New to SW re-purposed 25 gal FW tank!

[shady3210]

I'm a long time FW owner that is thinking of making a jump into the SW world. I have a 25 gallon tank that I am thinking of making the jump with but am still a bit confused.

A little history on the tank it was originally a pretty heavily planted community tank and the current hood houses a 55w CF unit putting it at abou 2.2 WPG. I could actually add another 55w CF to it but would prefer not to(would require another hood). I am hoping this is enough for a few fish some inverts and coral(nothing crazy). My goal is to make a relatively simple and low maintenance reef tank. Now I know the smaller the tank the more fickle they can be and I do have a 75 gallon drilled tank that is empty but not sure I want to make the financial commitment to a project that large.

As for the questions:

Is the 25 gallon large enough to make a stable environment(I don't want to agonize over it daily after it's established, weekends were made for hobbys!)
Is the single 55w cf enough lighting for some beginner coral and what type of bulb should I use?
Do i need a protein skimmer?
I should be able to use my aquaclear 50 for a mechanical filter correct? Would prefer not using a sump/refuge if possible.
What else do I need? Powerhead hydrometer... ect

And finally stocking my 3 year old desperately wants to see nemo so I would like a pair of clown fish what else would make a good tank mate and what should I use for a clean up crew?

Sorry for all the questions but this wont be happening this week just trying to gather some information!

 

[carey]

To answer your questions!

Yes, a 25g will be fine. Just have to keep an eye on salinity a little more than you would on a larger tank due to the amount of water volume, I would definitely recommend a refractometer for that, they are about $30 one ebay.
Your aquaclear will be just fine as well, I use hang on filters fr my smaller tanks with good results. I would not worry about a skimmer with a 25g tank, BUT you will have to do your weekly water changes, watch your feeding and not overstock.
I would add 2 small powerheads, something like koralia 550's maybe or 425's.
Now onto lights. :-( You might be able to keep some soft corals with that light, is your tank a deep one? My 25g is quite tall so the taller the tank the less light that will reach the bottom. You could get a single fixture like this one

2Ft/4Bulbs fixture

Cheap and you can keep alot more corals with it.

And yep, a clown fish pair would be fine. Check out this link for some more ideas

Nano Fish

That website can give you a great idea about tank size, feeding and any other information that might be important. Great site, I use it constantly.

Hope this helps!

Good luck!

 

[shady3210]

To answer your questions!

Yes, a 25g will be fine. Just have to keep an eye on salinity a little more than you would on a larger tank due to the amount of water volume, I would definitely recommend a refractometer for that, they are about $30 one ebay.
Your aquaclear will be just fine as well, I use hang on filters fr my smaller tanks with good results. I would not worry about a skimmer with a 25g tank, BUT you will have to do your weekly water changes, watch your feeding and not overstock.
I would add 2 small powerheads, something like koralia 550's maybe or 425's.
Now onto lights. :-( You might be able to keep some soft corals with that light, is your tank a deep one? My 25g is quite tall so the taller the tank the less light that will reach the bottom. You could get a single fixture like this one

2Ft/4Bulbs fixture

Cheap and you can keep alot more corals with it.

And yep, a clown fish pair would be fine. Check out this link for some more ideas

Nano Fish

That website can give you a great idea about tank size, feeding and any other information that might be important. Great site, I use it constantly.

Hope this helps!

Good luck!

Thanks for the help! Yes my tank is deep basically it is a tall 20G. Hmm like I said I could add another 55w would just have to make a hood(I have 4 ahsupply brightlight kits). What is the general need for coral as far as light?

 

[carey]

Typically the more the better. There isn't really any formula for lighting a reef like watts per gallon. :-(

But two of those lights should make it work for alot of corals.

 

[shady3210]

Typically the more the better. There isn't really any formula for lighting a reef like watts per gallon. :-(

But two of those lights should make it work for alot of corals.

Well that's good to hear might throw together a hood. What bulbs are preferred 10000k?

 

[carey]

I happen to like a more blue tank so i go with 12000k and actinics. An even split between them. The 10k will work fine though, justr a tad too yellow for my tastes.