My 1st Saltwater Setup

So i've had fresh water tanks for bout 18yrs now. This is my 1st venture into saltwater world. I've done alot of reading here and around the web. So here is my 1st setup. Its a 20Gal (once i figure everything out moving up to my 75G).

first i setup filter (hangon back Aquaclear 70), heater, live sand(One those store bought wet sand), live rock and 4.4 gal nutriwater (mix the rest of the water using Instat Ocean salt mix). had that running for bout 4wks now. This week I added 9 hermits, 1 scarlet shrimp, 2 chromis from my LFS. The guy threw in a frag piece of coral(i have no idea what it is). My rocks where not that clean had algae growth til i added hermits they can eat. I dont have any powerheads or current makers figure i dont need with such a powerful filter on a small tank. Also for lighting im using a single unit fluorescent im using blue marine glo bulb.

What do you guys thing? good start so far? any recommendations? should i start adding some more corals/fish? I kno i have to change my lighting any recommendations?

 

Welcome to 3reef. Looks good, you might want to consider a Koralia nano for circulation. You want about 20 times the volume for the circulation for a mixed reef or softies tank. Your frag looks like star polyps.

 

looks good! I would think about adding a sump in the future that way you can add more volume for added system stability and hide equipment. Maybe some t-5's for lighting and a protein skimmer too.

 

You defently need to change your lighting, add a powerhead of some type korilas are good. you are going to want to get a skimmer if you want to run corals.
for now I wouldnt add anything, the longer you wait the better it will be in the long run
what media do you have in the hang-on?

 

You should look into getting a skimmer at some point in the near future; standard HOB filters that you would use for freshwater don't really cut it for saltwater unless you're willing to put in a decent amount of extra work.

 

First welcome to 3reef and to SW.

My recommendation for starters is to slow down. You can't push or force things to happen like you can in a freshwater set up. Do some research while you are waiting for your tank to finish cycling and make a plan of the types of corals and fish you want to add.
If you're planning on a reef the first addition you'll need to make is more rock. 1 1/2 to 2 pounds per gallon is the norm.
Your tanks looking pretty good so far though.

 

Great thanks. this why i chose 3reef you guys have great advice. completely forgot about protein skimmer. I'm considering a sump but need to locate a small size. my LFS only carry large ones.
If i do t5s do i have to worry about heat issues? my glass is starting to had some growth on it, i'm not a fan of snails what else is good some cleaning glass? if i add more rock i would probably need to cure it outside the tank first? see this is my 1st setup so i currently do not have a isolation tank. evenly this will become my isolation tank. so im worried about adding the rocks directly at this point?
My filter media consist of cardon, some biomax, nitrogen sponge.

 

T5's have a minimal heat footprint, you can buy base rock which is dry coral rock it will become "live" quickly.

 

Just use a five or ten gallon tank as your sump.

T5s do get warm, but not nearly as much as power compacts or metal halide. If it gets to be an issue, you can always cool the tank with a small fan for a couple of bucks.

If you want to add more rock, you can cure it somewhere else or just use base rock. It is cheaper and the rock you already have will seed it.

If you don't want snails, you could always just get a magnet scrubber for the glass. They do a great job of cleaning the glass without getting your hands wet.

Oh, and welcome to 3reef!

 

Welcome aboard!

Few things I'd add to the thread....

You're going to want to get into that 75 sooner than later. As with any freshwater tank the larger the water volume the more stable it is. More so with salt water because of salinity fluctuations due to evaporation. A 20g tank is going to be more difficult to maintain than a 75g in the long run.

Get some snails. Really. I would avoid the large turbo grazers as they love to knock over rocks and move corals around, but ceriths (both dwarf and Florida from reefcleaners.org) and nerites are good. You'll also likely get colonista and stomatella snails in your live rock, they're great.

I also consider putting hermits in my tank one of my first errors in setting up. A year later and all they do is steal food from corals, kill snails, and fight amongst themselves. Yeah, they're fun to watch, up 6 or 7 in my 58g tank wreak havoc, as many as you have you'll be cursing them soon enough.

And yeah... more rock, better lights, and more circulation. Also, I agree a 10g tank is plenty for a sump on even a 75g tank. You can fill it with more rock, a skimmer, heaters, pH monitor, and more, and still have room for a decent sized return pump.

Again, welcome to 3reef!

-Doug