20 gallon long.

[Reefind]

Just started another nano aquarium, I would like to know those of you that have the same tank what light fixture or how many watts to use.
I already bought 30'' coralife with 2 X T5 tubes (10.000k and actinic) each tube is 31 watt.
Is that enough light for corals, mostly soft corals? do I need to add another fixture?
Thank you

[Darkstar22]

I have a 20L, but mine is an SPS, Clam tank. I do have a brain coral, and a Favia, and 1 zoa too. My lighting is 1 250w Metal Halide 14k Phoenix bulb.

[Syncere]

That should be enough lighting for some softies and some zoas. You may have to keep them higher to the light but they should do good. I have a 20L also and use a 24" 4x24 fixture

[zooman72]

The 4x24W fixtures seem to be the most popular and successful for this tank size - I have a 30" Current Sundial on my 20L and really like it. There are other brands and models out there too so your choices are numerous. I am sure other will chime in with their thoughts as well, and by no means I am suggesting that T5's are the only way to go, but they are popular. A 150W metal halide looks good too from what I have seen, and there are some who still use 2x65W power compacts successfully....so look at others tanks to get a feel for it and good luck!

Note that there is a good 20L owners thread over at nano-reef's website too - gives lots of options to compare.

[JasonBJones]

Most use 4x T5s but for softies, you're 2x should be plenty

[US Marine Coral]

I have a small softie tank and I use 2x TS VHO's and its fine growth. Almost too much

[Reefind]

Thank you all for your help, I got chance to take some pictures:
I am using RIO power head, internal whisper filter and 100 watt heater.
How can I tell by looking at the zoas and mushrooms if they need more light or not?

[Syncere]

Keep an eye on the colors and if they fully open or not. Also you may want to get more water in the tank to keep the air bubbles from forming from the long drop off the filter. And look into possibly more flow. I use 2 koralia nanos rated for 425 gph (gallons per hour) in my 20 gallon.

[Reefind]

Also you may want to get more water in the tank to keep the air bubbles from forming from the long drop off the filter.
I thought air bubbles will help aquarium aeration. is there any reason not to have bubbles in saltwater tank.
Sorry for too many questions, I am newbie here.

[TheMikey]

Surface agitation, rather than a lot of bubbles, is how most reefers keep their tanks oxygenated. I keep two Koralia 1s in my 15L for flow, although that's because I keep SPS corals and they require more current.

There is nothing wrong with having bubbles in your tank but most people don't like how they look. That's why larger set ups (with sumps) have "bubble traps" in the sump to limit the amount of bubbles that go into the display.

And don't worry about the questions, they've been asked many times before and it's all a big learning experience!

[JasonBJones]

As Mikey said, oxygen is gained through surface agitation, not introducing bubbles. It is a common misconception for people who come from freshwater. In freshwater it is common to use airstones to introduce bubbles into the tank. This is often touted as increasing the oxygen content of the water. While this in fact occurs, it is not through the introduction of bubbles into the aquarium, but instead from the surface agitation that is created from the bubbles bursting when they rise to the top of the tank.

You can find some explanation of this process around the middle of this article http://www.loaches.com/articles/oxygen-in-the-aquarium

[Reefind]

I got more corals in the tank, I also added peppermint shrimp in addition to the 2 cleaner shrimp that been there.
I am having trouble with aiptasia, I bought Aptaisia X to get rid of the large one, I hope the shrimp can take care of the small ones.