New 20 gallon reef tank

[caveman28]

Hello!
Recently i've been captivated by the beauty of saltwater tanks, and i think i'm ready to start one of my own. Only problem is i have no idea where to start. I've kept multiple freshwater tanks for years but have never dabbled in saltwater lol.

I do know i'm most likely going to be buying the innovative marine nuvo fusion 20 AIO in a few weeks (unless other similar sized options present themselves to me). I just have no idea what equipment i should be getting for the tank as a beginner. I see so many conflicting things online and when i do my own research i get a little confused with all the abbreviations used by the saltwater community lol.

But yeah basically as stated, any advice on equipment or upgrades i should be getting for the nuvo 20 to fully set it up would be appreciated.

 

[kevgib67]

Hello!
Recently i've been captivated by the beauty of saltwater tanks, and i think i'm ready to start one of my own. Only problem is i have no idea where to start. I've kept multiple freshwater tanks for years but have never dabbled in saltwater lol.

I do know i'm most likely going to be buying the innovative marine nuvo fusion 20 AIO in a few weeks (unless other similar sized options present themselves to me). I just have no idea what equipment i should be getting for the tank as a beginner. I see so many conflicting things online and when i do my own research i get a little confused with all the abbreviations used by the saltwater community lol.

But yeah basically as stated, any advice on equipment or upgrades i should be getting for the nuvo 20 to fully set it up would be appreciated.

Check out 52 weeks of reefing by BRS on YouTube. Good luck!

 

[JumboShrimp]

Great tank choice. Don't be embarrassed to start with some good ol' filter floss in the chambers to get started. You can always get fancier down the road 'if' need-be.

 

[Fish Fan]

Welcome to Reef2Reef and to saltwater!

#Welcome to reef2reef!

Solid choice on any of the IM desktop tanks, any that you have the space or budget for, go for it; they are great tanks! If you have the room, the 25 lagon is a great tank

The IM's are a great kit, but either buy the "pro" version, or plan on upgrading the return pump sooner than later. Popular choices include inexpensive Sicce pumps to the Innovative Marine Might Jet DC controllable pumps and others. Jebao makes an inexpensive Chinese knock off of the IM Mighty Jet. I have several of both, the Jebaos are just as good as the IM's, I'd look at those

First decide on a live rock vs. dry rock start, both have advantages and disadvantages; you'll want to choose your path now.

It all starts with saltwater, and best practice is to have your own RODI system to make purified water to use to mix saltwater, and to top off evaporation from the system. If you don't have an RODI, you can purchase gallons of distilled water from any local grocery store, pharmacy or your local Mega-Lo-Mart fo about $1.50/gallon. Use this to make your saltwater and to replace evap. Last, you can often buy RODI and/or premixed saltwater from your LFS, but double check their parameters before using, don't just assume they are perfect because it's the fish store's water.

You need a salinity tester of some kind. Use this guide to calibrate it using a simple to make DIY calibration solution. If you have questions, just ask!
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/reef-aquarium-salinity-diy-calibration-standards.956/

To get your tank going:

For dry rock, use any bagged sand, 'live' or not, and a decent dry rock such as Marco Rocks, Caribbsea South Seas Rocks (white) or Caribbsea "life Rocks", if you like the color and price tag

You need to cycle your tank with dry rock and sand, you need a source of bacteria and a source of ammonia. I'd suggest Fritz Turbostart 900 and Fritz Fishless fuel; other methods are available too, but Fritz is by fay the quickest of the bottled bacteria products.

You're going to want a decent test kit for ammonia when cycling; Salifert is the suggested test kit brand. You'll need nitrate at this time, and go ahead and pick up phosphate kit now or in the next couple weeks. You can ignore "master kits" with pH and nitrite; those are unnecessary to test for most hobbyists. Things like Alk, Calc, Mag and others can wait until they are needed (if ever).

Now, if you you can afford it, take a look at the live sand and rock packages from Tampa Bay Saltwater, this is the premium option Your tank will be 'instantly cycled', an you'll receive and untold number of critters and hitchhikers, it's amazing. Yes, you may get some pest hitchhikers, but they can be easy to deal with. If you can fill your whole tank with TBS rock and sand, consider ordering at least a few pounds of each. This will go a long way to 'seeding" the rest of the tank with beneficial microbes.

Behold!
https://tbsaltwater.com/collections/treasure-chests

IF you can't swing TBS rock, see if a local fish store has some good live rock.

I'd get a decent quality heater and a heater controller, which is like an emergency backup switch when - not if - your heater freezes in the 'on' position, resulting in a seafood boil

You're going to need an Auto Top Off unit. Don't try to skimp on this, an ATO goes a long way to maintaining a stable salinity, which is important to coral health, especially in smaller systems. But, topping off manually every day gets old, FAST, so an ATO goes a long way to maintaining stable sanity

You'll need lighting if you want to keep corals; that's going to depend on what you want to keep and what tank you ultimately purchase.

