20G Newbie Nano Tank Build

[Zack631]

Hello Everybody!

I have wanted to build a reef tank for years. I’ve been on and off with freshwater for years. So after doing my research I finally decided to pull the trigger and bought a Red Sea 20G AIO (new in box from someone on the forum). I would love to have a soft/lps dominant tank with a couple fish and cuc members. I am brand new to reefing so any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Tank: Red Sea Max Nano 20G AIO

Filtration: Running stock equipment. Currently just using the filter sock while tank cycles. Stock skimmer is setup and in tank but not running (not sure if it is ok to leave in there while not using).

Flow: Stock return pump. Possibly looking to add a small wave pump in the near future.

Light: Red Sea ReefLED 50

Heating: Aqua El 75 Watt set to 78 (I think I will upgrade to the 100 Watt as current temp sitting around 76.5-77. Was just nervous the 100 would not fit in the back of the tank)

Water/Salt: 4 Stage RODI with Red Sea Coral Pro Salt

Sand: 20lbs of CaribSea Arag-Alive Special Grade (unsure if this was too much sand)

Rock: Roughly 10lbs of CaribSea LifeRock

I just started cycling yesterday. I used the Fritz FishlessFuel followed by a healthy dose of Turbo Start 900. Salinity is sitting at 1.025 and as mentioned above temp is around 76.5-77. Alkalinity is sitting at 8.0. I plan on doing 10% water changes weekly.

I am not sure what fish, corals, and cuc I will be adding as my mind changes everyday. I know for a fact some Euphyllia, wrasse, goby/shrimp pair. Suggestions are definitely appreciated in this area. I like the aquascape design but unsure if it will translate to a good reef setup.

Really excited to start this journey and look forward to everyone’s feedback!

 

[Naekuh]

I dont think you can do a wrasse in that tank without it flipping out and going postal.
Also you will need a Lid for most wrasses.
Do not get fooled into getting a 6-line wrasse.
They are the devil incarnate, and will give you more stress later on.
A Bangaii cardinal fish would probably work as well, as they just sit in one possition and do nothing but stare at you all day.
Goby's are definitely possible.

Eyphyllia will outgrow that tank, so you will need to trim it.
So will most softies...
Maybe a Toadstool of some form, but this will also outgrow your tank, you won't be able to do a colt coral, and most Neph's will also outgrow your tank fast.

I would probably do corals which are slow growing... since you like LPS, i would probably go with Acan's, Blastos and Favia's. Maybe also some Ricordia Mushrooms.
Definitely no Xenia, and i would use caution on Green Star Polyps, as those two can over run your entire tank.

 

[Zack631]

Thanks for the advice.
I have been thinking of a cardinal, maybe a clown, and a goby/shrimp pair. A six line as cool as they are, I have read too many posts here about their temperament. I was referring to possibly a possum wrasse.

GSP and Xenia are definitely not going in I have seen other tanks get taken over much bigger than mine.

 

[Reef Psychology]

Looking good so far!

Choosing fish is an exciting thing and is filled with challenges too. Plus, everyone has their own take on compatibility and requirements. Here’s my 2 cents lol. Try to get fish that do not compete for the same resources. Don’t pick two fish that like to perch on rocks. Two types fish that like to make their homes in the sand bed. And etc… the basic rule is this. If you do choose two fish that will compete for the same resource then combine their minimum tank sizes and that is the tank you should have to house them. When you learn more about keeping fish you can break that rule.

I keep a six-line wrasse with a Springer Damsel in my 20g QT.. The Springer is very docile as damsel go. And six-line can be a terror. The key is to add the wrasse last, have a good dark hole for it to call home and not have any fish that will want to share that hiding place. The Springer lives mostly in the top 25% of the tank which is not the normal territory of the wrasse. Most wrasse of his type live near the lower end of the tank looking for pods. So, my fish never fight.

Many people believe clown fish are great - and they usually are for the first year and a half… but once they get to spawning age they will become very territorial. They will even attack your hand if you get too close.

