will this setup work?

[always learning]

first of all my specs:

20g tall
emperor 280
hagen 201 powerhed (125 gph)
titanium heater (150 W)
berlin air-lift 30 (soon will upgrade to a SeaClone100)
65W smartlight and 15W 10,000k (daylight)
15W Blue moon (night-light)

about 25-30 mixed hermit crabs and snails
1 cleaner shrimp
1 (soon more) Hawaii feather duster
2 false percula clowns
1 neon blue goby
in a few months a Manderine goby
some plants

for corals I plan to have:
long tentical anemone
starburst polyp
striped mushroom
yellow colony polyp
green sea mat (still deciding)

I also supplement pretty much every mineral that Kent makes (Magnesium, Iodine, calcium,...) and I will feed with Kents Phytoplex Phytoplankton for the inverts
My tank has 2lb.pg and about 1.75 inches of sand

I was wondering if all these corals would do well together and if I'd have any problems with them and with the fish. I've had the tank for only about two months but I already have LOTS of cocopods and all the amonnia and nitrite and nitrates balanced pretty quickly and easily so I was wondering when I could put in the corals and anemone. Should I also feed anything else besides some flakes, pellets, and phytoplankton? Are there any special properties about the polyp's and mushrooms I should know of, and will they sting? Also are there any upgrades or adjustments I should make to my equipment?

I know these are alot but I would appreciate anything you could tell me.

Thanks,
always learning.

[g. mcclean]

first suggestion is to buy or borrow Eric Borneman's book on corals. Second, I don't think you need all those supplements. If you want corals calcium and alkalinity are really the only necessary supplements. A 20 gallon should be easy to maintain those levels in. The 20 gallon may not have enough space for all those corals however. Be sure all water parameters and the calcium and alk are stable before adding corals however.

[kreblak]

Most of the hardware you have sounds good. The Aquaclear 201 powerhead is a great, reliable powerhead. I don't know how many gph the Emperor 280 turns, but as long as it is more than 100 gph, you should be fine on water column turnover. Mogurnda likes to keep a powerfilter around on his reef tank, as activated carbon helps remove toxins secreted by some corals, so the Emperor sounds like a good idea.

The 150 watt heater should be great for temperature maintanance. I have always been of the opinion that it is better to have too big a heater than too small a heater.

Everything else sounds good, but I would caution against putting so many cleaners in a newly set up tank. With 25-30 hermits and snails in a 20 gallon tank, you might have some starve to death until you can grow enough algae to feed them all.

[mogurnda]

Your lighting should be fine for the mushrooms, OK for the yellow polyps and completely inadequate for the anemone. I think you'll have plenty of room, though. Keep in mind that all of the corals you mention tend to take over. It can look very nice having them covering your rocks, though.

I would go for a CPR BakPak or AquaC Remora over the Seaclone. As far as the circulation, I would probably double it.

The stocking list sounds fine, except I would forget about the mandarin. Yes, there are stories of them eating non-live food, but the vast majority want nothing but pods, and a 20 will never, ever have enough.

You didn't mention how much live rock you have.

I completely agree with g mcclean that you don't need all the supplements, just Ca and alkalinity. When you supplement, you will also need to test so that you know how much to dose.

Oh, and I second the suggestion of the Borneman book. It will make your life better.

[always learning]

Thanks for all the help,

I have 2.25 pounds per gallon of LR. I'll probably just get the starburst (for sure)
striped mushroom (for sure)
yellow colony (most likely)
toadstool leather soft coral (maybe)
what's your opinion on the softy?

I always hear that anemone's need so much light? I do have 4WPG, wouldn't that be enough?

I have heard that the SeaClone doesn't do that good of a job but will it really make a difference if I get the BakPak or whatever alse?
I know I supplement alot but when I first started buying stuff I just said: "well it'll all be better off if I do..."

Also are there any easy ways of nitrate removal, I know there's a typcal water change but I'm too lazy plus I wan't to impress people by saying: "I never even touch this thing and look how beautiful it is" I guess I could stick to plants and adding a sponge or some chemical. (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=4012)

[mogurnda]

The toadstool will probably do well, but they like intense light. Put it relatively high in the tank. Of course, if it does well, then it will get huge. One other issue is that sarcophyton is one of the more toxic softies, so you will probably want to run carbon to keep it from bugging your other corals.


well it'll all be better off if I do. Unless it isn't. More isn't necessarily better. Your salt mix will have all the traces you need, and food will provide most anything else. All that's left is calcium and carbonate, which wou will probably need to add.

There is really no substitute for water changes. They keep your electrolytes in balance, your toxins and nutrients down. A 20 is a very small system by reef standards. Once you have some experience under your belt, you might try shortcuts, but it is a really good idea to be conservative when you start. Otherwise, you are more likely to say "the corals were quite beautiful before the system crashed." Many of the "sponge" products are either snake oil or will harm your livestock. For example, alumina based PO4 removers will irritate the crap out of soft corals.

[always learning]

BTW, would a Prizm Pro Deluxe Skimmer (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=7928) be fine?

[BrianH]

I would also suggest going with the bak pak or remora. Their performance over the prism justifies the relatively higher price.

Brian

[kreblak]

I have a prizm skimmer, and I like it fine. It didn't require a lot of tweaking, it produces good foam, and was relatively inexpensive. However, the consensus on these boards is that the bak pak and the remora are the premier skimmers for the money. I haven't used either one, so I can't give a qualified opinion. However, I like my prizm skimmer, even if it is a little underpowered.

[always learning]

well I don't really feel like spending the money, but I do believe in buying the best the first time and only once, It's generally cheaper.
Anyway, I might just stick to either the seaclone, maybe the prizm, and if I get enough money maybe the Bak-Pak2r: reef ready

thanks,
always learning.