20 gallon FOWLR

Ok, so i have officially decided that when i have the spare money i want to turn my puffers tank into a FOWLR system.

So my big qustion what equipment will i need to get?

Filter:

I currently have a little 10 gallon filter since my old one died so i need to get a new filter or, do i purchase a decent nano skimmer and not get a filter?

Skimmer:

What kind of HOB skimmer would be good for a 20 gallon *tall* FOWLR

Lights:

I will be keeping it simple, the single flourescent bulb *or whatever kind of light it is* that came with the tank,

Lid:

I plan on getting a new glass top as the plastic covering that i have is broken

Subtrate:

I have Black Tahitan moon sand, i really don't want to have to take the sand out, will the tank be ok with this current sand

Live Rock:
Should i look into base rock that way i don't start off a cycle process?

Water:

I currently use tap water with this tank and pour salt into the tank and use prime *i know i'm bad* i've been getting a lot of algae problems, but i want to start using ro/di water with this tank, how do i change out the water?

Heat:

For some reason this tank gets REALLY hot like 90 degreese hot, and i have no idea why especially with this simple light, i don't know what to do, i forget the wattage that my heater is at so do i get a lower wattage heater?

So basically i will be doing a complete redo of my puffer's tank, my 46 is my top priority but i want to know what i'll be looking into for the nano. Sorry for the long post

 

Your heater could be broke! I would use a aqua c remora nano skimmer they are great! and the maybe turn your small filter into a HOB fuge or just use it to run carbon.

 

kk, i'll look at the remora, as my seaclone 100 is a POS and doesn't even skimm

 

Sometimes powerheads, skimmers, heaters, and anything that plugs in, fails or becomes defective. I have a maxi-jet 1200 that will bring my tank up to 90 degrees if I leave it running throughout the night. I would start with your heater, even if it was a 400watt heater, they have thermostats that will turn off when the temp rises, your thermostat is probably broke. unplug it and measure the temp before you go to bed. Then measure it in the morning. Do this process with your equipment until you figure out what is causing the heat.

Yea, base rock will be fine.

NEVER pour salt in the tank! mix it in a separate container. Start using at least RO water from your local grocery store, fish store or walmart. If not possible, buy an RO or an RODI unit and make your own water. This will help with algae. Pop some chaeto in the tank too to battle phosphates because they fuel algae.

 

With the two tanks going it would be good to get an ro/di unit if possible,it will make things much easier,healthier tanks, no lugging water jugs.To add cheato to your tank I use a specimen container, like they catch fish with at your lfs. Just drill alot of 1/4 inch holes in it,add cheato, and hang in tank.If your flow at the surface is good it will work fine.I did this in my 44gal. corner tank and nitrates dropped from 25ppm to zero in about four to six weeks.BTW,puffers like to nibble on cheato,at least my Valentini does,so you could try giving yours a little for a snack,its probably good for them.Hope this helps,Dave

 

the seaclone comes with the maxijet 1200, could that be the source of the problem

 

Get a decent skimmer, that is the important part. I have a Bak-Pak on my 20H tank, I would recommend something better.
Trash the light it came with, they are worthless. I'm assuming it is a 24" T8 light. The bulbs go bad after 4-6 months and you will see a huge algae and cyano problem when they are near the end of their life. Get a 24" T5 instead. They are like a $60 now and worth the money.
18 inch Current USA Nova Extreme 2x18 watt T5 HO 10K/460nm
Trash the idea of the glass canopy, you will end up with pH problems without proper gas exchange at the surface of the water. Go with eggcrate instead.
The sand should be ok, it still has some aragonite in it.
Base rock won't have the die off, but you will still need to give it time to populate with the bacterial colonies before the tank is fish ready.
Get that heater out of the tank. A large wattage heater won't heat the water any more (temp wise) than a smaller heater, it will just heat it faster (time wise). A heater will only heat the water to what it is set at and turn off. So if it's set to 78º and reaches 90º, it's bad, take it out. Besides, you live in So Cal, the norma here is that you need a chiller since ambient temps are well above 80º. The last time my heater came on was January of this year. My chiller turns on everyday many times a day.
I wouldn't suspect the Maxi-Jet, they are pretty darn reliable pumps. The only time I replaced mine was when it was 4 years old and I broke the impeller when I was cleaning it out.
*****most important here******
Invest in an RO/DI system first and foremost. If you have to put this tank on hold, it's a MUCH wiser decision than to buy a skimmer/lighting for the nano tank. Both of your tanks will benefit from it. Tap water has heavy metals in it, no amount of Prime, Cycle, AmQuel or whatever, will remove those. The last thing you want to see if that the tolerance of your puffers have been reached and they die due to the contamination.

 

+1 to everything that was said here! Get a remora or even save for an octopus HoB skimmer they are great! i also second better lights!

Check craigslist you might be able to find a cheap compact flo setup! seeing as you dont have any high light demanding stuff you could get away with that!


also most maxi-jets last forever i would not worry about that! but make sure the heater is in bc temps drop at night and last thing you want is to wake up to everything dead bc the water droped to 62 degrees!

cant wait to see some pics bet its gonna look sweet!

 

I was just using my MJ1200 as an example. I agree with the others that its your heater, but thats something you have to determine. Remove it and check the temp after a day.

 

I'll take a look at the lighting.

I'll look into the egg crate idea, i have a class lid on my 46 as that's what it came with so that's why i figured i'd get one for the 20. But i will check out the egg crate.

How long will it take for for the bacterial colonies to build up because my puffer will be in the tank the entire time that this tank redo will be going on.

For the heater, i think you guys may be right about it possibly being broken. It's 2 years old, and there is supposed to be a light that comes on when the heater turns on, and i have not seen that little orange light for a while.

For the water, i was originally doing the way i was because i had to make the tank brackish, and up until i joined this site i had no idea what ro/di water was, but now that i want to make his tank full marine, as now it looks like a POS tank compared to my new 46, i figured i have to make his tank look just as nice. So now i will start using ro/di water