Small Saltwater Tank

[cyrix]

I'm looking at setting up a 20 gallon tall saltwater tank. I know that smaller saltwater tanks are harder to maintain, but I really have my mind set on this.

Can anyone give me some insight or links to informative articles?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Well, there are some articles here, but the first place I'd suggest you start is with the book, The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta. That book is a great book for anyone starting out in the marine hobby. It will give you ideas on stocking as well as tell you almost everything you need to know about setting up your tank and what equipment you will need.

[Fishguy2727]

Complete Idiot's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums
Nano-Reef handbook
Conscientious Marine Aquarist
PocketExpert Marine Fishes

-Do not cut corners (which some people would count as having a small tank, but I will let that one go if the rest is done right)
-Have a lot of high quality live rock, 1.5-2 pounds per gallon (preferably mix it up a little, a little maricultured rock, a little premium fiji, etc.)
-Use RO/DI or DI water (you can rent or buy a machine, or with that size tank you can just buy your water at most LFSs)
-Use a high quality salt (I use Tropic Marin, use at least Instant Ocean, I can't wait for Brightwell to come out with his salt)
-Do weekly 10% water changes
-Take your time and have patience, when in doubt WAIT
-RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH

Is this going to be a reef, or are you just planning for fish for now?

[domjd05]

Hey, I have been in the same spot as you, only it was with a 10g tank.. all I wanted was a few clown fish! lol, but as we all know, it just won't be enough.. why spent the money to set up such a small tank when you almost inevitably will end up wanting/needing a bigger one which will only cost more money?

Take your time, do A LOT of research, and during that time, save up some bucks, get yourself a bigger tank.. from what I know, doing a small saltwater tank is not impossible, but it's apparently harder than doing a larger one because the parameters are harder to meet.

Keep in mind that even a small s/w tank will need adequate lighting.. should have R/O water.. etc.. all of which is required of the larger tanks too..

Many people DO successfully keep small saltwater aquariums, but many of these people have already mastered the larger setups... although I'm sure there are few who have done the right amount of research and successfully held a smaller s/w tank without it being a disaster..

I never did set up that 10g I had, I actually just gave it away to my sister-in law because she broke her's while moving and needed a replacement pronto:14:
I've decided to take my time and learn what I can about it, while planning it all out in a timely, cost-productive manner.. and I've since realized that I REALLY love freshwater fish, and I don't even know if I want to do s/w anymore...

My local reef tank pro says a 75g is the absolute smallest you should start with.. but shes also a saleswoman.. who sells tanks... most NON commercial people will tell you a 35 will probably be OK to start with.

Heres an idea... to get you started with keeping saltwater tank.. try making the 20g into a brackish tank! there are lots of cool species to keep in a brackish tank, and it's significantly less costly, research intensive to setup... plus it will be a good way to dip your feet into a saltwater tank.

[NanoTankGuy]

Hey, I have been in the same spot as you, only it was with a 10g tank.. all I wanted was a few clown fish! lol, but as we all know, it just won't be enough.. why spent the money to set up such a small tank when you almost inevitably will end up wanting/needing a bigger one which will only cost more money?

Take your time, do A LOT of research, and during that time, save up some bucks, get yourself a bigger tank...
AGREED! 100%. I started with a 6G (it was a gift) - should've returned it for a nice 55G setup (I did have the receipt) the minute I got it.
Ended up setting it up, investing like $100 in it for no good reason. Now I have a 37G high, and guess what??? I wish it were a 55G.
P.S. Don't bother - unless you want more than one tank small tank will not be enough... Good luck with it though!

[tim k]

Some great advive as always , a good book should definately be the first place to start.

Remember.

It's all about the journey not the destnation , take your time and it will pay off.

Tim

[coachfraley]

My local reef tank pro says a 75g is the absolute smallest you should start with.. but shes also a saleswoman.. who sells tanks... most NON commercial people will tell you a 35 will probably be OK to start with.


Wow, a 75g starter tank? That is quite an investment! I would agree with the non-commercial people for sure. I think the ideal starter system is a 40breeder. It is small enough to keep some of your costs down, but large enough to have some exciting stocking options. The relatively small size also allows you to go with HOB equipment if you don't want to dive right into setting up a sump.

If you are absolutely set on a 20g, just make sure and do plenty of research, as others suggested. I would also spend a lot of time researching your equipment and reading reviews. You can save a lot of money if you buy the right stuff the first time out! When you get your equipment list ready, post it up here, and people will be able to give you some advice/suggestions.

Whatever you decide, good luck! SW can be challenging, but it is really worth it!thumbs2:

[cyrix]

Thanks for all the input. I've been told by many that small sw tanks are very hard to do, but I'm dead set in learning everything I can to try to make this work. If I feel it's not going to be feasible then I have no problem backing off and waiting until it's more reasonable. I have a 30 gallon brackish tank set up now and am considering moving all that and the fish to the 20g tall tank and instead using the 30g tall to do this. I think that would be a much wiser idea on my part, though I'd like to do more research into this until I decide to go that route.

*to avoid quoting everyone:

@ILuvMyGoldBarb: Thanks for that suggestion, I'll look into that book for sure.

@Fishguy2727: Patience is luckily something I have a lot of. I'm not even looking into stocking the tank no matter how I get it set up until I can adequately maintain a fishless tank. I'm hoping for a small reef setup ideally. Though if that proves to difficult I'm fine going with just fish.

@domjd05: I would ideally like to get a larger tank to start this out with, but funds and the space in my appt severely limit this. Plus I've little experience with saltwater tanks and think starting small and working up would be a good thing for me. Again, if I feel that it's going to be too much then I'll just put this whole idea on hold until I can afford the space/tank for a larger setup.

@tim k: I agree 100%. This isn't something I'm rushing at all. I'm looking for anyone who has run a 20 saltwater tank that could offer some advice as well though. I remember seeing someone running a smaller 20-30 tank on here a few months back but couldn't find the thread. That's what got me interested in the idea.

@coachfraley: Thanks for the encouragement. I will definitely be posting once I've decided for sure on all my equipment and getting some feedback.

Again, just let me say I'm not at all interested in just rushing to the LFS and buying up some fish and tossing them in the tank. I want to do this RIGHT and give whatever fish I decide to get a good home.

[AABatteries]

I have a 20g reef tank. Its pretty simple to run. I have a CPR BakPak skimmer. A Koralia 1 powerhead. And yeah, here's the thread ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.]). Hasn't been updated in a long while though.