5. 20-30 Gallon Reef Tank

5. The Ultimate 20-30 Gallon Reef Tank

Reef tanks should be filled with live rock and the focus and excitement will be on the corals and invertebrates, not the fish. Smaller numbers of less aggressive fish that won’t feed on the corals are kept in these systems. Do not heavily load these systems with fish but make sure you have algae eaters - either fish or invertebrates. This solution lists the recommended supplies and equipment for the perfect mini reef tank.

Tank
Choose one from a local dealer where you'll buy fish. Since this is the vessel that keeps your your fish alive and your spouse from killing you for damaging the floors, be willing to pay a little more for a quality name brand such as All Glass Aquarium Inc. or Oceanic.

Hood/Lighted Hood
Only purchase an aquarium with a glass top. Plastic hoods are not acceptable for saltwater setups. Plastic hoods limit the ability to add extra lighting and do not prevent ?saltwater creep? from causing a mess. Standard fixtures will not do. Use one of the Aquatic Life T5 HO Link Marine or Hagen T-5 HO light fixtures. If you plan on keeping some of harder to keep hard corals or if you plan to keep any type of coral, choose the double row Aquatic Life 4-Lamp T5 HO & Lunar Fixture.

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Stand or Cabinet
Make sure the cabinet is properly constructed for handling up to 10lbs per gallon of water. If something other than an aquarium stand is used, it should be able to support the weight and hold the entire rim of the aquarium bottom level with no spaces between the rim and the support.

This system requires advanced protein skimming and added circulation. There are two options for the “ultimate configuration” assuming a larger MR500 Trickle Filter with skimmer cannot be used because of space limitations in the cabinet.
	Option 1 Because of space limitations often associated with smaller saltwater aquariums, a good alternative to a trickle filter is a Prizm Protein Skimmer combined with an Aquaclear 50 or Aquaclear 70. The Aquaclear Filter is a great biological filter provided by the sponge and the additional capacity the filter has for Chemi-Pure, Polyfilters, and Phosguard. The Prizm is perfect for protein skimming and critical aeration of the system.
	Option 2 UP100/PS, Hanging Protein Skimmer and Filter This hanging unit incorporates superior surface skimming and protein skimming by a built-in skimmer. The UP100/PS offers advanced filtration for the smaller reef system and has expanded media capacity for Chemi-Pure, Polyfilters and Phosguard. This great filter will last a lifetime.
Pump for Additional Current Added flow is always recommended in a reef setup. Use a Use a SICCE Voyager pump.

This important instrument is used to measure the salt concentration (salinity or specific gravity) of the aquarium water. A good economical and accurate choice is the CoraLife Hydrometer. Another quality hydrometer is the Ammonite Hydrometer.			• Synthetic Sea Salt Brightwell Neo Marine, 50# bag, because of its high quality and repeatable performance, is used for all EPA lab testing studies. Tests have shown this to be a superior aquarium salt. For other high quality salts available online, see SeaChem Reef Salt.

For saltwater enthusiasts with an interest in a more precise and sophisticated instrument to measure salinity, the Milwaukee Refractometer with automatic temperature compensation is a consideration.			• Thermometer Hagen Floating Thermometer with Suction Cup.

• Heater Hydor Theo 150watt Submersible Heater			• Grounding the tank Grounding the tank prevents more sensitive species from getting Lateral Line Disease. The origins of this ailment are controversial. A Titanium Grounding Probe eliminates one of the suspected causative agents.

• Substrate 20lbs Choose a CaribSea product. Natural, calcium based substrates are best for saltwater aquariums.			• Fish Food Nutrition is second only to filtration importance. Saltwater fish should be fed 80% frozen foods since these foods most closely match their natural diet.

• Water Conditioner The water must be conditioned and prepped for aiding the slime coating of the fish. AquaLife Complete is an excellent dechlorinator and it detoxifies chloramines if they are present.			• Do not overfeed the fish. Feed fish only what they will eat in two to three minutes 1-2 times per day. Vary the diet. Different types of frozen foods from Ocean Nutrition and San Francisco Bay with VitaChem dripped on them combined with occasional feedings of OSI foods will ensure the health, longevity and color of your fish. It is important to try and duplicate the foods eaten in the wild.

• Starting Bacteria Culture Use Activate Saltwater. Seeded biological media is sometimes available to speed up the cycling process. Super Porous Filter Media is an excellent media for this purpose.			• Algae Scrubber Mag-Float 130. cleaning magnet for glass Magical Cleaning Rod 22"
			• Fish Net Fish Catcher Net
			• Thermometer Hagen Thermometer, Floating



• Never underestimate the importance of water testing. Fish trapped in water with even small amounts of ammonia and nitrite can die within hours. Water test on a regular basis and be prepared to act quickly is something goes wrong. A Mini Master Test Kit Freshwater & Saltwater contains accurate testing supplies for pH, ammonia and nitrite. See All Test Kits See All Controllers & Monitors
• Do a 25% water change monthly or a 10% water change twice a month. Remember to dechlorinate the water and adjust it to the same temperature as the aquarium water.
• Always add a high quality dechlorinator anytime tap water is added to the tank. AquaLife Complete is an excellent product that not only dechlorinates but adds important elements to maintain slime coat integrity and reduce stress. AquaLife Complete also detoxifies chloramines if they are present..
• The pH should be 8.2 High quality salt such as Brightwell Neo Marine has added buffers and with proper water changes, pH should be stable. Aquavitro Salinity is sold only at our local store. For other high quality salts available online, see SeaChem Reef Salt. However, if water changes are being done and pH is a problem, use Marine Buffer by SeaChem. Further information is available on water parameters in the Log Sheet section.

Further Reading:
9. Mixing Saltwater
11. Supplements & Additives
12. Understanding the Nitrogen Cycle