Noobaquariumust's 20g long

[noobaquariumust]

Hey guys I know it has been a long time since I have updated my 24g aquapod thread. There is a reason for that, it was taken over by hair algae and it was to late to save it. So instead of trying and having all my corals be smothered, I cut my losses and looked for a new path. As i was looking into my tank one day I noticed i wasn't satisfied with my rock work, my sand, my tanks dimensions. So i decided its time to retire the aquapod, but i was having a small problem with what tank i would use next. One day i stumbled into my room with some water to top off the tank and i stubbed my toe on my old raggedy 20 gallon long. AND THERE IT WAS. Inception; an idea within an idea. Within the last week i've been diligently pondering the idea of a 20L. So out of impulse and the death of my purple tipped green frogspawn I said Lets do it. After all of the work I cleaned, scrubbed, left out my rock and destroyed all of the organisms within. After letting them dry I played around with the rock work and i found something i love. Now the 20L is cycling with dead rock and is cycling quite fast for some reason, but I am waiting to add my clown and sixline because they need to get out of the AP24 and it needs to be sold. Any Buyers? Well heres some eye candy for now.

FTS

Right Side

Left Side Tall Rock

Top Shot

Any Questions?
P.S. Dont know what to do for lighting yet, thinking about LED with that being said i want to hear your guys' feed back
Appreciate all of the help
Davin

 

[pandora32]

Im tagging along. Im using 4my tanks right now for qt, ick outbreak. I have a 20L being one of the 4. After all is said and done, i may just be looking for 1 tank for a qt tank and ive been wanting to setup my 20L for some time now.

 

[IPisces]

Looking good. Hope you have a lot better luck with this one.

 

[noobaquariumust]

Yeah me too the plan is to not neglect this one... she will be a beauty one day. But I need to know what you guys would recommend for a HOB skimmer and what LED lighting I should go with. I was looking into DIY LED kits and before I buy anything I want your guys' input.

 

[Peppie]

How long did you cook the rock?
Did you use a skimmer while you cooked it?
If you didnt clean the rock REAL good you may end up with a hair algae problem.

 

[noobaquariumust]

im running the tank with clean water and cycling it w/o a light at all. So I planned on letting the tank cycle for about 3 months and then in the mean time buying and completing a LED DIY kit and designing a new type of hanging kit. So there for its pretty much being cooked, thats why I'm asking about LEDS and good HOB Skimmer

 

[Skimmy]

i would strongly suggest you consider putting this tank on a stand or piece of furniture that will allow you to have a sump.
you will have a much cleaner, better tank if you can find a way to incorporate one.
all your gear out of the tank, nothing hanging on the back.
get a single hole drilled for a drain at a glass shop, or you can do it with a dremel easy enough, or just get an overflow box.
also, the course substrate at the bottom will catch a ton of debris... you might be better off with sand with a couple conch for sifting,
otherwise you need to stay on it so it doesnt get jammed with crap... prolly weekly siphoning via your w/c's

then, get a cheap black back to conceal wires and current filters/heaters or future overflow box.
now for the rockwork... the most limiting factor of the 20 long... but fortunately can be great for a laminar gyre.
you need twice as much rock in there... but dont pile it against the back, try to keep it in the middle to allow for flow around the rockwork,
then conceal the powerheads behind that rockwork, remembering to set them or it up in a gyre. chaotic flow is inferior.
if you happen to still choose a hob skimmer and gear, i do have one that is used and perfect for that size.

for leds, i would suggest you take advantage of OBD's new inexpensive but nice fixtures...
you have only 12" of tank to penetrate so you have many options,
but the 30" will mean that your fixture will have to prolly be like 12-18" away from the water to illuminate the entire 30"

also, you need serious flow... the flow you currently have is inapropriate.
in my 20g i have a single tunze 6045 (1200 gph) hidden behind the rocks, providing all the flow for the entire system.
plus i have an eheim 1250 for a return pump, which i have throttled back some to an estimated120-160gph,
for a total flow of about 1350gph, yes, in a 20g.

 

[noobaquariumust]

wow so what do you suggest for a HOB Skimmer? I Have a 175 watt metal halide that i was thinking about getting a new blub and building a canopy for to save money, do you guys know of any tips or bulbs i should for sure look at or buy?

thanks
Davin

 

[kpiotrowski]

go for the oceans by design led and save the headache. low heat, no canopy, less electricy, no bulbs to replace....will pay for itself in a year or two!!!

yeah, and do the sump thing too. You will regret it very quickly if you don't!

 

[noobaquariumust]

hmmm the thing is i just dont want to spend 700 dollars:/

 

[Bobby brown]

I bought my LEDs off rapid, loved ordering from them.
leds were easy to set up and very affordable The light in the tank looks great and my softies seem to be enjoying them too!.

I haven't a clue about a good hob.

 

[Peppie]

hmmm the thing is i just dont want to spend 700 dollars:/

You can light that tank with OBD's lights for more than 1/2 that $700

 

[Amphitrite]

hmmm the thing is i just dont want to spend 700 dollars:/

$700.00???? The most you would spend is $369.99+ tx, however our small fixture at $269.99 +tx has a spread Of 24" square may work for you, and it comes with hanging hardware

Becca

 

[noobaquariumust]

$700.00???? The most you would spend is $369.99+ tx, however our small fixture at $269.99 +tx has a spread Of 24" square may work for you, and it comes with hanging hardware

Becca

Are you sure one 11x11 inch square is going to be suitable for a 30" inch long tank?

 

[Amphitrite]

Are you sure one 11x11 inch square is going to be suitable for a 30" inch long tank?

The spread on the 120w unit is 24" square, this can be more if the light is placed higher, depending on what types of coral you are planning on keeping that MAY work for you. The 180w unit is more suitable to a 30" long tank and at $369.99 +tx, is still well below $700.00. We have outstanding par readings on both lights, and when you factor in the cost, these lights are a tremendous value. If you are interested you can come by the shop and take a look at them.

 

[totem420]

oceansbydesign -

where can we see your led fixtures?

 

[Amphitrite]

oceansbydesign -

where can we see your led fixtures?

I have sent you a pm

 

[noobaquariumust]

The spread on the 120w unit is 24" square, this can be more if the light is placed higher, depending on what types of coral you are planning on keeping that MAY work for you. The 180w unit is more suitable to a 30" long tank and at $369.99 +tx, is still well below $700.00. We have outstanding par readings on both lights, and when you factor in the cost, these lights are a tremendous value. If you are interested you can come by the shop and take a look at them.

if i were to compare the 24" for 269.99 +tax and 24 Ultra Premium LED DIY Kit with Dimmable Drivers - Rapid LED which do you believe would be better and why?

 

[Amphitrite]

if i were to compare the 24" for 269.99 +tax and 24 Ultra Premium LED DIY Kit with Dimmable Drivers - Rapid LED which do you believe would be better and why?

I sent you a PM.

 

[senji]

you can go to my 90g build thread and look at the lights there or come over to see them in person they are the best ever.