Some Questions About First Nano Tank

[jasmineduncan00]

Hi, I've been keeping freshwater fish for quite a while now, and I am wanting to venture into a small marine tank. I've found a 20 gallon tank intended for saltwater. It has a built in filter with 3 chambers in the back (think similar to waterbox cubes, and as I haven't purchased it yet I may end up going with one of these). I have some questions on what else I may need. Please note I am also very familiar with cycling tanks.

I know I need a heater, and I've heard getting a power head is good too to create some movement. I've also read with frequent water changes a skimmer is not necessary, and as they seem very expensive I'd rather not purchase one unless I have to. Water wise, I've heard I need to use RO water. I was wondering if there's a way to treat regular tap water to make it useable?

I was also wondering how much salt I should buy to begin with. I've noticed it's quite expensive but I'd rather buy in bulk and have it last me longer. For a 20 gallon, roughly how much should I start with so it lasts me a while?

Can I use my api freshwater master kit to test ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in a saltwater tank? Provided these are fine, I'll also be purchasing the other test kits I need for a marine tank, as well as a refractometer.

On to scaping and stocking. In my country all coral is very very expensive, so I was leaning more towards just doing a hardscape with live sand and live rocks. The only fish I want are a pair of ocellaris clowns.

Based on the above, I was wondering what else I might need/what I might be clueless about LOL. Note this is not something I'm rushing into, I'm wanting to thoroughly research this first - hence posting here.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I’ll start. I am a huge skimmer fan, but you do ‘not’ need one for a 20 gallon tank. You can start your adventure with 20-gallons of distilled water from the grocery store— plus about a jug a week for evaporation— but it will get tiring before long and you should definitely start saving for an RO/DI unit, if you are enjoying the hobby. Best wishes!

 

[thatone08]

I have a fluval evo 13.5 and a Red Sea Max nano. No skimmer on the evo, skimmer on the Red Sea. Skimmer will make your life easier. Clean up crew for sure. RODi will make your life way easier. Especially with maybe having to do a water change multiple times a week. Smaller is a bit harder when reefing. I’m a noob and have 2 tiny tanks that require alot Of attention. But I’ll be ready for a bigger tank when the time comes.

Red Sea for your test kit.

is seaweed expensive there. Maybe add some macro algae to help consume the excess nutrients. Can put in display.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Welcome!

20 gal probably doesn't need a skimmer especially for a couple of clowns and a couple of coral, but I would recommend you get one. You could perhaps use a Fluval Mini which are not that expensive and would perhaps fit into one of the chambers.

I would strongly recommend you find a source of RODI water. Salt mixes assume that the base water is RODI and when mixed provides you with Sea water. Your tap water contains Ca, Mg and other elements, that will add to the salt mix resulting in unbalanced chemistry. Tap water can also contain PO and NO which will fuel algae.
I've tried it and it ends up creating a mess later.

Maybe your LFS can provide RODI but it picking it up gets tiresome quickly.

You will use about 40g of salt per litre of water, your initial 80l will use about 3.2kg. 10% weekly water change will use about 400g. 20kg is the cheapest and would last a while. Red sea Blue Bucket is a good salt as is Aquaforest Reef Salt. Pick one and stick to it.

Your Ammonia kit is fine, you don't need to worry about Nitrite as it is harmless to marine life at any concentration you will find in your tank during cycling.

You'll need Nitrate, Phosphate and Alkalinity kits, Salifert are the cheapest in Australia so maybe in NZ and they are fine. I have used Red Sea which are also fine. You won't need Ca or Mg kits with that size tank with only a couple of corals as long as you keep up 10% weekly water changes.

Good luck and have fun