20g long thread

[vest0830]

I searched around and couldn't find anything. I am looking for a dedicated 20g long thread, build's, pictures, etc. and cant seem to find a thread. Lets get one going.

-post pics of your tank, specs, and/or a link to your thread.

I myself have a 55g but will soon be moving and want to start a 20g long, but use the 55 as a sump. Reason being, a 55g tank will cost way to much to fill with rock and coral, etc...i'd rather have a smaller tank that looks more full, if that makes any sense.

So post up!

[luscien]

ok, i just moved over thing in my 10 gallon to a 20 long. i will take pics and crap tonight and get this thread started.

tank:
your basic 20 long aga non drilled, back glass is painted black of course.

lights:
i totally scored on a coralife 30" 130 watt pc. set up.
80 bucks! 2 50/50 65 watt and 2 lunar lights.

filtration and flow:
fluval 205. they are the sh!% easy to clean, set up, i wouldn't recommend it for any thing bigger than a 50 gallon but its been an awesome filter for me. also a Rio 600 with a sea swirl.

substrate and rock:
black and white aragonite sand, along with about 15 or 20 lbs of live rock and 10 lbs of base rock.

live stock:
blue damsel, yellow watchman gobey, and a snowflake moray
(very small), and a deresa clam

corals:
your various mushrooms, and zoas. 1 yuma, open brain, an other lps i cant remember the name to. its like a hammer coral.
small devils hand and another coral i cant remember, crap!
ill get pics up as soon as i can.

later!
luscien

[wfrost]

I had a 20 long that was given to me, very basic setup. HOB filter, submersible heater, blue gravel, and small fake cave like you would buy at wallmart, standard little black plastic hood with two incandecent lights, and 1 very aggressive Tomato clown. It was over a year old when I got it, and I had it for a year and a half. All I ever did was do occasional water changes with tap water. Then one day I decided to change to a sand bottom and the Tomato didnt survive. I didnt realize that the tank would recycle (duh). Its a sump now under my 29gal that Im buiding now.

[machinas]

I have a 20 long prop/possible breeding/holding tank right now....I' m going to steal my sisters camera to take some pics

[Overhanded]

Thanks for posting this Vest! This is exactly what I have been looking for.

I am thinking about finally breaking into the Saltwater world.
And the smallest I want to go is 20 gallon long.

That could change after more reading i might push for 30 gallons, since I am new to SW, but for right now thinking 20 gallon long would be perfect!

Thanks again!

[luscien]

i think the 20 long is a great size. 30 gallons is ok but the dementions arn that great. too tall imo. but if you not going to go with the 20 long, i say go with a 40 breeder!
man, i spent all weekend fooling around with my new tank. i think its set up nice. however no pics yet. maybe ill get some up tonight. one can only hope, right?
keep it going!
luscien

[Overhanded]

Well if I went with 30 gallon i was thinking the 36"
not like a standard 29!

I feel the same way. I personally like longer tanks. Then tall.
But to me as far as Saltwater goes it just seems like even that little 10 gallon jump can cost alot more!

Im new to Saltwater is it ok if I post questions and stuff or is this more of a Pic type thread.

And can't wait to see your pics.

[machinas]

@overhanded
Believe it or not, the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep...and obviously, a taller tank means you need a more intense light...that doesn't mean a 20 long is going to be ridiculously hard, bigger tanks just give you more water to work with. And it's fine to ask questions, that's why the forum exists...:)

[luscien]

^agreed^

the 36 sounds good. im relatively new to salt water too, i guess I've been in the hobby since last October. the first tank i had was a 10 gallon. while larger tanks are more forgiving, smaller ones are defiantly lighter on the ol' check book. of course there is always a way to spend more money than one has. what ever you decide, pics are mandatory!
luscien

[NYCREEF69]

SUPER NICE TANK MAN

[machinas]

Hey luscien, what kind of exotic species are you into?

[luscien]

i don't have much right now, but Ive had chameleons, chondros,
gaters/ crocks, flying squirls, wierd turtles... all i have now is a Goliath bird eater. Ive had her for 8 years! she has about a 9" leg spanned. that's all. nothing too fancy but still hard to keep items.
oh a few scorpions too. i had an African death stalker once. but my wife was so scared of it that i had to get rid of it.
sheesh, just a little bug! well arachnid!

[machinas]

I really like reptiles but as far as arachnids go......can't stand them. Especially a goliath bird eater......what a mongoloid spider...lol

[luscien]

she is great! just a magnificant speciman! plus her venom is as toxic as a bee sting and she is huge! she is not going to get out. she cant climb walls without falling and being crushed by her own weight and she cant be sneeky, she is blined, and she is too big to hide any where. she is pritty harmless really. its small spindly legged spiders that creep me out...
but her fangs are about 1" long.. and she is pritty fast when she feels threatend = nasty bite! but thats only if your slower than she is....
ha ha ha ha
luscien

[machinas]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/inhumanfx/20g.jpg

Thats my amazing 20g......so far....lol.
It's cycling well though, the phosphates hit 0 today and the nitrates are going down...

