get the cycle the tank would be to uh....purchase little guys i guess? Such as hermits, shrimp and the like? Oh yes and Live Rock aswell...I hope i can get some very intresting liverock...with some things that can be supported by just the standard flourecent bulb...lol

 

[greenbananas87]

for the cycle you don't want anything except liverock, the amonia, nitrite, nitrate spikes will kill most if not all inverts, so why buy them to kill them after about a month (4-6 weeks) when your water perams are stable you may add fish and inverts. Be patient and you'll tend to waste less money!

 

[clown_nut]

well what would be a good light to support most of the growth on the liverock?? perhaps just a cora-life 50/50 bulb? say about 55W??

 

[clown_nut]

"bump"

 

[brownleaf]

Depends what's on the LR. Normally, LR don't need lot of light.

 

[clown_nut]

ok now once you've rinced your argonite or whatever it's called and pour it into the tank and add the water how long does it take for the water to clear up?? And also do you have to wait for it to clear up to add the salt??

 

[brownleaf]

If that's a new setup, all of them can go in at once.

 

[clown_nut]

thanks but one question left to be answered...how long will it take for the water to clear up? hours? days?

 

[clown_nut]

By the way i ended up goin with a 10 gallon for now. I purchased a 15lb bag of aroganite and am useing my old 10 gallon with whisper power filter...and also purchased one of those powerheads that sweep side to side rated at 160gph. Right now i am waiting for the water to clear up after i filled it up and such...then i'll add the salt i guess and later on when the time is right i want to start the cycle with liverock...can anyone suggest a good starting amount of Liverock?? Oh yes and I rinsed the substrate pretty well i thought but i could never quite get the rinse water clear. I started to think it was hopeless and would have to wait for it to just settle...did i make the right choice?? If not thank god i hadn't added the salt mix yet!!

 

[clown_nut]

cmon now someone has got to know!!! Do i need to shut my pumps off to get the water to clear up??

 

[ivanfj]

Yesyes, it's better to shut your powerheads off to avoid cloudy water. And you should have mixed the water first before you put the water into the tank. It's not suggested to mix your water in your tank. I usually mix a day or two ahead with a huge bucket.

 

[clown_nut]

hmm i had read and been told to do the mix in the tank when setting up.