20 Gallon Tank..Converting to salt...need help!

B

banana

Reefing newb
Hello All,

I am planning on converting a fresh water 20 gallon tank into a salt water reef set up.

I am doing it as a surprise for my girl as she is away for the next two weeks and this is part of her birthday present.

The thing is...I don't know anything about fish. I probably will convert it over next week and let it run for a whole week to let it stabilize. Then, the next week I can get fish and coral for it and have everything looking nice for her when she gets here.


So from basic research, Ive learned a bit, but here is what I need help with:

1. What equipment do I need to switch the tank over to salt water, ie filters, heaters, anything else? Please link specific items, I have a pretty unlimited budget for this as it would mean everything to her and she is worth it.
2. For the reef, what do you recommend for such a small tank?
3. For fish, there needs to be clown fish, bc she loves Finding Nemo, so gotta have those little guys. But what other fish would work well in this tank with them?
4. Further recommendations, example set ups etc. Thanks!

Also, if 20 gallon is too small....please recommend a proper size and list the requirements from the list above for that.

Feel free to post any links as I have a lot of free time for the next two weeks so I will read anything and everything to make sure I do this right!


Again, thanks so much!
 
Hi and welcome. Myself being a new myself i dont want to give any wrong info, and I dont want to sound like a drag, but trying to set up and get fish into a saltwater tank in 2 weeks may be pushing it. Assuming you put live rock in there (seeing as you want to have coral) You are gonna need at least 2 weeks if not more to stabalize the water and let it cycle. IMO i would get everything started(equipment, water live rock and sand) with the intention that you two take it slow and wait to let the tank fully cycle before adding fish and coral. I feel you both will enjoy this more and can then fully understand the tank and also you both can then pick out coral and fish. Even adding fish the recomended norm is 1 fish per week. I hope i didnt burst your bubble.
Now if you do have unlimited funds you can spend money on equipment like crazy. As far as tank get the biggest 1 you can afford and get in the house. The more water the more stable it will be. A 20 gallon will work. As far as filtration that depends on you tank size but regardless you will need a protein skimmer. And with lights well if you do want to keep corals you will need a nice set of t-5 flourecent fixture. Like a nova extreme pro. (or if you really want to go nice metal halide with some t-5's)
i hope that helped some.
 
Thanks for the reply!

Ya Ive been reading more and it seems that fish are about 3 weeks away.

What I was going to do is this weekend switch it to salt and put a living rock in it so it will have time to settle. Then when she comes back, we can go pick out the fish together.

I think for our first salt water, we will stick with this 20 gallon, just to learn on.

For filters, pumps, heaters and what not, what should I get?

Also, where can you buy a living rock? There is a petco near my house but I am not sure if they would have what Im looking for as far as quality.

Thanks again!

So far to do:
1. Convert to salt (buy sand and testers)
2. Buy new filters/pump
3. Buy new heater(s)
4. Buy living rock

So the questions now that come to mind are:

1. What filter should I get?
2. What heaters?
3. Where to get a good living rock?
4. What other supplies do I need to start the tank off? (testers, salt, etc etc)

Im browsing the petco website now...
 
Last edited:
Im not even sure petco sells live rock. But what you want to get thing going as fast as possible is 20-40 lbs of live rock for your tank. You want live rock that has already been cured. This way the cycle will be shortened. Then you also want about the same amount of live sand. If i were you forget petco and go to a local fish store that sells saltwater fish and supplies and you will find a more knowledeable person.
1. as far as filter im not sure on bigger aquariums people go with sumps and refugiums but on a 20 im not sure hopefully someone else can help you out.
2. Heater just go with a nice fully submersible heater that is rated for a 20. Dont go cheap you ll regret it later.
3. lighting is crucial for a reef aquarium(anything with coral and inverts) so get yourself a nice set of lights.
4. Dont go cheap on salt either especially with a reef. The better brands have more of the trace elements that u will need in a reef aquarium. I hear oceanic is good.
5. Test. um others can help. I know a hydrometer and ammonia and nitrite and nitrate.
6. Go online and look at their supplies and get a good idea as to what is out there.
Did i miss anything?
 
You are right on that it will probably be around 3 weeks before you'll be able to add your first fish. And you should only add one fish at a time, at 3 week intervals (at least in the beginning). In a 20 gallon tank, you will be limited to 2 or 3 fish anyways. It will probably be several months before your tank is stable and mature enough for corals.

Petco really doesn't have much in the way of saltwater. Your best bet is to find a saltwater store.
 
I wouldnt bet on it being cycled in 3 weeks.Hell,mine took almost 3 months to cycle.
Before you do ANYTHING do some research.Even though a reef tank aint hard to keep,it does take time to get right.And you owe it to anything you keep in the tank to know exactly what it takes to keep it thriving.
 
