20 Gallon Reef- updated 12/11/2007

[WaterPond]

I've always talked about getting a saltwater tank... I have talked my parents into it numerous times. I asked for one for my birthday and then christmas, and then i do the research to figure out how much it will cost, and they say "NO WAY!"

Well, i got a job at a grocery store in my town, and i just sold a guitar for about $350 so i have about $550 to work with. I also have a 20gallon laying around downstairs so today i gave it a good cleaning. I filled it up today. I am buying salt and powerheads tomorrow. I have an aquaclear 50 which im going to make a mini fuge out of.

I will later buy the live rock and the sand after adding the salt. Is that ok to do that?

Here is my list of stuff i am going to get:
-130w CF lighting
-visitherm heater
2- aquaclear 50 powerheads
-aragonate sand
-7-lbs of live rock
-13 lbs of base rock
-AP reef master test kit
-hydrometer
-salt

And a few more things...

I want a reef obviously.

I will have more questions later. Just check over what i have written so far and see if everything sounds good (if i cheaped out on things... its because i cant afford the good version)

 

[lando]

that looks like a good start. My only suggestion would be to add the sand and the SW at the same time. For the first fill, it might be a good idea to buy pre-mixed SW from the LFS to make things easier. Adding them together will allow the sand to settle and the water to clear at the same time. You may also want to up your target for LR. At 20lbs total you are at a minimum for biological filtration. Another 10-20lbs would be ideal, but it does not need to be added all at once. You can add CURED LR or even BR down the road as you need to.

Be careful with hydrometer. Make sure the LFS tests it against a refractometer so you know if and how far it is off. They are notrorious for being inaccurate. Try to work in a refractometer in the budget down the road. You can find them about $50 online and they are well worth the money. However, starting a tank can be expensive enough in the begining so the hydrometer will be one area you can cut some cost. Welcome to the addiction that is SW.

BTW...I had a job as a bag-boy/carry-out at a local grocery store for a couple of years in high school. It was a blast and a great first job to have.

 

[WaterPond]

BTW...I had a job as a bag-boy/carry-out at a local grocery store for a couple of years in high school. It was a blast and a great first job to have.

I actually got a job so i could afford more tanks... but i have dreamed of having a SW tank for quite a while. It will probably take all my money from a whole summer of working... but im so willing to give that up. Money can't give me enjoyment, but fish can.

Ok, so should i get like 5 pounds of LR and 25lbs of base rock, is that at all possible or do i need more live rock to seed the others?

I will save up for a refractometer.

Will 65w be enough to grow like mushrooms and corals like kenya tree and polyps?

 

[lando]

I actually got a job so i could afford more tanks... but i have dreamed of having a SW tank for quite a while. It will probably take all my money from a whole summer of working... but im so willing to give that up. Money can't give me enjoyment, but fish can.

Good for you...it is nice to be self-supporting. Don't forget to save some for that every-popular "rainy day"...or better yet...college.

Will 65w be enough to grow like mushrooms and corals like kenya tree and polyps?

Using the very poor "watts/gal" rule you should be able to sustain most softies and some LPS corals. However, it really depends on the dimensions of the tank. The lighting system for a reef is one of the most expensive elements so you only want to do it once. I STRONGLY suggest going with the 130watt fixture. This will give you more light and one bulb for actinic and one for the 10K daylight. Do you have a link to the light fixture youare interested in?

 

[Innovator]

If you can swing it, I would invest in the AC 110. It is more "fuge-friendly" and will alleviate the need for powerheads. As per heaters, I like Visitherm, but prefer Tronic. Two 50w would be plenty and can be fitted into the AC 110. As lando stated, a refractometer would be in your best interest. Test kits are a luxury not necessarily needed right off the bat. Most lfs' will perform basic tests free of charge. I also agree with the 130w as this will allow for most, if not all: lps, softies, and possibly some low-light sps. All of this can be found second hand, in good working conditions, and much cheaper through "ads" and "buy/sell" sections of various forums

 

[WaterPond]

I have an aquaclear 70 and a "Marineland Emperor Bio-Wheel 400 Power Filter"

If i use the 70 on it could i use that as a fuge and then maybe only get one powerhead. That would save me soooo much money.

