Khuligirl's 20 long nano reef build

[54seaweed]

as for your heater i would mount it parallel to the sand bed about 4 inch from bottom in center of tank

1. hide behind rocks so you dont have to look at it
2. covers more surface area of tank for more stable water temp

i would place 1 power head on side glass towards the rear
and the other on opposite side glass towards the front
once there in you can adjust them to what works this will help give full circulation

if you go the 2 island method you can always get a flat rock to make a bridge for more surface area for coral
heres a pict of one of my old 40g tank to give you a idea about the bridge
as you prob can tell im a macro junkie its a good filler and cheaper till you have enough money for coral and looks good , start ups arent cheap
take your time and have fun
good luck with your build
if you need help feel free to ask

[Khuligirl93]

Originally Posted by 54seaweed

as for your heater i would mount it parallel to the sand bed about 4 inch from bottom in center of tank

1. hide behind rocks so you dont have to look at it
2. covers more surface area of tank for more stable water temp

i would place 1 power head on side glass towards the rear
and the other on opposite side glass towards the front
once there in you can adjust them to what works this will help give full circulation

if you go the 2 island method you can always get a flat rock to make a bridge for more surface area for coral
heres a pict of one of my old 40g tank to give you a idea about the bridge
as you prob can tell im a macro junkie its a good filler and cheaper till you have enough money for coral and looks good , start ups arent cheap
take your time and have fun
good luck with your build
if you need help feel free to ask

Ok thanks for the input! Is the way I have the power heads not correct? I thought I already had them exactly like that..? I posted a picture from above on page 2.

And I should submerge the heater even though it has a "maximum water level" line?

Well I just threw away all the macro algae I had last night because no one was answering my questions about it and it was starting to smell rotten in the bag.


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[54seaweed]

yes i didnt catch them with the birds eye view
you have them right that will help circulation for the length of the tank
once you get your rock you can adjust them to your liking
your just moving along and doing a great job

[Fresh2o]

What brand is the heater? Looks like a Fluval submersible (mirror finish, pale blue indicator light). If so, it will have a wavy water line mark. I have and wondered the same thing. Googled it and found that it is completely submersible.


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[Khuligirl93]

Originally Posted by 54seaweed

yes i didnt catch them with the birds eye view
you have them right that will help circulation for the length of the tank
once you get your rock you can adjust them to your liking
your just moving along and doing a great job

Thank you
And yes it is a fluval heater, awesome
Anyone know how long it takes for ammonia to show up after adding a raw shrimp? Water at ~80 degrees.

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[Oscarr19]

If it is the M series fluval heater, it is fully submersible. Most submersible heaters have the min and max lines. My Marina has the same and has been fully submersed in my system for well over a year with no issues.

[54seaweed]

Originally Posted by Khuligirl93

Thank you
And yes it is a fluval heater, but it has max and min water level lines.


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they do make them i got 3 of them and i thought they all could be mounted either way guess i was wrong , read the paper in the box maybe it will say if it can or cant
the ones that can be mounted sideways heat more evenly and are easier to hide

i had a upright heater in my 90g when i started the tank , i put it in corner 1 side of the tank was always 78* other side was 73* thats why i like the sideways mounted ones

[Khuligirl93]

Ok good to know, I'll turn it next time I have time and don't have lotion on my hands haha.
I'm enjoying finding the first signs of life in my tank I've spotted what looks like a tiny limpet, a baby nessarius snail, and something red and cylindrical sticking out of my rock that's about 1 cm tall.


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[Khuligirl93]

So I know I can't add fish for a few weeks at least, but I'm starting to brainstorm ideas. What do you guys think?
-CUC and corals of course
-linkia starfish?
-carpenters flasher wrasse
-pair of clowns
-shrimp/goby pair

Do these sound compatible and suitable for my tank size? And what's generally the best order to add them? I've heard a lot of times to add the CUC first, but that doesn't make sense to me because if the tank is new there won't be any food for them..?


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[Oscarr19]

All seem good except the wrasse and linckia. The linckia grow to be 1 foot and the wrasse needs more swimming space. If you want a wrasse you can get a six line.

The reason the CUC is added first is to help clean up any algae that has grown during the cycle. Fish wise, depending on if you go with a six line or not, the clowns will be the most territorial and should be added last.

[Khuligirl93]

Ok thanks! We have baby ones at work I guess, didn't realize they got so big.
Really? I thought they only grow to be 3 inches?
I'm not really interested in a 6 line since I've seen them be aggressive and tear inverts to shreds.
What about a purple fire fish or a blenny instead?
I also like green clown gobys and neon cleaner gobys, but both those are teeny tiny.
Oh! And a feather duster

What do you guys think about this build your own CUC on live aquaria for $75? Worth it for a 20g? I like their selection
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/b...n_kit.cfm?id=1
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[Oscarr19]

Yeah, linckia's rarely do well in the home aquarium and need an established aquarium.

The wrasse, although small, is an active swimmer and needs the space to swim around. I don't have any experience with them so I'm going with what I've read but it makes sense. IME I've seen six lines that are pretty docile so it depends on the individual fish. If you're set on a wrasse you can look into a possum wrasse.

The Firefish or clown goby are good choices as well just make sure you've got a good lid. My previous Firefish made it through 1/2" egg crate. They are very good jumpers.

Finally, a 75$ CUC for a 20g is way overkill. You only need a few snails and some hermits IMO. Nassarius, cerith, margarita, and astrea snails are among the best.

[Un5tab1e]

I'll let u know when I get my package Friday. Reefs2go has buy one get one free. Got my CUC and 2 zoa frags for under 50

[Khuligirl93]

Originally Posted by Oscarr19

Yeah, linckia's rarely do well in the home aquarium and need an established aquarium.

The wrasse, although small, is an active swimmer and needs the space to swim around. I don't have any experience with them so I'm going with what I've read but it makes sense. IME I've seen six lines that are pretty docile so it depends on the individual fish. If you're set on a wrasse you can look into a possum wrasse.

The Firefish or clown goby are good choices as well just make sure you've got a good lid. My previous Firefish made it through 1/2" egg crate. They are very good jumpers.

Finally, a 75$ CUC for a 20g is way overkill. You only need a few snails and some hermits IMO. Nassarius, cerith, margarita, and astrea snails are among the best.

That's disappointing, but I'll trust you. I was actually just reading about the possum wrasse, but apparently they hide a lot and don't come out often. Doesn't seem like there are many options for a bold but peaceful fish that is a mid-level swimmer and has bright colors. Sooo many options of gobies, but I want something to swim in the middle level besides clowns. Not a fan of pseudochromis.
Oh do I ever have a good lid that thing is not letting any fish through. Not unless they can flatten themselves and slide through a 1mm gap or jump up the filter outflow.
Ah ok, I'll just get those at work then. I love the bumble bee snails though, are they good cleaners?


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[bribo12]

Royal grammas are great fish and once comfortable are pretty bold.


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[Un5tab1e]

He's semi aggressive but, the only time you don't see my yellow tail damsel is when lights are out.

[Khuligirl93]

I thought royal grammas were pseudochromis?

Ammonia or no ammonia? I hate how the SW ammonia 0 is lime green lol. Always throws me off.
Test results 24 hrs after adding shrimp:
http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/...psglygngh7.jpg
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[bribo12]

No they're a basslet. Much much different. You may be thinking of the bicolor pseudochromis which is a jerk and has similar colors to a royal gramma


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[Khuligirl93]

Oooh yep that is what I was thinking of. Those are a nice looking fish


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[Oscarr19]

I've has bumblebee snails and they did nothing. They are also known to eat other snails.

Have you looked into cardinals?