Help with 20L equipment list

[IvanTheTerrible]

Since I can't buy the large tank I want ($$$ - PM me if you want to buy a sweet used Harley), I've decided to put together a nano reef tank. I've kept a few freshwater tanks, but this will be my first saltwater setup. I'm planning to keep mostly LPS (hammer, torch, etc.) and a couple of small fish. I've done a lot of research, but wanted to run my equipment list past the experts here before I buy too much more.

What I have
20 Gallon long tank
Aquaclear AC70 filter
Eheim Jager 75W heater
MagFloat glass cleaner
~20 lbs. of dry rock
CaribSea Aragonite sand
(2) Koralia Nano 425 powerheads
(2) 10 gal. Brute cans - one for RODI and one for saltwater
I have some extra 20L tanks I plan to use for quarantine.

The rockscape is complete and I added a little silicone added where necessary for stability. I tried not to use much silicone, just enough to prevent things from falling. It's been a couple of weeks since the silicone was added, so it should be cured. I painted the back of the tank black and also made a small overflow from some black lexan. The heater and AC70 intake are currently in the overflow.

What I plan to buy soon
BRS screen top kit
BRS 6 Stage Universal Plus RODI (75 GPD)
Aquatec 8800 booster pump for RODI system
IO Reef Crystals
Milwaukee digital refractometer
Tunze Osmolator Nano ATO
Maxi-jet powerhead 400 (saltwater mixing)
Eheim Jager 75W heater (saltwater mixing)
API test kit
BRS ROX 0.8 Carbon
BRS GFO

I think that should be sufficient to get the cycle started. Once things are progressing and my wife pays that credit card bill (trying to stay married :worried: ), I plan to pick up the following:

Radion XR15W w/ mounting bracket
Hanna checkers for Alk, Cal, and phosphate (I'm a little colorblind so digital is better for me)
Red Sea test kits for everything else.
A CUC, some frags, and the fish (once cycled).

If I'm still married after all of that, I'll pick up an Apex.

Some of this (RODI, Apex, etc.) will be needed when I eventually get a larger display tank, so I would rather buy more than I need now rather than buy it twice.

So, what am I missing? Anything on this list that I won't need?

 

[IvanTheTerrible]

Does the lack of feedback mean my plan is acceptable or am I so screwed up that you don't know where to start?

 

[idisc]

Well I think your going to have everything you need plus some.

No rush Items IMO and Opinions:
- Screen Top
- Milwaukee digital refractometer (Why not simply buy a BRS one for half the price or an "ATO" one on amazon for 25$? All work the same IMO.
- Why such a massive RO/DI to start? You could always add on later.
- Why the booster pump?
- Kill two birds with one stone using Chemipure ELITE instead of carbon and gfo.

The 2x 425's will be more than enough flow considering your using the AC70. I would purchase the wave maker controller tbh. Everything looks good and can't wait to see some pictures. I have always wanted a 20L, but never built one. Good Luck Friend.

 

[footyreefer]

IMO for a first Salt tank I would set one up with a sump. You said you have other 20L use one as a sump refugium. the radion is easily one of the best lights on the market. But I would get a cheaper light ( Ocean Revives are good cheap lights ) to save some money for equipment that will make your tank much easier to maintain. Such as a skimmer. Unless you have horrible home water pressure and quality, you don't need a booster pump or a 6 stage RO system. I would go with a BRS 4 Stage Plus Kit with all the bells and whistles. An Ato is a must for a nano. Use the AC 70 for a quarantine tank and drill the 20 you have a put a sump on your tank is the first thing i would consider.

 

[IvanTheTerrible]

IMO for a first Salt tank I would set one up with a sump. You said you have other 20L use one as a sump refugium.
...
Use the AC 70 for a quarantine tank and drill the 20 you have a put a sump on your tank is the first thing i would consider.

I agree that a sump would be great and considered a lot of different ways to incorporate one. Unfortunately, because of where the tank is located and the stand I'm using there is no place to hide a sump and I don't want one out in the open. I realize a lot of people have nice looking sumps that are displayed, but that's just not me. I chose not to have a HOB skimmer for the same reasons and didn't want to give up the real estate for an in-tank skimmer. I'm hoping that a relatively lightly stocked tank and 20% WCs every two weeks will be enough to compensate for the reduced filtration. Do you think this is a mistake?

