Going Marine

[Phoenixbaby]

Ok so i have a 20gallon and i beleive after doing some research i can house one valentini puffer

this is all i want, just this one puffer

do i need a high tech set up, or can i just switch my substrate, add some live rock and be done with it?

i dont want o grow corals and all those other fancy bits, at present the sg is 1.005 as i have some GSP in there

i know id need to get it up to the minimum of sg 1.020

just would like some advice

btw, im already getting a protien skimmer neways

 

[Colin_T]

Yep 1 valentini puffer would be fine in that tank.
Change the gravel to something that is calcium based and add some live rock.
Fill the tank with seawater (ocean water or salt water made from marine salt and get the salinity to about 1.024 SG).
Cycle the tank to get the filter established and once it has cycled you can add the fish.

 

[Phoenixbaby]

do i need the skimmer straight away?

im having to buy a temp sensor for my sv, as its broken, so cannot afford the skimmer atm now

 

[Crazy fishes]

In short no. Actually for a 20g tank you should NOT need a skimmer at all. Just 10-15% water change weekly and that will be fine. Many of us in here, myself included, keep full reef biotopes and we don't use a skimmer for that. My tank is about 6 months and has been run without a skimmer and I know that SH (a moderator) has run his tank for about 2 years without a skimmer and all is fine. I am sure their are many of people who will contest that it is fine. Just keep an eye on the nitrates and phosphates since puffers are messy eaters, but just stick with water changes.

Best of luck with the new venture

Regards

 

[Phoenixbaby]

that works better for me

lighting wise, im gonna keep a few sea weed, i have a purple glo light, will i need to change it?

im going down my lfs in a bit to get my live sand and araganite for substrate and some live rock, and get it cycled 1st

ive had soo many contrasting bits of info, telling me i cannot keep a valentini in the 20 gallon, where as im able to keep my 1 green spotted puffer in there, both of which are the same size fully grown, figure that one out lol

what sort of temperature am i aiming for? again ive been given so many contrasting readings

btw just so ppl know, im in NO rush to add my valentini, i wana get the tank right 1st and learn as i go

 

[Crazy fishes]

[/quote]
lighting wise, im gonna keep a few sea weed, i have a purple glo light, will i need to change it?
[/quote]

Probably need something like a power compact system, it will give you slightly more growth on any macros you keep.

[/quote]
im going down my lfs in a bit to get my live sand and araganite for substrate and some live rock, and get it cycled 1st
[/quote]

Remember to get the water in the tank and circulating at the correct specific gravity before adding the rock or you will 'uncure' cured rock (if that is of course what you are going to buy).

[/quote]
ive had soo many contrasting bits of info.....
[/quote]

Welcome to the world of marine ! It something that everyone experiences and you will quickly learn what to use and what to discard. It all boils down to what works for you and your aquarium. No one can proclaim that they have the only way of doing something and all else will fail.

[/quote]
what sort of temperature am i aiming for?
[/quote]

If you try to get to 26 C then you will be fine as you have a degree or so either side for fluctuations. Also regarding salinity look for 1.024-1.026. I run mine at 1.026 but that is because I have VERY little evaporation so maybe try 1.024-1.025.

[/quote]
btw just so ppl know, im in NO rush to add my valentini, i wana get the tank right 1st and learn as i go
[/quote]

Always the best policy PATIENCES is the key to getting a beautiful and safe marine aquarium.

Regards

 

[Phoenixbaby]

ive done it, ive taken the plunge lol

just had an hour battle to remove the internal filter lol

got my araganite and live sand mixed with crushed coral

just letting the water filter for a few hours, then starts the task of the salt lol

from what i have calculated, if 1.003 is 6gramms per litre, to get it to 1.024 is 47 gramms per litre?

i think, well ill add a little at a time and check with my refractometer, as its always easier to add more than take it out

wish me luck lol

 

[orange shark]

i dont know if this has been mentioned before, but you will need some powerheads to keep the water circulation going

 

[kj23502]

it's recommended to have flow that's about 15 to 20x the tank volume. A 20 gallon tank will need a couple power heads that total about 300 to 400 gallons per hour. The Live Rock needs this for good bacteria to grow on it sufficently.

 

[Colin_T]

you only need lots of water movement if you keep corals and are using the live rock for the filter. If you are using a normal power filter and are only having fish in the tank, then you don't need extra water movement.

 

[Phoenixbaby]

i was gonna say, i dont need them ta lol

 

[kj23502]

lol All I read was that you're getting live rock (which a lot of people use as a filter) and no mention of an external filter so I was stating what I knew about what I read.

If you're using an external filter you don't need to buy live rock...it costs too much if you're not using it for filtration. Buy the dead dried rock.

 

[Phoenixbaby]

well to start with, i was going too, but then saw how much it costs, so im gonna just get some base rock and make the tank look pretty that way, ive an external on the tank so hopefully that'll do the job

 

[SkiFletch]

Do yourself a favor and buy a small piece of LR, even if it's only a KG or two. If you don't, the BR will get brown and nasty eventually and you won't like the look of it. But if you add the small piece of LR, over time you'll have a tank full of LR

 

[Phoenixbaby]

would a watchman goby and a pistol shrimp be ok to start with?