JBJ 20 gallon

[Blitz06]

Hey all I’ve made a couple threads now. Still learning how to use forums. I’ve had a few tanks in the past but I’ve failed due to budget. I found a deal on this jbj that came with an AI prime. I was originally going to do a Caribbean biotope but after further research I’m just going to do something more traditional. With this size tank i usually see people just do 2 clowns and i want to do something different if you guys have any suggestions I’d greatly appreciate it.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hey all I’ve made a couple threads now. Still learning how to use forums. I’ve had a few tanks in the past but I’ve failed due to budget. I found a deal on this jbj that came with an AI prime. I was originally going to do a Caribbean biotope but after further research I’m just going to do something more traditional. With this size tank i usually see people just do 2 clowns and i want to do something different if you guys have any suggestions I’d greatly appreciate it.

You could always get a firefish or a watchman goby to put in there!

 

[phillyb614]

I have this exact tank. I have a couple clowns, a file fish, a small lawn mower blenny that will eventually be moved over to my 40G, 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, 2 emerald crabs, and multiple trochus and turbo snails, 6 BTAs (things just keep multiplying), and a mix of LPS, mushrooms, and softies. All are living together harmoniously. Well, I will keep needing to re-home some BTAs occasionally , to keep them from stinging all my corals.

Point is, you can definitely do more than a couple clowns. Just be sure to do your research before putting things in the tank that may not get along with each other.

 

[NanoNana]

I have a 24g cube. A royal gramma, a purple firefish, a yellow clown goby and rainfordii goby. Yellow clown gobies are so tiny they barely count in the bio load. lol. Of those fish if I had to remove one, it would be the fire fish. They are in the column a lot but it’s not a fish that gets noticed because they blend in so much and they are so chill. Some people love them. I’m not one of them. The rainford actually picks algae off of rocks and sifts my sand so it’s a useful fish and gives me something to watch. The gramma is bright and swims in and out of her tunnels sometimes sideways, sometimes upside down and stays out swimming in moonlight. They can be shy at first but when they come around they are entertaining. Mine checks out every inch of the tank and swims to the turkey baster for direct feeding. It’s like bottle feeding a fish.
In a tank this size it’s the inverts that stand out for me. My little serpent star that I hand feed, my crazy fire shrimp that tap dances over the rocks, my aiptasia wielding pom pom crab that that comes out in the twilight and rules the tank from dust til dawn. And Kirby the orange lipped conch who definitely deserves more than minimum wage for the amount of work he does. The fuzzy chiton, a species that has been here for 500 million years that cleans algae to bare rock. And finally, Percy the lettuce nudibranch without whom my bryopsis would still be 3 inches tall in that one zoa colony I refuse to touch again and eats bubble algae and even baby clove polyps. (I think it easts those by accident when consuming associated algae but still).

 

[Blitz06]

I have this exact tank. I have a couple clowns, a file fish, a small lawn mower blenny that will eventually be moved over to my 40G, 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, 2 emerald crabs, and multiple trochus and turbo snails, 6 BTAs (things just keep multiplying), and a mix of LPS, mushrooms, and softies. All are living together harmoniously. Well, I will keep needing to re-home some BTAs occasionally , to keep them from stinging all my corals.

Point is, you can definitely do more than a couple clowns. Just be sure to do your research before putting things in the tank that may not get along with each other.

That tank is so sick bro what light are you using?

 

[Blitz06]

I have a 24g cube. A royal gramma, a purple firefish, a yellow clown goby and rainfordii goby. Yellow clown gobies are so tiny they barely count in the bio load. lol. Of those fish if I had to remove one, it would be the fire fish. They are in the column a lot but it’s not a fish that gets noticed because they blend in so much and they are so chill. Some people love them. I’m not one of them. The rainford actually picks algae off of rocks and sifts my sand so it’s a useful fish and gives me something to watch. The gramma is bright and swims in and out of her tunnels sometimes sideways, sometimes upside down and stays out swimming in moonlight. They can be shy at first but when they come around they are entertaining. Mine checks out every inch of the tank and swims to the turkey baster for direct feeding. It’s like bottle feeding a fish.
In a tank this size it’s the inverts that stand out for me. My little serpent star that I hand feed, my crazy fire shrimp that tap dances over the rocks, my aiptasia wielding pom pom crab that that comes out in the twilight and rules the tank from dust til dawn. And Kirby the orange lipped conch who definitely deserves more than minimum wage for the amount of work he does. The fuzzy chiton, a species that has been here for 500 million years that cleans algae to bare rock. And finally, Percy the lettuce nudibranch without whom my bryopsis would still be 3 inches tall in that one zoa colony I refuse to touch again and eats bubble algae and even baby clove polyps. (I think it easts those by accident when consuming associated algae but still).

