20 gallon saltwater setup

[Aqua Man]

Would love to see pictures

My 20 tall that’s been running for 8 years. No skimmer, hang on back filter, heater and a couple power heads. 4 T5 s for light. Light I picked up at a hydroponics store and fitted with reef bulbs.

Water change once a month. Easy to take care of coral. One clown and a starry blenny for fish.

 

[Aqua Man]

This tank’s lighting is a Nicrew led for fresh water! Reefs can be simple or complex.
Ask yourself, what do I want to keep? Then plan your tank accordingly.

 

[lstmysock11]

Seems like can use the Reef octopus hb-90, is listed for tanks 75 gallon and up. But seeing people using them on 40 gallon tanks. Still might go with the aquamax since it is a bit cheaper.

There should be a smaller reef octopus HOB but I have herd very good feedback from the aquaamax but make sure you didn't miss the reef octopus and be sure to compare them both before making a decision but a skimmer I guess if I say this may start a argument lol but it's a must. Not just for nutrients export but mainly to aerate the water and provide it with o2

n

 

[lstmysock11]

Shop | Quarantined Fish

drreefsquarantinedfish.com

Thoughts on this place for fully QT fish?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Shop | Quarantined Fish

drreefsquarantinedfish.com

Thoughts on this place for fully QT fish?

One of the best vendors out there. I have no personal experience, but I have never once heard a bad review on here.

 

[lstmysock11]

If I were you from my experience I would look into TBS live sand. Freshly harvested from the gulf of Mexico. Loaded with tons of beneficial bacteria. I purchased premium live rock from them. Tank is loaded with pods. And sponges and so much more life. @LiverockRocks

I found their site but would like to find a place that might be a lot cheaper. Their package for a 40-gallon tank with live rock and live sand would be about 650 dollars. Not really want to spend that much. Even if I have to use dry rock to save money.

 

[James5214]

I'm in Tampa so I could do local pick up but you.domt have to do all live rock just use some to seed your tank. I only used 5 pounds I already had about 25 pds of dry rock. You don't need. Whole tank to be LR unless you can afford it just a few.pds to seed the tank

 

[lstmysock11]

Okay I could do that only get like 5 lbs of rock from them. Where is a good place to find good quality dry rock that will not break the bank. As well as sand?

I'm in Tampa so I could do local pick up but you.domt have to do all live rock just use some to seed your tank. I only used 5 pounds I already had about 25 pds of dry rock. You don't need. Whole tank to be LR unless you can afford it just a few.pds to seed the tank

 

[Sharkbait19]

I just ordered a lot of my stuff off petco/petsmart. You could also pick it up at most lfs.
For my 40B I used about 10 pounds of live rock from a previously established tank and 20-40 (forget how much) pounds of caribsea life rock.

 

[lstmysock11]

, Anyone have experience with these lights?

I had asked bulkreef supply about lights that are future proof and they suggested https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hydra-32-hd-led-reef-light-black-aqua-illumination.html, But would rather not spend over 400 on a light.

 

[Aqua Man]

Check out Vipar spectra. Nice spectrum and powerful

 

[lstmysock11]

Check out Vipar spectra. Nice spectrum and powerful

Okay, there are so many to choose from, Any suggestions ?

 

[Piscans]

for some beginner fish, id suggest mollies or guppies. sheepshead minnow are also a great choice.

 

[lstmysock11]

for some beginner fish, id suggest mollies or guppies. sheepshead minnow are also a great choice.

Talking Saltwater, Last time I checked the only fish listed that can go in salt are mollies.

 

[Sharkbait19]

All 3 will work in there - mollies are the most commonly used in salt. Guppies really should be in freshwater. There are many fish that can live in both fresh and salt, but mollies are the most commonly seen in the trade.

 

[lstmysock11]

I know mollies since a friend had to reset her tank because it got wiped out by I believe Ick or something nasty. She used a Molly to see if the tank was either still infected or good to go. Would rather lose a 3-dollar fish vs something pretty expensive.

I see guppies can go in salt but seen comments they can not deal with any decent flow in a tank. So that kind of rules them out with a lot of corals that need flow.

All 3 will work in there - mollies are the most commonly used in salt. Guppies really should be in freshwater. There are many fish that can live in both fresh and salt, but mollies are the most commonly seen in the trade.

 

[Danny G]

Cost really depends on what you would like in it. Initially startup cost is really where the pain point is. 10 gallon tank is a bit challenging due to the limited space for live stock. I would recommend the fluval 13 or 32.5 saltwater all in one system. I started with the 13 and upgraded 6 months later. I now have 3 tanks going! Cost on the 13 gallon after sand , live rock, heater and skimmer was about $500ish. The 32.5 was about $800. I think have my cost went into live rock on each setup. Maintenance after that is maybe $10-$20 a week between fish food, water changes and miscellaneous items needed to maintain tank.

 

[lstmysock11]

Cost really depends on what you would like in it. Initially startup cost is really where the pain point is. 10 gallon tank is a bit challenging due to the limited space for live stock. I would recommend the fluval 13 or 32.5 saltwater all in one system. I started with the 13 and upgraded 6 months later. I now have 3 tanks going! Cost on the 13 gallon after sand , live rock, heater and skimmer was about $500ish. The 32.5 was about $800. I think have my cost went into live rock on each setup. Maintenance after that is maybe $10-$20 a week between fish food, water changes and miscellaneous items needed to maintain tank.

If you followed the thread I switched to using a 40 gallon breeder tank. To save money I am going to use about 5 lbs of live rock and the rest will be the much cheaper dry rock.

 

[lstmysock11]

I heard back from the people who sell the Live sand and rock. Found I can get a decent amount of both from them for not too much money thank god.

Now have 3, 5 gallons and 2 , 7-gallon containers of Rodi water set to go. When I get a stand for the tank will put in the first 5 gallons of Rodi water to make sure it does not leak. Then add rock and sand to the rest of the water. Then can add wave makers and heaters. Get the tank up to temp then mix in the salt.

 

[Sharkbait19]

You can do the leak test with regular tap water and then drain it out - no sense in wasting rodi there.
Generally it’s best to mix salt before putting it in the tank. This will keep you from killing everything on your live rock and allow the salt to mix properly.