My 20 Gallon build.

[Kyleben]

So I keep seeing these sick nano reefs and its time for me to join the club. However I have a different goal in mind. So many people have amazing nano reefs but have crazy setups (40 gallon sumps, chillers, auto top offs, 4k dollar led lights) I want to do it simple and prove it can be done effectively. So here are my specs**

**knowing how my 55 gallon started off Im sure I will look back on this an laugh in 6 months when I have a sump, a refegium, a sunpod and so on but damnit im going to try!!

SPECS:
normal run of the mill 30 dollar 20 gallon class aquarium
Small 50 watt heater from petco
about 15 lbs of LR (covered in coraline alge) taken from my 55 gallon
25 LBS of LS
2x24 watt coralife t5 light
Aquaclear 70 HOB filter (550 gph) running around 400 GPH (give or take) with only the sponge and filter floss (NO CARBON!)
Small dose of a PH buffer to keep ph better 8.1 and 8.3

I used 1/3 new water and 2/3 water from my 55. With the LR and already cycled water my system should be more stable than a brand new system (I hope)

My beginning livestock is:
5 blue legged hermit crabs
2 margerita snails (until the LFS gets more)
1 Bangaii cardnal
1 flame scollop (I thought he was dead but he was attached to a piece of LR I took from my 55...OOPS!)

I have a maxi mini that I plan on moving from my 55....If my light is enough. My next livestock will be more snails and a sexy shrimp and a porslin crab. I really would like to try a pair of mandarines, but thats going to be ones the system is more established. Im also going to add more rock but for what I have now its enough, plus Ill get someLR with the corals I aquire.

 

[SkullV]

Looks like a nice start but just a few observations:

I would not try the maxi-mini under that light, its a pretty weak fixture especially with the stock coralife bulbs. You will be fine with low light soft corals (GSP, Xenia, Kenya Tree, Leathers) under that light but that's about it.. You are also going to need 100w of heater for that tank especially if you live in a place where it gets below 60* at night. Also with coral have you considered a powerhead like a Koralia Nano (or a MP10ES if it's in the budget).

I would go with 3-4 nice nano fish in there. Unfortunately a 20g will never have enough pods to support even one mandarin unless you have a large refugium.

 

[Kyleben]

I need to swap out the bulbs (any recommendations?) i think im going to try adding led (low cost to run and GREAT color) the maxi mini killed my flame back anger so i dont feel bad experimenting with him. my worry about having more than 3 small fish is that while its a 20 gallon it only holds about 13 gallons of water due to the 25 lbs of LS and LR.

I think I can keep the mandarines IF i add more lR and add PODs bi weekly (my LFS sells "pods in a bottle")

Im going to add powerheads soon...eventually im going to replace the aquaclear with 2 250 or 300 GPH powerheads....ill get better flow and just use the aquaclear after water changes and any other time i stir up the subtrate (mechanical filtration)

 

[Kyleben]

and my heater blows...its set on 73 and has the tank at about 79....should have paid the extra 8 dollars....oops

 

[Kyleben]

My attempt to avoid cycling failed....still seeing an ammonia spike. hasta be from the live sand everything else is from my old tank. did a 5 gallon water change yesterday and going to do another one today. I added a little carbon along with my filter sponge and dosed with one of those anti ammonia supplements. also added some macro alge from my refugium, im not going to add a fuge to this system because im trying to keep it simple....

 

[Kyleben]

 

[Kyleben]

tank paramaters: (I saw an Ammonia spike and did a 5 gallon water change and everything seams to be fine now
pH 8.1 (used a DKH buffer to stabilize)
NH3- 0mg/l
NO2- 0mg/l
NO3- 12.4mg/l (I added some cheto to the system to try to bring this down somewhat.

 

[sphistak]

Question:

Why no carbon in the aquaclear?

 

[Kyleben]

Question:

Why no carbon in the aquaclear?

In my experence the carbon filters out all the supliments I add....like I kept adding a akh buffer but my pH was still around 7.8....I think the carbon took it out....plus its a nano if my paramaters slip I do a 5 gallon water change (more than 1/3 or the water volume) and the paraaters are normal

 

[sphistak]

Ah ok

 

[Kyleben]

here are new pics: I also got a yellow nose prawn gobe but he is too small to photograph....seriously even in a 20 gallon!

 

[sphistak]

Is that him under the rock at the top?

 

[Kyleben]

Is that him under the rock at the top?

hahaha no hes hiding under the right rock, hes so cool he just needs to get bigger, thinking about getting a little pistol shrimp friend for him....I'm hoping my coral banded doest get hungry or mean and go after him.

 

[sphistak]

Ah ok.

 

[Kyleben]

PROGRESS!

 

[Kyleben]

new aquascape

 

[Kyleben]

fragged frogspawn from my 56 and some mushrooms (thats what is in the shot glasses) hoping to glue them in next week or so...added a maxima crocea hybrid....kinda purple with gold...really nice looking

 

[Kyleben]

also hid heater in the aqua clear HOB filter and added a small powerhead (im going to upgrade the powerhead soon and add a small fan. once I increase the size of the power head im going to cut back the flow of the aquaclear and make it into a HOB fuge

 

[sphistak]

And what size aquaclear are you using that fits a heater (what size heater as well)?

 

[Kyleben]

its the 110. i think its around 550 gph. the heater is only a 50 watt. Its warm enough in nc for the winter I wont really use my heater till sep or october. the only media in it is filterfloss. Im thinking about adding carbon. 20 gallons is a small system and it could help prevent disasters. Then again Im going to keep the bio load relatively low for now. Im only planning on adding coral for the next few months (and a sexy shrimp or harqulin shrimp) and maybe a maxi mini.