Think about starting a saltwater aquarium. What do i need?

[SquiddyBoi]

I want it to be about 20 gallons, and i like coral. I know absolutely nothing about saltwater, so please educate me.

 

[Sniperhank]

Well, we are really opening things wide on that. There are many different types of corals, all with different light requirements. Many are photosynthetic, some are not. I'd suggest looking at liveaquaria.com and figure out what it is you like so we can guide you in that direction.

 

[SquiddyBoi]

I like these

 

[bribo12]

The orange tree and red finger are non-photosynthetic and extremely difficult to keep. The other gorg and gramma are easy though.

 

[Sniperhank]

What bribo said is completely accurate. I'd suggest sticking with photosynthetic corals. The soft corals and gorgorians are lower light corals and won't require extremely intense lighting.

 

[SquiddyBoi]

Ok well its a 20 gallon so what equipment do i need, also the daily/weekly/monthly husbandry?

Oh yea, is it possible to a type of clown fish?

 

[Sniperhank]

You'll want to do weekly water changes of at least 10%. A pair of clowns would do fine in the system.
In saltwater, the rock and sand are the main sources of filtration. You'll want 1 lbs of rock and 1 lbs of sand per gallon. You'll need powerheads to move water in the system, around 30x turnover of the water column.

 

[SquiddyBoi]

Skimmers? And other junk? What kind of filters?? I most definitely want to over filter it.

 

[Sniperhank]

You can put a skimmer on it, but in small tanks you can simply do larger water changes to address any issues in the water column.
I'm a big fan of running sump systems so you can put all your equipment in them personally. That way you can put your skimmer in there. I like algae turf scrubbers. Lots of filtration concepts.

 

[SquiddyBoi]

Noob question: whats a sump lol

Correction: i know what it is, im just not sure of its significance/ uses. And how do i make/ get one

 

[Sniperhank]

It adds more water volume to your system. More water makes any issues that arise have less impact. The solution is dilution.
It then allows you to put all of your equipment somewhere out of the display.
I made one for my 55 reef out of a 20 gallon long tank I bought at a dollar a gallon sale. You can also buy them already made.

 

[SquiddyBoi]

Oh ok. So basically, you wont ever see the filter or anything like that because itll all be in your sump, which will be hidden. Makes sense.

 

[Sniperhank]

Yep. Pretty basic stuff. That opens up the ability for you to choose the filtration you will need as your system matures. Not everyone will need to run a canister filter with GFO for phosphates, so it becomes hard to recommend exactly what one would need for every system. Tie that in with there being several methods of nutrient export...like a refugium or an algae turf scrubber. Both do the exact same job, just in a different way.

 

[54seaweed]

Noob question: whats a sump lol

this should answer all the questions about a sump
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sumps, Part I by Greg Taylor

since your just starting out do a lot of reading so you get a little bit of understanding of what is involved , and yes ask lots of questions ,

 

[SquiddyBoi]

this should answer all the questions about a sump
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sumps, Part I by Greg Taylor

since your just starting out do a lot of reading so you get a little bit of understanding of what is involved , and yes ask lots of questions ,

Extremely helpful, thanks!