Newbie 20g plans

[alexmsw]

Ok I have read and lurked a lot and I think I have my set up decided. This is my first sw venture so here goes:
20g long
remora HOB skimmer (1200 maxijet)
AC 300 HOB filter (for surface/polishing/please hope never disease treat)
Penguin 660 ph
40lb LR
20lb LS (that enough?)
30" CSL PC/moonlite
150 ebo jager heater
test kits
instant ocean

After the cycle here is the cleanup crew just not sure on how many of each to get, is there a formula?
Snails:
Cerith, Astrea, Nasarrius
Crabs:
Blue legged hermit, sally light foot, sand crabs
Others:
Lettuce nudibranch
Plants:
Shaving brush

Then after waiting a few months put some zoos/rics/xenia/gsp

Then after that false clown(maybe a pair), goby/blenny (havent decided).

Then more difficult coral like plate/open brain/frogsapwn

So that is the plan. Will begin in a few months. Here are the other questions.
Is water movement enough/too much?
What additives will i need to add for the coral?
Ok i'll stop here...long enough post i think and don't want to bore people

 

[brandon4291]

hey Alex we are glad to have a new poster! Your threads will not bore us, there are always new ideas to gain from all the input that is about to follow. Welcome Sir to reefs.org

Matt is good at planning the tank setup and water circ based on calculated GPH. I have only pumped my setups to the degree that slime is removed from the hard corals (more or less by guesswork) but that is judged after the fact, after the setup. For the best initial design and to prevent waste of $$ he'll throw you out a good mark for beginning GPH.

I like the idea of setting up your tank in stages: LR/LS first, then a one-two week cycling along with a good round of clean-up crew members, then a light fish bioload followed by the first corals. I see you are skimming, this will give you some freedom in the fish choice and introduction phase. You don't seem to be adding too much of anything, in all honesty it seems just about right. Matt?

 

[brandon4291]

Oh, and Im kinda partial to using C-Balance additive from www.aquaticeco.com to grow your corals. Limewater dripping, separate alkalinity and calcium additions from all the major brand names are also very well accepted here. Each has varying degrees of affect per mL, so choose one and stick with it in my opinion. The dosing will soon become second nature.

the 16oz setup will last a 20g about 2-3 months, at 16$. I like this because I have grown accustomed to the dosing and nothing else is needed, just clean FW for topoff along with good food and calcium/alk support from this two-part C-Balance. Some like to add iodide or iodine, I used to on a regular basis, but as a test I stopped adding it a long time ago and nothing has changed. I figure one less additive is one less maintenance step so Ill leave it out from now on. they say food additions provides enough iodine...

 

[alexmsw]

thanks for the warm welcome. I want to go nice and slow because I dont want to make my first saltwater experience my last

 

[shalegac]

I would skip the lettuce nudi. It will more than likely starve in a small tank unless it is well established. Also, I would personal dump the blue legged hermits and go for the red legged. They will be alot easier on the other inhabitents. As for the amount of sand... that is always up for debate here in the nano section, perhaps brandon could shed more light on the subject. On the subject of lighting is your 30" CSL PC/moonlite the 2X65W?

All in all though it sounds good and you have it mapped out well. So welcome to RDO and good luck. Keep us posted, we love to hear about everyones experiences.
Shaun Legacy

 

[alexmsw]

Yes the lights are 65w PowerCompact 10,000k and Ultra-Actinic. Thanks for the info on the hermits and lettuce.

 

[reefann]

I personally think that the difference between red and blue legs is based more on luck. I have had blue and red leg murders. One advice I can give for them is to buy them small. The big ones seem to be the mean ones. Also provide plenty of empty shells for the hermits to move into this will help to keep them from killing each other. The amount of sand should be fine if you are are not trying for a DSB just a nice live sand bed with lots of life. As for snails I do them more by feel, no real formula. This tank is going to look great
JJ
_________________
General insurance Forum

 

[alexmsw]

Ok so I'm a newbie...I admit it :lol: ...what's DSB??

 

[alexmsw]

Was just reading and realized that my lights will sit on the tank with stilts, do people keep the tank open, or do you put a screen, or glass/acrylic cover? (to keep snails and fish in)

 

[Anonymous]

alex, you seem really well prepared for a first time SW tank hobbyist.

I always try and hit at least 10 times total water volume turnover in a reef tank. 20 times is better. I'm not familiar with the brands you mentioned. Of course, your zoanthids and ricordea don't really appreciate high flow, so you may want to keep it low flow or put them near the bottom of the tank where they're not getting blasted by currents.

Your amount of LR/LS is more than enough, and you should be fine. The HOB filter is one thing I would be concerned about. Mechanical filters are notorious for trapping detritus. A better use of that filter may be to take the sponge out and fill the compartment with some LR rubble to act as a refugium.

