What should i add?

fishman9

fishman9

Member
I have a 20g tank that is just so plan. i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what to add to make it a little better looking and more enjoyable.
I have one powerhead-Profile 600
Hang-on filter-Aqua-Clear 150
Heater-150w
Tripple Light Hood
10lb live rock
10lb CC
Yellow Polyps............and THATS IT!!!!!!!!!!
Need some ideas.
:notsure:
 
saltynewbie

saltynewbie

Member
you could add mushrooms... they have low lighting requirements and you can get lots of colors.. as far as fish go, a firefish goby or a clown goby would do well in a tank like yours... just my $0.02!!! keep us posted on what you decide to do.
 
fishman9

fishman9

Member
I had 2 damsels, but i got sick of them and i had two Banjii Cardinals that just died so i'm gone hold off on the fish for now, but the mushrooms are a great idea. I am getting a new lighting system soon. I want to get some corals in a couple of months too. What could i do for a new filteration system?:notsure:
Thanks for the idea........keep them coming!!!!!
 
nudibranch

nudibranch

Member
For filtration I would add a protien skimmer (epecially if you want corals) and add more live rock. I would gut the aqua-clear and use it for water movement only, otherwise your filte rmedia on the Aquaclear will act as a nitrates haven and will harm the corals if nitrate get too high.
Also (and this is going to be the biggest pain in the ---) I would replace the CC with a 2"-3" DSB of aragonite sand (IMO 2 different grain sizes). Only do this if you really want to turn the tank into a full blown reef, which it sounds like. If your going to spend the money on the nice lighting, then take the time to replace the CC and seed the new DSB with live sand. You'll thank yourself for it in the long run.
 
fishman9

fishman9

Member
I was thinking of that i just didn't know if i should or not. When i set this one up they didn't have live sand in stock so i just bought the cc. thanks for the tip. i definitly will do that soon!!
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
I had a full blown reef in a 20 gallon a while back - do a search in Nano for overanalyzer's 20 gallon.
I had softies and lps corals under 150 watts of VHO. I did not use a protien skimmer nor do I think one is necessary on a 20 gallon that is given regular water maintenance. Meaning - you change the water on a regular basis - use biological filtration (LS/LR) and then use a HOB filter of some sort then you are fine. A protien skimmer on a 20 would be nice but unless you have a sump attached to your tank it will make your tank look cluttered. The one protien skimmer I would use on a small tank is a CPR bak-pak - but most other small skimmers aren't going to do much for your tank. IMO
HTH
 
nudibranch

nudibranch

Member
That is true, you don't NEED a protien skimmer, but I've had tanks w/ and tanks w/o and I prefer to maintaina tank w/ a protien skimmer. But if your doing regular weekly water changes (say 10%/week), then a protien skimmer would not be the most important thing. Also, you can always wait on the protien skimmer the Bak-Paks are great and you can always add one later.
As for your DSB, even if LS isn't available right off just set up the DSB you can always seed it with a few lbs of LS later. Plus the LR will also help in seedingit, but I strongly recommend adding actual LS when it becomes available.
 
fishman9

fishman9

Member
Do i have to drain the tank to put the LS in or can a pour alittle in with the CC? Thanks for the tips you guys are really helping!!!
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by fishman9
Do i have to drain the tank to put the LS in or can a pour alittle in with the CC? Thanks for the tips you guys are really helping!!!

You can do it with the water still in the tank. I would suggest taking out the CC and putting a bunch in an old pair of nylons and keep in a small amoutn of tank water.
Then - put the sand in .... some people use a plastic bag to keep the cloudiness to a minimum. I'd also rinse regular old southdown sand if that is what you are planning on using. If you are using purchased live sand it is not as importnat - but if you are using southdown and adding to an established tank rinsing it will keep some of hte cloudiness down.
I'd then add that CC in the old nylons back into the tank (leave it in the nylons) and hte bacteria and other critters will "seed" your sand bed.
Lastly I'd run a HOB filter with some filter floss in it to help with couldiness.
 
fishman9

fishman9

Member
Thanks. Also, what about a small sump(10g) underneth the tank? good idea or bad? Is it dueable or not? Thanks for the great tips and tricks so far. i've been having so much trouble with this 20g tank.:thinking:
 
nudibranch

nudibranch

Member
search for the post in the nano forum titled "sump or no sump" I did a poll becuase I was wondering the same thing.
 
nicky1.8t

nicky1.8t

Active Member
whats up josh if you want mushrooms i have boat load when i get the time ill try and frag some for you.
pic for views
 
nudibranch

nudibranch

Member
Well in the 10g I'm thinking of doing I'm probably going to build a refugium out of a rubbermaid container and place that above the tank. Pump the water up to the refugium and let overflow/gravity bring it back down. I wont have a sump for it. A 10g sump for a 20 would be great though, you could even just make it a refugium if you wanted. Make sure its set up right so you don't flood your house.
 
fishman9

fishman9

Member
Nick that sounds great!! Yeah when ever you have time i'll snag a few from you. thanks for the ideas everyone!
 
vibe

vibe

Member
fuge would kick booty. but i decided to go mechanical on my 10 gallon. emperor 280 provides my filtration and water current. skimmer is useless on nano 20 and smaller IMO. especially ones without any fish. good luck, and if you want coral ideas check out my tank pics. you should see the thread in the nano forum :joy:
 
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