hello fellow 3 reefers .. newbie with questions.

Hello All.

I have been reading around and browsing threw some lfs for some time now.

Time to start my own tank.

This is going to be my second tank try as the first tank ended in failure.


Now time for the opinions.


I plan on starting a 20 gallon reef tank.
List of this bought so far.

Nova Extreme t5 24'' 48 watt 1 460nm actinic t5 lamp and 1 10,000k t5 lamp

about 40 pounds of cured rock
live sand

30 gallon filter

i did not buy a protein skimmer due to the fact that i plan to have lots sof lr and no sps corals or fish

other things i plan to get in the near future is a heater and a refractometer

if you could think of anything else that could help me start thriving reef tank.

one thing i am still unsure of i the whole cycling tank process. I no this is a main thing to starting a tank.
so any explanations or opinion on how i should so this would be greatly appreciated .

thanks everyone,
korey


ending with

 

I would definitely get a skimmer. If your live rock is good that will be your biological filtration and your skimmer will take care of the "crud" in your water. You don't really need a filter, other than a sump if you go that route.

I have a 55g reef and it's doing fine with good live rock and an Aqua RemoraC skimmer, + you will need powerheads for circulation, at least 10x the tank, so if you're going 20g, you will need a few powerheads rated at 200gph each or total.

The heater and refractometer are something you will need now if you're starting up also.

best of luck,
Joe

 

do you guys think i should bring back the lighting system and filter and witch would put me at like right around 120 and just by a nano system with lighting and filtrations system already built in? the only problem i have with that i am unsure of the kinds of corals i would be able to keep in one of those systems . Btw i am on a budget an would not like to buy a all in one halide setup

 

I would also go with an Aqua C remora skimmer, it really is a piece of equipment you should have on any Saltwater tank. You will also need a Heater to start also. the smaller body of water you are going to use will have a lot of temp changes in the day and that wont be good for the inhabitants of your tank. You could skimp and just buy a hydrometer from your LFS, they are cheap and will at least allow you to measure salinity. That being said, a refractometer is still the best way to go to measure the salinity. As said above you will also need some kinda of water flow beyond just ( I assume you meant a Hang on Back filter) the filter. this will help with water flow and help stop dead spots in the tank (Corals will need the flow, at different strengths).

As for the cycleing, your tank as it matures will begin to grow or colonize with bacteria. the bacteria is what will break down or filter your water. it starts with amonia, then to nitrite, then to nitrate. You want to give your tank plenty of time to run its cycle before you add any corals. Adding a fish in the begining will help start the cycle, or you could just go with a cooked piece of shrimp. there is a lot more to cycling than I am putting in here. if you read around this forum there are alot of people here with much greater knowledge than myself.

 

its really up to you. I dont know that I would go small (nano) if I were you. the reason for that is because smaller tanks are harder to keep in line with water chemistry. what you have will work if you maintain it right.

 

i found the 24 gallon for right around 225$ with shipping thinking about getting that one .. any thoughts?

 

What kind is it? you have link? I guess your feeling there is to much to buy yet to setup the current one you have? keep in mind whatever tank you go with, you will still want a heater, hydrometer or refractometer, maybe a small power-head.

 

Amazon.com: 24G NANO CUBE DELUXE: Kitchen & Dining

 

Go as big as you can. I got a 29g cube, and now wish i had gone bigger. It hasn't been difficult maintaining the water parameters, it is how restricted you are on what fish you can have and how many. If I were to do it all again, I would go 55g at least.

 

Wish i could go big with money being short and with the new appt. around a 24 is the best i could do price wise