20 gallon Reef start up

[cschnei]

I need some advice/ help/ tips.

I'm brand new to the reeding hobby and I really want to build a successful Nano system. So any advice is welcome and appreciated!

So here's what I've done so far...

Set the tank up with dry rock and live Caribbean sand.
Mixed my first batch of water ( 1.025 salinity)
Added a dechlorinator
Added biospira
Let the tank cycle for 2 weeks

I just added 1 ocellaris clown about 5 days ago. ( he seems to be doing pretty well )

Any advice/ tips?

 

[shornik]

Patience.... 2 weeks seems to soon to be adding fish, but if the tank cycled it should be alright. Add fish slowly a few weeks or more between each one. If you can get an RO/DI system and use the water from that, rather than from the tap. Did I mention Patience....

 

[Daytonareefing]

Shornik is right. Don't be surprised if you have a lot of algae problems after cycling the tank because you used tap water it usually leads to bad algae problems. Because your so new to the hobby waiting 6 weeks to let the tank cycle would have been better. Like Shornik said take it slow I know when you go to local fish stores (LFS) you see all kinds of cool stuff and what to buy it. I still feel that way and I have been in the hobby many years. I would buy Salifert tests they are pretty much the best you can buy or at least one of the most trusted. What size tank do you have and what lights and so on?

 

[cschnei]

It's a 20 gallon innovative marine tank. And right now I'm using a skkye lift clamp 18. It has 3 white LEDs and 3 blue.

I know that I want to invest in a small protein skimmer at some point too

 

[Daytonareefing]

That's a small tank for a beginner. The bigger the better when you start because it bigger tanks take longer to crash than smaller ones so you need to really keep an eye on it. You should test a couple times a week for a few months till you really get to know whats going on with it. You may want to buy some seachem phosgaurd and hang on to it and when the algae gets really bad then ad it to the tank. I hope that helps you out.