20 Gallon Swimming/crawling Animal Only Tank

[havefreshwatergettingsaltwater]

should i use any filtration for this setup,or is it not essentail?i am trying to make this as inexpensive as possible,so if you have a 20 gallon setup for a low price,please let me know!i cant take it immidietly,but i will gradually save up for it(that could take awhile ) this setup will have a small damsel as its only inhabitant other than some cleaner shrimp and snails.NO CORALS PERIOD.any tips for this?

 

[steelhealr]

Hi..if this is your first tank, by the question it seems that this is all new to you. Am I correct? If so, you need to do a lot of reading before setting up a 20 gallon which is a nano reef and a challenging project.

Filtration is provided by live rock and powerheads. At 20 gallons, you'll need at least 20-25lbs of live rock. Unless you can get a local good deal, the cheapest I've seen it on the internet is about $3.99/lb. There have been various posts that have documented that the lowest you can set up a 20 gallon nano reef is about $400. SH

 

[fraservet]

well since this is not a nano reef, more a nano fish-only, you should be able to do it a bit cheaper, as you will have to spend less on lights.

you will need

tank £30
light £40
powerhead or 2 £30
LR £80
heater £20
substrate £20
salt £20
RO water £10

so without livestock, you're looking at about £250 - which is a bit over $400.

Things seem to be a bit cheaper in the US, so you can probably knock a bit off, but it looks like steelhealr is spot on.

 

[havefreshwatergettingsaltwater]

i looked through a fish catalog and came up with about $300.Is this sound ok,or do you think its cheap equipment?

well since this is not a nano reef, more a nano fish-only, you should be able to do it a bit cheaper, as you will have to spend less on lights.

you will need

tank £30
light £40
powerhead or 2 £30
LR £80
heater £20
substrate £20
salt £20
RO water £10

so without livestock, you're looking at about £250 - which is a bit over $400.

Things seem to be a bit cheaper in the US, so you can probably knock a bit off, but it looks like steelhealr is spot on.

 

[fraservet]

you would have to post the specifics.
exactly what equipment are you getting for that price?

 

[havefreshwatergettingsaltwater]

powerhead,heater,live rock,sand,tank,protien skimmer,salt,test kits,buffer.do i need a master test kit if i dont have corals,since i already have some equipment i can share from my fw tank (4 test kits,dechlorinator)?also,i read that if you dont have coral,you dont need a hood and light,and that room light is fine.this isa why i dont want coral.no need for light,no need for an exspensive hood.i have some screen i can place over the tank.any objections to this?

 

[steelhealr]

Input:
1) if you are not keeping corals, you could probably do away with a protein skimmer and just manage well with 10% weekly waters changes.
2) The minimum test you would require is equitable to the Marine Master test kit by API....High range pH, nitrite, ammonia and nitrate. HOWEVER, you would need a cleanup crew and these animals need proper calcium, alkalinity and pH levels to maintain their shells. IE, you would need to add calcium and alkalinity testing.
3) Dechlorinator is unnecessary as you need to use RO/DI water...self made or purchased at your lfs.
4) The LR without light will still cycle and develop the biologic filter you want. However, you will not reap the benefits of any beneficial photosynthetic organisms that will hitchhike in on your LR and will lose the color producing coralline algae.
5) Marine fish can jump. You will need some sort of hood to prevent the tile floor mambo.
SH

 

[havefreshwatergettingsaltwater]

what is di water?distilled?ro is reverse osmosis,right?would it be more expensive to use my own or just buy it?

wow even very hardy marine fish are so picky about their water!!!! by the way,it will not have a damsel,it will have a 2-tone dottyback,or maybe another species of dottyback.

 

[steelhealr]

RO is reverse osmosis and uses a specialized filter membrane to 'screen out' unwanted minerals. DI is de-ionized. Usually the final filter is an ion exchange resin which de-ionizes. RO water is in the mid to upper 90's per cent pure. The DI part usually brings that up to 98-99%.

As for the dottyback, plan carefully as they can be aggressive little fish. These should usually be added last if you are planning on having other more peaceful fish in the tank. SH

 

[Chac]

Hi there

I used to have a 20g Nano until I was told by the Wife that 2 tanks would be enought

These are the specs

16kg - Fully Cured Live Rock
Power Compact Lights (White & Marine Blue)
Overall Flow of 33x tank Volume (660gph)
External Filter (Used for Phosphate Remover)
80g Skimmer

This tank only had a few Ricardia Mushrooms as well as a couple of Clowns & a Dwarf Angel & Inverts

You will also need a clean up crew (Snails, Crabs, Conches etc.)

And as SH says RO is a MUST, IMO using Tap Water will only give you problems

 

[bunjiweb]

Why bother having a marine tank if you cant see the beautiful colours of the fish and shrimp, and also the colour of the purple coraline algae developing on your LR.

Sounds like you need to save some cash and think it through further.

Ben

 

[havefreshwatergettingsaltwater]

changed my mind about the light actually,i will use just a normal,nothing special aquarium light.