new to saltwater!

[stillballin145]

hey...i need help! in my 20g long, i have: Penguin 125-biowheel.powerhead 2c1 and a 100 watt heater. some fake plants. its a freshwater now but in about amonth i want to change to saltwater. help me and thanks in advance!!!

I would just like some advice on where to start.


1. What can I keep in a 20 gallon salt water tank?
I was thinking of some clowns and a small lionfish and also a little shark? Is this possible?

2. Do you cycle a salt water tank the same as fresh water?

3. Is a 20 gallon tank alot harder than having a bigger saltwater tank? As far as keeping conditions stable?

4. What special test kits will I need?

5. There are special sands for salt water. Does it have to be that sand or can you use regular freshwater sand?

6. As far as what I stated above about the equip. I have, what needs to be changed, upgraded, or new?

7. Any other do's and don'ts from your experiences?

I am sorry if these seem like silly questions, but some opinions/advice on these would help me in my research!

 

[dgodwin]

Hope this helps. I broke down each question and answered it individually.

1. What can I keep in a 20 gallon salt water tank?
I was thinking of some clowns and a small lionfish and also a little shark? Is this possible?

A couple clowns would do fine in a 20 Gallon. It's really too small for the lionfish, and definitely too small for any shark. I would go with a clown pair, and maybe some type of goby or fire fish.

2. Do you cycle a salt water tank the same as fresh water?

To cycle the tank, I would use a raw cocktail shrimp to encourage the bacteria growth. A piece of live rock will help cylce the tank as well.

3. Is a 20 gallon tank alot harder than having a bigger saltwater tank? As far as keeping conditions stable?

The larger the tank, the easier it becomes to keep all the perimeters in check.

4. What special test kits will I need?

Just your normal saltwater test kit will be fine to start with. Make sure it has pH, ammonia, and nitrite and nitrates. You may want an alkalinity, calcium, phostpates, etc if you run into problems, or want a reef tank.

5. There are special sands for salt water. Does it have to be that sand or can you use regular freshwater sand?

Any sand will do, but some are more benefitial than others. Many people use argonite sand, as it helps buffer the waters pH. If you are in the North East, you might be able to pick up southdown play sand at your local home depot. Many reefers use it with great success. It is approiate for deep sand beds, which helps filtering.

6. As far as what I stated above about the equip. I have, what needs to be changed, upgraded, or new?

I would get around 20-30 lbs of live rock, set up a deep sand bed, and use that for natural filtration. I would use the biowheel only to run carbon, if you wish. You really should look into getting a protein skimmer, as that's the best type of filtration for a saltwater. I have a CPR bak pak, and like it. You'll also need a 1 or 2 powerheads for water movement. It's recommended to have at least 10x the water flow as tank size. You'll also need good lighting (pc, vho, mh) if you want to do most corals.

7. Any other do's and don'ts from your experiences?

Have fun. Read a lot. Be patient. Take things slowly. Only bad things happen in saltwater quickly.

 

[wayne at home]

1. Clowns are ok. Too small for lionfish, ridiculously small for any shark ever.
2. Yes and no.Just chuck in a piece of shrimp. Don't use damsels or fish, it's hassle and immoral. The cycle might be the same, but most people use live rock for filtration. If you get cured live rock locally and get it in the tank quick, you've pretty much go instant filtration (though it's wise to give it a few weeks to settle down before putting any fish in)
3. t's a little harder but not impossibly small.
4. Normal test kits - hydrometer to measure salinity, pH, ammonia nitrite, nitrate
5. Don't be cheap, get a fine grained coral or oolitic sand, with sugar size grains. Coearse coral sand is rubbish.
6. It's pricey, but really , go for live rock based natural filtration. If it's your first time see if you can get live rock locally for a reasonable price. Get a power head as you'll not really be wanting to use the biowheel. Get some good books, MArtin Moe and Robert Fenners are very good. I like skimmers, but on a 20 you could do a wekkly 10% water change. Look at, think about a dep sand bed fir further filtration, nitrate reduction
7. Go slowly, look at some good , stable tanks. Find a good lfs. Read and research, then you'll enjoy. If you just get a 20 fill it with water and sling some fish in you'll hate it