[Tang20]

i want to start a 20 gallon tall tank.. i was wondering what i need and if its hard to keep it at the same temperature??

 

[gr.dane101]

Well it all depends on what you want to do if you want to make a reef tank or a FOWLR tank what do you all want to do i think you should go with a bigger tank i will make everything a whole lot easier

 

[Tang20]

i Want to do a reef tank.. but you said its hard to keep going?

 

[gr.dane101]

well when you have a smaller tank things happen a lot faster than in a bigger tank but you can do a 20 gallon reef tank and all reef tanks are a bit of work but they are really worth it

 

[Tang20]

yea.. is it harder to keep the temperature at a certain point.. i have the tank the filter and a brand new heater.. what else would i need to get?

 

[gr.dane101]

well do you know what type of corals you want to keep yet? and a skimmer is always nice but i would say that you don't need one but your fish will defiantly like it if you had one

 

[Tang20]

not sure what corals i want yet. what would be the things i need for sure?

 

[gr.dane101]

well a metal halilad would probably be your best bet or leds

 

[Tang20]

okay. i have a florescent but prolly wont work.. should i get live sand or no? crushed coral? what fish would go good in the 20 gallon..

 

[gr.dane101]

i would say no to live sand because half the time it isnt actually live so just get what ever you like and you could go with gobys or cromis or clowns there is a ton of fish you could choose from

 

[Tang20]

so all i need it a light and coral and protein skimmer?

 

[Tang20]

I have the tank i have the filter i have a heater i have sand.. i need coral protein skimmer, light, and fish. Correct me if I'm wrong..

thanks

 

[gr.dane101]

well kinda i would get live rock and cycle your tank with that and a shrimp or a few hermit crabs and what type of filter do you have ?

 

[kevin32]

I think T5HO light would work for your tank.

 

[Tang20]

i have the whisper 20

 

[gr.dane101]

well is there any way you would want to start up a sump ?filters are kind of detritus collectors i found that out right when i started my tank up and found a ton of detritus getting stuck in my canister filter and soon enough i saw a ton of hair algae and bubble algae

 

[Tang20]

i was thinking about that but is it worth it for a 20 gallon? would u just use a 10 gallon tank?

 

[gr.dane101]

yeah you could use a 10 gallon tank and you would be able to hide your heater there and probs and skimmer if you wanted one and you could have a filter sock (they need to be cleaned every day or ever other) It just makes every thing look a lot neater with a sump

 

[gr.dane101]

oh it would also add more water volume and make things a little bit easier

 

[Tang20]

what needs to be cleaned everyday? the sump ?