New Tank Setup

[hue52]

Hello Everyone....

Well I am getting close to finally putting water in my tank and getting things going. I thought this might be a good time to share what my setup plan is and take some feedback from anyone to help me make some final changes before the big plunge. So here it is:

Tank: 20g(high)
LR: 20-30 lbs
Substrate: Approx 15 lbs crushed coral
Filtering:Modified AC110 (Old name AC 500) This to get me started, then a 10gal sump to follow.
Lights: 2 - 65W Compact Fl. (1 dual Actinic, 1 Dual Daylight), 2 - 55W 7100K daylight ) Total 240W.
Skimmer - undecided, need some help in this area........
Pumps for water movement - 2 Maxi jet 600's.

Future Inhabitants:
Various Zooanthids, Mushrooms, a couple soft corals, Royal Gramma, and maybe a couple Pseudochromis (Dottybacks). Snails & crabs for cleanup crew.

Am I missing anything or way off base on anything?

Thanks for any help....

 

[ronj]

Welcome to the forum!!!!! the setup sounds well thoughtout!!!! good lighting for that tank...how were you going to plumb the sump??? Backpak overflow???? just curious..if you weren't planning on a refugium, i would leave out the sump...those overflows are floods waiting to happen...the extra water wouldn't be worth the trouble if you did have a flood..JMO...the skimmer, that could start a whole new thread!!! LOL most like the Remora skimmers or maybe the Bakpak skimmers, that is, if you were looking for a hang-on-back type...hope this helps..the setup sounds very good and thorough!!!!

 

[hue52]

The sump is just a future thought at this time. I saw a thread on how to modify a AC110 into a refugium and will try that first. Don't plan on having a big fish bio-load so the sump may stay just a thought. I agree the skimmer question can star a whole new discussion but I put it there to help point me to whats good so I don't have to wade through the bad.

Thanks for the input.....

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Tank: 20g Future Inhabitants:
Various Zooanthids, Mushrooms, a couple soft corals, Royal Gramma, and maybe a couple Pseudochromis (Dottybacks). Snails & crabs for cleanup crew.

Am I missing anything or way off base on anything?

Thanks for any help....

Side note, only put one basslet/dottyback into the 20g tank. Pick either a royal gramma or any single pseudochromis. They are all VERY territorial and would absolutely kill each other off.

 

[hue52]

Good point on the fish. I hadn't thought about territorial issues. They are kind of pricey, and this is costing enough as is without flushing fish....... I'll pick the one I like best and go with that... hopefully find a suitable tank mate for it.

 

[ronj]

and this is costing enough as is without flushing fish

you will probably spend the most money on your skimmer, which will be worth it if you get a good one...i will tell you that i tried a cheap $80 Prizm skimmer once...they my work ok for a 10g , maybe 20g, but i would go with something else...they are rated at like 70g or 90g ,or something like that..the Remora or Bakpak are the 2 that most people agree on

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF if I haven't welcomed you already! As for a sump, it is a good place to hide un-sightly equipment and also a good way to cirulate water. A sump is never necessary so that is totally up to you. A good skimmer IMO for that tank would be the AquaC remora (nano version) which is what I use now on my 24gal aquapod. It's a hang on skimmer so you don't need a sump to run it and takes up very little space. Here's a link to it http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...D&Product_Code=AQUAC-NANO&Category_Code=AquaC On thing I'd like to mention though is on the crushed corals...They have been known by many to cause nitrate issues because of all the air pockets they have in them that detritus and waste settles in so you'd have to stay on top of vaccuming it out when doing your water changes. I ran crushed corals in my first setup and ended up removing it, but there are some that use it with no problems, but figured I'd just toss that piece of info out there for you. Good luck on the setup!!

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I ran crushed corals in my first setup and ended up removing it, but there are some that use it with no problems,

Spoken like a true-blue bare-bottomed aficionado

Hey Krish, thought you were busy nursing your beautiful family

 

[hue52]

Hello Krish, and everyone else who has responded. Thanks for more info on the skimmer. I'll check that out. As far as the substrate goes I thought the crushed coral would be good, but after your response, and reading more about clean up crews I think I may have to go to something smaller in terms of grain size to accommodate the snails to improve stirring the bed.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

On the east coast, Home Depot sell play sand that is fine aragonite (coral)sand for really cheap. Be sure to rinse it well to remove all the dust.

 

[Krish]

Hey Krish, thought you were busy nursing your beautiful family

LOL...That's after work

Hello Krish, and everyone else who has responded. Thanks for more info on the skimmer. I'll check that out. As far as the substrate goes I thought the crushed coral would be good, but after your response, and reading more about clean up crews I think I may have to go to something smaller in terms of grain size to accommodate the snails to improve stirring the bed.

Yeah, I used fiji pink before and always loved the grain and overall look of it, but I like flow way too much to use sand

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...uct_Code=C-ARAG-L-FP&Category_Code=Substrates