is a 20 gallon long good for a saltwater reef?

Question

i would also like to know if i could buy live rock to cycle it with and if the live rock has any mushrooms growing on it, would they die in a unastablished tank?
what are some good fish for this tank?
do i need a good light or can i just use like a 10000k bulb?

Answer 1

A 20 long would be the smallest I would suggest. A 29 which has the same bottom area would be even better.

Live rock rarely comes with mushrooms, unless you happen to get lucky enough to get some turned into a store because someone with a saltwater tank moved. It would be best to wait until the tank has cycled and matured a little before you add any corals.

A 20 long is pretty limiting on what you can keep. A pair of clownfish is a good choice, or clown goby, shrimp goby, smaller jawfish, firefish, and a few others. You can look at some suggestions from this link: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=2124 although I would advise against the Catalina goby. These prefer cooler temperatures than most saltwater fish.

A 10,000K bulb really doesn't tell me much about your lighting. In a 20 long, you should probably have a compact fluorescent or T-5 system at a minimum. You can get 10,000 K lamps for either which would be acceptable, but a 10,000K fluorescent for a standard hood (the type that comes with most tanks) is not. The standard hoods don't have anywhere near the intensity (output) of the others, and these have less than a metal halide system, which is what you'd need for some stony corals. When I started my first marine tank, I used a double standard hood, and ended up upgrading to a twin tube compact fluorescent within a year because the previous lighting wasn't enough in the 20 gallon to have soft corals do well.

Answer 2

through fact the others pronounced, a 20 gallon long is optimal different the time. the only fish i will think of of that so greater appropriate in a severe tank are clean water angel fish and perhaps discus. As for the fee of a 30 gallon, it stages in-between loose and $a hundred and fifty. you are able to high quality the perfect deals on craglist through fact some people can get a fifty 5 gallon tank with each thing for $60. At puppy shops, a bare tank could be in between 30-fifty 4 funds and a equipment can selection in to the one hundred forty greenback selection. you additionally can attempt walmart, yet i do no longer understand there costs. desire this permits!!!