Beginner 20 Long Setup, Stocking, and Progression

[Schuyler]

I've held out for a while but the prospect of having little goby and pistol shrimp who are buddies had finally put me over the edge and I'm going to take my first attempt at the salty side.

I've read some stuff online and talked to a few LFS to get some ideas and I think this is the general setup I'm thinking:

- Standard 20 Long with a lid
- 3" of sand with rubble and shells
- Three rock areas
-- The main portion with a bubble tip
-- A small rock with GSP (to try and keep it contained)
-- A small rock with pulsing Xenia
- A pair of clowns
- A pistol shrimp and goby pair
- A firefish
- Snails?
- A wave maker?

My main questions are:
1) Are there internal filters or canister filters that work well? I'm not a fan of HOBs and my usual sponge filter FW setup wouldn't work
2) What order would I do these in and what would the timeline look like?
3) What other equipment would you suggest with going overboard?

 

[fishywishy]

the pulsing Xenia and gsp can very easily take over that entire tank, even if you try to contain them on one rock.

I would add the Snails and corals last, but everything else should be fine to add at any time.

You can use a canister, but a sump or hob will work a lot better because you’re going to have to be cleaning that internal filter all the time.

 

[exnisstech]

Maybe look at an all in one (AIO) for $170 you can get an IM20 and you won't have to worry about hob stuff. I started one about 6 months ago. Its my first AIO but its been pretty easy to work with. I run it simple with just some floss holders.

I prefer sumps and have tanks with them but I also have a second AIO an 8g nano. Only mentioning it because you said you would like a goby shrimp pair

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[JumboShrimp]

I agree that an IM 2O or 25 gallon would likely make you happier in the long run.

 

[Schuyler]

Maybe look at an all in one (AIO) for $170 you can get an IM20 and you won't have to worry about hob stuff. I started one about 6 months ago. Its my first AIO but its been pretty easy to work with. I run it simple with just some floss holders.

I prefer sumps and have tanks with them but I also have a second AIO an 8g nano. Only mentioning it because you said you would like a goby shrimp pair

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Very nice! What species of goby and shrimp do you have?

One worry I have any the AIO is that the place I'm planning on putting it is in the kitchen (there aren't many great spots for it). I'm worried that stuff could fall in.

Is there a practical reason that most of the salt water tanks you see doing have lids? Or is it just for asthetics?

 

[TheWB]

I agree that an IM 2O or 25 gallon would likely make you happier in the long run.

I agree too, the IM25 especially would be a great tank for the setup he's describing.

@Schuyler welcome to R2R. Post lots of pics so we can follow your progress.

 

[exnisstech]

Very nice! What species of goby and shrimp do you have?

One worry I have any the AIO is that the place I'm planning on putting it is in the kitchen (there aren't many great spots for it). I'm worried that stuff could fall in.

Is there a practical reason that most of the salt water tanks you see doing have lids? Or is it just for asthetics?

Its a high fin goby/ candy cane pistol shrimp.
Many run mesh lids to keep fish from jumping. Glass can block a lot of light because of condensation and when keeping coral light is very important. They can also trap heat and interfere with gas exchange but many people run them without issue. There are places that offer custom acrylic mesh lids which are the best way to go I think.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Hob's and canisters are not nearly as efficient in salt water as in freshwater. My 15 gallon has no filtration at all, just weekly water changes, small tanks are very easy to run this way. The rocks provide the biofiltration which is the most important.

Your description makes me think you'll have a few loose rocks set on the sand. Besides being the biofilter, rocks are also provide hiding spaces for fish and inverts which is extremely important, salt fish hide often and if they can't hide they get stressed. Its important to provide some tight little cracks and openings in the rocks so fish can squeeze their bodies in and feel safe.

Wave makers are critical in a salt tank, we need to push water through the rocks, my 15 gallon has 2 powerheads.

A 20 gallon can fit 3, perhaps 4 fish if you have good rock work.

Also don't get that API master reef kit, we don't prefer API on the salty side. Get salifert IMO

Salt hobby is very different that freshwater, this is a great article to learn the basics, good luck.

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is nowhere near simple. This task is going to take patience, a...

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[Schuyler]

Your description makes me think you'll have a few loose rocks set on the sand.

My plan is to have three "islands" one main one and two smaller ones. The smaller ones are for the coral that spreads quickly. It was a suggestion I saw on a BRS beginner coral video. I'm still planning on having at least 20 lbs of rock