Expanding into Saltwater?

[Sabrehorn]

I currently have a 55 with fish that I am going to transfer to a 45 then use the 55 for cichlids. I originally had a 20h that is now just sitting around doing nothing. I read in a magazine about Micro-reefs and was looking at maybe traying my hand at that with the 20. I do live in an apartment, so right now it's just an idea. However, I would still like so advice on what is involved in setting up a micro-reef. IE: Required equipment, water quality, number of fish I can have in there, etc

[melosu58]

I`ll move this to an area where reefs are discussed. Good Luck in your endeavor

[Sadielynn]

Welcome
First question you want to ask yourself is what do you want in this tank...IE fish only with liverock....FOWLR , or reef....that question could answer alot right off the bat for you .
Equipment yo will want a refractometer to check the salt levels ... I use a HOB with carbon and it hides my extra equipment such as heaters , thermometer probe ect.. It also gives extra circulation in our system ...
Next equipment you will want a couple of power heads ...
Water quaility is pretty much the same as in fresh you want your ammonia 0
nitrItes 0 NitrAtes as low as possible if you have a reef... Number of fish is difficult to say not knowing what you want in this tank ,sizes of fish ect there are alot of factors that factor in to that ....but if you go with a community tank maybe a pair of O.clowns or perc clowns... a pair of fire fish , and a goby of some sort .... if you go with an agressive tank you will be limited in fish as they are messy and have the bio load of a comunity tank... (not many agressive fish will fit into a 20 gallon tank)
Reasearching at this point joining boards asking questions ect will help you in this venture ... it is a fun venture but a difficult road, that as you travel will be rewarding ! HTH

[roka64]

Welcome to the SW side. I will say you may have some pH problems in a high tank, make sure you have good surface ripple, this will will produce gas exchange, to keep the pH stable.

[Sabrehorn]

Well, the magazine (FAMA I believe from a couple of months ago) mentioned nano-reef. Not sure what the difference is between FOWLR and reef. Just something else I will have to research. :P

[Sadielynn]

Diffrence FOWLR = no coral Reef = corals HTH

[roka64]

Originally Posted by Sadielynn

Diffrence FOWLR = no coral Reef = corals HTH

I agree, and nano-reef can be a nano-FOWLR, it just refers to the size of the tank.

[lando]

A 20H is not a great option for a reef for a couple of reasons...less surface area for gas exchange to take place and its a deeper tank to light, higher wattage and more intense lighting will be needed to penetrate the depth of the tank. That said, it is not impossible and would make a nice FOWLR tank.