20 Gallon Saltwater Tank

[Akefl0328]

Hello All,

I've had numerous freshwater aquariums before and 3 years ago I experimented with a 4 gallon Pico Reef that housed 2 emerald crabs. I took down the tank when they one day disappeared. My friend who has a beautiful 180 gal reef tank convinced me to try my hand at a another salt water tank since I have lots of equipment collected over the years and he had a few things he could give me that he has collected over the years.

Yesterday I set up a 20 Gallon tank, I have attached a CPR Aero Force Protein Skimmer, Eskim350 Surface Skimmer and a ViaAqua Quartz Glass Submersible Heater. For Lighting, I am using an Aqua Illumination Nano.

I am going to go out today to get a piece of raw shrimp to jump start my tanks cycling process.

I am still fairly new to the saltwater hobby and I am still trying to decide what life to add into the tank so any suggestions on corals, fish, crustaceans, other life or even my set up it is appreciated.

[LoCoReefer]

I like the aquascape. Are the two skimmers your only method of filtration?

 

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[Akefl0328]

I like the aquascape. Are the two skimmers your only method of filtration?

 

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Yes.

[greengalaxy]

Yes.

 

You should invest in a media reactor

[mogurnda]

Looks like the tank I started reefing with many years  ago!  Welcome!  I would focus on corals and inverts, and keep just a few fish.  A pair of clowns or Banggai cardinals, plus a goby or two would be good.  A couple of cleaner shrimp would add color and activity.  lots of other possibilities.  

 

You could keep just about any corals with that light, but filling the tank with softies, rather than stony corals, would reduce the demand for calcium and carbonate, simplifying your dosing needs while you get the hang of things.  You might also consider a large anemone as a centerpiece, rather than corals.

 

Whatever you do, it would be good to increase circulation, with an Ecotec MP-10 or an equivalent.  

 

The single most important thing is to take it slow and easy, and enjoy.  Let it cycle, enjoy the succession of algae blooms, and ask lots of questions.

[Akefl0328]

Looks like the tank I started reefing with many years ago! Welcome! I would focus on corals and inverts, and keep just a few fish. A pair of clowns or Banggai cardinals, plus a goby or two would be good. A couple of cleaner shrimp would add color and activity. lots of other possibilities.

 

You could keep just about any corals with that light, but filling the tank with softies, rather than stony corals, would reduce the demand for calcium and carbonate, simplifying your dosing needs while you get the hang of things. You might also consider a large anemone as a centerpiece, rather than corals.

 

Whatever you do, it would be good to increase circulation, with an Ecotec MP-10 or an equivalent.

 

The single most important thing is to take it slow and easy, and enjoy. Let it cycle, enjoy the succession of algae blooms, and ask lots of questions.

 

Thanks for the reply. This is great! I have at least a month before I start adding things depending on how the cycling is going. I like the idea of clowns and a firefish goby.

[LoCoReefer]

If or when you decide on inverts I would avoid crabs at all cost. Crabs are kinda douchebags and in a new unestablished tank even more annoying due to the lack of alage and waste to feed on. You'll find them chomping on corals, etc... so I'd just avoid them all together until the tank matures. Just figured I'd add that because I experienced it first hand with an emerald crab when one morning I found him chomping on my sun coral and causing it to bleed. Let's just say that crab took a one way trip to the bottom of my pond.

 

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[rtelles]

As others have said, keep it simple. Unless you plan on doing regular testing, stick with softies such as mushrooms/zoas/palys and easy lps like hammers. Skunk cleaner shrimp are great scavengers and are pretty personable once they get used to you, and I think every tank should have one. As for other inverts, I would actually caution against any of the typical clean up crew packages offered by most online retailers and lfs'. Until your tank is a bit more established, there won't be enough food for more than a few snails and maybe a hermit crab or two in your system. They'll end up starving out and dying and adding all sorts of crap to your tank as they decay. Regular maintenance via glass cleaning and what not will be much safer and easier than depending on snails or hermits, though others may disagree. Once you've cycled, you may also want to purchase a piece of live rock from a wamas member that has some brittle starfish. They're great scavengers and are generally self-sustaining when it comes to their population. I'd stay away from asterina starfish, though, since some will eat corals (asterinas decimated all of the zoas in my office tank over the course of a single weekend).

 

As for fish, clownfish are always a solid choice, since they're incredibly hardy, relatively peaceful (unless you get demon spawn maroons) and will generally eat almost anything. Same with cardinals, though I'm not a fan of their look. Firefish are great in nanos, so long as the tank is covered (it looks like yours is, and if it's not, I'd highly recommend doing so, as even clownfish jump), and if you don't mind your sand getting messed with, a pistol shrimp/goby pair is really neat to have. The fish I named are also pretty inexpensive, especially if you get the basic varieties and not designer clowns or rarer firefish. Stay away from dragonets and mandarins altogether, since your tank is too small to propagate the correct food for them, as well as fish like anthias, since they will quickly outgrow your tank. I also caution against anything considered semi-aggressive, like damsels and many wrasses, since they have a tendency to become really territorial and pick at or flat out kill any relatively timid fish. For other nano choices, check out liveaquarias nano section, which has some neat fish (like Tanaka wrasses, if you want to spend a bit more). 

