Crispy's 20 Long

[itsacrispy]

Hi all,

While my tank hasn't even come together, I figured I'd start a journal for planning purposes.

Here is what I am envisioning, your comments and criticism would be much appreciated:

Tank: 20 gallon long (30.3" x 12.5" x 12.8")
Lighting: The tank will be sitting against a west-facing window, it will get 4-6 hours of direct sunlight during the year. I know direct sunlight is a very controversial topic, but I am hoping to avoid having to purchase a lighting system.
Filtration: No mechanical or chemical filtration. I will be using an older Eheim 350 canister filter but it won't have any filter media and I will be using it for water movement only.
Water Changes: I plan on doing 10% weekly water changes.
Dosing: I don't plan on doing any dosing.
Heating: In-line heater for use with Eheim canister filter.
Substrate: 1" live sand bed and approximately 20 lbs live rock
Livestock: 1 BTA, 1 pulsing Xenia, 2 captive-bred false percula clownfish, 1 midas blenny, 1 pacific cleaner shrimp.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you!

 

[roostertech]

I know you already bought your tank, but I just want to give a thought on that form factor. I'm using the same tank for freshwater and find that it is hard to get even flow throughout the tank especially around the rockscape. You could place powerheads on both end but then it would be crowded. I'm changing mine to a 48G 30x18x18 that would give more front/back space for water flow.

On sunlight, there has been many successful tank running sunlight only. You still might want some sort of light to see the tank at night thoug

 

[itsacrispy]

Thanks Phuong!

Good point and yes, it would be VERY crowded. That said I don't think I'm going to have that much live rock in the tank. I'm not planning on anything like a rock wall, more like a center rock formation with open water on all sides.

 

[rygh]

Sounds fun.
I like the idea of an empty canister filter. It gets pump + heater out of the tank, plus gets you
a bit more water volume for stability.

+1 on at least simple lighting for viewing. Cheap 20" chinese weak-ish LED is only about $30-$40.

 

[itsacrispy]

Thanks Mark. I was toying with the idea of a refugium/sump like I had with my previous tank, but I really want to keep things simple this time.

Do you all think sunlight will be an issue in terms of algae? Or is that just par for the course on any tank. Will the 10% weekly water changes work to reduce the algal load?

 

[itsacrispy]

So it begins.

The stand is on a fatigue mat due to the uneven tile flooring, I felt it would better distribute the weight of the setup. I also but a piece of cardboard under the tank itself to help distribute the weight.

That's the window that I will be using for sunlight, I get about 4-6 hours direct sunlight from that window.

If you see something you don't like please let me know what and why.

Thanks!

 

[Coral reefer]

I think tank may be a bit small for a Midas blenny. I'm sure you've read up on them tho

 

[itsacrispy]

Thanks Mike. I googled the Midas Blenny and I just realized it's the wrong fish, it's actually the gold clown goby that I'd like to house.

 

[RandyC]

I'm not sure cardboard would be a good thing to put under the tank since spills and dribbles over the side are enevitable. Might make the cardboard uneven as it thins from getting wet or worse, it'll get moldy. Maybe neoprene pad or plastic sheet?

 

[itsacrispy]

Thanks RandyC. I'll see if I have some foam I can put under there. Also, does anyone have any experience with this sand from CaribSea? I tried looking for oolitic sand at Aquarium Concepts but couldn't find anything.
.

Thanks!

 

[xcaret]

I don't think you'd need anything between stand and tank but if you prefer, Costco sell foam-rubber-tiles? It is very cheap; dark color, almost black and easy to cut.

 

[rygh]

Thanks Mark. I was toying with the idea of a refugium/sump like I had with my previous tank, but I really want to keep things simple this time.

Do you all think sunlight will be an issue in terms of algae? Or is that just par for the course on any tank. Will the 10% weekly water changes work to reduce the algal load?

Light spectrum affects a lot of things. Not just algae, but coral colors as well.
I would suggest searching online a bit before going the sunlight route.
In general, if it is your first tank, go with "tried and true" instead of experimenting.
Later, then you can try all sorts of fun ideas.

I also think you may simply find the glare of the window behind the tank to be annoying.
But it is not hard to add a blue or black background to the tank at some later date.
A suggestion: Get some black cardboard, and put it behind the tank. What looks better?

A 10% water change helps in many ways.
For algae specifically, it dilutes and removes phosphates and nitrates, so yes, it will help a lot.

+1 on not using cardboard.
Level the stand carefully, and you should not need to put anything under the tank.

 

[MarAquatic]

You can use wood shims under the stand to level the tank that's what I did. Stands are rarely 100% level either the floor or stand will be out