20 long for saltwater tank?

[rpgmomma8404]

I know bigger is always better but I'm thinking of converting my 20 long into a fish only saltwater tank. What all would I need for a tank of this size and what fish would be best for it? I thought about a pair of clowns since I've heard they are pretty hardy fish but would like to know what other options are there.

 

[DRock]

I know bigger is always better but I'm thinking of converting my 20 long into a fish only saltwater tank. What all would I need for a tank of this size and what fish would be best for it? I thought about a pair of clowns since I've heard they are pretty hardy fish but would like to know what other options are there.

Bigger is better in terms of stability, more water usually means less surprises in water quality and spikes in your levels.

Here is what I'd recommend if you plan on only keeping a few fish and growing no corals.

Filtration;
- A canister filter rated for 40-60g aquariums (I have a Penn-Plax Cascade 700)
- 12-20 lbs of live rock (Should give plenty of hide spots and carries beneficial bacteria "BB" to keep your tank stable)
- 20-25 lbs of live sand (about a 1 in. sand bed)
- An additional powerhead for water flow and natural filtration (Koralia 425)

Other;
- You will need a heater and a thermometer (ideal water temp is about 78 degrees F)
- Also, you'll want a decent lid to help slow down evaporation
- When it comes to the lights, if you're not doing coral, it's all about what look you like, some cheap led's from the pet store will look great in my opinion. If you want to do corals later look into some 2-4 bulb T5 fixtures.
- The other obvious thing you'll need is some saltwater, which when you start out the easiest thing to do is just by some premixed from your local fish store.

Outside of what I listed you shouldn't "need" anything else to get your tank running and healthy in a few weeks.
If you have decent water flow and plenty of live rock and sand you technically don't "need" the canister filter as the bacteria on the rock and sand do a lot of the filter work for you, I use a can filter for two reasons, it increases the water volume as well as keeps my water crystal clear, which to me is important.

Hope this helps!

Darrell

 

[rpgmomma8404]

Bigger is better in terms of stability, more water usually means less surprises in water quality and spikes in your levels.

Here is what I'd recommend if you plan on only keeping a few fish and growing no corals.

Filtration;
- A canister filter rated for 40-60g aquariums (I have a Penn-Plax Cascade 700)
- 12-20 lbs of live rock (Should give plenty of hide spots and carries beneficial bacteria "BB" to keep your tank stable)
- 20-25 lbs of live sand (about a 1 in. sand bed)
- An additional powerhead for water flow and natural filtration (Koralia 425)

Other;
- You will need a heater and a thermometer (ideal water temp is about 78 degrees F)
- Also, you'll want a decent lid to help slow down evaporation
- When it comes to the lights, if you're not doing coral, it's all about what look you like, some cheap led's from the pet store will look great in my opinion. If you want to do corals later look into some 2-4 bulb T5 fixtures.
- The other obvious thing you'll need is some saltwater, which when you start out the easiest thing to do is just by some premixed from your local fish store.

Outside of what I listed you shouldn't "need" anything else to get your tank running and healthy in a few weeks.
If you have decent water flow and plenty of live rock and sand you technically don't "need" the canister filter as the bacteria on the rock and sand do a lot of the filter work for you, I use a can filter for two reasons, it increases the water volume as well as keeps my water crystal clear, which to me is important.

Hope this helps!

Darrell

Awesome sounds easy enough. Would a 55-75 HOB filter work? I'll have to keep an eye out on a canister filter being on sale. Suppose amazon would be the best place to buy one of those.

 

[bribo12]

I run an aqua clear 30 on my 20 but I also have a skimmer. The only thing I run in my hob is purigen. Other than that all filtration is rock, sand and skimmer

 

[DRock]

You can definitely use a HOB, I prefer the canisters because generally speaking they are quieter and you get multistage filtering with them. Check amazon for the Cascade 700, last time I checked it was on sale from retail at $144 down to $73.