[luscien]

looks like a start! and thats what matters... are you going to be running a no sand bottem?

i finally got pics of my tank. now iv got base rock mixed in with a little live rock, and i just set it up last weekend. however i think it looks great!

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e229/asassin8/thetank012.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e229/asassin8/thetank009.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e229/asassin8/thetank010.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e229/asassin8/thetank016.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e229/asassin8/thetank013.jpg

[dskrezyna]

Luscien,

Tank is looking good! Im planning a 20g long for October with a clown, goby and some shrimp..

[machinas]

Really nice. Just curious, it looks like you have some red slime algae on some rocks?
I originally wasn't going to use any sand, but I saw this neat little eel at my lfs. One of the guys there said it just scavenges and isn't aggressive at all. So now I am probably going with sand.


BTW, aren't shrimp gobies awesome.

[gotbags-10]

so i was scrolling along and saw this thread about the 20 longs. I have one sitting empty that i wanna get going. My girlfriend is a first grade teacher so i think i'll set it up for her room. What are some types of filters you guys are using? Would just a simple hang on do the job? I was thinking about the ac 110(500). What should i keep in the back of the filter? Maybe just some lr rubble? I'm putting in about 15 lbs of live rock and gonna use just a 1x65 pc light. I'm open for any suggestions.

[luscien]

right now i use a fluval 205, and it does a sick awsome job! i am going to add a protien skimmer soon but it really depends on the bio load. so hob filters are great. i dont see why you couldnt use one if you do a water change every now and then.
what do you plan on putting in it?
keep in mind that it never turns out how you think it will. my 10 gallon was supposed to be a mantis only tank with a few zoas. now its this...
luscien

oh and yes shrimp gobies rock! also that is red slime on some of my rocks.
luscien

[machinas]

I'm using an Aquaclear 30 for mine, I just use the foam pad it comes with and some lr rubble, so far its been great. I also have a small power head in there for some extra water movement.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/inhumanfx/aaa.jpg

[saltyshoe_nano]

be careful if you rig the lighting for your ac fuge.....mine fell in and fried every thing....make sure its tied down....:) looks good tho

shoe

[nitronano]

hi

[nitronano]

jhj

[nitronano]

jkhj

[saltyshoe_nano]

....what?

[machinas]

Stop spamming nub

[msn711]

My old 20L
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a211/msn711/100_1346.jpg

A really simple set up: 150w Coralife clip on MH, 1 MJ 1200 for flow, sps, lps, and softies, a coral banded shrimp, and I lost my maroon clown and neon pseudochromis to the mj (lost the bottom cap, and the fish managed to get into it). This tank was just something I had set up in a hurry when another tank started a small leak. I love 20L, and the only thing I would have done differently was replace the mj with 2 smaller powerheads, or just put AC power filters on the back for circulation (with maybe carbon and phosban).

[luscien]

nice!!
luscien

[machinas]

Thats really nice, what happened to it?

[machinas]

Does anyone know offhand if Lawnmower blenny would take care of green hair algae?

[msn711]

Thats really nice, what happened to it?

Thanks for the compliments. I sold all of the livestock when I moved from TX to DC. I kept the rock though, and set up a 40br.

[saltyshoe_nano]

very nice msn....lovin the nice flow of the tank :) sorry to hear ya sold it....any pics of the 40?

[mahalamata]

my lawnmower whent for hair algea...so you should be ok with one

[msn711]

very nice msn....lovin the nice flow of the tank sorry to hear ya sold it....any pics of the 40?

Here's the 40, still have some growing in and coral-buying to do:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a211/msn711/CornerFTS071707.jpg
The 20L is now the sump.

[saltyshoe_nano]

wow! thats off to a good start....I hope my new investment turns out like that! its a 30 L with a 10 gal sump

[msn711]

Thanks saltyshoe. I see a lot of potential in it. One thing I noticed with my last set up was that it didn't seem to really take off until after the 6 month mark.

Anyway, let's see some more of those 20L's. If I didn't insist on having more fish, I would've stuck with the 20L. I really hope I can keep this tank for a while, and my next tank will just be a FOWLR, at least 6 ft long.

[saltyshoe_nano]

me to lol thats why I have a 30 L now....not much bigger but good enough for now :)

[machinas]

I looked at my 20L this morning and to my shock and horror, I saw these very small circular specks. I was like !@#$%^ flatworms!!! And i got really ****ed off. I decided to just suck them out an hour later only to find out, they weren't flatworms, it was coralline algae.....