Come On, Is It That Hard? I Want To Try My Hand At Sw With A 20gal

[Ahmad_S]

Well guys, lately I have been reading a lot of articles about salt water tanks, many people talk about how expensive it is to manage and everything, but from what I've calculated, it doesn't seem THAT bad. Here is the procedure I think I could use in a saltwater build.

I am going off mostly what i learned at reef central.

Start off with my 20 gallon tank, cleaned and sterilized and perfect.



- Add reverse-osmosis water and then salt to 1.024ppm
- Add heater and set to 75F
- Add 4" of sand and let sit for 2 days.
- Add base quality live rock and a couple dead shrimps
- Once nitrites start to drop, add more base quality live rock
- Once nitrites and ammonia go down, add good quality live rock.
- Wait a month then add a small fish.

All the while having a thermometer, buffer, calcium, a strong light, and an all around water pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and everything like that tester




There is definitely some things i am totally wrong about because I am just a beginner, but i feel like i can't be THAT far off.

Another thing, i don't think it should cost that much should it? It'll cost be about $150 worth of equipment since i already have a tank and thermometer and the cost of fish, what do you guys say?



Thank you, I appreciate it.

 

[WayneVT08]

Well you're gonna need a skimmer, and about 20 lbs of rock. The skimmer can get pretty pricey at around $250 for a good one. Need T-5 VHO lights of MH's, would help to have a sump, and you're going to need powerheads probably just one for your tank size, so maybe it'll be quite a bit more pricey than you expected. Probably around 500 dollars for a decent set-up.

 

[Danno]

75 degrees is a bit to low. I would go up in the area of 78-81.

Will this tank be a Reef or FOWLR?

Just a heads up, you will be spending a LOT more then 150 dollars. A light for a 24" to 30" tank will be around 80 dollars. Two Maxijets or one Koralia-like powerhead will be around 35 dollars. The base rock will be around 80 dollars. Calcium and buffers will add up to 20 dollars. A liquid Test kit will be around 20 dollars. Saltwater fish, invertabrates will cost around 50 to ** amount of dollars. Corals...heh....there goes your budget (if you are getting them)

At that you are running around 380 at the cheapest.

 

[Musho3210]

You dont need a skimmer and a nano skimmer will be around 130-170 dollars. Check out my 20 gallon reef log to see what i got and maybe you could get a small idea.

If its not a reef tank you dont need T5 HO or MH

The total cost is going to be way more than 150, all i can say is that.

 

[Filmoholic]

Just the initial start cost the most. after that its a breeze. And after each day you look at your tank and you know its worth it! its a great pay off.best of luck.

 

[Ahmad_S]

Well, I am planning on a FOWLR because I am not planning on buying any expensive corals, but i was under the impression corals can come from live rock, i guess i can really cut the costs if i don't buy an expensive light and just not have corals right?


i can buy an AquaC Remora w/ Maxi-Jet 1200 Pump for $190, that takes care of the powerhead and the skimmer right? do i need to have a high quality skimmer for my tank? how important is a skimmer really? i heard some people don't use skimmers. I don't want to be ignorant and cheap, but i also don't want to be on the street.

i know it can't be $150 anymore, thats for sure, but i have a decent bit of money and although i don't want to go broke, i am willing to spread out my budget

 

[Lynden]

There is plenty of ways to save money in this situation, such as by using an air driven protein skimmer that can cost as little as $30 and that may actually be more efficient than a motor driven unit (because of the increased contact time). Since the tank will be shallow, MH is not only superfluous, it is discouraged by several authors (such as Bob Fenner). Depending on your tank design, you may not 'need' much live rock, or at all if you so choose (such as for a tank with jawfish; use live sand in the absence of live rock).

So really, even if your budget is real tight, you may still be able to pull this off.

...and no, it's not hard.

-Lynden

 

[norite]

Welcome to the saltie side!

It's generally recommended to add all the live rock (LR) into your tank in one go, if you can afford to buy it all in one go - then it will all cure together. Adding LR in stages is fine, but be aware that each time you do, you will cause ammonia & nitrite spikes, (unless the LR is already fully cured stuff...)and cycling will take a little longer, so don't add any critters until after you've added all the LR you need, and your ammonia & nitrites are at zero.
Also, think about adding clean up crew (cuc) after the tank has cycled and before you get fish -

It seems like you have two of the best qualities here: patience and the willingness to read/research - these will take you far!

 

[SkiFletch]

So you want to do an affordable FOWLR? No problem

- No skimmer is required, water changes are cheaper
- Invest in an RO unit for convenience and long-term savings
- Mix your salt, choose a lower sg like 1.021-1.023 since there won't be corals
- Always always always aquasape rocks on the bottom glass of the tank for a stable base. If you scape on the sand bed, rocks will shift and settle and possibly lead to a collapse longterm. Support the glass with a foam pad underneath if its non-tempered. If tempered (although few 20g's are) no pad required
- Get some decent waterflow in there, maybe a Hydor Koralia 1
- Setup your heater, and perhaps use a small powerfilter of some kind for Carbon and phosphate removers