starting a 20H gal tank

[lbmako]

hello all new to the board,i have a 125 gal fish only saltwater tank for about a year and a half and tank is doing great
have a new tank 20 gal and new eclipse hood filter assembly looking for ideas what to do with tank not sure if i should go with fresh or salt,and if i do go salt do i jump start it with the crushed coral and water from my 125 tank and will the hood be enough or do i need a uv light and skimmer
i have never had a fresh water tank is this tank big enough for cichlids?or please give me some ideas for fresh water setup(not goldfish)
thank you

 

[fish fry]

Welcome to the board,
You can do a 20 gallon salt, however your water parameters can change quicker, so it is important to keep a eye on them.
I would set up the tank using a DSB (Deep Sand Bed) this will help act as a biological filter. If you want to seed the tank with the CC I would put it in a filter bag this way you can remove it once the tank is done cycling. The current trend is not use CC since waste can build up inside of it, where as a DSB can help process organic waste.
A UV filter is not necessary. A skimmer is very helpfull although not a requirment. I'm setting up a 30 gallon this week without one, and I've done it in the past with a good degree of sucess.
Freshwater is a lot easier and less time consuming.
Cichlids - Need a lot of room. You might be able to do a pair of dwarf cichlids.
If I was setting up a 20 gallon F.W. tank I would put in some tetras/cories or something similar. I you want something a little challenging try live plants. They make the tank look really nice.
The main thing is to decided what you want fresh/salt. Then decided if you want Fish only or Planted, or Reef. Since you are doing FO now reef might be a nice change, although costlier.
any ?'s just ask.
Again welcome to the board
Fish Fry