I NEED HELP

[fishguy]

ok heres the problem i just got a tank for christmas a 20 gallon i really want to make a reef tank i have all the normal lighting and filter my question to you is what do i need after all this normal stuff and can i start a decent reef tank for under 100 dollars thanks

chris

[afss]

First thing i have to say is that the larger the tank the easier it is to do a reef set up. It can be done in a 20 but you are more suceptible to swings etc.
What are the dimensions on the 20 gallon?

You dont NEED a skimmer, I ran a reef succesfully for over a year with no skimmer. You just need to be verry careful with feeding etc.

You don't NEED more than NO lights, but the more light the better. If you are going to keep the NO lights then you should limit yourself to mushrooms and maybe leathers.

You should have atleast 15-20 lbs of live rock (again more is better), and that in itself will cost you btw 50- 140 american depending on what you can find.

You said you had filter etc, but just to make sure you know.. you will need a heater.

Let me know the dimensions, and if you have other questions.
Scott

[canadawest]

I will concur with some of both the previous posts.

A 20 gallon tank could make a fine reef tank, but you will have to be cautious of your water parameters because they can swing quickly in a small tank.

I agree you don't NEED a skimmer, but you SHOULD have at least a small one. A small tank will quickly build up organics if you have any more than 3 fish in it, and they only way to get them out is with a skimmer, unless you are going to do weekly water changes. A Prizm skimmer is an excellent little unit for under $70US.

Scott is also correct, you don't NEED more than NO lighting, but you will be limited to only mushrooms and leathers. If you are interested in anything more, you need to deal with the lighting. A single 250W MH pendant with a couple NO or PC actinics would be ideal and allow you to keep anything you wanted, including clams and SPS.

Like mentioned in both previous posts, you will need 15-30lbs of live rock, which isn't cheap. Figure about $2.50-$5US per lb, depending on what kind and where you get it from.

Other than the above mentioned ingredients, you will also need a 100-200W heater (Scott covered this) and a couple powerheads for circulation (perhaps a pair of MaxiJet 900s or a 900 and a 600).

Start off slow, which is the best advice for any sized reef aquarium. Limit yourself to 2-3 small fish to help avoid high bio-loading. And add corals slowly so you can observe how they are doing. Frequent water changes, and stable water parameters will be the key to your sucess with a new reef tank of that size.

Good luck with your new venture!