NEWBY Im a little confused and neew help with my fowlr

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wilson

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Feb 3, 2004
Messages
376
Location
canada
Hi I have been doing a bit of research but i am still unsure of some stuff. I am hopefully going to be starting a 20 gallon h FOWLR aquarium if i can talk my mom into it. As of now i have it as a freshwater aquarium and i am going to convert it. It has an aquaclear 200 and then the light and heater that came with it (I have no idea what they are). I have been reading that the live rock and live sand are the filters so do i need a filter. I was thinking of just getttin two new powerheads(i have no idea what size) for water movement, and getting rid of the aquaclear, or could i use the aquaclear and just get one powerhead. I was not thinking of getting a skimmer because i dont have the money. I need help with what i have to buy, i was thinking of:
25-30 lbs live sand(dont know what kind)
25-30lbs live rock(just to start, could you name a few good kinds)
one or two powerheads(need help with what size).
all of the required test kits and salt and reverse osmosis water(can i buy that at the grocery store)
also a blue damsel for cycling, if i can return it.

I was thinking of stalking my tank with:
2 false percula clowns
1 small yellow tang
and could you name some good foods for them


Also: ( I need help with this part dont know how much i need of what)
nassarius snail (2-3 i was thinking)
some crabs ( dont know how many or what kind)
and maybe an orange linkia star or some other kind of starfish( if i can even have one)
and maybe some good plants( what ones and how many)
are these snails good for the cleaning crew and what else

Thanks for all the help and advice in advance. And if you have any additional advice it would be greatly appreiciated. I also probably wont be starting for a month or so i just want to get a lot of research done and maybe post new questions that i may be confused about. I also do not have a lot of money so i want to try and not spend a lot. i was thinking of spending like 220 and getting a better stand then the table it is on now and that is in that budget somehow
 
2 powerheads: $30
30# live rock: $135
30# livesand: $75
test kits: $50
salt: $25
water: $10
2 clowns: $25
1 tang: $15
3 snails: $6
crabs: $10
starfish: $20
food: $10


total: $411

and that’s without many other things that you’ll decide that you need. My advice is to not dive in until you can afford to get the minimum necessary. You may be able to forgo the live sand and starfish.

Hope that helps out

Jim
 
i was just thinking as that as a starting for the minimum stuff i need. umm i was thinking of extra money for the fish and stuff since it will be after a 6 week cycle or so. i get paid every two so i will hopefully have enough money.

thanks for the price idea it really gives me an understanding of how much i will have to spend.
 
also is it alright to handle live rock with clean hands while placing it in the tank
 
can anyone give me an idea on how much gph i need for my one aquaclear(also what else goes with it) and maybe a sample fish list that has the two clowns and a star and a cleanup crew with mayb one other fish
 
just wonderin if i put uncured live rock in a tank durring its cycle will it be cured by the end
 
I would not rely heavily on the Aquaclear for too much. With the proper amount of LR it won't really be needed but is a great resource when you need to add media for water polishing. The flow on those although rated at 200 GPH rarely is. Once it set up you can guage better how well the water is moving but you will most likely want additional flow. A couple of mini jet 404 or 606's would fit the bill. Even for an FOWLR, I would still shoot for 10x or more.

If your going to add uncured LR the best time to add it is in the initial stages of the set up. That will effectively help cycle the tank without the aid of anything else. You might want to read this article...

Curing Live Rock? I didn't even know it was sick!!

You can handle the rock without gloves depending on what's on it. You won't really hurt it. The main concern is what can hurt you. There are many hitchikers that could possibley cause you injury so it is recommended to wear hand protection.

Cheers
Steve
 
i was just wondering i was going to use the water from the grocery store like bottled water to fill up my 20 g tank its either r/o or d/i. i just want to know if after for like top offs adn changing the water if it is ok to use the opposite type of water. say i use r/o is it alright to use d/i after. and would it be alright to use a brita filter for water changes and top offs. just wonderin if when u do water changes u add slat to the water u add right, u should follow the directions for the salt so should the water u add b at the right salinty 1.20 or watever. adn then whenu add it into the tank should b at the right salinity if it was b4 right.
 
The best water source for changes or top offs is RO/DI but RO itself would be fine. Distilled water is not that recommedded unless you know the process is free of copper.

Top offs for evaporation should be pure RO water without salt. The salinity in the tank actually increases as the water level drops. Salt does not leave the system. When preparing your water for water changes, mix up to the same salinity as the main tank preferabley 35 ppt (1.025 SG) using a powerhead and the same temperature as well. 80° would be a good goal for the tank. Also check to be sure ph and alk match. Brita and similar filters only help with large particulate matter and chlorine. They do not help with major issues like phosphates, silicates, chloramines and most metals so they are a poor alternative.

Where in Canada are you from? There are some very high quality water sources but all seem to be affected by PO4 and silicates.

Cheers
Steve
 
i live in ontario umm do u know if i should get a new heater. the one i have is the one that came iwth my fish tank. it ahngs on the side it is not submersible.
 
I would definately suggest replacing it with a quality titanium submersible heater ASAP. Ebo Jager and Won Brothers make excellent heaters.

Have you checked with your cities water quality dept for a copy of their analisys? They are usually found online in the waterworks dept. Should tell you wether it will be a major problem or not but RO is still the surest bet.

Cheers
Steve
 
well im pretty srue i am going to be using ro water. i dont even want to take the chances. is that heater available at pet stores in canada.
 
Just to warn you about fish choices, i Know it's a long way down the road but i THINK a tang has a minimum 60 gal. requirement...not sure because I dont have one but I think that's what i've heard.
 
yeah i ahve heard that too i ahve decided to get rid of the tang. i am thinking of mayb the 2 percs, and either a royal gramma, purple or purple back firefish or african flameback or flame hawkfish
 
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