When it comes time to add fish and livestock, I'd consider quarantining your own, or purchasing livestock from vendors who specialize in pre QT'd fish and livestock.

If you're brand new, I'd suggest this guide:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

As well as this video series:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cont...wabUoMI8zq3C3sZnAXE1lO6yd0vR7xW2yRnRhCrecwd9X

I hope this helps and good luck with your build!

 

[caveman28]

Welcome to Reef2Reef and to saltwater!

#Welcome to reef2reef!

Solid choice on any of the IM desktop tanks, any that you have the space or budget for, go for it; they are great tanks! If you have the room, the 25 lagon is a great tank

The IM's are a great kit, but either buy the "pro" version, or plan on upgrading the return pump sooner than later. Popular choices include inexpensive Sicce pumps to the Innovative Marine Might Jet DC controllable pumps and others. Jebao makes an inexpensive Chinese knock off of the IM Mighty Jet. I have several of both, the Jebaos are just as good as the IM's, I'd look at those

First decide on a live rock vs. dry rock start, both have advantages and disadvantages; you'll want to choose your path now.

It all starts with saltwater, and best practice is to have your own RODI system to make purified water to use to mix saltwater, and to top off evaporation from the system. If you don't have an RODI, you can purchase gallons of distilled water from any local grocery store, pharmacy or your local Mega-Lo-Mart fo about $1.50/gallon. Use this to make your saltwater and to replace evap. Last, you can often buy RODI and/or premixed saltwater from your LFS, but double check their parameters before using, don't just assume they are perfect because it's the fish store's water.

You need a salinity tester of some kind. Use this guide to calibrate it using a simple to make DIY calibration solution. If you have questions, just ask!
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/reef-aquarium-salinity-diy-calibration-standards.956/

To get your tank going:

For dry rock, use any bagged sand, 'live' or not, and a decent dry rock such as Marco Rocks, Caribbsea South Seas Rocks (white) or Caribbsea "life Rocks", if you like the color and price tag

You need to cycle your tank with dry rock and sand, you need a source of bacteria and a source of ammonia. I'd suggest Fritz Turbostart 900 and Fritz Fishless fuel; other methods are available too, but Fritz is by fay the quickest of the bottled bacteria products.

You're going to want a decent test kit for ammonia when cycling; Salifert is the suggested test kit brand. You'll need nitrate at this time, and go ahead and pick up phosphate kit now or in the next couple weeks. You can ignore "master kits" with pH and nitrite; those are unnecessary to test for most hobbyists. Things like Alk, Calc, Mag and others can wait until they are needed (if ever).

Now, if you you can afford it, take a look at the live sand and rock packages from Tampa Bay Saltwater, this is the premium option Your tank will be 'instantly cycled', an you'll receive and untold number of critters and hitchhikers, it's amazing. Yes, you may get some pest hitchhikers, but they can be easy to deal with. If you can fill your whole tank with TBS rock and sand, consider ordering at least a few pounds of each. This will go a long way to 'seeding" the rest of the tank with beneficial microbes.

Behold!
https://tbsaltwater.com/collections/treasure-chests

IF you can't swing TBS rock, see if a local fish store has some good live rock.

I'd get a decent quality heater and a heater controller, which is like an emergency backup switch when - not if - your heater freezes in the 'on' position, resulting in a seafood boil

You're going to need an Auto Top Off unit. Don't try to skimp on this, an ATO goes a long way to maintaining a stable salinity, which is important to coral health, especially in smaller systems. But, topping off manually every day gets old, FAST, so an ATO goes a long way to maintaining stable sanity

You'll need lighting if you want to keep corals; that's going to depend on what you want to keep and what tank you ultimately purchase.

When it comes time to add fish and livestock, I'd consider quarantining your own, or purchasing livestock from vendors who specialize in pre QT'd fish and livestock.

If you're brand new, I'd suggest this guide:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

As well as this video series:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cont...wabUoMI8zq3C3sZnAXE1lO6yd0vR7xW2yRnRhCrecwd9X

I hope this helps and good luck with your build!

Wow thank you so much for the detailed response. I already have the test kits so that's covered.
So for auto top off, it seems to be the most commonly mentioned one for the tank i'll be getting is the tunze osmolator 3 nano. Does this seem like the most reliable option for the pricing? I tend to be a buy once cry once kind of person when it comes to aquarium stuff. Because everyone knows its cheaper in the long run to get 1 mildly expensive thing rather than 5 cheap replacements. That being said i dont want to spend more money where its not necessarily needed

As for a heater and heater controller i'm completely in the dark regarding which ones are reliable, not breaking the bank, and fit in the back of the tank so any suggestions on specific ones would be greatly appreciated.

