new to sw, want to start a small and simple 20, what set-up......

[kxfreak]

well everyone, im new to the saltwater hobbie. anyways, i have an 80 gallon setup for my tiger oscar and he loves it. but now i want something small, neat looking, and pretty much something that has a little community in it that i can keep in my room. anyways, i want to know all the saltwater basics i can find out about. how should i cycle this tank, should i buy live rock for a tank this small or not? stuff like that.

anyways, i would like to know a simple cheap setup that i could use for now. im in progress of building my own canister filter right now(with the right pump this thing should push some serious water) but that still has work to be done. could i used some otb filter for this tank or not? whats a good setup that i can use that is decently cheap and will keep my tank clean.

i dont have much exspeience with sw at all. my dad's ex built a tank, but didnt have a clue what she was doing and she wouldnt listen to any of my information. she didnt cycle, she didnt yet the live rock cure completely, and she way overstocked the tank i think. suprisingly enough, the thing lasted for a while but for the money that was in that tank, it was pointless and a waste for the fish. am i going to need a canister, skimmer, or what. just tell me a good setup for a 20 gal...

 

[sabotaged]

check out the helpful articles, there is a bunch of info to get you started. good luck and welcome to livingreefs :mrgreen:

 

[djpj001]

I think you're looking for a short cut, but in this hobby there are NO SHORTCUTS. Do a little research. It's not easy to advise you, because each individual has a different setup. Are you planning on having corals, if yes what type of corals. If you do plan to add corals, you'll need a lighting setup. But for a basic 20 gallon tank, I would probably add around 30-40 lbs of live rock, a good skimmer (avoid cheap skimmers- there's allot of them out there), maybe a 10 gallon sump/refuge with a deep sand bed (4-5 inches) and macro algae ( Chaetomorpha) for filtration,powercompact lights if you plan to get corals (except for sps corals u need metal halides).

Those are the basic setups most of us have, but there is much more equipment that we all add on that can sometimes improve our tank or drive you downhill. That's where this hobby gets tricky. You learn as you go on.

So the best advice I can give you is not to rush and research everything.
There are a lot of things you can get away with in fresh water aquariums that you can't with saltwater aquariums.

Good luck and welcome