First Saltwater Reef Tank

[Scarycakes]

So i wanted to make a reef tank, i wanted to use a 20g long. I have been doing some research, and i still have a couple more months until im home so ive got a lot of reading time. My questions are :

For filtration, i was reading primary filtration is from liverock, and a protein skimmer wont be necessary. Would that work for a 20g? I read as long as you do frequent water changes a skimmer inst necessary. For the power head i believe it was about 7-10 times the tanks total water volume. Would that be to much water movement for a 20 long though?

I also was trying to figure out which source of lighting would be best. I read Powercompact lamps hands down are the best, However VHO fluorescent lights were great.

Also i was trying to figure out exactly what types of corals would be best. I researched a few of the easier beginner corals. Zoanthids, Green Star Polyps, Pom Pom Xenia, Chili coral, branching montipora, Torch Coral, Turbinaria. Those were just a couple i was researching.

Anyways those were the main questions. I will probably have a couple more, as i continue my searches, but i appreciate you guys reading, and helping. Thanks

 

[flipstylex]

GL with your reef tank. imo, u need a generator, so when the power goes out, ur reef will thrive

 

[STXman]

my dad wants to do a 60 gal reef for down stairs for show so im like that would be cool so now he has his salt i have my fresh 45 and were good to go haha

 

[AceofSpades]

For filtration
Their are alot of ways to go I would mod a ac70 into a fuge(google it) and have a small powerhead.

I also was trying to figure out which source of lighting would be best. I read Powercompact lamps hands down are the best, However VHO fluorescent lights were great.

Their is also alot of ways to go depending on what kind of coral you want to keep. Softer coral need less light and harder need more. I dont know were you got powercompact was the best but its the lowest grade you can use. Their are powercompact (few types), metal halide fixtures and led fixtures. For a 20g led is the best way to go their produce almost no heat and last for 10 years.

For leds is a good site to check out
http://www.nanocustoms.com/index.php
/QUOTE]

 

[pepetj]

A 20 long.

That means you could easily go with T5HO lights. 24W each. Consider a DIY retrofit so can use either a hang-from-ceiling T8 lamp housing or a DIY canopy that keeps the lights at least 6" away from the water surface. The amount of lamps depends on your setting.

3 actinic + 3 daylight should be OK for most purposes if you go with at least 4" depth deep sand bed in the display tank (I rather go with 6" but since its a 20 Long...). That means your water voulume should be around 13gals + 3gals in the sump = 16gals.

I found T5HO lights to be quite good in terms of cost/efficiency. Running them on a timer for 12 to 14 hours "on"/day should give you around 18 months of reliable quantity/quality of light. I tried Power-Glo (from Hagen, rated at 18,000K) and Marine Glo (also from Hagen, actinic) combined in a 50:50 way (one actinic per one daylight). Two or Three electronic ballast (check specific wiring configurations for T5HO on available ballasts and decide which model should be best for your project). I rather use three with three independent timers as to create lo-mid-hihg-mid-lo lights conditions through the on daily cycle.

20 to 30 pounds of live rock should do it. You could always seed inert marine rock with a few pounds of live rock. You could also place some of the live rock in the sump to free space in your main tank.

As for using or not a protein skimmer... I rather use a denitrator, either a DIY algae turf or a DIY coil denitrator placed in, above, or adjacent to the sump. A DIY 10gal (and even a 5gal) should suffice for sump/refugium. Personally I find the AC70 or even the AC110 fuge modification to bee too small for 20gals but great alternative for 10gal tanks or smalller.

Research carefully which corals you would like to keep. Some are quite aggressive. Not all corals require strong lighting but if you want to keep anemones I suggest you set the tank up aiming at 10 WPG.

Temperature is crucial. I just dismantled (this past weekend) my custom build 20gal tall Nano. High temp killed all my corals and inverts (I registered 37C one day last week). Keeping the tank at 28-29C as maximum temp limit should allow you a healthy tank.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo