Buying my first tank

[TJellybean]

I was planning on purchasing my tank and equipment in about 3 weeks however my local fish store is having a 20% off the entire store this weekend and it accelerated my plans by about 2 weeks. I have planned and researched for about 2 years now and have settle on a small 20 gal long that i will later use as a quarantine tank for future tanks (I am planning for long term). I know small tanks can be more difficult than the larger counter parts but id like some form of a challenge. This first set up will be for practice i do not plan on having a lot of fish and a few corals, i want to learn without killing anything.
now i have decided on my tank, filter, heater,thermometer, hydrometer, the store has salt water, and they have live rock that has been quarantined and have a store guarantee that there is nothing harmful.

I plan on cycling the tank for 2 to 3 months but i haven't decided on the lighting or power heads and was looking for a recommendation for something small like what i have designed. the fish i plan to have are clowns and goby plus the clean up crew, and as for corals gsp and bubble coral are the only two ive concretely decided on i plan on isolating the gsp because i know it grows like weed and this is just to see if i have the basics needed for coral growth. As for the bubble coral its the only thing in this tank that comes from the fact that i really like it and not meant for learning. from what ive chosen i would imagine medium to low flow would be the best.

I would love any recommendations on power heads and as for lights i would like LEDs so i can control them appropriately but id love to hear others thoughts, also any low medium level fish and corals to learn from after the initial run would be great.

 

[ryeguyy84]

What filtration are you going with? Are you using a sump?

For lights you could use an AI Prime

https://clearchoiceaquatics.com/collections/lighting/products/ai-hydra-prime-hd-led-module

With an ice cap gyre for flow

https://clearchoiceaquatics.com/collections/powerheads/products/icecap-1k-gyre-flow-pump

 

[BadFish619]

Well even a large tank is a challenge! As far as fish go, start with hardy, typical clown or damsel is a good beginner fish. Will you be running a sump? If so the return will have decent flow so you could add a powerhead to the other side of the tank

 

[BeejReef]

Wow, after two years of planning, a 20% off sale did the trick! I bet the lfs owner wishes he did that some time ago!
Congrats and welcome.

A lot of my calculus would be how long do you plan on running this fun, learning tank for? If just a year before it becomes a QT, I would shop china for lights and flow. No one runs a kessil over their qt.
If you plan to run it until your corals outgrow it in a number of years, then you have A LOT of options.

 

[Sailingeric]

If the LFS has live rock that is ready to go, you don't need to cycle the tank, just start slow with the fish adding. Also if you have the space, go bigger if you can, 29 or 40 gallon, they are not much bigger foot print wise.

 

[asting]

The "165w" black box lights work well. i hung one over a 20L. Impossible to beat for $70.

Are you sumping? Building a filter section in? An AC70 fits nicely on the side of a 20L.

 

[ReeferReefer]

You can get budget lights now or choose lights that you will bring with you when you upgrade.

You could also consider some used LEDs if you are trying to save some cash

 

[jefra]

I was planning on purchasing my tank and equipment in about 3 weeks however my local fish store is having a 20% off the entire store this weekend and it accelerated my plans by about 2 weeks. I have planned and researched for about 2 years now and have settle on a small 20 gal long that i will later use as a quarantine tank for future tanks (I am planning for long term). I know small tanks can be more difficult than the larger counter parts but id like some form of a challenge. This first set up will be for practice i do not plan on having a lot of fish and a few corals, i want to learn without killing anything.
now i have decided on my tank, filter, heater,thermometer, hydrometer, the store has salt water, and they have live rock that has been quarantined and have a store guarantee that there is nothing harmful.

I plan on cycling the tank for 2 to 3 months but i haven't decided on the lighting or power heads and was looking for a recommendation for something small like what i have designed. the fish i plan to have are clowns and goby plus the clean up crew, and as for corals gsp and bubble coral are the only two ive concretely decided on i plan on isolating the gsp because i know it grows like weed and this is just to see if i have the basics needed for coral growth. As for the bubble coral its the only thing in this tank that comes from the fact that i really like it and not meant for learning. from what ive chosen i would imagine medium to low flow would be the best.

I would love any recommendations on power heads and as for lights i would like LEDs so i can control them appropriately but id love to hear others thoughts, also any low medium level fish and corals to learn from after the initial run would be great.

Check with your local reef club before buying too much new, even at 20% off. Many have Facebook groups or a sub-forum here on R2R. This is a greatly rewarding hobby but a time (and cash) intensive one so it can be a revolving door at times, so lots of used stuff available in most areas. I highly recommend buying some of your starter equipment used then making upgrades once you have a better idea of the direction you'll be going with your tank. All-in-one tanks are pretty great for people new to saltwater.

I think nanos are super easy for keeping softies and LPS. The parameter swings in such a small volume can make SPS tougher but certainly not impossible.

Jebao make great budget powerheads, many different models on Amazon and eBay. Hard to make light recommendations without knowing what size tank you have, but the cheap black boxes are great a first buy. Lots of different models and sizes can be found also on Amazon and eBay by searching "led reef light."

 

[Jon Fishman]

As far as fish go, start with hardy, typical clown or damsel is a good beginner fish.

I would say no-way to a damsel, at least every one I've tried.

 

[TJellybean]

What filtration are you going with? Are you using a sump?

For lights you could use an AI Prime

https://clearchoiceaquatics.com/collections/lighting/products/ai-hydra-prime-hd-led-module

With an ice cap gyre for flow

https://clearchoiceaquatics.com/collections/powerheads/products/icecap-1k-gyre-flow-pump

hang on the back kind of filter like i said this will eventually be a quarantine tank so i need it as compact as possible

 

[TJellybean]

Wow, after two years of planning, a 20% off sale did the trick! I bet the lfs owner wishes he did that some time ago!
Congrats and welcome.

A lot of my calculus would be how long do you plan on running this fun, learning tank for? If just a year before it becomes a QT, I would shop china for lights and flow. No one runs a kessil over their qt.
If you plan to run it until your corals outgrow it in a number of years, then you have A LOT of options.

well yes and no ive wanted one for a long time but working two jobs plus college strained both cash and time now that i am free cash nor time are the issue and was going to buy everything in about 3 weeks the sale just made me purchase everything two weeks earlier lol and i plan on running it until the corals are a nice hardy size so 2 to 3 years

 

[TJellybean]

Check with your local reef club before buying too much new, even at 20% off. Many have Facebook groups or a sub-forum here on R2R. This is a greatly rewarding hobby but a time (and cash) intensive one so it can be a revolving door at times, so lots of used stuff available in most areas. I highly recommend buying some of your starter equipment used then making upgrades once you have a better idea of the direction you'll be going with your tank. All-in-one tanks are pretty great for people new to saltwater.

I think nanos are super easy for keeping softies and LPS. The parameter swings in such a small volume can make SPS tougher but certainly not impossible.

Jebao make great budget powerheads, many different models on Amazon and eBay. Hard to make light recommendations without knowing what size tank you have, but the cheap black boxes are great a first buy. Lots of different models and sizes can be found also on Amazon and eBay by searching "led reef light."

I am very aware of the nanos but i wanted to be challenged so i could learn the husbandry a bit better and yes i have been frequenting letgo and craigslist to find a local used deal thanks for the advice!

 

[harthag12]

I will say pick up a refractometer not a hydrometer, more accurate. For small powerheads the Innovative Marine powerhead is actually decent. Korallia powerheads are also cheap but good powerheads for that size tank. Lights you could look at black box amazon lights, they'll work & are budget friendly, or a bit more money reefbreeders leds are pretty nice.

 

[BeejReef]

If you'll be running it that long, I'd splurge a bit and get a DC controllable powerhead or two then. I think you'll appreciate the ability to tune your flow to what your corals show you they like in a tank around that size.
I can't recommend a brand bc my tank is too young to comment on durability. Something with a sleep mode is nice bc it gives your corals and fish a break at night without the need to run an expensive controller.

a 20 long is a tough dimension to light w led. It's 30" long, right? That's the length you might consider for an AP700 or similar 3' coverage lights, but that seems like WAY overkill. On the other hand, most of the modular lights are best for 24" on the high side. Similarly, two of them seems like overkill on a tank that's just 12" front to back.

What is it about the 20L that appeals to you? It's particular dimensions seem much better suited to T5s.

http://www.kernsanalysis.com/TankSize.html

 

[Marco S]

Welcome to R2R!!!

I figured I would share a quick video of the lights and flow I have on my Coral QT. It's an IM Nuva Fusion 20 with an AI Prime HD and an IM Auqa Gadget Wavelink Desktop Powerhead rated up to 1,500 GPH, (I have it turned way down). Forgive the moths floating around on top, I didn't realize they were there until after I watched this back and I didn't want to re-record it after I took them out. Hope it helps...

 

[asting]

Welcome to R2R!!!

I figured I would share a quick video of the lights and flow I have on my Coral QT. It's an IM Nuva Fusion 20 with an AI Prime HD and an IM Auqa Gadget Wavelink Desktop Powerhead rated up to 1,500 GPH, (I have it turned way down). Forgive the moths floating around on top, I didn't realize they were there until after I watched this back and I didn't want to re-record it after I took them out. Hope it helps...

Looks good. Most dont do sand in a qt though.

 

[Marco S]

Looks good. Most dont do sand in a qt though.

Thanks!

This will be a QT for my inverts as well and the sand is going to be for some sand sifting inverts, (conch, starfish etc) once I decide what I want and give the tank some time to grow some algae. The reason people don't do sand in a QT is because it absorbs the medication and then leaches it back and your levels could get toxic like that. I am not using any meds in this QT.

 

[Westoncase]

I gotta 20 long it’s been fairly easy for the first 6 months. Only thing I would change if I could go back is to get bigger grain sand.

 

[TJellybean]

Welcome to R2R!!!

I figured I would share a quick video of the lights and flow I have on my Coral QT. It's an IM Nuva Fusion 20 with an AI Prime HD and an IM Auqa Gadget Wavelink Desktop Powerhead rated up to 1,500 GPH, (I have it turned way down). Forgive the moths floating around on top, I didn't realize they were there until after I watched this back and I didn't want to re-record it after I took them out. Hope it helps...

Thank you! that tanks seems like a great starter and future quarantine i would be up for something along those lines, and the video helped with a visual representation of what i was looking for.

 

[Fugeb4skim]

I have a trigger system sapphire 39 for sale. Never seen water. Wife kicked me out of the hobby. 400$