20g Saltwater

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Griggs

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 30, 2005
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Minneapolis, MN
I'm an experienced freshwater aquarist, but I'm not so strong with saltwater. I have a little experience with the maintenance of saltwater.

I'm planning on setting up a 20g saltwater tank for my girlfriend as a christmas present, of course she wants to start with a nemo tank. So I'm thinking maybe a clownfish or two.

I was just curious as to a recommendation for a filter. I don't want to make this a reef tank because she is a beginer and I'm only going to be able to help her so much with maintenance, and I also don't want to spend huge amounts of money on lighting. I just have a standard 15 or 20 watt light, whatever the versa hoods come with these days.

Then as far a substrate, I believe something like crushed shells or sand is helpful to keep the water in a stable level.

Any other help or recommendations would be helpful, thanks!

Chad
 
Go with live rock dude. Since she's a beginner, you might want to go for more than 1 pound per gallon. Don't overstock it if shes a beginner so maybe a percula clown and a cardinal would be nice. You can even supplement filtration with a smaller aquaclear filter.
 
Griggs said:
I'm an experienced freshwater aquarist, but I'm not so strong with saltwater. I have a little experience with the maintenance of saltwater.

I'm planning on setting up a 20g saltwater tank for my girlfriend as a christmas present, of course she wants to start with a nemo tank. So I'm thinking maybe a clownfish or two.

I was just curious as to a recommendation for a filter. I don't want to make this a reef tank because she is a beginer and I'm only going to be able to help her so much with maintenance, and I also don't want to spend huge amounts of money on lighting. I just have a standard 15 or 20 watt light, whatever the versa hoods come with these days.

Then as far a substrate, I believe something like crushed shells or sand is helpful to keep the water in a stable level.

Any other help or recommendations would be helpful, thanks!

Chad
Click to expand...

a power filter like and emperor 240 or and aquaclear will do

get a protein skimmer as well
 
I would go with a Skilter 250, it not only is a filter but has a built in protein skimmer. Set up the tank, add your live rock and throw a couple of Damsels in it for a month, then get the clownfish.

In a 29 g tank without a lot of corals, 50/50 bulbs will work (an they fit into a normal aquarium fixture).

Jungle makes some 5 in 1 test strips that are really good to use while watching for the nitrite and nitrate spikes. Wal*Mart sells them 25 strips for about $11.00.

I prefer to use crushed coral in the bottom of my saltwater tanks. I currently have 4 (2 55- gallon, 125 gallon and a 230 gallon). The 125 has a sand bottom, 1 55-gallon has shell bottom and the other 2 have crushed coral bottom.
 
One of my tanks at home is a 20 (tall) saltwater. It's pretty basic, minimal maint. and it's been running strong for quite awhile. (It even made the move from TX to MN). All I have is 30lb sand, 20lb liverock, a skilter on the back for filtration, power-glo flor. light and various life on the inside (damsels and inverts). I feed it when I remember - which is only three times a week or so.
 
Emperor 280 power filter would be fine. Skilters are ok filters also, but they tend to be noisy since the air/water mix in the filter box outside of the tank (though I might add that i do have a skilter 250 on my 15 gal reef and it does it's job just fine). Live sand and crushed coral mixed would be a good substrate (20 lb live sand 10 lb crushed coral) for maintaing your PH/Alk/Trace elements. approx 1lb per gal live rock will complete your filtration system, just make sure you cure it first. Lighting isn't an issue for anything but asthetic purposes if you don't plan on keeping any photosynthetic inverts. A Bubble Tipped Anemone would probably make your clowns alot happier though... also, if you plan on keeping more than one clownfish, buy both at the same time (prefferably after the tank is cycled) pick the largest and the smallest from the same tank and you are more likely to get a compatible pair (the larger will be your female, then the smaller will turn into a male hopefully)
 
Thanks everyone, even for liverock the lighting isn't important? Someone mentioned those 50/50 bulbs, what are those for? I just have a regular light for her, but I wouldn't mind getting a bulb that gives that blue look.

I think I'll go with an aqua clear filter (they're quiet), does anybody have any suggetions for a specific protein skimmer?

I have a submersible heater, there isn't anything specific for salt tanks as far as that goes right?

Thanks again
 
The 50/50 bulbs are :
50% Natural Daylight 6000K
50% Actinic 03 Blue
They work really good on limiting algae growth in your tank while providing the right amount of light for the Photosynthesis that needs to happen within the anemone. As far as the Skilter being loud, The solution is to drill a hole in the top of the skimmer basket and hook up an airstone using a $6.00 air pump. It works just as good as my $150 skimmer. The best advise that I can give you is to do your research and use the Ideas that we have given you as a base and modify them for what you want to accomplish. What works for me might not work for others. And the blue light is the Actinic blue. Petsmart sells a Marine-Glo that is the blue color.
 
Could someone please recommend a protein skimmer as I don't know much about them. I'm planning on using a AquaClear 70 for a filter.
 
the skilters are cheap, but that is exactly what you get. I would go with a CPR bakpak, you can try to pick one up used, and save some $$$. they are a lot easier to dial in.

I have a bakpak and 2 powerheads, live rock, and a sand bed on my 46. i don't over stock or over feed, only 2 fish right now, and water always checks out good. the bakpaks have an area that is somewhat like a wet/dry area.
 
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