New tank help

[xrenegadex]

I plan on using my 20 gal tenk for salt water. I have almost everything i need to start. I have my tank, a heater and water .......i know i need sand (is sand or crushed coral better?), the salt, and the thingy that tells you how much salt is in the tank. I also know the first fish i'm getting. My question is the filter. Can a fresh water filter go salt I have a whisper power filter. i didn't see anything that said it couldn't, but i want to be sure.

Now, that aside, to another part of saltwater, coral. i am clueless about it. does it do anything other than look good?

 

[chkltcow]

In short.... here we go:

Sand... you need aragonite/calcite sand to buffer the water and keep the pH up around 8.3 where it should be. Oolitic sand or crushed coral or any size in between is up to you..... but make sure you get aragonite or calcite based sand, not play sand from Lowes.

Filtration.... live rock is gonna be your main filtration. You want about 1lb per gallon, so about 20lb in a 20g tank. The live rock will take care of the nitrogen cycle, and you'll want a cleanup crew to take care of the "mechanical filtration". Beyond that, a power filter or canister filter is gonna be nothing more than a place for carbon, phosban, etc.... and to provide water movement.

BTW, what fish are you planning on?

 

[xrenegadex]

so the filter i have i can use??? is that what your saying??
can you recommend any online stores i can buy the live rock from?
when you say 'cleanup crew', are you refering to things like shrimp, snails, something of that nature?

i think they are called damsals (sp.(small little fish. some are black with spots of white and some are striped. remind me of odd looking plattes) going to get 2 or 3 to start

in the long run....there are three things i want in the tank aside from coral.
1. Anemone(sp.)--1 or 2
2. Clown Fish--a few
3. Some type of starfish--1 or 2

how long should i wait to put them in, and do you have any tips on the anemone?

 

[chkltcow]

and do you have any tips on the anemone?

Yeah.... only tip on the anemone.... leave it in the ocean. I don't agree with keeping anemones in aquariums because there's such a low survival rate for them, and even 15 years for an anemone is a blink of an eye in their lifespan. It would be like keeping a person locked in a room and when they die at the age of 5 saying "Wow... that kid lived a long time!"

Next tip.... no damsels with clowns. Damsels are aggressive territorial devils and will harass the clownfish to death, especially in a tank that small.

When you buy live rock, you'll be better off going to a local store and buying cured live rock. It'll cost you more than uncured, but you can stock the tank a lot sooner. When I did my 20g and started off with 33lb of live rock, I never had a trace of ammonia or nitrite in my tank.... no cycle... ready to stock the next day. If you buy uncured rock over the internet, your tank is gonna be sitting there with the rock curing for about a month before you're able to add anything.

And cleanup crew.... general advice is one snail per gallon, and about one hermit crab per gallon.

 

[Navarre]

Good advise...
Anemones are not for begnners and really ought to stay in the ocean to be honest (though many do keep em and some even consider it mildly successful) )

If you want something for the clown to live in then you would be better off using a leather mushroom (Sarcophyton) These are far less demanding to keep and "if" a clown decides to host in it you will be hard pushed to know its no in an anemone

My maroon clown in a leather mushroom

Also.. with either an anemons or corals (a leather is a coral) you will need to upgrade your lights. not so owerful for the leather mushroom when compared to the anemone but it will still need looking into.
I would use the cannister filter for extra flow rather than filtration. Just use the space inside it for carbon or rowaphos etc. perhaps use sponges and wash them weekly to stop them going biological. Live rock should be your main filter but its expensive )

 

[xrenegadex]

ok...cured live rock....and you say i should get at least a pound a gallon....

what fish would be good to start the tank with....i know i can't use clowns to start...

and would shrimp count as a cleanup fish???

as for current....i do have a power head that isn't being used now...could that be used to get the needed current?

 

[Navarre]

If you have a 20 gallon tank then you need a minimum of 10x the turnover of water per hour as circulation. 20gallons=200 gallons per hour movement. (this is minimum and you should aim for as much as 20x if possible).

Clowns can go in first (mine were first) but alot of people use Chromis as their first addition as they are hardy and not very aggresive.

Lastly.. Dont add anything in the tank until its cycled (might not cycle if good liverock is used so can be added earlier). Adding fish before a cycle is done is cruel and there are far better ways of making the tank cycle these days than putting a fish through untold stress of ammonia and nitrite swings

 

[xrenegadex]

so i can get about 2 clowns and put them in after it cycled.....

 

[xrenegadex]

is there a difference between a thick bed and a thin one (assuming i used sand) other than looks?

 

[Navarre]

I personally dont like dsb in main tanks. They are much better suited to sumps IMO. However they can work and many people are successful with them. The difference between a DSB (Deep Sand Bed) and a SSB (shallow sand bed) is the type of filration it offers.
An SSB will be oxygen rich and the bacteria here will eaily break down ammonia and nitrite. However that is where it stops and the liverock will have to finish the rest by turning the nitrate into nitrogen (a job it can do easily).

A DSB does teh same job as an SSB but with the added depth it also has an oxygen poor layer and this is where the bacteria that turns nitrate into notgorgen lives. So in essence a DSB can finish the nitrogen cycle but the SSB cannot.

I use a SSB in my tank and let the liverock handle the rest. I prefer to use the maximum swimming room possible for the fish.

Yes clowns can go i n after the tank has cycled. just make sure you get a good healthy pair. I have seen so many shops selling substandard fish due to the Nemo craze (its not as bad now admittedly),

If you do use sand then make sure its aragonite and not silicate play sand. Aragonite will buffer your water and help stabilise the PH. Gravel or playsand wont do this and you might find you get larger PH swings.

 

[xrenegadex]

tank is still a little ways away as i don't have the 100 bucks needed to buy the remaining equipment. but thanx for the insite, know I kno what to do......sorta