This way i can afford some good lighting other than the crappy jebo(or whatever it is called now) lighting.

I will have a look around.

 

[roka64]

Welcome to the saltie side! I agree, get the refractometer. The other advice is great.

 

[WaterPond]

Woooh!!!!
today i bought salt, and powerhead (an aquaclear 70) a visitherm heater, and salt. I also bought my first peice of live rock. I am ordering sand, a skimmer, and lighting tonight. It should be all together soon. This is seriously one of the most exciting things i have ever done!(what a lame life, huh?).

The rock is 3.5 pounds, there is another rock i am going back for, and then i will get some base rock.

Heres a pic:

the powerhead is 400gph and the filter is 300 gph. Am i good for flow?

 

[20 20]

This is seriously one of the most exciting things i have ever done!(what a lame life, huh?).

Not in the least. Never lose that excitement at experiancing new things, not matter how trivial they may seem, and no matter how young or old you are. Getting excited like that is one of the great pleasures of life, so, yea, be excited!

 

[severum mama]

Jason, you're really off to a good start, and congrats on the new job! I think you are good for flow. If you want to see a fellow freshie's perspective on this reefin' thing, the links are in my sig!

I'd add some aragonite sand soon, unless you are planning on going bare-bottom. Also, I would highly recommend buying a refractometer asap. You don't realize quite how inaccurate the hydrometers are until you get a refracto. This is one of the most important purchases I've made so far, I actually bought this before I purchased any corals and I was surprised at what a waste of money my hydrometer was! I hear Ebay has some good deals, and the good Drs. do as well.

I'm doing a 15 nano now after REALLY enjoying my 2.5 pico reef.... I guess our nano journals will have a lot in common (my tank recently cycled)! Keep up the good work and good luck with your new job.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Nice work, Jason!

I just had to add one thing.

Everytime I read the title of your thread, it reminds me of that Geico commercial with the movie announcer and the lady.

"This time, it's for real"

 

[Marconis]

Nice tank

 

[WaterPond]

Also, I would highly recommend buying a refractometer asap. You don't realize quite how inaccurate the hydrometers are until you get a refracto. This is one of the most important purchases I've made so far, I actually bought this before I purchased any corals and I was surprised at what a waste of money my hydrometer was! I hear Ebay has some good deals, and the good Drs. do as well.

The thing is, stuff i buy on the internet has to run by my parents. Im making a $170 purchase today for lights and a skimmer. I spent quite i bit yesterday and today im getting aragonite. I don;t know if they would let me get one jest yet. I will probably invest in one before i get fish and corals.

It turns out that the 50gallon i bought a while back (my 50gal planted) used to be a cichlid tank, and it came with a few peices of base rock, which i added last night. Still have alot more to get

Mama, i've been following your threads, both your tanks look amazing.

I rearranged the tank a bit so the powerhead doesnt look so gigantic anymore. My hydrometer says my SG is 1.023. The hydrometer was only like ten bucks so not a huge loss in money.

Fow some reason in that pic my water looks disgusting. It looks all yellow. Maybe its just because it was lit by an incandecent light so i could take the pic?

its actually quite clear. I just wish i could have gotten the few specs of silica sand left in, out. More pic to come once i get aragonite. I might get a little bit more base rock today too.

P.S. Lindsay, i've never seen that commercial. Thats suprising, we get tons of geico commercials here. :? I will probably change it so people can see more what this post reflects.

 

[blazeyreef]

OH how exciting! Congrats on going saltie! I agree about the refract. I bought a hydrometer and hate it...I am saving for a refractometer.
Cant wait to see how this turns out!

 

[Devilishturtles]

Jason, a warning with the rocks from the cichlid tank.

Make sure no additives have ever been used in the tank with the rocks in it, especially anything copper based. These things aren't good with sw tanks, especially inverts. If you are sure there aren't any issues with the rocks, I'd still run some fresh activated carbon for a while if you can, just to be safe.

