First SW with a 20 gallon?

Regarding water: Seems like it's highly recommended to get a RO/DI unit. Some questions about that:

1. Once I build up an initial supply of RODI water, can I just run the unit as needed to replenish?
2. Do SW tank keepers basically have to run their RODI 24/7 to keep up with water needs?
3. Believe I would need a supply of unsalted RODI for top-offs. Do I need to keep that oxygenated / heated, or can I just dump it in a bucket, seal the lid, and use as needed?
4. Can I use "Instant Ocean" salt mix? (asking b/c I have a big jug of it for my land hermit crabs)
5. Do I need to keep the reserve salt water I make oxygenated / heated? Do I need to run a power head and heater on my salt water for water changes?

...basically I'm trying to size up each pillar of the SW world, so I can make a sound decision in whether to take the plunge or not. :) Thanks for the help!
 
I see no reason to not use instant ocean as long as it is rated for fish too. You dont need to keep the water stable or do anything with it as long as you make sure its warm enough for your fish and has the proper water parameters when it goes in the tank. You dont want to kill your fish when you change the water.
 
Yes you can make a reserve of rodi water and store it. Most of us have two containers(buckets, drum, barrels, tanks), in which we keep rodi water, and premixed saltwater. To keep down on the algea youll want a powerhead in the container just to keep things moving, as well as a heater in the premixed container to keep that water +/- a few degrees, the same temp as the display. For a 30 gallon tank, Id keep at least 15 gallons of premixed water, just incase you have to do a large water change.

Yes you topoff the evaporation with UNMIXED rodi water. Salt doesnt evaporate and you would increase the salinity if you add premixed water as topoff.

Test kits are a must btw, you will want to be able to log your tests as well so you can identify patterns such as a nitrate spike two days after feeding a certain food.(the fish arent eating that one) Etc...

Also just a tip stick with easy to care for inhabitants for the beginning. If you want to try corals(and you will) dont purchase that $150 dollar frag of a rare sps. Stick with some hearty softies, and zoas. You can usually find these for 5-10 bucks a head on your local reef forums. Let them grow, and then frag them yourself.
 
Thanks for the info, folks. I have an update to share: I just picked up a tank!... a "40 gallon regular" with dimensions 36"x15"x16". I think this will be a good size -- not too big, but a nice footprint to work with.

My immediate next steps are:
(A) More research / planning
(B) Paint the back of my 20g long as a test run (if it works out well, will paint this tank too)
 
TIP: Use an acrylic latex. It will paint on thick, do a couple coats, if you dont like it you can peel it off and change colors. I used krylon fuzion and OMGWTFBBQ what a mess to get off. Im talkin acetone, and some elbow grease.

Look at pictures online, some tanks look good with black backgrounds, and some look good with a medium to dark blue. Ive even seen a hot pink one, and it looked good too. Dont go with black cause everyone else does, get creative.

Incase you didnt know, you should invest in a refractometer instead of a hydrometer. They are more accurate and in the end you will be happier. 30 bux on ebay gets you one. Search for "salinity refractometer."

Some other initial investments. Good test kits, HOB skimmer, You could get away with a single Metal Halide light if you wanna go cheap, or you can do T5 or LED, but be prepared to spend some money on those.

After the sand and rock are in the tank and it has cycled, your clean up crew should go in first. Lots of opinions on what is good, most are accurate. Dont wait too long after the cycle to add at least a fish or two for some bio diversity so your tank starts to bacterialize.

Leave the lights, and skimmer off for the cycle. Nothing on but the heat and circulation pumps, and your filter.

Just some tips I hope they help.
 
Ok, another "pillar of consideration": :idea:Lights:idea: ...

Can you helpful folks recommend a good lighting system for this tank (again it's 36" wide x 15" deep x 16" tall)? I understand a lot depends on what I want to do with the tank, so maybe break down lighting suggestions by goal (if that makes sense):

Good lighting for just live rock and beginner corals? (LPS, right?)
Good lighting if I eventually want advanced corals? (SPS)

Thanks!
 
For corals u need a really good light. Nothing cheap or generic. U should also get a 3-4 light frame thing on top of tank. Im not an expert on lighting though. Try Ace, Conski, or Reef they know lighting and have cool tanks.
 
joel.uejio said:
Ok, another "pillar of consideration": :idea:Lights:idea: ...

Can you helpful folks recommend a good lighting system for this tank (again it's 36" wide x 15" deep x 16" tall)? I understand a lot depends on what I want to do with the tank, so maybe break down lighting suggestions by goal (if that makes sense):

Good lighting for just live rock and beginner corals? (LPS, right?)
Good lighting if I eventually want advanced corals? (SPS)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Recommend a 4 bulb T5HO (could go 6 bulb) or metal halide to allow you to get into more light demad coarls once you get the feel for things. You are only dealing with a 15" tall tank so you can get light to the bottom with less that some deeper tanks require. Here are just a few suggestions:

Excellent T5HO light with quality reflectors. Pretty much grow anything with this. Note, does not come with bulbs.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/241219/product.web

Good T5HO. Reflectors are bent instead of being individual. Nice thing about this is that timers and moonlights are built in. I have this light and it has worked very well. You can grow most corals with this but I might avoid some higher demad SPS.

http://www.petmountain.com/product/aquarium-light-fixtures/514310/current-usa-sundial-t5ho.html

One of many potential MH's out there. Very popular fixture.

http://www.petmountain.com/show_pro...shoppingdotcom&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=512010

There are so many fixtures out there and I didn't even get into LEDs because they are still pretty pricey. I've seen some nice DIY LED fixtures though. You could also build a canopy and do a retrofit T5 or MH or a combo of both. There are also combo fixtures you can get which will provide the best of both worlds. Hope this helps.
 
oh man i forgot greech hes an expert.
 
Thanks for the info on lights, folks! The tank I got came with a standard hood, so I'm thinking I might just do a 50/50 bulb for now and then upgrade if/when I add corals. 50/50 for live rock should be ok, yes?

Now though, onto ~~~FLOW~~~:
The sense I get is that Koralias are a standard entry-level power head, but then a lot of folks upgrade to Vortechs, which seem to be the standard for hi-end.

For my tank, what would you folk suggest? 2x Koralia2's, 2x Koralia3's, 1 Vortech MP20, something else entirely ... ?
 
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