Need some help with new tank

[Tundraburg]

Hello All,

I am new to saltwater. I have done some reading and would like some input from others

My current set up is:

20 Gallon high tank
Penguin 350 biowheel with carbon filters
200 watt automatic heater set at 78°F/26°C
10 gallon air pump with about a 1 foot air stone
20 watt ligh (I assume its fluoresncent????)
about 20-30 lbs of sand from beach (its very fine)
about 20-30 lbs of rocks
15 gallons of ocean water witha few gallons of de-chlorinated tap water
The tank sits on a custommade stand i made that took me a few days to make (I am very proud of the stand since i made it match the decor of my room furniture)

Fish and Friends:
(1) 3" Queen Angelfish
(1) 3" Dancer
(3) 1" Trigger fish
(1) 1" 4 eyes Butterfly
(1) 3" Fish thats likes to get under the sand, he is slender and light brown/light orange in color, has stripes
(3) Sea Urchins
[5-8] hermit crabs
[5-8] sea slugs

By the way all the fish were caught a few days ago from beaches in south florida (not baught at your local pet store)

I tested the following chemical yesterday and go the following results:
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
PH ~8.2
Salinity 1.021-1.022
Water Temp 79°F +1°F

I want to get some input on what else I need to run this tank. I wanted what type of equiopmetn i should have to oxygenate the water, i ahve read that the air pumps are not good. Also the air bubbles have sand flying everywhere throughout my tank ( I raised the airstone like and inch of the sand to try to eliminate the sand going everywhere, but its not working as I would have hoped). I would wondering if a protein skimmer is a good source of oxygen or is my penguin 350 a good source alone??? I was looking to purchasin the SeaClone 100 since its a bit better than the Fission Nano Skimmer and the Visi-Jet Protein Skimmer from what I have read. Also I do not know if a powerhead is the way to go also, i have no clue??? Please help me out with this and anyhtign else you see that I may need some help on. I am short on cash right now and i can not be buying the top of the line equipment which I know its best.

Below is a picture of the tank, i hope the information i provided is good enough, if not please let me know what other info i canprovide for you to better assist me. Thank to everyone in advance, thanks!!!

[cuttingras]

Welcome to 3reef!

30 gallon???? You have that many fish in a 30 gallon? Ok, where to begin. Too many fish for a tank that size....And fish grow, they are way too big for a 30 gallon, even if small.

Seaclone is junk but if you really wanna buy one, I'll sell ya mine for 120.00(J/k, I wouldn't even give that piece of junk away! Jebo and ViaAqua are just as bad.

I've never hear of anyone using an airstone in a salt water tank. Maybe ya do, but I'm pretty sure you don't.

I'd rather purchase fish that were bred not caught from the wild.(just my opinion.)

about the de-chlorinated water....well it makes me cringe. Get an ro/di unless you continue to use ocean water. Are you getting the water/rock/sand from the beach or did you go out a little ways?

[Tundraburg]

Thanks for the quick reply, about my tank its not a 30Gallon, but a 20 gallon ( i know even worse)

About the airstone, look at the picture and if you look close to the right of the middle cave you can see the clear tubing attached to the airstone

The rocks/ hermit and slugs where caught at the beach shore along with sand. The fish we caught a few miles out along with the water.

Thanks for the help. I will see which fish seem to be the strongest and take the weaker or maybe the bigger back to the ocean within the next few weeks when we go fishing again.

Thanks once again.

[PackLeader]

You are going to need a powerhead or two for flow. Better lighting would be a good addition as well. Also, be very careful with the seaslugs/cucumbers, as they can release toxins which can kill your entire tank.

[scenario1313]

Also the fish you have get big. You need a bigger tank.

[Tundraburg]

Well i woke up today and all the fish are dead. I believe they are all dead do to not having gone through the nitrogen cycle. I had tested the water yesterday and the ammonia was sky high, with some small amounts of nitrite and nitrates. I will not be adding anymore fish till the tank goes through the cycle.

