Starting My First Saltwater Tank

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Diamonte

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Aug 29, 2013
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194
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Georgia
So I am getting into the Saltwater World. I would be breaking down my 20 gallon high freshwater tank and transforming it in to a saltwater tank. I would be selling some of my old stuff and replace with new things that I would need. So can anyone guide me in the right direction on what I will be need to get. What are some of the most important things that I would need for my Saltwater tanks from start to finish?
 
Depends what kind of setup you wish to go for.
FO, FOWLR or reef.
Also consider your budget, FO and FOWLR can be done fairly cheap. Reefs can get expensive very very quickly.
 
Depends what kind of setup you wish to go for.
FO, FOWLR or reef.
Also consider your budget, FO and FOWLR can be done fairly cheap. Reefs can get expensive very very quickly.


I am thinking of starting off doing a FOWLR and dont want to get into corals just yet I want to stay on the cheap side.
 
I am thinking of starting off doing a FOWLR and dont want to get into corals just yet I want to stay on the cheap side.

I'm a beginner too, I bought a setup on craigslist and downsized it to a 10g, so my info is by no means an expert opinion but I have a basic knowledge of things I think. Since your doing a 20g high, you are in the same ball park as me. Have you thought about what you would want to stock the tank with? I'd say come figure out what stocking you want and build around that rather than setting the tank up one way and then realizing well this isn't going to work, neither is this...

What fish are you interested in keeping?
 
Setting up a fowlr or reef tank is really the same especially on a tank that size. I assume you aren't gonna be drilling the tank so you could get a hob filter. I'd get an AC 70 which gives good room for media.

You'll want to use rodi or distilled water, rodi being better as tap can lead to unsightly algae outbreaks. You'll need a test kit too, the API one works ok for the basic tests like ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and pH. If you get into corals you'll need better kits for alk, calcium and magnesium. You'll also want a refractometer to measure salinity.

To setup the tank you need to select a salt mix. Really this is up to you but I'd reccomend instant ocean as it is relatively cheap and works fine for a fowlr tank. You'll need a heater and powerhead. The powerhead should circulate the water about 15-20x per hour. So for a 20 a power head rated up to 500 gph. A lot of people like the jaebo powerheads but koralias are good too.

Then you'll need sand, and rock. You can buy live rock but dry rock is usually cheaper and becomes live over time. The sand should be aragonite based. If you want sand sitters or burrowing fish like gobies I'd reccomend a fine sand type. Stay away from crushed coral substrate.

As far as a light goes anything will work but I'd use LEDs. I'll try to find an example but really any lights work on a fowlr. You'll have to let the tank cycle but we can get to that once it is set up.


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I'm a beginner too, I bought a setup on craigslist and downsized it to a 10g, so my info is by no means an expert opinion but I have a basic knowledge of things I think. Since your doing a 20g high, you are in the same ball park as me. Have you thought about what you would want to stock the tank with? I'd say come figure out what stocking you want and build around that rather than setting the tank up one way and then realizing well this isn't going to work, neither is this...

What fish are you interested in keeping?

I know eventually I would switch to corals..But thats know time soon!!! But for now I am just sticking to the fish. I dont know which ones I want yet I know beautiful color is just my main focus.
 
Setting up a fowlr or reef tank is really the same especially on a tank that size. I assume you aren't gonna be drilling the tank so you could get a hob filter. I'd get an AC 70 which gives good room for media.

You'll want to use rodi or distilled water, rodi being better as tap can lead to unsightly algae outbreaks. You'll need a test kit too, the API one works ok for the basic tests like ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and pH. If you get into corals you'll need better kits for alk, calcium and magnesium. You'll also want a refractometer to measure salinity.

To setup the tank you need to select a salt mix. Really this is up to you but I'd reccomend instant ocean as it is relatively cheap and works fine for a fowlr tank. You'll need a heater and powerhead. The powerhead should circulate the water about 15-20x per hour. So for a 20 a power head rated up to 500 gph. A lot of people like the jaebo powerheads but koralias are good too.

Then you'll need sand, and rock. You can buy live rock but dry rock is usually cheaper and becomes live over time. The sand should be aragonite based. If you want sand sitters or burrowing fish like gobies I'd reccomend a fine sand type. Stay away from crushed coral substrate.

As far as a light goes anything will work but I'd use LEDs. I'll try to find an example but really any lights work on a fowlr. You'll have to let the tank cycle but we can get to that once it is set up.


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Thanks so much for the helpful info! I have a few questions. What would you suggest for the filtration? They say live rock, live sand, good powerheads, and sometimes a protein skimmer is all you need to keep health water. But what if I decide to start off with just dry rock?
 
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