Possum wrasse are sometimes hard to find. They are usually seasonal. Goby/shrimp pairs are nice if you’re ok with their constant digging. Firefish, Springers, royal gramma, and several smaller gobies like citron or tail spot. Cleaner shrimp, smaller serpent sea star, mithrax only after six months, flower anemone are cool, and a variety of snails only after you start seeing algae begin to form.

Hope that helps.

 

[Manpeckz]

Looks nice! The euphyllia will be sweet in there.

Yasha w/ shrimp. I was just looking at these myself before deciding on something else!

 

[Zack631]

Looking good so far!

Choosing fish is an exciting thing and is filled with challenges too. Plus, everyone has their own take on compatibility and requirements. Here’s my 2 cents lol. Try to get fish that do not compete for the same resources. Don’t pick two fish that like to perch on rocks. Two types fish that like to make their homes in the sand bed. And etc… the basic rule is this. If you do choose two fish that will compete for the same resource then combine their minimum tank sizes and that is the tank you should have to house them. When you learn more about keeping fish you can break that rule.

I keep a six-line wrasse with a Springer Damsel in my 20g QT.. The Springer is very docile as damsel go. And six-line can be a terror. The key is to add the wrasse last, have a good dark hole for it to call home and not have any fish that will want to share that hiding place. The Springer lives mostly in the top 25% of the tank which is not the normal territory of the wrasse. Most wrasse of his type live near the lower end of the tank looking for pods. So, my fish never fight.

Many people believe clown fish are great - and they usually are for the first year and a half… but once they get to spawning age they will become very territorial. They will even attack your hand if you get too close.

Possum wrasse are sometimes hard to find. They are usually seasonal. Goby/shrimp pairs are nice if you’re ok with their constant digging. Firefish, Springers, royal gramma, and several smaller gobies like citron or tail spot. Cleaner shrimp, smaller serpent sea star, mithrax only after six months, flower anemone are cool, and a variety of snails only after you start seeing algae begin to form.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the tips. I was looking into flower nems, are they able to be put in a beginner tank or should you wait several months or longer?

 

[kevgib67]

Rfa’s are hardy and can be added a few months in as compared to other anemones. Getting three or more sexy shrimp for the rfa to host is really cool. I’d probably start with pods as your first cuc and then slowly add more as food becomes more abundant. Dumping a lot in at one time would cause massive die off due to starvation. For the sand nassarius snails are awesome. For the rock trochus, ceriths and ninja star snails are great. Micro brittle starfish and blue and red dwarf hermit crabs are great scavengers.

 

[Zack631]

Ok so the tank cycled, and I ended up getting a pair of clowns from the lfs. They are doing great and eating both pellet and frozen mysis. Thinking of getting a couple snails for the detritus that is slowly forming on the sand. I’m thinking of nassarius snails. Any other suggestions?

 

[Zack631]

Update- So I recently added some new tank mates, and slowly changed filtration. And as of 1 week ago have been battling what appears to be diatoms.

I have been using the Red Sea Max Skimmer ( not very helpful imo), which I might take out and exchange for some added media. The redsea50 is running around 12 hours a day (ramp up 4 hours and ramp down for 4 hours) at 35% blue and 10% white. Corals seem to love it.

Corals- Two Torches, a Hammer, a small favia plug, and a toadstool. The corals have been doing great. With the exception of the toadstool which is super finicky and looks like they are on deaths doorstep every other day until he pops up fine.

Inverts- I have 3 nassarius snails, 11 astrea, and a small brittle star that hitchhiked his way in.

Fish- the two clowns and a yellow watchman goby who just got added this weekend.

The tank has been doing well, with the exception of what appears to be diatoms on the sand bed and rock work, which appeared this week. I am running a bag of carbon and doing hefty water changes every week with sand and rock cleaning.

I wish I stuck to the plan and added zero corals to the aquarium until at least another month. It’s my fault and I really hope the livestock don’t suffer due to my lack of patience.

So far parameters are in good shape.

Nitrates ~10
pH - 8.0
Salinity - 1.026
Temps - 76.5-77.0F
I have not started checking Alk and Calcium. Test kits will be picked up this week