New 20 gal... what to do?

[Justin0329]

I just squired a new 20 gal and I am having trouble deciding what to do with it. I already have a 55 that is salt and I don't think I could ever go back to fresh so I know I'm going salt. However, I don't know if I want to do corals or not in it. I do know I won't at first. What do you all recommend? I don't know what equipment I'm going to run and I doubt I'm going to use a sump. And will 20 lbs LR be acceptable? Thanks in advance.

 

[Craigj247]

Does the tank have a inbuilt filter? I would suggest doing a coral tank since you can do more with a small tank if you focus on a reef tank as you cannot put a lot of livestock in a 20 gallon tank.

 

[Justin0329]

Ok. Well I'll be honest. I am kind of afraid of doing coral. Simply because I do not understand all the water parameter requirements. I can handle the basics like ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, Ph and salinity but things like calcium and magnesium (and more) worry me. Where do you recommend I look to find all that info. I haven't really found much here. Oh, and to answer your question, no the 20 doesn't have an built-in filter.

 

[Craigj247]

Hmmm ok... Well at the end of the day you must do with your tank what you are comfortable with... There are many sites that offer tutorials on setting up a reef tank... There are also lots of corals that are very hard and quite easy to keep... If you use an iPhone download the app called "aquarium U.D" it is really good it gives you info on setting up a reef tank as well as info on many fish, inverts and coral species and their care levels...

 

[Justin0329]

I use android. I was hoping I'd be able to find an app along the same lines as what you described.

 

[Craigj247]

Just search for it and see you might get it on android platform... Not sure

 

[Craigj247]

It's "Aquarium I.D" not "U.D" sorry

 

[Crabs]

Corals r no big deal. U don't have to worry about the calcium and magnesium as long as u do a partial water change now and then. Also don't overload ur tank with corals. Start with a couple easy LPS's like frogspawn and hammer. Wait awhile and once u notice they r acclimating and thriving then add something else. Some people really go overboard on all the testing. I used my expensive test kit maybe 2x in the past year and a half. It doesn't take a genius to know things r right. Salinity of my RO/DI water is the only thing I test these days. My tanks are all healthy

 

[Craigj247]

I agree with crabs... Like I said you can do more with corals than you could with fish in a small tank...

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

I have never once tested anything more then nitrate, ammonia, nitrite, and salinity and all of my corals are thriving.

 

[Jacobsal91]

I have never once tested anything more then nitrate, ammonia, nitrite, and salinity and all of my corals are thriving.

Only 2 major perameters your really missing is PH and phosphate, Calcium is good to check on from time to time.

 

[Crabs]

Only 2 major perameters your really missing is PH and phosphate, Calcium is good to check on from time to time.

U could test for these but I never do. I used a quality aragonite substrate when I set up my tanks. This assures the PH will remain at a healthy level. And as long as you're using a quality salt mix along with PWC's there's no need to check the calcium. Mostly all hype in order to sell more crap that u don't need. Like I said before, some people r so busy testing and tinkering with their tanks, they don't have time to just relax and enjoy them

 

[Justin0329]

Well it sounds like that's the route I'm going to go. I do love the look of all the corals (who doesn't) but always feared I wasn't yet experienced enough. I think I am going to go with corals this time. Like one of you said, start slow and observe how they respond. Thank you all for the confidence builder.

 

[Justin0329]

I do have one question, I have a wall separating where I am setting up the 20 gal and where the 55 gal currently sits. The 55 has a 30 gal sump. I am thinking connecting the 20 the the 55 setup. It would be a simple task with the use of PVC pipes and 2 holes cut through the wall. My question isn't if you guys/gals would think it would be easy to do but simply what are the cons of doing so. My thoughts are that if I connect it to my larger system, the water parameters would be easier to control. What do you all think?

 

[Crabs]

I think it might b a good idea

 

[Justin0329]

I think so too. Not only would I have about no cycle, the 55 has been up and running for over 10 months. It is thriving. Granted I don't have any corals, but I do have other filter feeders (feather dusters). They have tripled in size since I bought them 3 months ago. Now, another question, how big of a powerhead should I look into for the 20. Its a 20 long. Measures 30 in long, 12 in deep and 13 in tall. I just can't remember what the guidelines were for water flow/current. I'm not talking return pump/overflow but I m referring to water movement within the tank. Also, lighting... what's the typical watts per gallon recommendations when using metal halide or t-5? Basically, what would be ideal for corals in my 20 long that is 12in deep? I'm not sure about led's due to cost but I'm open for any and all suggestions.

 

[Saratj1]

What about doing like a shrimp/goby pair? I think that would be cool for a 10g tank. Just some live rock maybe some softies down the road but get something like this:

Live Saltwater Fish Rainfords Goby | Reefs2go.com

 

[Justin0329]

What about doing like a shrimp/goby pair? I think that would be cool for a 10g tank. Just some live rock maybe some softies down the road but get something like this:

Live Saltwater Fish Rainfords Goby | Reefs2go.com

What other small fish would get along with them? Its a 20 long so I would think that I have room to put other small fish in there as well.