20g nano build - first saltwater tank

waitedkibbles

Non-member
This tank has been up and running for ~1 year now and I'm still at it so I figured I would finally do my first post. I never had an aquarium as a kid, this really is my first tank. I would like to upgrade to a bigger tank at some point and am trying to buy lighting, a controller, etc. that will not need to be purchased a 2nd time when that happens.

My goal is to have fun, take it slow, enjoy the tank, learn a lot.

Equipment
Tank: Standard Petco 20H
Skimmer: Tunze 9003
Light: Kessil A360X
Flow: MP10, Tunze powerhead
Controller: Apex Classic
Rock: ~20 lbs live rock
Sand: Caribsea fiji pink, 20 lbs
Filtration: AquaClear 50...until it died
Refugium: none
ATO: me

Livestock
2 clownfish
1 yellow tail damsel

CUC
1 fighting conch
1 hermit crab
1 urchin

Future aspirations/plans:
  • Get and grow out some easy to grow corals that can add a lot of color like RBTA or GSP.
  • My CUC could use some augmentation. I need some algae eaters. I had 5 bumblebee snails at one point, they did a great job on the rocks. Or I am considering a good algae eating fish.
  • I have about 20 lbs more Pukani. I wouldn't mind cycling it and building a more dramatic scape. Though, not sure if I should just get a bigger tank and do the more dramatic scape properly with dry rock.
  • At some point, I want a bigger tank. I have been eyeing 50-60 gallon AIO tanks, or something like a RSR 250.

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11/18/2019: Got set up with live rock & salt from Aquatic Treasures in Watertown (closest fish store to me at ~15 mins from my house).

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4/14/2020: recently added the yellow headed goby, he kept the sand in excellent shape.

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5/15/2020: The clownfish hanging out.

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5/15/2020

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6/30/2020: everyone still doing well, I had high hopes for that hammer but lost it after moving the tank from old house to new. I was so silly too - put fish/corals/sand/rock in like 5 buckets. Then I just had to put the pieces back together on the other side. And I did...mostly. Also lost a brain coral which was like my favorite. Fortunately I have avoided spending too much on individual corals at least in the beginning.

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9/24/2020: New house, new rockwork. For my next tank I'll do the scape first. I read about saltwater tanks for 6+ months before taking the plunge with a freshwater -> saltwater conversion, but the business about doing the scape with dry rock was something I missed. But it's okay, there are worse mistakes I have made. And having loose rocks has its advantages.

I like this photo because it shows every fish in the tank (at the time). Sadly, I lost the firefish for reasons I don't know, and I lost the yellow headed goby shortly thereafter - I suspect because a 20g is not big enough for him. He was doing OK, but then I got busy and stopped feeding his heavy sinking pellets every day, I think that may have put him over the edge.

In any case - I have been reading the advice on BRS for a year plus and appreciate everyones' insights and debates. Thanks for reading!
 
I think your intuition about the yellowhead sleeper goby needing more space is correct. I have kept these and had mating pairs too. They need space. They also need sand depth and rocks to excavate a sleeping cave that they will seal off each night. They seal the doorway with sand. Getting a larger tank if you want to keep anything other than a pair of clowns or very small goby species would be a great idea. Marine fish need space! Also, your luck with corals will increase with increased flow, buy good pumps. The Reefbreeders RP-M is excellent in tanks between say a 29-30 standard or 30+ cube to a 75-90 standard or cube (in multiples for these larger tanks). ATO would be a great upgrade to help keep your salinity stable. Corals don’t like drifting salinity and small tanks make this hard, especially if no ATO is used. There are some great ATO’s out there, cheaper now too.
 
I think you're doing a good job with a small thank - they're tough.

Bumblebee snails are usually more detritus eaters than algae eaters. But there are some good algae eating options available.

You could maybe add a little neon goby for personality, or a small blenny like a tailspot.
 
gobyvin - thanks for the advice! I can put an ATO on the list of "stuff to get soon". I think the goby was OK with the sand in the tank, fortunately he was able to make a good sleeping cave. For flow - right now I almost worry about too much flow in the tank. A few weeks ago my Aquaclear 50 quit and I replaced it with a Tunze turbelle nano stream 6015 which does 475 GPH. Then I figure my MP10 is pushing 300 GPH because I have it set low. That's ~ 800 GPH or 40x water volume, which is fairly high right? My plan right now is to buy a new filter that is self-priming, lets me run Chemipure Blue again, and contributes 300 GPH or so to the flow - that could replace the nanostream.

CAPSLOCK - those are two great looking fish, thank you for suggesting! When looking for specific fish like these, would you usually get them online or are you able to find them locally?
 
They are common enough fish that you can usually find them locally without too much trouble. Neon gobies are usually captive bred (there are a few similar fish - neon blue or gold or sharknose goby) and you can even find them in Petco regularly. I like to research new fish on Liveaquaria first, then find them locally.
 
And ... it's been about 10 months since my last post - the tank hit a point of stability about 4 months ago and the coral started magically growing out much more rapidly (previous growth had been near 0). I also upgraded to a RSR 250 and added 2 fish (flame angel, yellow wrasse). Corals are doing even better!

Is it customary to open a new build thread when you switch tanks?
 

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