Also, see if your LFS carries lace rock and see if the shape interests you. Lace rock is cheap, and great for SW tanks beacuse it's usually porous and holey.

HTH

Oh, and here is the commercial. Hehehe

 

[WaterPond]

Too late Lindsay.

I did add the rocks from the cichlid tank, i didn;t even think about that. I will run carbon on there for a while until i get fish.

I added caribsea aragonate sand. About 25lbs of it (out of a 30lbs bag)

I bought some more live and base rock too. I now have about 9lbs of live rock and 13lbs of base rock. Should i get more base rock, or should i get more live rock? Or am i fine where i stand? I also have about 4 pounds of live rock/base rock rubble. About the same amount of live and base mixed together inside my aquaclear.

Im saving up for a refractometer... the hydrometer is going to have to do for a little while because i didn't include a refractometer in my budget. I will be totally out of money once the visa bill comes. I will have to wait until next paycheck. I wont add fish until i get a refractometer.

Scott (roka64) will be happy to hear this. When i was buying some sand at my one LFS they guy said to me "i'll throw in two black mollies to cycle your tanks for you". I said, "Nah, the fishless cycle is the way to go."

I will take pics ones the dust from the sand settles.

I didnt see anything called lace rock. I am very happy with the rocks i got though, lots of creveces and all the pieces have character to them. Im very happy with the peices of live rock i got. I cant wait to get pics up.

Im going to se shrimp for the cycle. Do i just put it in and let it rot, is it that simple, or do i have to do water changes along with it?

Heres an embarssing confession, i have never really done a full cycle, i have always cheated (on my FW tanks) by seeding it. This itme i will have to do it well. Can someone give me a step by step rundown of what to do, when to test, and when to do waterchanges?

oh, and Lindsay, thats a funny commercial. Can;t beleive i havnt seen it before, we have similar ones, not quite the same though.

Thanks for all the help so far everyone, i appreciate it so much!

 

[blazeyreef]

Hey jason I LOVE lace rock! I have about 10-15 lbs of it in my 29. After about 2-3 months it darkens up and you cant tell that it isnt live rock, and then it starts to grow coraline .

 

[Devilishturtles]

Cool.

About the liverock, see how it's working in your tank. If you want some more get some more. If it looks like enough and is pleasing to the eye, then don't add more. Sometimes less is more.

With the shrimp, just toss it in and let it rot. Someone on here (sorry, I forget who!) had the great idea of typing the shrimp up in a nylon so that the pieces don't blow around the tank as it decomposes.

As far as testing, I'd test maybe 2 days after you add the shrimp to see if you are seeing any ammonia yet. When you start seeing ammonia drop, then test for nitrites, then for nitrates when those numbers drop, just like in a FW cycle. Generally I'd say the cycle will last anywhere from 2-6 weeks, depending, though I think 3-4 is a better estimate, especially since you already added your liverock. Don't do a water change until the cycle is completed. In a sw tank you want nitrates as low as possible, so preferably under 10-15 and, contrary to freshwater tanks, 0 ppm nitrate is optimal and can be reached. After that, I'd do a water change every week for a while, then you can drop off as your tank settles. I do a water change on my 45 gallon about once a month, but with a smaller tank you may have to do them more frequently.

Of course, it will never hurt to repeat that you will always top off with freshwater and should mix up saltwater in advance, preferably 12-24 hours with good flow and a heater.

I wouldn't worry about testing alk, pH or calcium until your cycle is completed. The numbers won't read correctly anyways.

HTH and I can't wait to see pictures!!

 

[blazeyreef]

with the comment on water changes. I like to do them weekly in my tank just because. For one it makes me feel better LOL. I would do a water change every two weeks at the least, but personally I would do once a week.

 

[WaterPond]

ok, i do water chnages on my FW tanks twice a week, i will probably do them on this tank every two weeks or every week. Might just depend on how busy i am.

The cycle sounds easier than i thought, thanks Lindsay.

I took a pic of my cloudy tanks (after adding sand) it looks nasty and is brownish in colour, why is that? Does this look normal to you? or should i take out the sand and rinse it again?