# My first saltwater aquarium (asking for advice)



## Peri (Oct 11, 2011)

I just now getting into the saltwater aquarium scene and would like some help. 

where i live my lease only permits me to have a 20gallon tank.
so my first question is what be better? a 20g High (24" 12" 16") or a 20g Long (30" 12" 12")

how many pounds of live sand will i need. and what type of lighting.

i want to start with just 2 clown fish and some live rock and work my way up to corals etc.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Peri said:


> I just now getting into the saltwater aquarium scene and would like some help.
> 
> where i live my lease only permits me to have a 20gallon tank.
> so my first question is what be better? a 20g High (24" 12" 16") or a 20g Long (30" 12" 12")
> ...


 20 long tank, fish swim back and forth and not up and down.
Enough Live Sand to cover 2" of the bottom. 

T-5 Lighting would do ya fine. 4 lamp unit if you plan on going to a Reef tank.
you choice of clown fish would be fine to start.


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## Peri (Oct 11, 2011)

Reefing Madness said:


> 20 long tank, fish swim back and forth and not up and down.
> Enough Live Sand to cover 2" of the bottom.
> 
> T-5 Lighting would do ya fine. 4 lamp unit if you plan on going to a Reef tank.
> you choice of clown fish would be fine to start.


ok thanks. where could i find a 4 lamp unit. my local store only carries 2 lamp units and i think it was 65$? for a 30" for the 20L


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Peri said:


> ok thanks. where could i find a 4 lamp unit. my local store only carries 2 lamp units and i think it was 65$? for a 30" for the 20L


 24" - 30" T5 HO Aquarium Light Hood Cichlid Marine 96W | eBay
96W 24" T5 Ho Aquarium Light Hood Marine Coral Cichlid | eBay


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## Peri (Oct 11, 2011)

Reefing Madness said:


> 24" - 30" T5 HO Aquarium Light Hood Cichlid Marine 96W | eBay
> 96W 24" T5 Ho Aquarium Light Hood Marine Coral Cichlid | eBay


thanks that's a very good deal compared to the 2 lamp units iv found. 

also i got another question. iv seen tons of videos but i cant seem to find one how to add anemone to the tank. You cant touch them so i was wondering how you get it to the location you want.


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## SaltwaterTaylor14 (Sep 27, 2011)

Peri said:


> thanks that's a very good deal compared to the 2 lamp units iv found.
> 
> also i got another question. iv seen tons of videos but i cant seem to find one how to add anemone to the tank. You cant touch them so i was wondering how you get it to the location you want.


If you are afraid of being stung, then a common answer is to wear gloves. Also you can place the anemone in your tank in your desired spot, but it will most likely move. Also, once it attaches to the bottom moving it will almost always kill it or severely hurt it.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Peri said:


> thanks that's a very good deal compared to the 2 lamp units iv found.
> 
> also i got another question. iv seen tons of videos but i cant seem to find one how to add anemone to the tank. You cant touch them so i was wondering how you get it to the location you want.


 Drip acclimate the Anemone in a bucket. Then when ready slowly pour it into the tank. You have to handle it at some point or it will probably float into a powerhead. Grab him and place him, only once, don't keep moving him around.


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## Peri (Oct 11, 2011)

Reefing Madness said:


> Drip acclimate the Anemone in a bucket. Then when ready slowly pour it into the tank. You have to handle it at some point or it will probably float into a powerhead. Grab him and place him, only once, don't keep moving him around.


ok thanks..

and is there anything about cycling my tank? i heard i have to cycle it but i not sure how/how long etc


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Peri said:


> ok thanks..
> 
> and is there anything about cycling my tank? i heard i have to cycle it but i not sure how/how long etc


 Reefs.org: Where Reefkeeping Begins on the Internet - Cycling Live Rock
The Aquarium Cycling Process, and Ways to Cycle a Saltwater Aquarium


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

Water Quality Reference

this is a link to our reference section and there are a number of great articles here at TFK that will answer a lot of your questions.. 

but to put a short answer here for you the cycle is the process in which the tank develops all the needed bacteria to process wait into a form that can be easily removed by water changes or growing macro algae or a combination of the two. in salt water we are often more referring to a tanks "maturity" rather than the traditional cycle that a Fresh water tank will go through. in a fresh system once the tank cycles its pretty much over with .. with salt water the maturing process is not only longer but continues through out the life of the tank.. with regualr care and caution on stocking the tank will run better and better over time.. 
using this as a guideline once you have your saltwater, live sand, base rock/live rock (or what ever combo you use) the main thing to do is wait... if you want to process to happen faster there are some steps you can take one is to have more or all live rock, another is to add a piece of uncooked raw shrimp to the tank and as it breaks down the tank will process it faster, another option is to add bottled bacteria (i have not tried this but i hear it works well) .. no matter how you start up the tank waiting is still key typically the tank will develop a diatom bloom (algae break out brown rusty color) that is your cue to add a clean up crew (snails, crabs etc) and after a few more weeks SLOWLY increase the bio load by adding fish and or corals one or two at a time with a few weeks minimum in between so the tank can keep up with waist production.. typical time between start and diatom bloom is 4-8 weeks...


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## trukgirl (Jan 28, 2010)

AquaticLife T5 HO 4-Lamp Light Fixtures w/ Lunar LEDs

This is my favorite T5 fixture. A little pricey but it is made with a built-in digital timer for all 3 light types (day, actinic, and LED) They have tons of selections though and I can say their customer service is VERY good and will answer all questions.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

24" T5 HO 96W Fluorescent Aquarium Light Hood LED Freshwater Plant Fish Lighting | eBay
96W 24" T5 HO Aquarium Light Hood Marine Coral Cichlid 4x24 Lamps LED Freshwater | eBay
24'' AQUARIUM LIGHT T5 HO 8X 24 WATT REEF MOONLIGHTS LUNAR LIGHTS W/ BULBS NEW | eBay
24'' AQUARIUM LIGHT T5 HO 6X 24 WATT REEF LUNAR MOON LIGHTS LED LIGHTING HOOD | eBay


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