Brand new 20 gallon

[MongoRed86]

Hi this would be my first post! Im new to this site. My local store has been trying to help me out. The owner told me about this site and said maybe i should give it a try. learn more for myself. Right now i have a 20 gallon salt water tank. Also,two rocks that are pretty big for the tank. I have four fish and one feather duster. Please write back with things you think i should do with my tank. im looking to make this tank a fish tank. maybe i can start a reef tank later on. thank you!

 

[BigScott]

4 fish , what kind an dont over do the bio load..get some snails an a emerald crab..an you could put in a couple of corals to make it look pretty.. like pink pom poms..thier cool..

scott

 

[scrmbld33]

what are you looking for info on? is it a particular fish? you ve found a huge pile of info here, heres a good link to get you started with basics

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1031074

and [welcome]

 

[MongoRed86]

Im goin to put up pics of my fish and the tank. im looking for names of the fish and opinions of what 2 add.

 

[demonsp]

If this is a new tank setup then R.I.P. might be there names . You need to slow down and research this hobby a little more.LFS just want your money and dont always look out for your best intrest.

 

[MongoRed86]

 

[MongoRed86]

This is Mongo!

 

[MongoRed86]

 

[MongoRed86]

 

[MongoRed86]

 

[MongoRed86]

 

[demonsp]

Nice tank and so clean excpet that little aglea bloom.I also painted the back pacific blue and am very pleased with this. But , First allow tank to cycle then add some cleanup crew then your stock all little by little . In this hobby slow and easy is always the best advice.And naming the guys will only make it harder whene you see them floating.You maynot have any problems but if you r come to this site enough you will see many who do.Mb take a step back and research what you and your wallet got into. GL

 

[MongoRed86]

what would be the names of the fish. i think mongo is a maroon clown

 

[demonsp]

Oh nice maroom fish. I wanted one but he would have out grown my 75 gal.

 

[ReefWreak]

Very nice tank for a new setup. Be sure to take time with your tank!

A great site to look up fish scientific and hobby names is liveaquaria.com, go to fish->marine fish-> category. The 2 blue ones and the black one are damsel fish. You'll want to get them out once your cycle finishes. They don't get along well with other tank mates.

I HIGHLY suggest heading over to the Florida Marine Aquarist Society's forum in ReefCentral, accessable by going to the Forums page, scrolling down to "Reef Clubs", then selecting FMAS, or just ues this link: http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=235

They're a great bunch of guys, and if you ask for Xenias (pink pom-pom corals that are great for beginner tanks) that you'll get a TON for free! And if you don't, I'll sell you a ton for $5 next time I'm down in Boca.

Looks like a good little setup, and I HIGHLY suggest heading over to the FMAS forum, as the guys there are wonderful and very helpful for all your questions and local needs, as well as a directory of all the fish stores in the area.

Good luck and looks good!

 

[MongoRed86]

so my damsels are mean fish? what kind of other fish should i put in there with my clown? and you said something about a cycle. is that like my first month when i take out my water? this weekend i will be goin 2 the store again. maybe 2 get a skimmer. i was told that i could run my filter and skimmer at the same time. whats best?

 

[ReefWreak]

Yea. Damsels are trouble after the tank is established. They're usually suggested just for cycling the tank in the beginning because they're so hardy and inexpensive....

The cycle is the Nitrogen Cycle... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marcyclfaq2.htm to start... Try just googling "Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle" I wish I could find more articles for you right now, but alas, it has been a while since I've had to read one...

Don't buy a skimmer from the LFS until you've done ALL your research online as to which to get. PLEASE! I promise you'll save time and money if you A. research them online first, and B. buy a quality skimmer to start with, instead of spending $300 over 4 crappy skimmers, and then settling on a $150 one which is better than all the others that you've spent all that time and money on.

Learn to do water changes once your cycle is over. Test for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. When the Ammonia turns to Nitrite, then Nitrate, you'll be ready to start stocking. Then it's time to start your weekly or bi-weekly water changes of 10-20% of your tank's volume.

 

[ReefWreak]

Found this:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/dw/index.php

Go down to "Nitrification" to read about the Nitrogen cycle, what it is and what it does.

 

[MongoRed86]

thank you so much for your help

 

[jeeperrs]

You will probably have a few people jump on you for some of the simple mistakes you made. don't worry about that because we have all made those mistakes. Those who jump on people on here are the ones who probably make mistakes all the time and they try to compensate by sounding smart online I remember about 5 years ago when i was going to set up a 20 tank I put LR in the tank for a few days then added some fish and an anemone. Can I say they lived...nope lol. If the worse case scenario should happen don't stress, count it as a learning experience and earning your saltwater stripes ha-ha. Good luck!