Help on setting up a Nano tank! What to buy?

Hello all, i really have NO CLUE what i'm doing or how to do it or what to get. I have read around but i am just lost. I am going to purchase a 20 gallon tank tonight. I need to know what else to buy. I'm looking to get a nano reef like this one. http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/at...3&d=1085264266 going. That is my goal. Please assist me with links and tell me what filter, heater, and chemicals that i need to get to make my tank into something like that. I have about $400 or so to spend. Thanks!

 

I would say something all in one. i bought a Aqua-nano 29 gallon, if you have the right 3 - 5 inches of sand and pounds per gallon of live rock you dont need anything else. i have added a heater and thats it. Cycling takes a bit long i have found and if you dont fully cycle it, it will crash hard, i did this twice before getting it to balance. But going nano i found this the best option for me and my budget. My tank was about 300 and a 20$ heater i was set. You can find them all over the net and get great deals on ebay.

 

do i have to get a special kind of sand? i don't know where i would be able to purchase live rock, etc. I have no real "fish shops" around except pets mart...and i don't think they have live rock, etc. thanks for the reply! Also what do you mean by "cycle"...change the water?

 

Hey I would suggest picking up a ten gallon tank when you get the 20 gal the ten will be cheap and you can make the ten into a perfect sump filter . you will need a small overflow box and a return pump to match the flow rate of the overflow box. Then after that is up and running pick up some live sand and some nice live rock . Some of each for the tank and sump. I have seen pre cut parts to make the ten gallon tank into a sump on E-bay for like $35. Next you will be looking for a protein skimmer but that is where I would start.

 

pets mart works, i bought live sand its a bit pricy but to me was worth it. As for live rock buy online. everything is available online these days. Cycle, giving the bacteria time to multi enough to handle the work load of waste. Do alot of research before you buy anything on how to run things. Its a great hobby but a huge waste of money if you dont know what you are doing. i lost alot of fish right off the bat. I would also check out Petco, if you have a petsmart there is a petco close by, they carry saltwater fish and products and if you talk to them they will order you anything you want and if you dont like it when it comes in you dont have to buy it. This includes live rock.

 

crabby, i get lost right around here " into a perfect sump filter . you will need a small overflow box and a return pump to match the flow rate of the overflow box."

please explain.!

 

could i just buy a sump filter? i don't really have the room for 2 tanks...

 

ok i did a bit of reading about a sump. I don't have the room for one of those. Is it possible that i could just use a skimmer? Do they do the same thing a sump does?

 

I have a 20 gallon long that runs on a Metal Halide light (175 watts), sea clone skimmer (people complain about them but mine runs for weeks at a time before adjustment is needed), rotating powerhead, and a heater.

The lighting is your own preference, but if you want to keep anemone's you better get quality lighting.

The live rock with
a skimmer solution should work for a 20 gallon tank.

 

With that said, I have a JBJ nano 6 gallon that works great as an all in one like fragging said. With a few upgrades over time the JBJ can be modified to be quite a tank.

see nanotuners