I'm under the impression that since the tank i'll be getting is an all in one, i wont be needing a sump. Is this a correct mindset to be going into this with? I'd heavily prefer not to have a sump and in turn have done the least possible research on them lol.

I think i want to do dry rock cycling mostly due to the fact that i do NOT want any hitchhikers. I know how frustrating it is to deal with them in freshwater (i'm looking at you duckweed) and i'd rather do everything in my power to avoid them in saltwater.

Next is lighting, i also dont know what lighting would be best in the tank because i dont even know what i should be looking for. I want to do both soft corals and macro algaes in my tank if possible. Now I typically see like 3 types of lighting on saltwater tanks. There's the super purple one that looks like those lights they use in arcades, there's the bluish whitish ones i see on most saltwater tanks, and then there's the more white looking one that makes the tank look clearer and brighter imo. What should i be looking for to differentiate which light will end up being which? or is that something that just looks different because of the scaping and background?

last question for this response, which exact pump upgrade should i be getting? In my experience with freshwater i've been able to cheap out on the pumps for what i was needing them for but i have a feeling its different with saltwater. is there a certain GPH range i should be looking for first, then filtering based off reliability and reviews?

Sorry for the absolute essay i've written above

 

[Fish Fan]

Wow thank you so much for the detailed response. I already have the test kits so that's covered.
So for auto top off, it seems to be the most commonly mentioned one for the tank i'll be getting is the tunze osmolator 3 nano. Does this seem like the most reliable option for the pricing?

Yes, the Tunze Osmolator is a very well regarded ATO.

As for a heater and heater controller i'm completely in the dark regarding which ones are reliable, not breaking the bank, and fit in the back of the tank so any suggestions on specific ones would be greatly appreciated.

I personally try to use titanium heaters, they are far harder to break than glass, but they also function as an electrical grounding probe for your tank, which is a wise safety feature. You can purchase a grounding probe for your tank for all of about ten bucks, but it's nice that the titanium heaters double as a grounding probe too.

I like the heating elements from BRS, you'll need a controller for these like an Inkbird temp controller. Helios is another popular choice, they make their own heater with their own conrtoller. You can use any temp controller link and Inkbird or Ranco with any decent heater, like the Eheim glass heaters, which are good heaters, but very, very long; double check that they will fit in your tank.

I'm under the impression that since the tank i'll be getting is an all in one, i wont be needing a sump. Is this a correct mindset to be going into this with? I'd heavily prefer not to have a sump and in turn have done the least possible research on them lol.

That's correct, no sump or additional filtration is needed, you AIO back section acts like a mini sump for all your filter gear, heater, return pump, etc.

I think i want to do dry rock cycling mostly due to the fact that i do NOT want any hitchhikers. I know how frustrating it is to deal with them in freshwater (i'm looking at you duckweed) and i'd rather do everything in my power to avoid them in saltwater.

Many do this, and that's fine, but personally I think the benefits of live rock far outweigh the possibilities of getting a bad hitchhiker. With a dry rock start, you're almost certainly going to see cycles of ugly algae, until the tank stabilizes, but that's a popular way to go. It's also less expensive.

Next is lighting, i also dont know what lighting would be best in the tank because i dont even know what i should be looking for. I want to do both soft corals and macro algaes in my tank if possible. Now I typically see like 3 types of lighting on saltwater tanks. There's the super purple one that looks like those lights they use in arcades, there's the bluish whitish ones i see on most saltwater tanks, and then there's the more white looking one that makes the tank look clearer and brighter imo. What should i be looking for to differentiate which light will end up being which? or is that something that just looks different because of the scaping and background?

With most modern LED lights, that color spectrum is adjustable from more white to more blue. Some people really like the very, very blue looking tanks, others prefer a spectrum closer to natural daylight. You'll likely be able to adjust this (within reason) with whatever light you get.

As for what light, that's going to depend on your budget and the tank's dimensions.

Did you decide on a tank yet?

last question for this response, which exact pump upgrade should i be getting? In my experience with freshwater i've been able to cheap out on the pumps for what i was needing them for but i have a feeling its different with saltwater. is there a certain GPH range i should be looking for first, then filtering based off reliability and reviews?

Again, this depends on what tank you have and what you want to keep, but I would look at the inexpensive Jebao DC return pumps, I have the Jebao DCW-1500 in a 15 gallon AIO tank.

Sorry for the absolute essay i've written above

No problem, I hope this helps!

