Getting back into saltwater fish.

[Warren Bautista]

I think it's time I've gotten back into fish keeping.

I used to have a 75 gallon reef tank, but that has since been sold off. I'm looking for a spare 20 gallon on Craigslist since I already have a stand.

So, can anyone give me some advice on restarting this hobby? I have a spare Fluval 305 and Red Sea skimmer in the shed, would this be too overkill for a 20 gallon?


Also, can anyone direct me to a good website for buying aquatic animals and live rock?

 

[Sunset]

yeah it well. if your going to use a 20 gallon tank for a reef tank i wouldnt even bother. because a 20 gallon tank is going to be alot harder to take care of. the bigger the tank you get the better off you well be at the end. and i wouldnt use a 305 or a skimmer for a 20 gallon just use a hang on fliter and a heater thats all you need. maybe some power heads to move water around dependng on what you get. but in my book its not a good idea to turn a 20 gallon tank into a reef tank.

 

[DemonAsh]

yeah it well. if your going to use a 20 gallon tank for a reef tank i wouldnt even bother. because a 20 gallon tank is going to be alot harder to take care of. the bigger the tank you get the better off you well be at the end. and i wouldnt use a 305 or a skimmer for a 20 gallon just use a hang on fliter and a heater thats all you need. maybe some power heads to move water around dependng on what you get. but in my book its not a good idea to turn a 20 gallon tank into a reef tank.

Second that.... I would step it up a little for a reef-tank. Maybe sell the stand you have and keep a close eye on craigslist for a 55 set up or something? I had a picasso trigger (Awesome fish) and some crusts in a 39 gallon for a long time, but the amount of work for a few animals wasn't worth it.. I personally wouldn't do another saltwater set-up less than 75 gal... But thats just me

Good luck either way, Warren!!

ps. can't help you with a website.. I buy all my aquatic stuff locally.. sorry

 

[mike w]

I would get at least a 60gal for a reef tank. I also used a canister filter with live rock pieces and chempure. Metal Halide pendant light 250 watt with a 17,000 spectrum bulb for soft and hard corals. Make sure you get cured live rock. Inline with the canister supply I had a uv light sterilizer to prevent a ick breakout. Purchase some decent powerheads for simulated reef current. I sold my setup due to expense was getting out of hand. I miss that reef tank alot!!! This site may help if you want to start a nano reef.
www.petsolutions.com

 

[Warren Bautista]

Well, I found a 55 on CL today, hopefully picking it up this weekend. So maybe I can put the Fluval to good use.

I remember having a FOWLR tank, a couple big predators in there, maybe I can get lucky and find a custom tank on CL. That was always my favorite....

Thanks for the link Mike, I'll get a better look around the site tomorrow. lol

 

[pouchedrat]

look up nano-reef tanks if you want a 20 gallon. Those things are awesome. I was looking into turning my 6 gallon into a nano reef long ago, but never did do anything with it (I wanted to go with a small mantis shrimp and an acrylic tank, but it never went anywhere). There's a lot involved in them, and they can be pretty small (I've seen 1 gallon bowl nano reefs, even), but balancing it all out you can have an awesome little project. The best part is being able to hand pick each and every tiny little coral or piece you want to go in there. Not much in the way of fish can fit in them, except a small species of clown, but there's a list of fish that do well in nanos. I'd do it for the smaller inverts, and corals.

/edit- http://www.nano-reef.com/

back when I was looking them up, people were building their own lighting systems for them and such. Now, seems like they sell commercial lighting and even small protein skimmers, etc, for those into nanos. We didn't have those options back when, kinda cool to see it now.

 

[DemonAsh]

look up nano-reef tanks if you want a 20 gallon. Those things are awesome. I was looking into turning my 6 gallon into a nano reef long ago, but never did do anything with it (I wanted to go with a small mantis shrimp and an acrylic tank, but it never went anywhere). There's a lot involved in them, and they can be pretty small (I've seen 1 gallon bowl nano reefs, even), but balancing it all out you can have an awesome little project. The best part is being able to hand pick each and every tiny little coral or piece you want to go in there. Not much in the way of fish can fit in them, except a small species of clown, but there's a list of fish that do well in nanos. I'd do it for the smaller inverts, and corals.

/edit- http://www.nano-reef.com/

back when I was looking them up, people were building their own lighting systems for them and such. Now, seems like they sell commercial lighting and even small protein skimmers, etc, for those into nanos. We didn't have those options back when, kinda cool to see it now.

Thats really awesome.. Thanks for sharing

 

[Warren Bautista]

Those people have some pretty cool nanos. :drool:

I think I'll put deep layer of sand in the 55, I've always wanted to havea a Goby/Pistol Shrimp pair.