Where in new york are you? Anywhere near Elmira? First off you'll need to find a store that sells live rock. You could order on line. If you use cured live rock and live sand you may only have a small cycle or even skip it all together. You would need 1-2 pounds of rock per gallon of water. Also a good protein skimmer if your not doing a sump you'll want a hang on back type. This is the one area where you do not want to skimp. If you plan on upgrading in the future get a bigger one. As for lights T5's are a great choice. Be carefull of advice given by the fish store some have no clue. Before you buy get equipment info and post here and we'll give you our opinion. In this hobby you need to be patient and go slow. It will be worth it in the long run.
 
also i know you said that since this is your first time in saltwater nut for your first tank you ideally wanna go as bigg as you can afford because believe it or not the bigger the tank the easier to maintain and the more water you have the more room you have to make a mistake because you have more water to absorb your mistake, like others have said 1-2lbs. of live rock per gallon, and if you go to a actual saltwater fish store you should be able to find cured live rock at about 5-8 dollars a pound and with that you might be able to skip a cycle and then you can add your first fish sooner but you should wait and let your tank mature before corals go in since some feed off of what is in the water column, and if you do find a local saltwater fish store you need to get as much info on this from them and then (no pun intended) take it with a grain of salt because they are still a business with bills for you to pay, and then come back here and tell us what they say because we can fill in what they left out and correct what is wrong if they give you wrong info because we unlike them are trying to push a sale so all the info we give you is in the best interests of the animals not the money. plus you can know what they told you is right or wrong it can help judge that fish store as being a good place you should repeat and help keep afloat or if its a place to avoid
 
You have been given wonderful advice from everyone! Starting a saltwater tank is totally different from freshwater and twice as expensive and twice as time consuming in the beginning.

You should certainly buy the largest tank you can buy. Typically many people consider anything under 50 to be a nano tank and those can be hard to keep stable.
You need to buy the best protein skimmer you can afford and many of the people on here use oceanic salt for their tanks. I agree about the T-5 lights for the 20gal.
For water testing you will need to test pH, salinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, alkalinity and calcium. There are other things too but those are the most important.
Now when it comes to live rock and live sand petco is not your best bet. Go to a LFS or go online.
www.marinedepot.com
www.marinedepotlive.com
www.liveaquaria.com
www.vividaquariams.com
Those are some good places. www.wetwebmedia.com is also a good place to learn more about saltwater tanks.
 
This sounds like it will be a fun project since money is not an issue. Finding a good supplier/lfs locally might be your biggest problem

First go to one of the online vendors e.g. Dr. Foster Smith and look over the various equipment and there prices to get an idea how much you should be paying for various items. At the retail/local level expect to pay more but at least you will know exactly how bad you are getting soaked on the stuff.

The twenty gal will work; a twenty gallon long would be even better and if you want to spend the money a forty gallon breeder tank is an excellent choice for a small reef.

Here is the list of equipment I would suggest to get started.

1) A T5 light fixture. Nova extreme pro or a Nova extreme would be my choice. The Pro is a much better choice but starts at 36 inch so you would have to have the 40 gallon breeder to go with this fixture.

2) One five gallon bucket of reef grade salt mix. Red sea coral pro is my choice but any reef grade mix will suffice.

3) One bag Live sand or enough to layer in a one inch or less sand bed.

4) One test kit. Ammonia and nitrite are the primary concerns for a new tank.

5) Enough RO filtered water to fill the tank. You can get this from vending machines or purchase by the bottle. Look on label or machine to assure that it is RO (reverse osmosis) filtered water.

6) One refractometer.

7) Two Maxi jet 900 power heads. One tube of super glue and two mag float magnet algae cleaners. Super glue the power heads to the mag float so that they can be held securely to the sides of the tank. The supplied suction cups wont work and the power heads will eventually fall causing a sand storm.

Now the iffy part, live rock. If you have a local source for premium cured LR this will dramatically reduce the cycling time of the tank and in some cases eliminate if you stock vary lightly at the outset. Premium cured rock will be covered in purple coraline algae and have no white patches that indicate die off.

set up in next post
 
Set up should be pretty straight forward for this size tank. First use a separate container and mix up enough salt water to fill the tank about three quarters. Use your refractometer to get a 1.025 mixture. Mix well and use your pump to circulate water for a few hours.

After tank is placed (leave room behind you will need to get your hands and equipment back there) layer in a one inch sand bed. Take a dinner plate or similar item and lay it on the sand bed. Now pour in your mixed salt water over top of plate to avoid stirring up a bunch of sand.

The tank should now be three quarter full and your ready for your live rock. I would go with about 20 pounds regardless of tank size to start. Cured live rock or base rock can be added at any time down the line.