 

[whalewhalewhale]

I’ve done both dry rock and live rock starts.

Live rock every single time going forward
The “hitchhikers” in saltwater aren’t exactly comparable to freshwater and aren’t that terrible to deal with. Stuff like carnivorous crabs or worms make themselves known early and you can just pluck them out or use a trap. Aiptasia has dozens of solutions on the market. In exchange for that you get so many beneficial microorganisms, diverse good algaes like coraline, sponges, and more. Additionally you don’t really have to experience the ugly stage which can take up to a year to resolve.

Strongly consider starting off with live rock.

 

[Rhetoric]

Welcome to the 20g club (future pacing) I'll take stab at a few questions.

My tunze ATO lasted 3 years (replaced the pump 3 times) I feel like they all or pretty similar.

Ink bird heater controllers with a titanium heater are a popular choice. It's what Ive been using lately.

AIO tanks are traditionally sumpless. I run a IM 20g peninsula (can click my tank link next to my name if it give you ideas)

I started with dry rock and still got all the hitchhickers. I feel like its pretty hard to avoid the aptasia, and bubble algae. A lot of people preach live rock. Id suggest starting the tank with a piece of already cycled rock with the dry.

Lighting... oh lighting... lol. Good luck. Most of the major lights can be programmed to the spectrum you prefer (blue/white ect) Im not the guy to answer the light question.

Pumps... my IM chamber will only hold a few options due to the size of the compartment. I upgraded to a sicci 1.0 return pump.

I also run 2 in tank powerheads. Im a firm believer in lots of flow. Lots of current and angles of flow. I run the nero3, which are a little pricey but I liked the blue tooth, programming abilities, and size profile.

Hit me up of you have more questions.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[caveman28]

Yes, the Tunze Osmolator is a very well regarded ATO.


I personally try to use titanium heaters, they are far harder to break than glass, but they also function as an electrical grounding probe for your tank, which is a wise safety feature. You can purchase a grounding probe for your tank for all of about ten bucks, but it's nice that the titanium heaters double as a grounding probe too.

I like the heating elements from BRS, you'll need a controller for these like an Inkbird temp controller. Helios is another popular choice, they make their own heater with their own conrtoller. You can use any temp controller link and Inkbird or Ranco with any decent heater, like the Eheim glass heaters, which are good heaters, but very, very long; double check that they will fit in your tank.


That's correct, no sump or additional filtration is needed, you AIO back section acts like a mini sump for all your filter gear, heater, return pump, etc.


Many do this, and that's fine, but personally I think the benefits of live rock far outweigh the possibilities of getting a bad hitchhiker. With a dry rock start, you're almost certainly going to see cycles of ugly algae, until the tank stabilizes, but that's a popular way to go. It's also less expensive.


With most modern LED lights, that color spectrum is adjustable from more white to more blue. Some people really like the very, very blue looking tanks, others prefer a spectrum closer to natural daylight. You'll likely be able to adjust this (within reason) with whatever light you get.

As for what light, that's going to depend on your budget and the tank's dimensions.

Did you decide on a tank yet?


Again, this depends on what tank you have and what you want to keep, but I would look at the inexpensive Jebao DC return pumps, I have the Jebao DCW-1500 in a 15 gallon AIO tank.


No problem, I hope this helps!

Okay so i'm definitely gonna be getting the innovative marine nuvo 20 fusion. I looked for a few days but sadly couldnt find a good cheap stand for the 25 lagoon (i dont trust my skills enough to make my own stand lol).

I'm going to get either a sicce syncra 1.0 or 1.5 for my pump upgrade, I actually have a friend that happens to have a few lightly used ones that he's willing to give me. Should the pump be paired with VCA random flow generators? I've seen people online talk about them but are they really that worth it? I do like the idea of randomized flow but i have no idea how they'd pair well with the pump/tank. Also i'd rather not have wavemakers in the tank, so would these replace the need for one?

I guess i can give the live rock a try as its in my budget range, you've convinced me with the info about ugly phases.

How does the ai prime 16hd light sound as far as lighting goes in the nuvo 20? I definitely want to have some soft corals and maybe a couple LPS corals, but more important to me are macro algaes. As far as i know this light seems sufficient, but could it sustain most macros and soft corals without melting its lens? I've read about this issue but i dont know how prevalent it is.

I've already ordered a tunze osmolator 3 and a heater controller, I'm just deciding on a heater. I'm gonna go to my LFS and ask if i can check how well certain heaters will fit in the IM nuvo 20's back chambers.

Is there anything else I'm missing or should be prepared for prior to actually setting up the tank? I'm probably going to make a separate thread soon to ask about stocking ideas and stocking planning so i know what order might be best to add the fish in.