First Reef tank

Donnie710 · Aug 6, 2025

hello everyone. Sharing my journey on my first reef tank (have had fowlr tanks in the past) but here it is! 20 gallon aio cube just got set up. Water going in when the glue is dry, have a pair of clowns and a royal gramma in medicated qt currently. Any tips on filter media for the back of these things? TIA!

revhtree · Aug 6, 2025

Welcome to your new home for saltwater reef aquarium resources and fun! Welcome to the family! :D

fishface NJ · Aug 6, 2025

Welcome to R2R!

Utubereefer · Aug 6, 2025

Welcome to the club

Peace River · Aug 6, 2025

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!!

Rocks reef · Aug 6, 2025

What brand AIO is it? Most have a sponge and a media bag in the back. You could swap the sponge for filter floss.

Welcome to R2R!

Donnie710 · Aug 6, 2025

Rocks reef said:
What brand AIO is it? Most have a sponge and a media bag in the back. You could swap the sponge for filter floss.

Welcome to R2R!

It’s JBJ. It did come with a small sponge and a small bag of ceramic rings and a bag of carbon. The chamber is only maybe a quarter full with the media wasn’t sure if there’s anything else I could/should add. Thanks!

Uncle99 · Aug 6, 2025

Congratulations and welcome to R2R!
That rock and sand will be the best “filter” in the system. Start the cycle soon as possible. The longer it’s wet, the more diverse, the more resilient your system becomes.

In the back, for the first month, maybe a sponge or something to trap big stuff is all I’d use.

Keep it simple. Let rocks and sand mature up.

Enjoy!

Donnie710 · Aug 6, 2025

Uncle99 said:
Congratulations and welcome to R2R!
That rock and sand will be the best “filter” in the system. Start the cycle soon as possible.

In the back, for the first month, maybe a sponge or something to trap big stuff is all I’d use.

Keep it simple. Let rocks and sand mature up.

Enjoy!

Perfect thank you!