The cleanup crew is entirely your decision, and depends a lot on your unique tank. I try to add the cleanup crew at the end of the first month, and then a little at a time. All too often someone has a little algae and goes and buys 1 astrea snail per gallon. Unless you have boatloads of algae, they will all starve. I think I had a total of 2 astreas, 1 margarita, 4 nassaurius, and 6 cerith snails in my old 30 gallon, and they did just fine. I added them over several months, rather than all at once. My sallylightfoot was never a problem, but some consider them not reefsafe. You may want to do a search on them and see other's opinions. My opinion is that virtually ALL crabs, except for porcelain crabs, have the potential for being not reefsafe (sort of like pygmy angels). This includes all hermits as well. Like I said, though, JMO.

The plan to wait several months before adding hard corals is a good one. Corals in general are pretty unforgiving of mistakes on the aquarist's part, and stony corals in particular are even less forgiving. As far as stony corals go, the ones you mentioned are reasonably hardy. You will need to add some form of Ca/Alk support to your tank. I add Kalkwasser for this, but I like Brandon's recommendation even better. The two part mixes are safe and easy to use, if a bit more expensive than Kalkwasser.

DSB=Deep Sand Bed.

Hope this helps, keep asking questions, and post pics when your tank is up and running!
Matt

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, as for the open top....It's nice to have an open top to promote gas exchange, better light penetration, ease of working in the tank, looks better, etc. Most gobies will jump though, and I suppose a clown might try it too, so you may need a cover. Depends on what you plan on keeping.

 

[sstephen]

Hey Alex,

I'm right where you'll be in few months...I've just set up a 20G nano myself. My live rock is just about done curing. I might add some snails and crabs by the end of the month. I'm sure there are plenty of people on this board that can describe a Deep Sand Bed (DSB) better than I can. The only advice that I can give about that is to not bother doing one in the display tank. The reason is that it requires 4 - 6" of sand. I have a 20G tall tank, and that didn't leave much room for anything else at only 16" in total height. With a 20G long aquarium, you probably have even less room to spare. A DSB or plenum (two different things here) would be useful to reduce the nitrates in the aquarium, but it's better to relocate them to a sump or refugium if you can. That way, all that sand can be out of sight. From research and through conversations with other aquarists, it seems that they are useful, but not necessary for a successful aquarium. You might need to do more frequent water changes, though, without one. But with only 20G to worry about, that isn't very difficult.

Scott

 

[sstephen]

Matt,

Do you have any personal experience with porcelain crabs? They seem like an interesting addition to a mostly filter feeding tank. I've also read that Sally Lightfoot crabs have a tendency to climb out of an open tank. Was that ever a problem for you?

Scott

 

[alexmsw]

Well here is the water flow:
The maxijet on the remora skimmer is 85gph
The Aqua Clear 300 is 300gph at max flow
The the Marineland Penguin 660 power head is 170 gph.

I looked up those crabs and they are really nice looking may have to get a few eventually. I will use your snail suggestions and limit the hermit crabs to a minimum. I guess I'll wait and see about the jumpers for need of a cover.

Sstephen: Good to know someone else is in the same boat Let me know how it goes.

 

[Anonymous]

Your flow should be perfect.

My sally lightfoot never tried to climb out. I see them in wholesaler tanks with open tops, so it's probably not a huge problem. An old roommate of mine kept a porcelain crab for a year and a half while he had a sebae anemone. It just dissappeared one day when the anemone had declined a lot. The crab seemed to do really well with direct feedings of plankton and small bits of shrimp meat. The only problem is that, as far as I know, they need the anemone to do really well, unlike clowns. This raises the whole issue of keeping their natural hosts, which are some very difficult to keep host anemones. Delbeek and Sprung say that their typical natural host is carpet anemones of the genus Stichodactyla. These anemones are, IN MY OPINION, unsuitable for reef tanks and captivity in general.

Porcelain crabs are some absolutely fascinating and beautiful animals. They filter feed all day long with a complex set of mouth parts that look like feather duster crowns.
Matt
PS I'm going to ask in the GRD about these crabs, in case anyone has add'l info on them.

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like you have done your homework. You are usin what I call Bangbangs Redundent Filtration System.LOL This will work well for your 20 gallon. The sponge in hangons only need to be rinsed about once every two months with cool water and placed back in your filter. They are easy and inexpensive to use. I like them myself. I have a Aquaclear 500 on my 100 gallon that works great. Don't worry about the reds or blue crabs. Either is fine. I would only scratch the Nidibranch because it will starve. Wait a year or so before trying one. Just my opinion. Welcome and have fun! P.S. Make sure you set up your tank away from any direct sunlight. I learned the hard way.LOL