20 Gallon Startup questions

[xcugat]

Hello,

I am enjoying all of the advice provided here and I have some questions about starting a 20 gallon SW tank.

To keep things simpler, I was going to go with FOLW and then maybe get some reef creatures later as I get the hang of things.

Originally I had planned on a 75 gallon tank w/sump filter system, and went so far as to special order the tank, after lengthly discussions with my household as to if It could fit in shared family space, it was decided we dont have the proper space.

Currently I have two 20 gallon deep aquariums on a wrought iron stand, one with an aged goldfish/pleco and the other empty. When they keel over (Its been many years so far) I would like to make the top tank a SW with the bottom one becoming a 20 gallon refugium for a filter and doubling the available water supply.

How does this sound to you guys--I have had freshwater tanks forever and I know bigger is better when starting with salt, but I just dont have the space.

 

[joy13]

Don't count the goldfish out I know one that was won at a carnival that was still alive after 20 years.

 

[kurtyboh]

yeah my parents played the when the goldfish die you get get something better....but 14yrs later those goldfish were still around.

 

[reefcowboy]

Hey there,

I have a 20 gal tank I made myself because I had a stand already i didnt want to throw away...I also made a 10 gal sump. From what you ar etelling me , it should work perfectly! I like smaller tanks, because it keeps things simple, and you still can enjoy a nice tank with lots of creatures. In the case of you having a sump, you could have a way nicer tank, with more fish and have a more stable system because of the larger amount of water. Good luck!