first salt tank

[stewnew]

im interested in starting up a small sw tank but havent ever kept a sw tank and dont really know what all would be neccessary

i found this pretty nice deal on craigslist, i can get a 20 gallon tall with a stand for 40 bucks, and thought it would be a nice chance to set up some corals and stuff

i think that if i build live rock up on the sides and a little in the back it could be a pretty nice set up

so this is what i would get.



my questions is what else would i need to get it up and running?

 

[TheCanuck]

live sand.
live rock
small skimmer
and traditional filter.
coralife salt mix


Refractometer would be nice to have.


other than that thats what you need. If you need help setting it up and the steps to take be sure to ask. Purchasing a book would be really good to get your toes wet as well.

 

[sikoko]

nicely done canuck. i have nothing to add besides food lol

 

[stewnew]

whats the deal with the skimmer?

i know theyre pricey, but what exactly do they do and are they neccessary?

 

[sikoko]

for your tanks yes. they remove waste i believe like an extra filter

 

[Mazcote Yarquest]

For such a deep tank, with the intention of keeping corals, you will need a pretty hefty light.

The skimmer removes dissolved, solid, organic material.

Marine inverts tend to be really sensitive to water parameters and the skimmer helps keep water good-n-clean.

That would make a nice reef rig!

 

[stewnew]

cool

so what types of skimmers would you all recommend?

and i think the tank comes with a fluorescent light fixture... so if i can a light w/ proper wavelengths, wattage etc would that work for the inverts?

 

[S220G]

good luck on your endeavor with some research you should have no problem, but the tank is going to be the least expensive part of the set up you should look at getting a larger tank that is up and running then modify it to how you want it additionally the more water volume the easier it is to maintain water parameters. But don't get me wrong the 20 is a nice size and can easily be done just do alittle investigation in what you want because you will be limited in that tank not only in what you can stock but also what you can get to properly run it (ie good skimmer).

 

[perfect_prefect]

you will spend 40 on the tank and 400 on what you need to be able to keep corals. plain and simple you would probably be better off looking around and saving up your cash. i bought a 120 tall reef ready with beautiful stand and hood, along with sump chiller uv sterilizer protein skimmer 4 pumps and a $1000 dollar corralife metal halide and compact flourescant light all for $600. with the way the economy is you can get a steal in no time and be fully set up for corals.

 

[FLESHY]

whats the deal with the skimmer?

i know theyre pricey, but what exactly do they do and are they neccessary?

Ive been writting this a lot recently...but I feel that skimmers are the most important part of a reef tank other than the lights. I run a 75g reef, and other than bi weekly water changes, I have no filtration other than my skimmer. All my nitrogenous wastes and ammonia come out at zero. I think thats enough said.