 

[Bectan01]

I am not a big fan of canisters on salt water tanks. In theory all you need is plenty of flow and live rocks. I also wouldn't recommend a tight fitting lid - open tops are preferred for better gas exchange. Check out live aquaria.com for fish selections and compatibility, in the nano section

 

[dmolavi]

I use a 20 tall for my reef tank, and it's great for starters. Look for Evansimp here on AA, he had the TOTM a few months back for his 20g long reef. It absolutely can be done, esp if it's FOWLR.

 

[rpgmomma8404]

Thanks everyone! I don't want to get into the coral thing until I get comfortable just having a saltwater tank. After a lot of thought though. I and my boyfriend have been talking about converting our empty 29 gallon into a saltwater and using the 20 long for something else. Most of it's talk right now though. I just wanted to know my options. I'm sure I would treat the 29 about the same as the 20 long. Just have a bit more room.

 

[DRock]

Like you said in the beginning, bigger is always better

 

[Maridia]

Don't ever let anyone discourage you from getting a small saltwater tank. Just be sure to have proper filtration and keep up on your maintenance. I have a 10 gallon salt with a black and white ocellaris clownfish. I do a 40-45% WC every other week. 6 months, zero issues.

 

[dmolavi]

Folks tried to talk me out of a 20...I'm glad I did it anyway. Keep up with the maintenance and you're golden.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Mebbid]

I have a 20g mixed reef as well and it is a very very low maintenance system ever since I added a 10g refugium. I put WAY more effort into my planted tanks.

I would say skip the HOB / Canister altogether and go with powerheads instead. Adding a refugium will make your life a lot easier as well.

 

[jeh1487]

I highly discourage anyone new to salt water tanks to get anything under 75gal and if space is limited a bio cube is the direction I would say would be a safe bet

 

[Mebbid]

I highly discourage anyone new to salt water tanks to get anything under 75gal and if space is limited a bio cube is the direction I would say would be a safe bet

A 20 is a safe size to go with. It's even safer if you add a 10g refugium. It's a very very common tank size when starting the saltwater hobby. While a larger tank is easier, a 20g is not a difficult tank to maintain. Just keep an eye on parameters and keep topping off the water and everything will go swimmingly.

 

[jeh1487]

I disagree, everyone is entitled to their opinion and what they think May or may not be common

 

[Mebbid]

I disagree, everyone is entitled to their opinion and what they think May or may not be common

You are completely correct. But I'm of the mindset that people shouldn't get scared away from a very very rewarding hobby based on the fact that smaller tanks can be more difficult which they can. It's completely feasible to start out with a smaller tank, but people just have to be sure to keep a closer eye on parameters than they would in a larger tank.

Allow me to outline my experience with my 20g reef.

I started out buying cured live rock and added my pair of clowns 4 days after the tank was set up. Two weeks later I added a firefish and some zoanthids, and mushrooms. Early on I started getting the common nitrate spikes that happen in new tanks. They spiked up to 40ppm and I was doing twice weekly water changes to keep them under control.

At this point I added my refugium and some grape caulerpa. It was growing nicely and controlling the nitrates when it suddenly went sexual and spiked my nitrates up to around 80ppm. A few water changes and pulling out the dying caulerpa along with tripling the amount of light in my refugium remedied that. Two weeks after that my nitrates bottomed out and I have yet to have a reading above 0ppm nitrate despite heavy daily feedings and no skimmer. Bi weekly 20% water changes is the only maintenance I do on my tank anymore along with harvesting the absurd amounts of macro algae. I have been handling my tank this way for the past 8 months and am growing all types of corals along with acropora.

A 20g tank is feasible imho as long as you are ready to do a quick water change and test your parameters weekly. If I had a larger tank I doubt there would have been quite as large of a parameter swing but on that note its WAY easier to do a 50% water change on a 20g tank than a 75g+ tank to handle any abnormal parameters.