1.)Now i would like to know if i need a skimmer while the nitrogen cycle is going??? (as for skimmers, i am thinking of getting one of the following SeaClone Protein Skimmer 100 or Taam Rio Nano Protein Skimmer( or another small skimmer that is recommended). I need a skimmer that is small in size since i do not have much hang on space in the back of the 20 gallon high since the penguin 350 take upmost of the space.( tank dimension 24" L, 12" W, 16.5" H)

2.) As for the nitrogen cycle, should i leave one of the little dead triggers in there to help in the ammonia production??? What should i do to help the nitrogen cycle continue???

3.)Also what is a good source of oxygen for the water (i currently have an air pump supplying air)?

4.)I would also like to know if any of would add some other type of filter media to the Penguin 350 i have. I was thinking of buying some empty media bags and adding some media to them but do not know which is the best media to add. I currently have two carbon cartriges. The penguin 350 has a bit of space in it which i feel i could add a custom media to it. So what is an extra media that i can add, if any would recomend to add some???

5.) About powerheads, would i need to get one if the skimmer brings one? Its only a 20gallon tank?

[ssgheislerswife]

That really sucks! Lesson learned I hope, do your research first and get critters later. In addition to a nitrogen cycle that can kill the hardiest of critters, taking them out of the gulf/ocean and putting them all together in a 20 gallon tank was probably not a good idea. That's all water under the bridge though, no use beating yourself up over it.

The cycle takes weeks, so be patient and do your research now.

Now, to answer your questions.

1) A powerhead as close to the top as possible will give you some surface agitation. This will help with oxygenating the water. I have a 25 gallon tank and I use 2-Koralia 1s on opposite sides of the tank, pointing slightly downward and toward the front. The only thing I would use an air pump for is if there was a power outage, I have a battery operated one to agitate the water.

2) You're going to need a better light fixture. Check craigslist, ebay, your LFS (they sometimes have used stuff in the back on consignment), etc. Then save your money and buy a good fixture. Just make sure you post it here and get some opinions, check the reviews, etc. before you purchase a light.

3) For a 20 gallon tank you need fish that will stay small, look into nano-fish so you can get a good idea for what will go in your tank. Nano Fish

That's a good place to start. Those aren't the ONLY fish you can have, but those are more likely to not outgrow your tank.

4) You do not need a skimmer while cycling, so research and save up. This is another area where you do not want to skimp (says the girl who is on her third skimmer and wishes she had talked her hubby into NOT surprising her and just spend the $160 total on one good one).



As far as filter media, I run carbon 24/7. I'll let the experts around here answer that one.

Gin

[Bunner]

Originally Posted by ssgheislerswife

The cycle takes weeks, so be patient and do your research now.

Yikes!!!!! Do alot more of that!!!

[Tundraburg]

Originally Posted by ssgheislerswife

2) You're going to need a better light fixture. Check craigslist, ebay, your LFS (they sometimes have used stuff in the back on consignment), etc. Then save your money and buy a good fixture. Just make sure you post it here and get some opinions, check the reviews, etc. before you purchase a light.


Gin

I am planning on getting the following, link:Coralife 24 Inch Aqualight W/ 2-65W Straight Pin Base And 2-3/4W Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow LED Lamps, 24in Units > Power Compact > Fixtures > Lighting > Saltwater Aquarium Supplies

Coralife 24 Inch Aqualight W/ 2-65W Straight Pin Base And 2-3/4W Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow LED Lamps


Description Lunar Aqualight Deluxe Series - Double Linear Strip 65 watt 10,000K and 65 watt True Actinic 03 Blue straight pin base compact fluorescent lamps

• Two 3/4 watt Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow LED lamps
• Three on/off switches with three 8-foot power cords for separate timers
• Built-in ballasts
• One cooling fan
• Sleek aluminum housing
• Highly-polished reflector
• Acrylic lens cover

The state-of-the-art Lunar Aqualight compact fluorescent light fixtures incorporate the Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow LED 470nm light which creates rhythmic glitter and shimmering effects while promoting spawning cycles in corals and reef life. Backed by the proven quality of the Aqualight product line, these superb lighting fixtures allow you to Capture the Sun and now...the Moon.

Dimensions: 24in x 7in x 2 1/2in

what do you think???

[Bunner]

What do you plan on keeping? Fish only?

If not and if you planned on upgrading later to a full blown reef tank i don't think that would be sufficient.

Lights are expensive and worth buying the best you can afford (and depending on what you want to keep)