A little Help

[Al Vance]

Hello:
Pretty New to Salt Water Life!
I have a 20 Gallon that started as a fish only. Now 2 years later.
I want a reef tank. Now I have around 20 pounds of Live Rock and the same of Live Sand.
The tank cycled quickly and I had 2 Black Clown Fish paired with a bubble tip anemone.
within 1 year. As well as a clean up crew of 3 Scarlet Hermit Crabs, around 15 Turbo Snails, 3 Nass. Snails. & a Emerald Crab. I have since added a Cleaner Srimp, A Blue Hippo Tang and a small frag of orange zoos with around 25 polyps. Since Live Rock Isn't easy to place things on, the zoos seem to fall off every night. I have chosen to just leave the rock on the sand. The polyps open up beautifully (Orange with green in the centre).
I have just added a Gonioporo around 5 Inches. My clowns seem to like to host it all day. I am not sure what is happening at night as I have only seen the Emerald crab laying on it.
What do you think?
What should I do?
What can I add to make the tank look more full? I know I shouldn't add live rock as it may cause another cycling or a spike of something?( Ithink I have been reading this) Bought a couple $70 dollar books and read them before I found this site.

Perameters
Tank is warm right now in heat wave. around 83 Usually 80

Specific Gravity 1.022

Lighting: 1 Single T5 Marine Glo (9:00a.m. - 9:00p.m.) Glo, 1 Double T5 Power Glo (10:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.)

I have 3 small power heads 1 Hang on Filter

1 Bio Cube Protein Skimmer Airstone

A uv sterlizer 7W w/light powerhead

 

[Al Vance]

Stuff I forgot!
The bubble Tip seems to open up beautifully at night and close up slightly during the day. Still very bubbly.
I feed flake around 12:00. And Marine Mix Frozen @ 4:00 and 8:00
How do I add pictures saved in a file on my desktop?

 

[dcantucson]

Hi Al Vance welcome to Living Reefs.
I would suggest using photobucket to post your pictures. Sounds like your tank is coming along nicely. Have you thought of turning that Cichlid tank into a reef set-up? The Hippo Tang you've got must be very small, maybe a baby. It will very quickly if it hasn't already outgrow that 20 gallon you have it in. The Tang patrol will come and ticket you if you keep it in there very long! :lol:

 

[Al Vance]

What is Photo Bucket?
In Ontario it costs around 10 a pound for live rock with no quantity disount. Everything is so highly priced compared to US stores. Lighting etc. probably $4000 to switch.
Cichlid I successfully mated Frontosa's and Kenyi in the same tank. Wild Eh! Now doing Convicts in bulk for a friend that owns a local store but a little ignorant. If I do another it will be 2 or 3 hundred gallon. This is my tester.

 

[Smitty]

Oooohhh, you have a blue hippo in a 20gal, you in trouble...lol...You should remove him or really upgrade the tank.
Also, the flake food will cause water problems(phosphates) from the ash.
You could try adding more soft corals(mushrooms,xenia,leathers), they tend to grow fast and fill a tank up.
Upload your pics to photobucket and them paste the img code to this site .

 

[dcantucson]

photobucket.com is a free site to upload your pictures for sharing.

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

 

[yote]

Besides the tang in a 20,which I wont harp on(but the tanks grossly to small for any tang),your salinity needs to come up.For a reef it needs to be between 1.024 and 1.026.
And you cant rush it.When it comes to reef tanks,the only things that happen over night,are bad things.

 

[Al Vance]

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

Click on link to see my pics

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

When it comes to reef tanks,the only things that happen over night,are bad things.

Amen, brotha

 

[Gdbyrd]

What is Photo Bucket?
In Ontario it costs around 10 a pound for live rock with no quantity disount. Everything is so highly priced compared to US stores. Lighting etc. probably $4000 to switch.
Cichlid I successfully mated Frontosa's and Kenyi in the same tank. Wild Eh! Now doing Convicts in bulk for a friend that owns a local store but a little ignorant. If I do another it will be 2 or 3 hundred gallon. This is my tester.

I paid 9$ a pound for most of mine, and I live on the coast : / It sucks..and it's a hell of an investment of cash before you get your final product..But it's a wonderful hobby and worth the money!

Everyone else has you covered.

 

[dcantucson]

Al Vance your tank looks very nice. Your Tang is very small and should be okay for a while in there, however it gives you just enough time to start planning for your new bigger tank and to get it going. :lol:

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, hippo tangs need at least 75 gallons to live happily.

 

[ltljoker]

they are right al, I got a blue hippo and he was very small. Ive had it for approx 6 months and he has doubled in size. I have a big tank but he will quickly outgrow that 20 in probably less then a year. if you want a colorful fish that will do great in your 20 gal try either a coral beauty or a flame angel but being you want and are starting a reef its a 50 50 chance they might nip at your coral

 

[dcantucson]

I would say that Tang will outgrow that tank in 3 months. (name that tune)

 

[Al Vance]

so what do you suggest

 

[Bifferwine]

You either need to get rid of the fish or get a larger tank.

 

[dcantucson]

Hey we all wish we had an excuse for upgrading to a larger tank, but you've got one!