20L up and running very well!

[Gooburz]

ok so 20L been up and running now for a couple weeks. Approx 30 lbs of live rock all cured and looking beautiful, still used a bottle of Dr Tim's though rock was fully cured. attached, let me know what you think of rock-scape. remember going to be a non puffer starter tank.

http://s1061.photobucket.com/albums/t469/Gooburz/

[puffykid]

Its nice, whats going in the tank? You should get us up close pictures of the LR when it starts erupting with life.

[Gooburz]

I'm going with a pair of clownfish (1 regular 1 black and white), fire fin goby, flame angel and thats about it. I got the live rock off of a guy on craigslist and he also frags corals for $10 a frag so maybe in a few months i might get something simple (and thats what he sells). I have about 30 lbs of live rock and the 25 lbs i got from him had all kinds of hitchhikers and the 1 bright purple rock i got from the LFS and it had a small starfish, too small to get a good pic. Also got 12 blue legged hermit crabs for clean-up crew and a few turbo snails hitchhikers.

More pics to come

[RTR]

Is this a joke? I do hope that it is. What does it hold, 8-10 gallons?

[Pufferpunk]

Way too many fish for a 20g with 30lbs LR.

[Gooburz]

@ RTR I still put in just over 15 gallons of water so 8-10 is way underestimated. @ PP i've always heeded to the advice on here more than anywhere else. What would you recommend for tank stocking?

[RTR]

Sorry, but I have grave reservations on the numbers cited. I have used a lot of 20-longs; most of the trials on F-8s were in those tanks - a room full of them at various specific gravities. They don't hold much water. Even if a 20L held 20 gallons without any substrate or rock (it does not even come close (no hobby tank does), that is insufficient water volume for the fish listed.

Good luck to you, but I feel sorry for the fish.

[Pufferpunk]

A pair of clowns (smaller species, like percs) would suffice but no anemone for them.

[Gooburz]

sounds good to me PP, and i don't want anything to do with an anemone. RTR sorry if I came off a bit rude last post, had people at my desk drivin me crazy and i know you guys look out in the best interest for the hobby and the fish we keep.

[Nuclear_Glitter]

What sort of equipment are you planning on running on there? (Just curious)

[Gooburz]

For the lighting i'm using a Solarmax 30 quad 24 watt, approx 30lbs of live rock, aquaclear 30 with fliter floss and carbon media, Aqueon 500 and a aquaclear powerhead for circulation. As of right now no protein skimmer, along with reading on this forum and Nano-reef.com i've seen that a lot of people on nano-reef.com have been keeping smaller saltwater set-ups for years not needing one with no problems. I am not opposed to putting 1 on but if it is not needed I won't use one, i'm just going off of what people have used for set-ups and has worked for many years for them. As I said new to the hobby and always open to suggestion/advice from people who have done it for some time.

Using RO water from the LFS and its only 50 cents a gallon and thats fine for me to use until i can purchase an actual unit for my home. (suggestions for any particular unit are welcome! nothing huge or fancy needed)
SG 1.024
Nitrite and Nitrate both 0
PH: between 8.2 & 8.4 hard to tell

[Pufferpunk]

Dump the filter media in the AC 500 & just use it as a supply for good flow. The LR should be enough filtration. You could add a Backpac on there, I have one on my 15g frag tank.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com, for RODI.

[Gooburz]

Dump the filter media in the AC 500 & just use it as a supply for good flow. The LR should be enough filtration. You could add a Backpac on there, I have one on my 15g frag tank.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com, for RODI.

Still ok to use it with filter floss though right? And thanks for the link for RODI.

[Pufferpunk]

I don't put anything in mine. All those FW media traps detritus & is a nitrate factory. Even LR rubble is a PITA.

[RTR]

The whole point of LR is that it avoids relying on aerobic nitrification alone, and with anaerobic denitrification reduces nitrae/nitrite/ammonia to N2 gas which off-gases to the atmosphere. LR avoids the downside of aeroboc-only nitrification.

It is too bad that we can only have that effect in full marine conditions.

The situation with foam fractionators/skimmers is the same - they only operate really well in full marine conditions.

Life would be much easier if we had similar techniques available in FW and BW.