# Saltwater tank.



## RHOMBEUS (Mar 18, 2003)

O.K. everyone here goes. I'm setting up my first saltwater tank and basically I know nothing. The tank is 20"lgx10"wdx24"tall. Approximately 20 gallon. Here is where I'm at so far. I have the aragonite(15lbs) and the salt added to the tank with water. It has been running for three days now. There will of course be a clown(Nemo) added to the tank. I have a ton of questions. However, without boring anyone with the same questions that I'm sure have been asked over and over, I'd like any and all suggestions concerning this setup. Please help with possible tankmates and ideas. This will be my daughters tank and I don't want to start out with disaster. I await all comments.


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

salinaty is very important so keep a eye on it
saltwater evaps. quicker than regular water so make sure its topped off so the salinaty doesent raise to much
in a tank that small make sure u have a tight lid so water doesent evap as quick

maybe put some live rock in there

and any ???? just ask


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## RHOMBEUS (Mar 18, 2003)

Thanx for the reply. You said any question ask. So here goes. What sort of tankmates can I put with the clown? I know it is a small tank and I want my daughter to have a good experiance. Also do I need any special eguipment? If i get some live rock do I need special lighting? I put some lace rock I had in the tank for now. Is that a bad idea? Last question. Do I need a protein skimmer in this tank? I appreciate any response.


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## sharpk (Nov 4, 2003)

1: read old posts on here (questions/answers)
2: check saltwater 101 pinned on www.predatoryfish.net


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## -=BOB=- (Mar 6, 2003)

Hi there,

My idea is not to frighten you or so but you really need to do your studies before 
starting saltwater tank (specially so small - nano reef) because it is needed much more knowledge about following things:

1. tank cycling

2. filtration and circulation

3. water chemistry (parameters)

4. lighting

5. etc.

maybe my best and first tip is to surf to http://www.reefcentral.com read & ask about it. It is a great (big and friendly) community where you can find all knowledge you need.

>What sort of tankmates can I put with the clown?

What kind of filter do you have? Note that your tank is not cycled jet.. You can't just stock it after 3 days.. please read:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...threadid=188433

http://reefcentral.com/FindingNemo/

>do I need any special eguipment?... ....protein skimmer?

I think so, in order to minimize pollution, you planing to set small 20g. system where even small amount of ammonia can cause disaster..and also should not use tap water and read about reverse osmosis.... (don't buy RO unit, that water is steadily available in better fish stores)

Have one myself, I'm not really experienced but if I can be of any help just shoot.

Mario


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## RHOMBEUS (Mar 18, 2003)

Thanx for the replies everyone. I usually don't ask a lot of questions. I have done a lot of reading and study on this set up. What I am looking for is some input fom the community here. Quite honestly I've been keeping fish since the mid 80's. Never salt though. I understand cycling and water parameters fairly well. I do plan on making this a successful project. As far as equipment goes, I have a whisper filter on the tank along with a small powerhead just below the surface. I also have a heater and the temp is at a constant 78 degrees. Lighting is an issue. I have a small incandescant hood with the replacement florescent bulb. Suprisingly this bulb puts out a lot of light. Not enough I'm sure for a reef set-up. Well there it is in a nutshell. Oh what is the verdict on the lace rock? I appreciate and look forward to everyone added comments and suggestions.


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## Fallenangel0210 (Dec 15, 2003)

lace rock is great, it's know for it's ability to slightly raise ph and it's holes are great hiding places. I have quite a bit mixed with live rock in my tank.

personally I dont think a protein skimmer is mandatory. they are always a good idea, as they remove dissolved organic waste, which a filter cannot pick up, from the tank but with a small lightly stocked, fish only system, good filtration is more the emphasis.

i also disagree with Bob's statement


> Note that your tank is not cycled jet.. You can't just stock it after 3 days..


i let my tank run for 48 hours, then added damsels and clowns, and they did just fine. several types of fish are hearty enough to withstand the cycleing process, but you can't through in just any fish


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## Andrew (Mar 3, 2003)

If you don't plan on adding corals, you do not need a skimmer for that size tank. Weekly water changes of 4 gallons will be required though.

What is this lace rock? Is it texas Holey rock? If so, don't use it. I had a bunch of it I was going to use and a geologist I know (who also has a huge reef tank) told me the rock had a certain mineral or metal that would not be good for my corals.

I can't remeber all the details, except for "not to use it in a reef tank".
We really didn't discuss using it in a tank with corals.

Hope that helps.


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## RHOMBEUS (Mar 18, 2003)

Thanx for the replies everyone. I am using a couple pieces of lace rock. I also went out and bought some live rock and live sand at the LFS. No fish as of yet. I will probably add them this weekend. I plan on two clowns and two or three damsels. Let me know if that is overkill. I do not intend to add these all at once. Over a period of weeks. Let me know if this plan will work.


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## Fallenangel0210 (Dec 15, 2003)

depends on what type of damsels and clowns
i would introduce either 2 clowns or your damsels first.
damsels can hearty, great for a new tank, but especially as adults, become quite agressive and perfer to be solitary. if your dead set on having them, go with 1 small damsel (blues only get like 2-3 inches, while domino's(3 spotts) can get like 6) or get 3 chromis to school
if you stick with smaller clowns (false percula get like 4 inches,) and smaller damsels you should be ok, but as they grow you might see agression between damsels and the clowns in such a small space (unless you go for chromis, which are generally peaceful)


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## Fallenangel0210 (Dec 15, 2003)

and check the levels of you tank before you add fish, depending on how much sand you used, and with the addition of live rock, you may be in a small cycle, so you may need to wait a little while to let that finish


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## -=BOB=- (Mar 6, 2003)

>i would introduce either 2 clowns or your damsels first.

As I mentioned earlier I'm not really experienced so check this out again:

I red several times that due to the damsels aggression & territoriallity (exepct green chromis of course) some of them should be last ones to be introduced to aquarium..

just my 2 cents...


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