New Tank - Help Needed

[icehood24]

I’m planning to get a new 13 gallon tank and eventually make it into a reef tank. I was hoping to start out by cycling then adding corals and a cleanup crew, and maybe a month or so later, adding an ocellaris clownfish/pair and maybe a bangaii cardinal… I wanted to know if anyone could walk me through this plan, how to execute , what corals are best for beginners, what can I stock my tank with besides clownfish/cardinal, how long to wait between each of these steps, is my tank big enough, and just help me out in general. I would be starting this about a month from now (hopefully) and still need a lot of research to do. Thanks!

 

[blaxsun]

Start with the tank, rocks, fish, cleanup crew - then add corals. In a 13-gallon tank you can have a pair of clownfish and 1-2 other small fish.

 

[Wasabiroot]

Wouldn't do a bangaii in 13 gallons, though - they get fairly large vertically and can get snippy in close quarters. Of note - as soon as you add corals, it's basically a reef tank, lol.
Your questions are pretty involved (and not bad per se) but a good book would steer you in the right direction. Scott Michael has some good stuff on stocking a nano tank. Just consider that once you add coral (particularly hard coral) you should begin monitoring alkalinity and start keeping a close eye on your parameters. I would also consider an ATO (auto top off) or something to account for evaporation.

You may not need that much cleanup crew yet - they can quickly starve themselves in new tanks if there isn't enough algae

I'd suggest a few good test kits - avoid API (they can be inaccurate). Salifert, Nyos, Red Sea, Hannah, and others are perfectly serviceable. You'll need alkalinity, phosphate, nitrate, and a way to test salinity at a minimum. Refractometers are a decent choice. You get what you pay for with those.

 

[icehood24]

Wouldn't do a bangaii in 13 gallons, though - they get fairly large vertically and can get snippy in close quarters. Of note - as soon as you add corals, it's basically a reef tank, lol.
Your questions are pretty involved (and not bad per se) but a good book would steer you in the right direction. Scott Michael has some good stuff on stocking a nano tank. Just consider that once you add coral (particularly hard coral) you should begin monitoring alkalinity and start keeping a close eye on your parameters. I would also consider an ATO (auto top off) or something to account for evaporation.

You may not need that much cleanup crew yet - they can quickly starve themselves in new tanks if there isn't enough algae

I'd suggest a few good test kits - avoid API (they can be inaccurate). Salifert, Nyos, Red Sea, Hannah, and others are perfectly serviceable. You'll need alkalinity, phosphate, nitrate, and a way to test salinity at a minimum. Refractometers are a decent choice. You get what you pay for with those.

Thanks a lot, just ordered a ton of books. Off topic but would you happen to know if a surface skimmer could replace a wave maker in a tank that small? Also would I need a sump for a reeftank or just for an ATO?

 

[Wasabiroot]

You only need a return pump if you have a separate sump somewhere else. Otherwise, a circulation pump or powerhead is sufficient. Thankfully, there are a lot of great pumps that would do fine here. Sicce and Tunze are my favorite brands in that size factor. They're pretty reliable. I would have some sort of flow though - if you're planning on coral, it will not do well if the tank flow is minimal. You have a lot of options for your build and the main factor will be budget.
Generally speaking, the more flow in a reef tank, the better, but there is such a thing as too much flow, so I'd start simple and expand as you add livestock.
Since the tank is 13g liverock would be a great choice since you won't spend too much and it'll give you a solid biological start to your "filtration".

You may not even need a protein skimmer - a 5g water change (just one bucket) weekly will do a good job keeping nutrients at ok levels.

ATO only really are for ensuring your salinity doesn't fluctuate due to evaporation. I wouldn't consider it flow as it only periodically turns on. However, you can go even cheaper and make a DIY ato that doesn't use a pump at all. This is a good way to save money as most ATO start around 50-70 USD and go up from there.

I'd also recommend checking out any of the Reef Chemistry articles by Randy Holmes-Farley. They're very detailed and address a lot of the common questions new hobbyists have about maintaining saltwater chemistry.

 

[icehood24]

You only need a return pump if you have a separate sump somewhere else. Otherwise, a circulation pump or powerhead is sufficient. Thankfully, there are a lot of great pumps that would do fine here. Sicce and Tunze are my favorite brands in that size factor. They're pretty reliable. I would have some sort of flow though - if you're planning on coral, it will not do well if the tank flow is minimal. You have a lot of options for your build and the main factor will be budget.
Generally speaking, the more flow in a reef tank, the better, but there is such a thing as too much flow, so I'd start simple and expand as you add livestock.
Since the tank is 13g liverock would be a great choice since you won't spend too much and it'll give you a solid biological start to your "filtration".

You may not even need a protein skimmer - a 5g water change (just one bucket) weekly will do a good job keeping nutrients at ok levels.

ATO only really are for ensuring your salinity doesn't fluctuate due to evaporation. I wouldn't consider it flow as it only periodically turns on. However, you can go even cheaper and make a DIY ato that doesn't use a pump at all. This is a good way to save money as most ATO start around 50-70 USD and go up from there.

I'd also recommend checking out any of the Reef Chemistry articles by Randy Holmes-Farley. They're very detailed and address a lot of the common questions new hobbyists have about maintaining saltwater chemistry.

Thanks, and sorry last question (I just can never find clear answers), would I need a sump in a tank this size? Would an ATO work by just connecting it to a bucket of freshwater?

 

[Wasabiroot]

Thanks, and sorry last question (I just can never find clear answers), would I need a sump in a tank this size? Would an ATO work by just connecting it to a bucket of freshwater?

A sump is always a bonus because it increases your water volume, making swings in parameters happen slower. I don't know if I'd bother on a 13g, though.

I've never made a diy ato, but one without a pump is usually something along the lines of an inverted sealed bottle or container with the tube going from the bottle below the water line. I'd do a bit of research here and search for some ideas - I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction. I do know that typically the diy solutions are above your tanks water line since you're trying to avoid a siphon.