Top off the tank with mixed SW if it is not already full. Secure your power heads to the sides of the tank and fire them up.

Probably the best course of action at this point is to just let the tank run like this until your girl friend gets home. Once the tank is cycled meaning ammonia and nitrite levels have fallen to zero you and your girl can shop for live stock together and she can have some fun spending some money also.

Protein skimmers and filters are great but for this size tank without a sump IMO the best course of action is simply to make small water changes every other day or so once the tank is cycled. A half gallon pitcher will work here. Simply dip out a gallon or two every other day and replace with new. Use your refractometer to monitor salt content. At times small additions of fresh water will be need to maintain a proper level of 1.025. These mall frequent water changes will beat any skimmer on the market for maintaining water quality in small tanks and is about as labour intensive as watering a house plant and is much easier than large changes less frequently.These small frequent changes will also assure that trace elements are kept at proper levels. Something protein skimmers and fitlers can not do.

HTH and Good luck with the new tank.
 
Last edited:
Piggy said:
Where in new york are you? Anywhere near Elmira?
Click to expand...

Im in rochester.

I think I will stick with the 20g for the sole purpose that I will be ending college in 1 year and will give this tank to my parents once I graduate as I most likely will be moving to the west coast.

Wow guys you have posted so much that Ive got a lot of reading ahead of me.

Damseluver thanks for the huge guide, I really really appreciate it. Good idea with using the mag floats as a holder for the pumps.

So far, from my research today I have the following game plan:

1. CPR Bakpak skimmer
2. 40lb of live rock (pre-cured, buying online most likely)
3. 25lb of live sand
4. T5 light fixture
5. 2 Maxi jet 900 power heads
6. 2 mag float magnet algae cleaners

Oh and genius:
Damseluver said:
she can have some fun spending some money also.
Click to expand...


Does that seem like a good list?
 
Wow thanks for all the posts.

I am in Rochester piggy.

Here is my list so far from research:

1. CPR Bak PAK Skimmer
2. 35lb of Live rock
3. 15lb of live sand
4. T5 light
5. 2 Maxi jet 900 power heads
6. 2 Mag float magnet

Thats the list so far...am I missing anything?


Damseluver said:
she can have some fun spending some money also.
Click to expand...

That's part of the game plan ;-)
 
Banana since you are in Rochester you have a plethora of great LFS in the area.

Rochester
Caribbean Forrest
Marine Oasis
The Reef Shoppe

Buffalo
Saltwater Paradise
A Reef Creation(A World Class shop owned by RandyO from reefcentral)
The Fish Store

I only live about an hour and 20 minutes from Rochester PM me and I can put you in contact with a great reefing community. We are in an area blessed with great reef stores.
 
RyanG said:
Banana since you are in Rochester you have a plethora of great LFS in the area.

Rochester
Caribbean Forrest
Marine Oasis
The Reef Shoppe

Buffalo
Saltwater Paradise
A Reef Creation(A World Class shop owned by RandyO from reefcentral)
The Fish Store

I only live about an hour and 20 minutes from Rochester PM me and I can put you in contact with a great reefing community. We are in an area blessed with great reef stores.
Click to expand...

Wow thank you so much for the rochester links!

Today after work I am going to swing by Caribbean Forrest and The Reef Shoppe since they are near each other!
 
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=117

Rochester Based Club

http://fingerlakesreef.com/forum/index.php

Finger Lakes Club

Both are great local clubs with tons of great information.

Just a note: These links arent to deter you from posting and being active here, just a way for you to network yourself to local reefers.

There is a pretty large frag swap scheduled for Labor Day at Kent Emirbayer's house, should be a very very nice swap if you are interested. Just make sure if you want to attend you RSVP.
 
banana just a little heads up when you buy the "pre-cured" rock online it will arrive to you needing to be cured in your tank which will make the cycling process about a month to two months
 
Dustins right.When you order rock on-line,its going to have a lot of die-off on by the time you get it.So you'll have to re-cure it.And trust me,you dont want to re-cure rock in the house if you can help it.Nearly caused me a divorce when I done it.
 
Most of the buffalo stores carries cured live rock. Petmart in Batavia is taking down their saltwater room as we speak. They are have a sale with blowout pricing that started on thursday. You should take a trip their and get some stuff. Kenny also has a room of used tanks. Best deals that I have ever seen.
 

Similar threads

Mike
Software Updated
Replies
0
Views
396
Mike
Mike
Mike
Species Database Photography
Replies
0
Views
687
Mike
Mike
Mike
We're Back!
Replies
0
Views
618
Mike
Mike
F
New to marine.
Replies
2
Views
1K
kbuser92
kbuser92
Mike
  • Sticky
New Member (Owner 😲)
Replies
0
Views
697
Mike
Mike
Back
Top