Future Plans For A 20 Gal (h) Sw Tank

[Nevergone815]

sometime in the future (i don't know when) i plan on doing a SW tank. right now the only open tank i would have is a 20 gal high. i would like for it to be a live rock, coral, and invert with possibly a couple small fish or gobies kind of tank.


i was wondering a few things:


is this possible to begin with?

what kind of lighting would i need?

what kind of filtration would you recommend?

what kind of corals would you suggest?

what kind of inverts?

what kind of fish (if any)?

any other info would be greatly appreciated. this would be my first time in delving into the marine world and want to make sure i do it right. i understand that a 30 gal or larger is the "ideal" beginner size, but i would not have that available. thanks for any help in advance.

-joe-

 

[Redstratplayer1]

I am starting a 20 long in a month or 2 so i will be looking at thise thread

oh ya and i am going to beat ski to thise part yay. First off we need to know what kind of coral you want and that will help us help you with lighting.

Live rock is your best bet for a filter 1 ore more pounds per gallon.


Look at some of the fish on thise site .liveaquaria.


As i said i will be taging along

 

[Nevergone815]

ok i would just basically like nice hardy "beginner" fish. i don't like demsels though. i hear they are mean and you have to be careful of what you put with them and base a tank around that. besides there are only a few i think are "pretty" in color.

for fish likes- coral beauty angels, blennys, clown fish, wrasses, etc. i really only want one or 2 small fish and the rest ot be inverts and corals and such.

corals- mushrooms, polyps

inverts- snails, chocolate chip stars, other stars, anemones, hawaiian feather duster, christmas tree worm, pincushion urchin, debelius' reef lobster, hermit crabs

i mostly like inverts in the SW world an would love to have as many as possible. but i love blennys just as much. i would want my fish to stay relatively small, but large enough so that some of the inverts can't hurt it. i love the coral beauty angels and clowns. like i said before also, i would like to have eels too, so i might set up a separate tank for them. but i want a nice invert/fish/coral tank for my first time in here.

i think i covered a bunch... any suggestions off those lists?

 

[Redstratplayer1]

lighting

You should be able to keep polyps and mushroms under that light but get the dual bulb version if u can.


A 20 gallon could fit 2 clowns and a small blenny.

 

[SkiFletch]

Ah, a fellow New Yorker . What part of the state are you from? The city, or somewhere upstate like me?

A 20 high can be used to start a nano tank for sure (all tanks 30g and under are called "nano"). If you want to keep corals in that tank, I'd go with a 24" dual power compact lighting fixture. Will give you some pretty good flexibility in the future and PCs are readily available in shorter lengths in the US. Might I suggest hellolights.com for your lighting needs

As for livestock, starfish are for the most part out of the question in most tanks under 50g. Brittlestars can do ok in a nano, but most other species are a no-no

I'm also unsure about the tank requirements of a debelius' reef lobster. I know they dont get terribly large (more like an oversized crayfish) but you might need to conside ra larger habitat a few years in the future...

20g is too small for a pygmy angelfish (one of which is the coral beauty). Usually 30g minimum. Also, coral beautys and other pygmy angels can nip at certain stony corals (my old flame angel did). Blennies are some great fish. I myself am very partial to fairy wrasses, flasher wrasses, and to Pseudochromis Springeri, three great smaller fish and reef-safe. Clownfish are always a possibility including variants like skunks. Also, Dartfish (firefish) make excellent nano inhabitants

As mentioned, LR is your filtration, and powerheads turning over water in the tank make it work (and keep the water oxygenated). I'd highly advise you head over to the nano section and check out the pinned threads there. Especially those that talk about deciding to go nano and the members nano tank gallery since there are so many options

 

[Nevergone815]

Ah, a fellow New Yorker . What part of the state are you from? The city, or somewhere upstate like me?

I'm originally from orange county, near the city, but a year ago i moved way upstate near the canadian border. right now i go to school in central newyork (that belt that goes across the state from albany to like buffalo is what i consider central )

A 20 high can be used to start a nano tank for sure (all tanks 30g and under are called "nano"). If you want to keep corals in that tank, I'd go with a 24" dual power compact lighting fixture. Will give you some pretty good flexibility in the future and PCs are readily available in shorter lengths in the US. Might I suggest hellolights.com for your lighting needs

I will definately check them out when the time comes. thanks

As for livestock, starfish are for the most part out of the question in most tanks under 50g. Brittlestars can do ok in a nano, but most other species are a no-no

i was told no by someone else, wanted a varification and got one thanks

I'm also unsure about the tank requirements of a debelius' reef lobster. I know they dont get terribly large (more like an oversized crayfish) but you might need to conside ra larger habitat a few years in the future...

yea i was told by someone else this topo. thatthey would need a much larger tank. again wanted varification from another source

20g is too small for a pygmy angelfish (one of which is the coral beauty). Usually 30g minimum. Also, coral beautys and other pygmy angels can nip at certain stony corals (my old flame angel did). Blennies are some great fish. I myself am very partial to fairy wrasses, flasher wrasses, and to Pseudochromis Springeri, three great smaller fish and reef-safe. Clownfish are always a possibility including variants like skunks. Also, Dartfish (firefish) make excellent nano inhabitants

someone (the same person) told me angels would do that to my corals, now that it is confirmed, then they are definately out of the question.

i love wrasses, i wasn't aware that some stayed small. everyone i ever saw for sale grew very large. i will definately take a look into them.

i love clownfish. i jsut saw a black and white percula clown at the shop. they looked so amazing!

will have to do research on the fish listed including the dart fish though. thanks!

As mentioned, LR is your filtration, and powerheads turning over water in the tank make it work (and keep the water oxygenated). I'd highly advise you head over to the nano section and check out the pinned threads there. Especially those that talk about deciding to go nano and the members nano tank gallery since there are so many options

i wasn't sure if it was 20 gallons or under or under 15 to classify as a nano. but now i know i will search around there. thanks for pointing me in the right direction. .

Redstratplayer1, i thank you as well for your help in the matter. i will also consider your recommendations .

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, if you're in upstate, or central NY have a look at the Upstate Reef Society which is our local area club. We've got members from buffalo, rochester, syracuse, binghampton, albany, and way up near oswego and further north near the canadian boarder. Theres plenty of guys in the club that I have learned plenty from and am continuing to learn from. Great people and tons of help

 

[Nevergone815]

Well, if you're in upstate, or central NY have a look at the Upstate Reef Society which is our local area club. We've got members from buffalo, rochester, syracuse, binghampton, albany, and way up near oswego and further north near the canadian boarder. Theres plenty of guys in the club that I have learned plenty from and am continuing to learn from. Great people and tons of help

thanks, i will definitely check them out !