[Fractal]

Hey guys i just bought a 20 gallon, i was wondering how much live rock i should buy. And also, when i buy however much live rock i get, how should i place the live rock in my 20 gallon? is it better to place it in the middle of the surface or am i allowed to place the live rock against the back wall? i feel as if i put the live rock against the back wall there will be more space in front and as well have more display room for the fish. but at the same time i feel as if im gonna take away the "privacy" of my fish as i know they like and tend to hide behind and swim behind the live rock. then again im really not sure, any help is appreciated. oh an how many fish can i put into my 20 gallon? i was thinking 3 or 4 max. im sure it depends on the fish i get tho. the fish i have in mind getting are: percula clown fish, green mandarin, small yellow tang, and a cleaner shrimp. i was thinking a small to medium sized clam. oh and i want to add some brain coral and a cool anemone in there as well. dont be afraid to tell me what i have to add, take away, not add etc, in order for me to have a great and succesful 20 gallon saltwater tank. i know im sounding like such a beginner, but thank you so much in advance!!

[Tonz of fun]

Sounds like you sould get a bigger tank bud. I have learned Two things. One do it right the first time, two take your time. First question I would say at least 30 lbs up to 20 lbs of rock. In terms of placement that is the beauty of setting up your tank. You get to be the artist. I recomend putting it on the bottom of the tank not on sand becaus it will move on you. I personally feel that a tang will not like that small of a tank others will not agree. A rule of thumb is 1 4 inch fish per 10 gallons. This means you could have a couple small fish. Tangs are delicate and big plenty of swimming space with caves and lots of algea which means it should be a developed tank. What kind of lights, filtration, and skimmer are you going to have for the corals?

[e_baer]

definately dont get a tang or a madarin. only get a mandarin if it is already eating flakes or foods given to it. mandarins are very picky eaters and only eat copapods from the LR, which means you need a well established tank to have one.

[glampka]

You want 1-2#/gal of LR depending on its' density. As far as stacking it goes - put it in the tank 1st so it is on a secure base. It's protection against burrowing fish. I don't like putting the rock against the back glass for a number of reasons - 1. usually ends up with dead zones for circulation. Detritus will build up there. 2 makes it difficult for cleaning. 3. fish will tend to hide back there. 4. If a big fish dies back there you have to tear 1/2 the tank apart to get it out. Be sure the rock is stable - you can epoxy pieces together if you need to. You want to have caves, tunnels & the like for the fish to swim through as well as to hide if threatened.
As stated above, forget the tang & mandarin. Clams & anemones require special lighting so be forewarned.

[Six-line Wrasse]

1 - 1.5lbs./gal. tends to be the faithful rule of thumb. I prefer .75lb./gal. if it's a reef tank since most rock will come with the coral and you don't want that overcrowded look that you're talking about.

3 - 4 fish is possible in a 20 Gal. They need to be small, low bio-load fish. I would check with this forum before adding fish.

[Fractal]

wow you guys gave me more then i expected. thank you so much for the help and will do what all you recommended, this help is much appreciated! ok, so i will lose the tang, but i went to my local saltwater fish store and i asked an emplyee there who was an expert on saltwater and he said to me that i would be able to have a green mandarin in my 20gal since they can eat frozen foods, but that doesnt mean i am still goin to get it, i kinda wanna hear what u guys think before i get one. i know i want to get the clown and an anemone, i am willing to buy the special lighting for it, but keep the help and tips coming thanks a bunch. oh and thanks glampka, i will put the live rock secured in the middle of the surface now instead of the back wall.

[glampka]

Normally you want a larger tank (55+ gal) for a mandarin so you can grow plenty of pods for them. If you are going to get one be sure to watch it eat at the lfs before you buy it. You want to make sure it will eat flake & other foods

[SweeTang22]

mandarians will do okay if they eat frozen brine shrimp. they wont normaly eat this all the time so you should have some copepods in their for them to feed on. i would reconsider getting it anyways because you have 20 gallons of water. thats basically your entire tank!! live rock should be placed in the middle of the tank and you should make it easy to clean the back of the tank! a clown and anemone would be fine but get that light first. also you number of fish is going to be very small stock list. your not getting anywhere near 20 gallons of water you will probably end up with 8-11 gallons depending on the thickness of your LS.

[Tonz of fun]

I would ditch the Mandarin idea. Its a amazing fish but you already have so much going against you. It does not help that the mandarin is already a harder fish to take care of...

[bagemrn]

20 GAL SALT WATER??? AT LEAST 29 GAL WITH A 10 GAL SLUMP WET DRY, If not you may need a fluidized bed filter. I love these nano ideas but keeping it stable its cost more than the pleaseure. 40-50 gal water would keep your life simple and rewarding. I use a 20 gal for curing my LR when I get new rock, I tried nano, just too much headache.


29g w/ 20 gal slump
40 breeder reef only FB
55 corner reef, 2 fish
72 bow front reef side by side 37 gal refug, and slump below
125 fish only w/LR 55 gal WD/refug.

[[WDT]TardFarmer]

I would agree for the first tank the bigger the better. Although my first tank was a Nanocube12DX that has been running for almost a year and a 1/2 and it is doing great. You just have to monitor it much more closely than a larger tank. A larger tank gives you much more room for error.

Glad to see you scratched the tang. A mandarin would be a bad idea, you need a firmly established tank. It's a great hobby though!!