 

Finally, it may be worthwhile to add a small hob filter. They're cheap (an aquaclear 30 is about $25 on amazon with Prime) and will add some mechanical filtration and/or carbon along with a bit more surface agitation given that the 20 looks like a tall and not long. Good luck!

[Akefl0328]

As others have said, keep it simple. Unless you plan on doing regular testing, stick with softies such as mushrooms/zoas/palys and easy lps like hammers. Skunk cleaner shrimp are great scavengers and are pretty personable once they get used to you, and I think every tank should have one. As for other inverts, I would actually caution against any of the typical clean up crew packages offered by most online retailers and lfs'. Until your tank is a bit more established, there won't be enough food for more than a few snails and maybe a hermit crab or two in your system. They'll end up starving out and dying and adding all sorts of crap to your tank as they decay. Regular maintenance via glass cleaning and what not will be much safer and easier than depending on snails or hermits, though others may disagree. Once you've cycled, you may also want to purchase a piece of live rock from a wamas member that has some brittle starfish. They're great scavengers and are generally self-sustaining when it comes to their population. I'd stay away from asterina starfish, though, since some will eat corals (asterinas decimated all of the zoas in my office tank over the course of a single weekend).

 

As for fish, clownfish are always a solid choice, since they're incredibly hardy, relatively peaceful (unless you get demon spawn maroons) and will generally eat almost anything. Same with cardinals, though I'm not a fan of their look. Firefish are great in nanos, so long as the tank is covered (it looks like yours is, and if it's not, I'd highly recommend doing so, as even clownfish jump), and if you don't mind your sand getting messed with, a pistol shrimp/goby pair is really neat to have. The fish I named are also pretty inexpensive, especially if you get the basic varieties and not designer clowns or rarer firefish. Stay away from dragonets and mandarins altogether, since your tank is too small to propagate the correct food for them, as well as fish like anthias, since they will quickly outgrow your tank. I also caution against anything considered semi-aggressive, like damsels and many wrasses, since they have a tendency to become really territorial and pick at or flat out kill any relatively timid fish. For other nano choices, check out liveaquarias nano section, which has some neat fish (like Tanaka wrasses, if you want to spend a bit more).

 

Finally, it may be worthwhile to add a small hob filter. They're cheap (an aquaclear 30 is about $25 on amazon with Prime) and will add some mechanical filtration and/or carbon along with a bit more surface agitation given that the 20 looks like a tall and not long. Good luck!

Thank you. This was really helpful. I can't wait to be able to start adding things. Waiting is the worst part!

[Akefl0328]

If or when you decide on inverts I would avoid crabs at all cost. Crabs are kinda douchebags and in a new unestablished tank even more annoying due to the lack of alage and waste to feed on. You'll find them chomping on corals, etc... so I'd just avoid them all together until the tank matures. Just figured I'd add that because I experienced it first hand with an emerald crab when one morning I found him chomping on my sun coral and causing it to bleed. Let's just say that crab took a one way trip to the bottom of my pond.

 

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Thank you. After all the suggestions i think ill be staying away from crabs although I love them.

[greengalaxy]

Thank you. After all the suggestions i think ill be staying away from crabs although I love them.

 

That's good. Because I had my experience with an emarald crab

[rtelles]

Oh, forgot to add that you'll want to either quarantine any fish you purchase in a separate tank before adding them to yours or buy them from a lfs that already quarantines and/or treats them before they sell, such as Reef eScape or Exotic Reef Creations. Unlike freshwater tank illnesses, which can usually be treated in the tank itself, it's generally really difficult to treat sick fish in a reef tank since treatments such as cupramine will kill your inverts and corals. Having fought battles with numerous parasites over the years such as ich/flukes/etc, it's worth the extra $10-15 up front to know that the fish you add to your tank have already been cared for and treated. Given that clownfish and many other reef fish can live anywhere from 10-20 years if well taken care of, you'll save yourself a fair amount of head and heartache. 

[Akefl0328]

Oh, forgot to add that you'll want to either quarantine any fish you purchase in a separate tank before adding them to yours or buy them from a lfs that already quarantines and/or treats them before they sell, such as Reef eScape or Exotic Reef Creations. Unlike freshwater tank illnesses, which can usually be treated in the tank itself, it's generally really difficult to treat sick fish in a reef tank since treatments such as cupramine will kill your inverts and corals. Having fought battles with numerous parasites over the years such as ich/flukes/etc, it's worth the extra $10-15 up front to know that the fish you add to your tank have already been cared for and treated. Given that clownfish and many other reef fish can live anywhere from 10-20 years if well taken care of, you'll save yourself a fair amount of head and heartache.

 

Sounds good!