I need some suggestions. I've been into freshwater for awhile and now I'm finally ready to fulfill a dream of having a saltwater aquarium. I currently have a 20 gallon long and a penn-plax cascade 1000 for it. All I'm missing is the wave makers, heater, protein skimmer and whatever else I missed (need help) lol. My biggest issue is lighting. I want to be able to have all types of corals. Not right away but in the future. Having that option would be nice. I'm just lost on what to buy and cant exactly trust the aqurium store employees. I'm on a budget. So stuff on the cheaper side preferably, but I definitely dont want to buy junk. I am willing to pay for good quality though!
20 gallon long reef. Need help!
- Thread starter Joshp364
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Welcome to reef2reef !!!!
Glad you came here for advice rather than the lfs.
To save you money you don’t need a skimmer to run a reef tank and there are a ton of budget options that aren’t bad quality.
For Wavemakers the hydor Wavemaker are affordable and reliable.
A good heater would be a Eheim Jager heater. They’re good at keeping temps stable.
Since your going with a 20 long lighting is going to cost a little more because of how long it is. What would you like to spend or and ideal amount ?
Glad you came here for advice rather than the lfs.
To save you money you don’t need a skimmer to run a reef tank and there are a ton of budget options that aren’t bad quality.
For Wavemakers the hydor Wavemaker are affordable and reliable.
A good heater would be a Eheim Jager heater. They’re good at keeping temps stable.
Since your going with a 20 long lighting is going to cost a little more because of how long it is. What would you like to spend or and ideal amount ?
Cool. as for lighting for all coral types in the $150 - $300 range. What do you suggest? Thanks for your time btw!
Okay, personally, here are the top five things I would consider:
1) switch to 40 gallon breeder if it all possible: the size makes the water chemistry more stable
2) get your own RODI unit: I use mine for drinking water(RO) and reef water(saves a ton of money)
3) get a refractometer to measure salinity: have it calibrated at local fish store
4) DIY auto top-off made from float valve and airline tubing: makes replacement water very easy, plus you can mix in kalkwasser
5) I personally go no sand because I think the flow is to hard manage if there is sand in a small tank getting whipped around
I am hesitant to recommend anything for lighting because it is just such a personal opinion. Basically all of my equipment is used, including the metal halide.
Hope this helps!
Oh, and one more thing --- keep nitrates at 5-10(not zero). I use a Salifert test kit.
DesertReefT4r
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Get a 4 bulb T5 fixture. I would also recommend a 40B over a 20L tank.
Just be aware that with a 20 long you might run into issues with parameter swings and you will have to stay on top of the top off with fresh water. This is just because of the small size of the aquarium. I agree that on that size of tank you probably could get away without a protein skimmer and just do more frequent 20%ish water changes. The low depth of the tank gives you a lot of leeway on lighting. You don't need a lot to push that depth. For ease of use I would go with a 4-bulb T-5 like @DesrtReefT4r suggested and use ATI bulbs. A 24 inch fixture would only leave you 3 inches on either side where lower light corals can go or just leave it open. Like he also suggested a 40 breeder would give you twice the volume for swings and a ton more real estate to work with.
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