# 20g SW tank? "clownfish & anenome"



## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

ok well I havea 20g right now and I was thinking of converting it to saltwater. I already have all the stuff such as filter, lights, sand, thermometer..i know i need to get a 'skimmer'? a hydrometer and some ocean salt. I was just thinking of getting a sea anenome and a clownfish with a few inverts with some live rock? is that suitable? could u guys give me some tips on other stuff I need? I dont want any fancy expensive stuff, just stuff thatll get the job done. thnx for ur time.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Clownfish yes, anemones *NO*.
I can't believe that Emerald Coast pets hasn't warned you about anemones. Hmm..on second thought, maybe I can.
Anyway, it sounds like you're otherwise on the right track.

The problem with expensive, fancy stuff vs stuff that'll just get the job done is that the cheap stuff often does NOT get the job done very well. One of the biggest expenses you'll face, around 300 bucks, is the lighting needed to keep corals and anemones alive. Are those the kind of lights you already have? What DO you have? 

You can get by much cheaper by sticking to fish. 
By the way, you can catch all sorts of nifty stuff on the columns of the bridge.
There are numerous cheap skimmers available, such as the SeaClone or the Remora. If your tank was bigger I'd make you an awesome deal on some big skimmers I have, but mine are too big for a 20gal. ( I live in Andalusia, about an hour's drive from you ) Those other two I mentioned will fit nicely on your tank, and so will a "Skilter" if you can find one.


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## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

ok I see, I just read about anemone care and ya It seems as if they are for experts, they need expensive lighting and superb water conditions. I was thinking of white sand clownfish and some live rock? does live rock need a lot of light? btw how do u take care of LR? how bout starfish? Ya i was thinking of catching some critters locally but id have to quarantine them. I can catch pufferfish and cowfish that are about 9 inches long but as u kno my tank is too small for them. Sry bout all the questions its just i luv and am so fascinated with SW fish and their beauty.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Liverock needs just as much lighting as corals if you want it to be "true" liverock. In a sense, you don't "care" for your liverock. The liverock, cares for you! It helps in filtration, giving beneficial bacteria a good home. Some species of starfish are easily kept as long as you keep fairly good water conditions. Serpant and brittle stars are the ones you want.


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## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

ok i just checked and my tank is a 25g...what kind of light will i need? how many watts? another thing is it really necessary for me to get a skimmer for a 25g? When i get LR would a small penguin power head work be needed? 

When i convert my tank should i dump all the water out? then put new in? Should I also clean out my sand I have in there?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

If anything, skimmers are more necessary in smaller tanks like yours than in big ones.

25 gallons..that's kind of a weird size. Is it a tall tank or a long tank? Lighting it depends on that. 96 watt power compacts will let you keep anything you want, but twin 40's or 65's will keep most live rock going.

Water movement is very important in a reef tank, so a little powerhead could be very handy, or overkill, depending on how much water movement you get with just your filter & skimmer. 

Yes, you might as well dump out your old water and sand and start with a new batch from the start. I have to warn you that Navarre water is full of silicate, which means that you'll have a lot of brown algae problems. My advice is to use purple-capped distilled water from Walmart to reduce this problem.


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## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

I c thanx very much! So i should set up my tank with the skimmer etc and see how the current is in that tank and if its not enough ill put a powerhead in. My LFS told me to only do water changes on sundays because monday is when they put chemicals into the water. O ya my tank is kinda tall. Should i go with a seaclone or remora? I have 60 bux saved up so far for a skimmer might need a bit more tho.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Well, the sunday/monday thing is nice to know, but again, the silicate in your local navarre water will drive you crazy in the form of brown algae. At the Gulfarium I had to use local water or seawater, and I hated it. If I could have used distilled water it would have made my job SO much easier, and if you use it, you'll have a lot less hassle yourself. 
How tall is your tank? What kind of hood is on it? Either of those skimmers will work nicely, but I have a few much better ones lying around which might fit on your tank after all.


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## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

well as of right now im in NY....lol..i dont know the measurments but ill post em up when i return to FL...on the 25th. Hmm never heard of andalusia


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## mermaid (Jul 22, 2005)

just a question yankeeboy.... but where are you catching these cowfish and puffers at? ive never seen a wild one before and thatd be pretty awsome


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## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

i catch em at the piers in navarre and pensacola. I actually think they are a annoying because they try to steal my bait when im fishin for flounder then they get hooked on. The cowfish i catch are like 8 inches long and all sorts of pretty colors. The puffer fish i catch are super spikey and are bright bright yellow with black spots and cool greenish yellow eyes.


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

25 gal tank is basically 24x12x21- great in fw for a couple of angels or discus.


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2005)

a 25 is not really a good size for discus. especially since they should be in groups. plus, he made it saltwater...lol


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## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

my marine science teacher is planning on putting a clownfish and an anemone in a 10g tank......................I told her that its gonna die. Shes look o no it wont. I was like ur gonna need to spend lots of money on light...your also gonna need a powerhead. I think my teacher doesnt really know how to keep fish she has a 6 inch oscar in a 20 g tank and a 8 inch blue type cichlid with a big forehead in a 10g tank. She also has this 50g in the classroom its a S/W and she has live rock in it but she never leaves the light and theres no powerhead just a regular old filter no skimmers wut so ever. I think she is jus tryin to get away with being cheap.


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2005)

well, it won't work. SW tanks=Lots of spendin $!


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

A good live and learn experience as well as one of her students saying "I told you so" might wake her up a bit. Let her do what she wants... when she fails, you can refer her to this site.


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## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

i jus plan on getting a clownfish pair and live rock with a powerhead and use the penguin biowheel 125 filter i have. Im not gonna get a skimmer because i dont need one if im only getting 2 fish and do weekly water changes.


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## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

my hood can only fit one light, so a 1x96 power compact would work?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

it'd work but probably not as well as you would like. I STILL recommend getting a skimmer (eventually you'll spend that money on salt for weekly water changes anyway). I'd get some easy corals along with your liverock (such as mushrooms, hairy mushrooms, star polyps, and maybe some monti's).


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## Yankee boy (Jun 5, 2005)

so with a skimmer i could do water changes about every 2 weeks then?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

yeah. I do water changes every 2 weeks or so (usually 2 weeks or when I get around to it; never more than 3 weeks though).


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