# How does this sound?? My first saltwater.



## It'sJames (Nov 15, 2007)

How does this sound for my first saltwater setup? The tank will be a 20 gallon long, with a 24" Nova Extrame HO t-5s. I'm just going to use an Aquaclear 110 for filtration, a Koralia 1 for extra water movement, and a 100 wat Jager heater. I'm planning on about 30#s of cured live rock, and 1-1.5" of aragonite. Probably half live, half dead. 

As for inhabitants, I'm not positive... I know I would like a percula clown and one of the following: Lawnmower blenny, purple firefish, hi fin red banded goby. I'll also add some hermit crabs and brittle stars. I would also like a decorator crab, but I've heard that they're not always safe with corals. I will not add corals for a while, but when I am ready to add some, these are the ones I was interesetd in: ricordea mushroom, colt coral, leathers, metalic green plate coral, and various polyps. 

Do these fish & corals sound okay for what I'm planning? Will they all be compatible? I'm very open to suggestions on any other fish or corals you think would do well in my tank. I was planning a 25% water change weekly, will this be sufficient?


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

Everything sounds good. What is the watts on the light fixture? Oh, why 24"? A 20L is 36" long. You would not have very much light in places.

I would convert the AC110 into a fuge. Very helpful. You can proably find many DIY AC110 fuges on google if you look.

Percula Clowns act more calm and more like they would in the wild if they are in pairs. You can easily have a pair of percs in with another fish. Lawnmower Blennys can be hard to take care of for begginers, but it is not impossible. The Firefish could work. The goby is also Tiny (wont reach more than 2"), so a big tank would make him not very noticalble. Other good fish options are Six-Line Wrasse, some Pseudochromis, Royal Gramma, and Watchman Gobies are a few to mention.

Instead of decorator crabs, look into Pom-Pom crabs. Very cute and entertaining. Good low-light corals (At least 3 WPG, 5 or more is better), are Mushrooms, polyps, zoas, and rics.

25% changes a week is good as well. Be sure to change it with RO/DI water.


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## It'sJames (Nov 15, 2007)

I thought a 20L was 24", glad I found out it's 36" before I bought the fixture. How long is a standard 20 gallon? The wattage on the 24" fixture is 2x24, but the 36" is 2x39. Do you know the length of a 15 gallon? 

I did check out the link you gave me on another one of my posts, Cody. The one for changing the Aquaclear to a small fuge. Pretty clever idea - I'll be sure to keep it in mind once I get the filter. If you think I could keep a pair of percs in a 20 gallon, I would definatly give it a try. I just didn't want to overload such a small tank. What's the difficulty with keeping the lawnmower blenny? I really like them, but I don't want to get fish that are too difficult for my first time. I had also been considering some watchmen gobies, but forgot to mention them in my post. I also like the purple psuedochromis. 

Thanks for the advice.


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

A standard 20 gallon (or 20 high) is 24" long, so that can work. I do not know the exact dimensions of a 15G.

Lawnmower and Scooter blennys both need a larger tank (35+), even though they can move very little. They also can get up to 6" long.


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## It'sJames (Nov 15, 2007)

How deep is a 20 high? Do you think that lighting fixture would be sufficient?


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

It'sJames said:


> How deep is a 20 high? Do you think that lighting fixture would be sufficient?


I think the dimensions of a 20H is 24 x 16 x 12 (depth being 12").
The lighting isn't the best for corals, but since it has t5's, it will be much more brighter. Just make sure the reflectors and good. You can possible grow a few corals, but in the end, it would be better to upgrade the lights.


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## gymnothorax (Sep 20, 2007)

standard dimensions....

length x width x height

20 long 30x12x12
20 high 24x12x16
15 24x12x12


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## Puffer (Jul 6, 2007)

Good Morning, Not to discourage you .but, i've had a lawnmower blenny, And cody is right they need a bigger tank, I think when i had mine it might have been Sick and thats why it didn't last too long ,, But they need a good amount of algae Growth because thats what they eat, i tryed to get mine to eat other things and it did at times but not all the time hope this helps


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## It'sJames (Nov 15, 2007)

Thanks Puffer. I guess I won't go with the lawnmower blenny. Does anyone know of any other fish with a similar appearance that may do better in this tank?

So I guess the decorator crab won't work either....? I was hoping it would.

How many hermit crabs and brittle stars should I put in the tank?


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

It'sJames said:


> Thanks Puffer. I guess I won't go with the lawnmower blenny. Does anyone know of any other fish with a similar appearance that may do better in this tank?
> 
> So I guess the decorator crab won't work either....? I was hoping it would.
> 
> How many hermit crabs and brittle stars should I put in the tank?


I personally can't think of a fish that is similar to a LM blenny at the moment; let me try to do some research for you.

The crab is not reef safe, and can be aggresive. Not the best. But, look into Pom-Pom crabs or Porcleian Crabs. Popular, safe, and colorful crabs.

A good rule of thumb is a hermit for every 3-5 gallons or so (give/take). I would do 5-8 hermits. Oh, dont forget snails. Another good part of a Clean-up-crew. 10 should work. The stars...I would do no more than 3, if not 2. Someone else should clrify the brittle star thing though.


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