Love this reply I want to love my tank this much

 

[Blitz06]

Hey guys just wanted to give an update Ive been on vacation for the past few days and just got home. My tank started its cycle last Sunday. When I got home there is diatoms all over the tank is that normal in the first part of the cycle?

 

[NanoNana]

Hey guys just wanted to give an update Ive been on vacation for the past few days and just got home. My tank started its cycle last Sunday. When I got home there is diatoms all over the tank is that normal in the first part of the cycle?

Unfortunately, diatoms are a part of you life right now for a while.

 

[NanoNana]

Love this reply I want to love my tank this much

I’m primary care giver for my elderly parents. They are amazed by the whole thing because they have never had or seen a reef tank and thought coral was like the bleached acro colonies used for decor. Like it was a kind of rock basically. My mom laughs at me everyday for talking to the corals. “Hey bud, what’s going on today? You aren’t extending. Let me adjust your flow a little and see if that helps.” She’ll say are you talking to those plants again? You talk to them more than you talk to me. Lol.
I honestly think we all love our tanks this much if it’s the right hobby for us.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hey guys just wanted to give an update Ive been on vacation for the past few days and just got home. My tank started its cycle last Sunday. When I got home there is diatoms all over the tank is that normal in the first part of the cycle?

Diatoms are normal for a tank. They usually will show up during the start of a tanks ugly phase (means your tank is maturing properly)

 

[Blitz06]

I’m primary care giver for my elderly parents. They are amazed by the whole thing because they have never had or seen a reef tank and thought coral was like the bleached acro colonies used for decor. Like it was a kind of rock basically. My mom laughs at me everyday for talking to the corals. “Hey bud, what’s going on today? You aren’t extending. Let me adjust your flow a little and see if that helps.” She’ll say are you talking to those plants again? You talk to them more than you talk to me. Lol.
I honestly think we all love our tanks this much if it’s the right hobby for us.

My mom is the exact same way haha.

 

[Blitz06]

Diatoms are normal for a tank. They usually will show up during the start of a tanks ugly phase (means your tank is maturing properly)

Appreciate that.

 

[phillyb614]

That tank is so sick bro what light are you using?

Thank you very much! This is the light I’m using

 

[kevgib67]

Hey guys just wanted to give an update Ive been on vacation for the past few days and just got home. My tank started its cycle last Sunday. When I got home there is diatoms all over the tank is that normal in the first part of the cycle?

Diatoms are self limiting and go away when their food (silicates) source is depleted . To speed it up you can start adding copepods, they will eat them and it’s a good time to get your population going. Great scape by the way!

 

[Blitz06]

Diatoms are self limiting and go away when their food (silicates) source is depleted . To speed it up you can start adding copepods, they will eat them and it’s a good time to get your population going. Great scape by the way!

Thank you!!

 

[Blitz06]

Hey all just an update on the build. Tank is about three weeks old and is approaching the end of the cycle. I previously had a 40 gallon and have some livestock left over.
My first additions are going to be:

2x firefish they are a pair
5-6 astrea snails
5-6 hermits
Sinularia leather coral
Green toadstool that was struggling

Let me know what i should add going forward

 

[Blitz06]

Ai primes are definitely the move.

 

[Blitz06]

BIG update on the reef for anyone interested. We’re about 3 months in now and this is the first tank that I’ve really saw a lot of success in. My stock list currently:

Fish- 2x fire fish
1x bicolor blenny
1x maroon clownfish

Coral- cyphastrea
Neon green toadstool
Clove polyps
Kenya tree
Favia hammer


Inverts/CUC- astrea snails
Assorted hermits
Cerith snail
Dwarf cerith snail
1x nassarius snail
————————————————————-
Over the past couple months I’ve added everything slowly trying to build a balance to the tank. I want to keep the fish stocking light no more than 5 small fish. Coral wise I’m looking at keeping it mainly lps and softies but I’m not apposed to any sps an ai prime can grow. In the near future I’m probably going to add some rock flower nems and a porcelain crab. And shortly after a rainbow bubble tip nem. Let me know any suggestions you all may have. Here are some pics.

 

[ISFNick]

Can tell already this is gonna turn out great