New 20 gal reef

[bribo12]

I would get a 425 and a 240. That's what I had on my 20 and it worked great. Then I upgraded to an mp10 and haven't looked back lol

[jjh302]

Ok so here is what I picked up.

2 240gph korilia ph
Korilia smart wave controller
23 pounds dry rock
4 pounds live rock.
20lb bag white marine sand
5lb bag white freshwater sand(hope it's ok to use)
Aquaclear 70 power filter
1 jar chemi-Pure elite

Ordering 1 full spectrum led panel(Tao type)

Anything else that would make life easier? I already have the heater.

[carey]

Refractometer to test salinity:

Amazon.com: Salinity Refractometer, Aquarium & Seawater - Dual Scale (1.0 to 1.070 S.G.) by Agriculture Solutions: Pet Supplies

[BigRedsReefs10]

If you have an api fw test kit you can use that for your cycle, but for a reef you'll want to invest in some other tests. Calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and phosphate, I wouldn't recommend the api tests for these as they can be inaccurate.

[jjh302]

I have a refractometer already and a full assortment of API test kits. I have a 92 gallon corner reef.

[BigRedsReefs10]

Than is say your good to go

[jjh302]

I'm driving at this moment but I have a few more questions. I'll be back shortly. Lol

[jjh302]

Ok so now the big decision...blue/white LEDs or full spectrum?? The only thing I'm not a big fan of is the 90 degree optics. Was really lookin for the 120 degree.

Question: I bought a 4 lb piece of live rock last night. It is wrapped in wet newspaper and sealed in a plastic bag. Will it be ok until tonight when I get water in the tank? Do I rinse it before I put it in the tank or does that wash the good stuff out of it?

[Supergummy]

I have no clue on the rock.

[Supergummy]

I like LEDS, they look more natural to me.

[Chief910]

Don't wash the live rock throw it in the salt water as soon as you water/salt mix is right

[BigRedsReefs10]

Originally Posted by jjh302

Ok so now the big decision...blue/white LEDs or full spectrum?? The only thing I'm not a big fan of is the 90 degree optics. Was really lookin for the 120 degree.

Question: I bought a 4 lb piece of live rock last night. It is wrapped in wet newspaper and sealed in a plastic bag. Will it be ok until tonight when I get water in the tank? Do I rinse it before I put it in the tank or does that wash the good stuff out of it?

The light is really up to your personal preference. The full spectrums produce a more purple color than the blue and whites, but they grow coral equally well. I don't think the Taos allow you to switch out optics, but if you go with hhe reefbreeders value fixture (it's like $50 more than the Taos) they will swap out the optics for you, it will also come with a 2 year warranty (not sure if the Taos provide this). For the rock, the longer it is out of water, the less "life" that will be left on it. That's not going to hurt anything though, and don't rinse it unless it's in sw, or you want to remove any potential pests you could do a fw dip on it.

[jjh302]

Now when you say fw dip, how long do I put it in fw for?

[jjh302]

Originally Posted by bribo12

I would get a 425 and a 240. That's what I had on my 20 and it worked great. Then I upgraded to an mp10 and haven't looked back lol

I bought two korilia 240gph, korilia smart wave controller, and an aquaclear 70 power filter. Will that be enough flow?

[Macscale]

Yeah, the Tao panels are just personal preference.

Flow sounds good. My 20g High was my first tank that I did alone, It's awesome. A ton of fun, and it's not very hard to maintain either.

[jjh302]

Originally Posted by Macscale

Yeah, the Tao panels are just personal preference.

Flow sounds good. My 20g High was my first tank that I did alone, It's awesome. A ton of fun, and it's not very hard to maintain either.

I ended up buying the blue/white for $112. The only thing I wish I could change is the 90 degree optics to 120 degrees.

Mine is also a 20 tall.

[BigRedsReefs10]

The 90s will probably work better for a 20 high honestly, they provide a little extra penetration

[Macscale]

Yeah, I ordered mine for $100 on Saturday. I like the blue/whites better.

Just gonna tell you: You just got ripped off. The panels are normally $100 they were trying to get a couple of high sales from people who don't watch the prices.

[jjh302]

Originally Posted by Macscale

Yeah, I ordered mine for $100 on Saturday. I like the blue/whites better.

Just gonna tell you: You just got ripped off. The panels are normally $100 they were trying to get a couple of high sales from people who don't watch the prices.

On the contrary... The one I was going to buy was 106 then at the last minute they got jacked up to 210. So I shopped around for a week and finally found this one that is dimable with two Seperate power cords. It was the only one I could find under 150 bucks

Did you get free shipping?

[bribo12]

Man all these Tao lighting posts...I'm feeling left out haha jk sounds like the tank is coming along