25 gallon setup

[BTL]

i am getting ready to set up my 25 gallon. I still haven't decided how i want to set it up yet, i want to save room so i am debating wether or not to use a sump or not. if i set up with my skimmer on the side of my tank, what other filtration would i need to use? I use a penguin filter on my Nano and it does wonders for ammonia and nitrate and i was thinking about just using one of those for filterfloss and extra biologicial. I am going to use a DSB, so any reccomendations besides "make it deep" ? I am going to try to be as natural as possible with this tank and use lots of clean up critters and i know the tank will not be very densly populated either. Let me know what you guys think,

Ira

[Callie]

I have a 25 gallon that has been up about 10 months. It has a Aqua C Remora skimmer, DSB and live rock. That is the only filtration. It is doing great. Have a small fish load, 1 Ocellaris with a BTA, 1 yellow tail damsel and a Bicolor blenny, some snail, hermits, a brittle star. Just a few corals, large Turbinaria, button polyps, zoanthids, assorted mushrooms, Xenia and Sinularia.

I also have a 20 gallon setup. It uses one of those cheap in-tank airstone skimmers and a penguin hang on filter. The filter is only for circulation and a place to hide the heater, there is no filter material in the filter. It also is doing great.

If you have a relatively light fishload, you can easily run a tank with skimmer and DSB only.

Kathy

[scubadude]

Originally posted by Callie
I also have a 20 gallon setup. It uses one of those cheap in-tank airstone skimmers and a penguin hang on filter. The filter is only for circulation and a place to hide the heater, there is no filter material in the filter. It also is doing great.

If you have a relatively light fishload, you can easily run a tank with skimmer and DSB only.

Kathy

I have a 20gal very similar to Kathy's.....I think this is the way to go...anything with mechanical filters flossing like sponges or filtering pads will eventually become nitrate factories and will just become a pain....FWIW I run one Mag1200 and I mounted a 2.5' pipe onto the outlet that spans the length of the tank with holes drilled into it....this serves as my spraybar...I am also running a prizm skimmer (cheap and great skimmer!) and Im also using 175 MH 10k bulb....I can keep anything I want pretty much in this tank except for size limitations....Im having to deal a bit with temp. (getting up into the 84-85) but so far no big problems (knock on wood)

[BTL]

Aside from coral, here would be the critters i would be putting in there: I bicolor psudeochromis, 2 bangaii cardinalfish, and my clean up critters. I have been thinking about getting a cuke too, alot of places say they do good in 25 gallon tanks, should i try one or should i avoid them?

Ira