Salt Water General Questions

[fish killa]

Is it really harder then a fresh water thank? If so in what ways?

Can you use a hanging filter?

Can you use a air pump and air stone instead of a power head?

Do you need a skimmer ? What does it do?

How do water changes and general weekly care work?

All this info is for a 20 gallon fresh water tank I'm thinking about turn in to saltwater

 

[Aquascaper]

Yes. There's more water parameters to maintain and marines are a lot more sensitive to changes for a start. A lot of research of pinned topics will help you understand more.

You can use HOB filters.

No. The purpose of a powerhead is to provide water movement to mimic natural wave motion.

Not necessarily, depends on the setup. They remove skimmate (organic waste).

Same as a tropical tank but depends a lot on the setup

NB: A 20g tank is not a good idea for a beginner, the smaller water volume means mistakes cause problems faster and could even wipe out the whole tank. It is also very limiting as to number and type of fish you can keep which is why most people opt for something around the 50g mark to begin with.

 

[Donya]

Have a look here:

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/381737-so-you-want-a-sw-tank/

and here since you're interested in a 20gal (which counts as a nano):

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/286587-marine-nano-aquarium-resource-centre/

Can you use a air pump and air stone instead of a power head?

Only on teeny tiny tanks. It's not a great beginner rout even then (and not just because smaller tanks are harder), since you really have to already know what you're doing to set up an air-driven tank that's stable. You also can never get really strong flow in them, so the environments they are good at emulating are not really your standard community/reef tank.

 

[fish killa]

Thanks for the replys everyone,I think ill just stick with the freshwater for now.

 

[gregswimm]