20gal SW

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ktrom13

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I have a spare 20gal that i was initially going to turn into a FW iwagumi setup but as i look into saltwater fish and tanks the more i want one. I know its better to not be a cheapskate when it comes to saltwater tanks(from what ive read) so my question is what would a bare minimum any of you guys/gals would spend on a 20gal FOWLR tank?

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Ptrick125

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I saw your FW thread :)

I suggest buying the supplies over a period of time, it makes the cost look like less. Rock would be around $50 (20lbs dry 2lbs live rock) Sand would be about $20. Powerheads-$40 Filter-$20-$30 Test kit and salinity checker - $40 for both. Salt- $50 Food-$20

There are other add ons, and the whole price for a 20 gallon FOWLR is about $200-$300. Once you get it set up, it doesn't cost too much. It is definitely worth it in the end. For a small tank I would suggest a skimmer because it helps keep water quality pristine.


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TL1000RSquid

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$60-100 for sand and rock, 20L or 20H? 20H $30 for circ pump, $60 for 2 if its a long. Do you have any extra lighting, filters, heaters around? Another $100 there if not(ac70, heater, t5no fixture). $20 test kit, $30 refractometer, $40 150g salt mix.
 

ktrom13

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At the monent i have a 20high, a 24"-36" marineland LED light, and an extra filter. I have a fluval c4 and an aquaclear 70 on my 40B tank but one can easily be removed because i simply dont need all that filtration on that single tank. So at the moment i figure the nessecities for a SW tank would be a protein skimmer, circualtion pump, salt mix, dry and live rock, refractometer(?), and a SW master test kit

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TL1000RSquid

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You can get the refractometer on ebay for around $30ish, thats where mine came from a couple years ago I only paid $20 back then. Its well worth the extra money over a hydrometer which can be extremely inaccurate. You'll also want a second pump for mixing your saltwater, doesnt need to be a good one for that marineland maxijet 400's are capable of mixing up a 5g bucket of water and cost about $15, for your tank I'd go with something more compact like 425gph koralia nano, they're on sale now at drfoster smiths for $25.
 

ktrom13

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I know i shouldnt worry about a stocklist just yet but i would like a clownfish, some type goby, a cleaner shrimp or 2 , and if i can then possibly another fish. What type of fish would be compatible and thrive in a 20gal? And how many? I would like as many as i can without overstocking it
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TL1000RSquid

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you could do single or pair of perc's or osec's clowns, a clown goby, and some sort of shrimp pairing goby.
 

ktrom13

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Sweet so i can get a decent amount of fish in there. Id rather not have 2 of a single type of fish. So probably go with one perc. clown, the goby, and 2 other smaller friendly fish and a shrimp. I was told not to use tapwater due to algae issues, is this true? And if i get live rock do i still have to add ammonia or will the die off be enough to get it going?

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TL1000RSquid

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Generally yeah everyone I know who uses tap water has algae battles, and the tap water in my area is pretty low TDS high 30's to 50's usually. You can use certain media and macroalgae to try to curtail it though.

No ammonia needed with live rock just wait and let it do its thing.
 

ktrom13

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Man i wish FW had live rock xD where is a good place to purchase live rock? I heard marcorocks and BRS(?) was a good place to look. I was researching last night night and those seem to be popular and reputable places to get live/dry rock. I was planning 5lbs live rock 15-20lbs dry rock. Sorry about all the questions i just wanna get as much info as i can from experienced owners instead of just doing research. But im also researching to :)

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