 

[dmolavi]

I will repeat what I said earlier...people (mainly here on AA, which kind of surprises me) kept trying to discourage me from doing a nano tank as a first tank. Here is why I disagree with your statement re: not doing a nano for your first tank:

1. Are they more work? No. You still have to do your weekly PWCs just like with a larger tank. The smaller volume of the water change is easier to handle for starters.
2. Do they require more/less "dedication"? No. Regardless of your tank size, you still have to check your params and make sure they stay in check. Yes, they can swing out of range more quickly, but if you keep up on your maintenance, you won't have a problem.
3. What about cost? Getting into a nano is a good way to see if you really want to go whole-hog, without sinking a ton of money into it. I started simple, with just the tank and a HOB for Purigen. I added a small HOB skimmer because I wanted the extra filtration, but it isn't a necessity. You could easily get away with a tank, live rock/sand, a heater, powerheads, lights and fish/coral. No need for anything fancy.

Starting small is a good way to get your feet wet (pardon the pun). If you like it, great, you can upgrade, and carry over most of your equipment. I'm in that process now. If you don't like it, you don't have to worry about having sunk thousands into a big setup that you will take a bath on when you try to sell it.


There are lots of great books out there, too:
The Nano-Reef Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Reef Systems under 15 Gallons by Chris R. Brightwell | 9780793807178 | Paperback | Barnes & Noble
Marine Aquarium Handbook: Beginner to Breeder by Martin A. Moe | 9780982026212 | Paperback | Barnes & Noble


I read those two and dove in. Granted, I have had lots of experience with freshwater, but the knowledge gained from those books was invaluable.


Don't let folks discourage you into doing what you want to do. If you want a nano, either because of cost, space, or the "want to see what it's like" aspect, do a nano. It's your tank. Folks are here to help if you need it.

 

[Macscale]

NEVER. EVER. Let anyone tell you that Nanos are too hard for beginners. I started off with a 20g, and it's easy. Yes, things can sway easily, but theProblems aren't really hard to fix, you can easily do a 50% water change, and get rid of anything quickly. You couldn't do so in a 75 gallon. You won't have to worry about dosing. The sizes are great. Sure, they can be expensive, but so is everything else in this hobby. I will never do a tank that isn't a nano. They are by far my favorite. The 20g long model is excellent. It leaves plenty of room for the fish to swim, and it's easy to get light to the bottom for corals.

 

[dmolavi]

I disagree, everyone is entitled to their opinion and what they think May or may not be common

You have a number of posts trying to sway people away from nanos:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/search.php?searchid=6191548&pp=25

And your opinion is just that, your opinion, and yes, you are entitled to it. However, in a hobby such as this, it's bad mojo to tell folks that may be on the edge about starting a tank to begin with that the tank they want to start is "bad".

Instead of being critical w.r.t. the tank size, state the facts, which will still make your point, but without coming across as being negative or "scary" to the folks that may be new to the hobby:

1. Parameters can swing more easily in a small tank. Keep up with the water changes and you won't have a problem.
2. Yes, you are limited to what fish and how many you can keep, but that keeps the initial cost down. There are still plenty of fun, pretty, and interesting fish that can be kept in a nano. Some folks may not want fish, maybe just a 5g pico coral only. Others may want FOWLR, where the params can swing a little bit.

These two things are your common points that you've made in multiple posts but without saying "discourage" and "highly limited" or "Nice tank for being so little" (which sounds incredibly derogatory to me).

This hobby has enough detractors out there. Encourage, don't discourage. It's good for the hobby, good for the rest of us in the hobby, and (assuming aquacultured livestock) good for the environment.

So, to the OP:
If you want a 20 long, go for it. It's a great size to start. Check out this one:
August 2013: Evansimp 20 gal & 40 gal Reef - Aquarium Advice
Whether he knows it or not, Evan was my inspiration to get a 20 and start my first tank. His TOTM was well deserved.

 

[rpgmomma8404]

I highly discourage anyone new to salt water tanks to get anything under 75gal and if space is limited a bio cube is the direction I would say would be a safe bet

We have the space. Placement is just the problem at this point and money. I'm sure I could find a decent price 75 gallon on craigslist but everything else for saltwater tank might be more difficult to come by without going over my budget.