Lighting

[dustyboy316]

haha thanks so much. I'm going to go down maybe tomorrow and price some things out at the pet store and see if it's worth it to order online.

 

[nudy6969]

here is a useful forum website with tanks around the size of yours.

www.nano-reef.com

you do not have to get a skimmer if you do weekly water changes, but it will help.

be prepared to end up spending at least $300. i spent a total of $600 (tank, lighting, ect) on my 12gallon not including live stock, sand, and rock.

this is a list of all the things you need and price estimates.

20g tank - $40
power heads- $30- 40
sand- $30
rock- $80-100
skimmer- $30-150
lighting- $40-200
test kits- $30
hydrometer - $8-50
Salt mix- $30
RO System- $130 (you may buy water at the lfs)

so it puts you at- $400-800

reefing is not cheap

 

[nudy6969]

dont bother going to the fish store store buy your equipment, no mater where you go they will not be cheaper than

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/shop.cfm?c=3578

 

[dustyboy316]

dont bother going to the fish store store buy your equipment, no mater where you go they will not be cheaper than

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/shop.cfm?c=3578

Ok, but I'm still going to go and see if they have live rock and such.

I already have a 20 gallon tank, so thats taken care of, although I need a hood. It says at petsmart the hood are about 30 bucks (then I'd need lights), which won't be a lot since I'm opting to not put in coral for now.

Live Rock - 30 (probably more)
Fish - 40
Protein Skimmer - 70
salt mix - 15
hood - 25
Expected cost: 180.

that's the list I'm at right now. I'm expecting some shipping charges on top of that too.

For the testing I can get all the PH testing stuff from my school, but what else do I need to test. Nitrates I know of, but what else is there to test?

 

[nudy6969]

you dont need a hood, they are pointless imo.

you need to test for

ph
ka
calcium
nitrates
nitrites
amonia
gravity

 

[nudy6969]

oh and don't use tap water.

if you want cheap rock then go here
http://www.marcorocks.com/
its dry rock which will eventually become live when mixed with lr.
you can buy the other half from ebay, its only $3 a lb.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Fiji-Live-Rock-...yZ117437QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[yote]

Damn you Yote!

HEHE:mrgreen:

 

[reeffreak]

Don't forget a small a 50-75w heater and a hydrometer.My suggestion is to get a basic API test kit for saltwater(pH,nitrite,nitrate and ammonia).Petsmart sells them and of course,Dr.Fosters.

I'm always a step behind,suppose I should get use to it.

 

[dustyboy316]

Ok, what wattage lighting do I need for the tank?

So far my list is:


Live Rock - 30
http://cgi.ebay.com/Fiji-Live-Rock-...yZ117437QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Fish - 40
http://www.petsolutions.com/
Protein Skimmer - 20
http://www.aquariumguys.com/protein-skimmer-counter-current-small.html
salt mix - 15
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754897
hydrometer - 15
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3240119#prodTab1
heater - 25
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754054
Total: 155.

Need a light on there too, and that basically is what I think I'm goin to start with. I'll probably have the tank a month until I start adding fish.

 

[nudy6969]

dont buy that skimmer. the best skimmer for the price is the Taam Rio protein skimmer and it costs $30.

to be able to keep corals you need at least 3-4w per gallon.

 

[reeffreak]

You need no special lighting for fish only.Any single bulb fluorescent fixture will due.Maybe you might to try to keep a few soft corals-try this cheap fixture.I use it in my refugium which has some zoas and mushrooms.Besides you may want the light to grow coralline,makes live rock look much nicer.The 2 bulb-18'' or 24'',whichever will your tank length.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+16770&pcatid=16770

Or a single lamp PC fixture is cheap
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+9654+11418&pcatid=11418


The Lee skimmer is bad,very bad.Do water changes regularly and you can go without a skimmer.

 

[dustyboy316]

dont buy that skimmer. the best skimmer for the price is the Taam Rio protein skimmer and it costs $30.

to be able to keep corals you need at least 3-4w per gallon.

Ok, I think I'm going to get the Taam Rio one. I need to try and keep this set up under 200 (excluding tank, but including fish).

I'm also not going to have corals... yet anyways. I want them but they basically double the cost of the whole set up.

I think I'm going to get a small light, but as soon as I can (probably christmas time or so) I will get a decent light and put some corals into it.


What exactly is corraline?

 

[yote]

Coralline is the pretty red,purple,and pink stuff that you seen on live rock.

 

[dustyboy316]

Ok. I think I have a good list of what I need. I'll share it with you and hopefully you can give me some more tips.

Live Rock - 55
http://www.petsolutions.com/ or https://www.marinedepotlive.com or http://oceanaquatics.com/
Fish : 70 (2 Clowns, 5 Hermits, 1 Star Fish)
http://oceanaquatics.com/
Protein Skimmer - 30
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...mers-Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies~vendor~.html
salt mix - 15
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754897
hydrometer - 15
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3240119#prodTab1
heater - 25
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754054
Total: 210

Oh and testing kits, but I'm not going to be adding fish until everything is settled in. Also it probably isn't smart to add in the hermit crabs and star fish until I've had the tank running a bit correct? Because they're scavengers and there won't be anything to scavenge...

Does that seem like everything I need? I don't need any air pumps or anything for water flow, or does the skimmer take care of that?

 

[daugherty]

yep you do not want to have anything in the tank until it has finished the cycle

 

[dustyboy316]

yep you do not want to have anything in the tank until it has finished the cycle

Yup, I'm going to read a bit more on this before actually starting the tank. How long does it usually take?

 

[dustin_P74]

it depends on what you use to cycle it, if you use uncured rock and sand then it could take anywhere from 1-2 months. if you use cured rock and some seeded live sand then you could actually bypass the entire cycle

 

[dustyboy316]

it depends on what you use to cycle it, if you use uncured rock and sand then it could take anywhere from 1-2 months. if you use cured rock and some seeded live sand then you could actually bypass the entire cycle

I'm looking to get cured and maybe some live sand if I can find it cheap enough, but to save money I might get some uncured. It all depends, but I'm not actually purchasing anything until my tank gets in.

 

[dustin_P74]

if you plan on getting any uncured then just go ahead and get all uncured rock, there is no point in spending the extra money

 

[dustyboy316]

if you plan on getting any uncured then just go ahead and get all uncured rock, there is no point in spending the extra money

Yup, I'd choose 1 and stick with it.

Whats the least amount you recommend for a 20 gallon tank?