Unless you have horrible home water pressure and quality, you don't need a booster pump or a 6 stage RO system. I would go with a BRS 4 Stage Plus Kit with all the bells and whistles. Use the AC 70 for a quarantine tank and drill the 20 you have a put a sump on your tank is the first thing i would consider.

My water pressure is pretty bad. Since I don't have a TDS meter, I'm not sure about the quality but I'm assuming it's bad also. I'll see if I can't get it tested somewhere and look into the 4 Stage Plus kit.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[IvanTheTerrible]

Well I think your going to have everything you need plus some.

No rush Items IMO and Opinions:
- Screen Top
- Milwaukee digital refractometer (Why not simply buy a BRS one for half the price or an "ATO" one on amazon for 25$? All work the same IMO.
- Why such a massive RO/DI to start? You could always add on later.
- Why the booster pump?
- Kill two birds with one stone using Chemipure ELITE instead of carbon and gfo.

The 2x 425's will be more than enough flow considering your using the AC70. I would purchase the wave maker controller tbh. Everything looks good and can't wait to see some pictures. I have always wanted a 20L, but never built one. Good Luck Friend.

Thanks for the tip on the Chemipure Elite. It looks like it will be a simpler solution since I can get it pre-packaged.

Do the cheaper refractometers really work as well as the Milwaukee? I've never had much luck buying cheaper items and usually end up buying the more expensive version later. This hobby is expensive enough, no need to make it worse.

I'll look into the wavemaker once I have a chance to see the flow in the tank. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[footyreefer]

WCS are your best bet. As far as lighting are you still going with the radion?

 

[IvanTheTerrible]

WCS are your best bet. As far as lighting are you still going with the radion?

Honestly, the Radion is the thing I'm the least sure about. I definitely want an LED and want something that will hook to an Apex. My commute to work is about an hour and sometimes I work long days, so the ability to log in and check on my tank really appeals to me. Depending on one of my crazy family members to make adjustments or correct issues would be a plan for failure.

I looked at a lot of different lighting options. I don't want shadowing to be a problem, so for a long time I was looking at longer fixtures. It seemed like every one I looked at either had multiple bad reviews or much lower output. For a while I was really interested in the Kessils, but I think shadowing would be even worse with a compact light source. Buying two was going to be more expensive than the Radion and probably more than I need, so I kinda picked the Radion by default. I have some time before I'll be buying the light, so I'll probably keep looking.

 

[footyreefer]

Ocean Revive makes an led fixture called the Arctic T247. You can hook it up to the apex and has built in timers. I have 3 on my 125.

 

[IvanTheTerrible]

Ocean Revive makes an led fixture called the Arctic T247. You can hook it up to the apex and has built in timers. I have 3 on my 125.

Thanks. I will look into those before I buy a light. It will be several weeks, so I've got time to do some more research.

 

[ajespo85]

It could of been my aquascaping, but I had 2 hydro's in my tank and I had dead spots still. I instead bought a Jebao wp10. Works great! Coral love it better now since the change.

 

[footyreefer]

+1 on WP10 or RW4

 

[golferbud101691]

I agree that a sump would be great and considered a lot of different ways to incorporate one. Unfortunately, because of where the tank is located and the stand I'm using there is no place to hide a sump and I don't want one out in the open. I realize a lot of people have nice looking sumps that are displayed, but that's just not me. I chose not to have a HOB skimmer for the same reasons and didn't want to give up the real estate for an in-tank skimmer. I'm hoping that a relatively lightly stocked tank and 20% WCs every two weeks will be enough to compensate for the reduced filtration. Do you think this is a mistake?



My water pressure is pretty bad. Since I don't have a TDS meter, I'm not sure about the quality but I'm assuming it's bad also. I'll see if I can't get it tested somewhere and look into the 4 Stage Plus kit.

Thanks for the suggestions.

+1 on sump. You can get a 10 gallon and make it your sump. If your current stand cant fit a sump, build your own stand. There are plans on here for how to build a stand. With some 2x4 and plywood, it can be golden. The more water volume you have, the more success you will have in the future. In all honesty, I would build a 40 breeder with stand and use your 20 long as the sump. Tank depth is huge. 6in is more than you think. Also dollar per gallon sale makes it cheap. Also, 10% every week is more effective IMO than every 2 weeks.

 

[footyreefer]

+1 on the 40 breeder

 

[IvanTheTerrible]

A 40 breeder would be nice, but is bigger than I want for this space. The 20L is as big as I can go. Also, it will make a nice quarantine or frag tank once I get a bigger display.