Conversion to marine

[Andrew G]

I have some experience with fresh water and would like to make the move to a marine tank. (These fish look fantastic). I have an extra 20 gal (high) that would be used for this purpose. What steps should I take, and what should I be aware of to make this transition successful? Also, what special equipment do I need?
Thanks for your advice.

 

[Tiggs]

i have just done this and the difference in cost and time is MASSIVE.

i ran a large planted tank with all the gear....i thought it was expensive ............until i priced up some live rock for my marine tank at £500...FOR ROCK!

Also, a 20g tank will be hard to keep stable so what you save in expense you make up for in time!

Go for it...but EYES OPEN!

 

[Chac]

I take it you mean 20g (US)

If so this would cause you a lot of headaches due to the fluctuations that water evap, temp, sg would cause

I would defo look into something bigger for a 1st marine tank

I am not saying that these are impossible but it would be difficult to maintain in peak condition & IMO if the the FISH/LIVESTOCK are the main priorty here

 

[steelhealr]

All the posts above are correct. You CAN setup a 20G (mine is a 24G), but that makes it a nano reef and it IS a lot of work. It can be quite unforgiving if you make a lot of mistakes, overstock, fail to check into fish and coral compatibilities...or...maybe just say read and research first.

A 20G high is OK..makes for more difficult aquascaping tho and the height could add issues of oxygenation/dead areas on the bottom. Considering that a small tank isn't the most expensive piece of equipment, I think a 20G long is better. Overall, many issues that apply to FW also apply to marine. The smaller the tank, the less margin of error...and..trust me....error in a marine tank is quite unforgiving. Let us know what you choose to do. Welcome aboard. SH