Is a 20 gal tank ok for a beginer ?

[spllouder]

First of great site here , iam new and want to start up a salt water reef tank soon . so....

I called my LFS , only one really besides pet warehouse . and he said a 20 gal is to unstable for me . and would cost the same or close to the same as buying a 55 gal . ? i was all ready to buy a complte start up 20 gal tank with filter , and heater and hood combo for cheap . but he says i should not get a 20 gal . and second can i set up a 20 gal setup for around $250 with only sand and 20 pounds of rock ?

Thanks , Big Jay

 

[sweetpickles7]

If i were u i would also go bigger for SW. The lfs guy was right. Its much easier to have a big saltwater tank instead of a small. Its more stable. But u can do a 20 if u want. IMO its just easier to go bigger.

 

[spllouder]

its just that i want to do this as i get money , and if i do a 55 gal its 450 for a decent startup combo . a 20 gal will only be around $125 . i can swing that .


What if i did a 29 gallon or 30 ? is that better . Plus in my small apament a 55 gal will take up to much room in my living room . what about a 29 gallon one what are your thoughts ?

 

[KahluaZzZ]

can try, it's possible...i agree with the "bigger is better" tough..from my 55 to my 80...less problems...added 33g sump...even less problems.
Anyways..if you wanna add more water volume later..there is the option to drill and put a sump under ( even filled if the glass is good )

 

[TRe]

bigger is always better in this hobby but i think a 20g is a perfect starter tank price wise... for like $120 you could pick up some good quality live rock, then if you wanna go with live sand add about another $20 or so and than depending on how much you can pick up a 20g and a few powerheads its very possible if not a little more than $250 to start up before fish

 

[Lotus]

Are you planning to do a reef (with corals) or a fish-only setup? If you want to do a reef, don't get the tank/hood/filter combo, as the lighting and filter won't work well enough. The filter is really only useful if you make modifications to it for either tank.

It would be better to start with a larger tank, and if you can, get a wider tank for a nicer aquascape.

 

[FroggyFox]

I like my 29g tanks, big but not 'too big'. I do agree that bigger is better though Do some research on other things you need and maybe keep your eyes open for deals on craigslist instead of buying something new from a store. New tanks are VERY expensive. I just got a 29g tank with a wood hood and stand and a set of lights (for SW, not stock) for 150. The lights were 100 of that If you buy the pieces separately you can get exactly what you want and not what someone else tells you that you should have or comes in a kit.

 

[spllouder]

i want to do a reef with corals . i love the colors . maybe a couple fish later . first i would get come emrald crabs and shrimp and such .

where can i find out about filter pumps , powerheads , and lighting for a 20 gal system ?

 

[FroggyFox]

I would mostly read through the sticky threads at the top of the saltwater forum. They go through a lot of the basics of putting a tank together and some preferred brands/types of equipment that people here have. There are also a couple of books that you'll see reccomended quite a bit.

 

[Lotus]

This sticky on the nano forum should help, too.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Just wanted to throw in that you'll probably be happier with a 20g long or a 29g than with a 20g High. It gives you much more room to space things out and arrange them nicely, and is easier to light because it's shallower. Plus better water movement, you don't have to worry about trying to get water movement all through the depth of the tank.

 

[TRe]

i want to do a reef with corals . i love the colors . maybe a couple fish later . first i would get come emrald crabs and shrimp and such .

where can i find out about filter pumps , powerheads , and lighting for a 20 gal system ?

i suggest starting off with just fish until u get the hang of it.... this gives you time to save/research on lighting, corals, ect... in the meantime get your 20g,a few powerheads, a nice amount of liverock, some sand, and saltwater and let your tank start to cycle

 

[spllouder]

i suggest starting off with just fish until u get the hang of it.... this gives you time to save/research on lighting, corals, ect... in the meantime get your 20g,a few powerheads, a nice amount of liverock, some sand, and saltwater and let your tank start to cycle

went to many LFS today , and this is what i decieded , 30 gal wide tank , with a penguin biowheel 150 , 10.5 inch 100 watt heater , instant ocean salt and a hydrometer for $140 bucks . what you think , I have not bought anything yet . Like TRe said i want to just get it up and start cycling . then i will buy some live sand and 10 pounds of rock to get it going . ? What you all think ?

Also where is a good place to buy a 30 gal tank or even tank supplies , At the Cheapist ? Thanks for all the help , Really . *PEACE!*

 

[IDunnoWhy]

went to many LFS today , and this is what i decieded , 30 gal wide tank , with a penguin biowheel 150 , 10.5 inch 100 watt heater , instant ocean salt and a hydrometer for $140 bucks . what you think , I have not bought anything yet . Like TRe said i want to just get it up and start cycling . then i will buy some live sand and 10 pounds of rock to get it going . ? What you all think ?

Also where is a good place to buy a 30 gal tank or even tank supplies , At the Cheapist ? Thanks for all the help , Really . *PEACE!*

A 30g tank could make a nice little reef (eventually) *thumbsups

You understand that to start cycling, you'll need the LR right away (assuming your going to do a FOWLR or Reef)

The Penguin filter will probably give you grief, only because it will actually be a little nitrate factory (even if you remove the filters, the bio-wheels will still help build up the nitrates). If you get LR you'll not need any filter, but you'll still want a couple powerheads to move the water around the rock (the rock will act as your filter).

Save the money and buy a refractometer ($45-50), not a hydrometer, (but if thats not feasible then a hydrometer is better than using nothing).

As far a buying things cheaply, I've been using Big Al's Online, their prices are good, and they have alot of stuff.

Also look into getting a SW water test kit ($14 @ Big Al's)

I wouldn't recommend buying your LR, sand & salt online though, you may find good prices, but after you factor in the shipping, it's cheaper to buy local. Especially in the small quantities your looking at.

Being a SW noob myself, I'm sure I missed some stuff here.

 

[TRe]

with tanks id say its guna be cheaper to find a place local so you dont get beat for shipping.. where are you from? btw you dont want that bio wheel... instead just get 2 powerheads

 

[IDunnoWhy]

with tanks id say its guna be cheaper to find a place local so you dont get beat for shipping..

Yup, local works best for big things, alot of people on here have had luck using craigslist.com too (myself included) If there is one in your area, you should check it out, you may be able to score a whole set-up for cheap from someone who just wants out of fishkeeping (That's how I got one of my 55g set ups)

 

[spllouder]

Thanks for the info on the bio wheel , mayb a wisper 30 ? what would you recomend plus iam going get some power heds soon ?

TRe iam living in springfield missouri now, actally i used to live in fort lauderdale for 13 years moved like almost 2 years ago . What highschool you got to ? Northeast ? man i miss the south !

 

[IDunnoWhy]

Thanks for the info on the bio wheel , mayb a wisper 30 ? what would you recomend plus iam going get some power heds soon ?

Well, as I said "technically" you don't need a filter IF your going to go with LR, as the rock will give you biological filtration (so long as there is adequate flow moving around it) If you really want to filter it then just a grab a cheap lil' tetra filter and only use it every now and then for the mechanical filtration, just don't leave it run all the time.

Really, the stickies in the SW section explain all of this far better than I can

 

[Fuzz16]

i wouldnt recommend a filter at all...unless you want to grow algae on it to eat up nitrates. but a couple good powerheads for water movement and maybe a small skimmer would be great on the tank.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Depending on where you are, shipping can be cheaper for LR than buying locally even for small amounts. Not sure about the prices around TX, but around here the cheapest you can get it is $8.50-10/lb. Especially since it's going into a new tank so it doesn't matter if there's some die off during shipping.