smaller tank sw lighting

[madisonrose05]

hello all
this is my first post
i have been trying to find info on lighting but to much information
and i cant relate it to what i have for a tank
so
i have a smaller 20 gallon tank i would like to have some
soft corals in, or i would like to have some anomies for a pair of clown fish
im am actually not super sure what i want to have in the tank basically
because i need to find out what kind of lighting will be needed for keeping
soft corals and if there will be a difference in keepin gjust a small amount
or filling up the tank with different corals and things
anyhelp would be great
thanks
kev

 

[tecwzrd]

Welcome to AA

If your tanks a standard 30" long then a Current USA 30" Orbit would be fine for medium light corals.

For high light corals a Current USA 30" HQI or Coralife 150W HQI Pendant would be good options.

Anemones require very stable tanks with excellent water parameters and usually you shouldn't add one for at least 8+ months to give your tank time to fully stabilize. It's going to be even harder to keep your water parameters pristine in a smaller tank. I'd consider getting a 30+ gal tank to start with if cost isn't an issue.

Most beginners coral can be added after 3+ months.

Clowns do not need anemones to be happy by the way. (especially tank raised clowns)

Make sure you research each coral carefully for their needs and compatibility with each other.

If you’re new to keeping a SW tank then checkout my "Stock list and tips for maintaining your SW tank" post that has all the equipment listed that you will need and maintenance tips to help you enjoy your SW tank. It's a long read but will help answer all the basic questions.

If looking for cheap live rock checkout intmarinefish.com or exoticfish.com which has lr for as little as $3-$4 per lb shipped.

Couple of more places with quality lr:
www.liverocknreef.com
www.liveaquaria.com
www.tampabaysaltwater.com

For base rock checkout Marco's base rock. You can buy mostly base rock and seed with 30%-50% live rock and it will all look "live" within a year or so and be biologically live (house bacteria) within a couple of months.

Although considering it's such a small tank then I'd only buy live rock personally.

Please ask lots of questions as you go along, we aren't here to sell you anything and can help point you in the right directions.

 

[roka64]

WELCOME TO AA!!

Please do not cycle your tank with live animals.

I agree with everything said above. Good luck and keep asking questions and keep us updated!