filter question in fish only tank

[fish are friends!!]

hey guys i have a 20 gallon tank that at the moment is a fish only system. The filter is a "Top Fin Power Filter 20" will this filter be "strong" enough
for the system or should i get a bigger filter? o and in case u want/need to know it hangs off the back off the tank.
the tank will have 2 ocellaris clowns i may add a small anemone once i become better with saltwater tank as this is my 1st tank.
Thank-you

[Original Fin]

Will this be your primary biofilter, or do you have Live Rock too?


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[leebca]

Two Anemonefishes in that tank is a slight overstocking of the aquarium. The smallest species of Anemonefishes, when mated and mature will see the female at about 3" long and the male about 2" long for a total of about 5" of fish in the tank.

Like Original Fin has asked. . .If you have decorations, substrate, live rock, etc. inside the tank, and the fact that you will not fill the tank to the brim, will mean there will be about 16 gallons of water in the tank at most. Optimally you'd like to have about no less than 125 gph flow rate.

Anemones are not easy to keep. Some require special lighting and care. You can get more information about them from people in the Reef Aquariums Forum. My only concern about that is that, if it should die, it may pollute the tank fast enough to kill the fish before you can remove it.

To answer your question -- that filter is a bit conservative. I would go with the 30 model with adjustable flow, since this will give better flow rate AND improved filtration (all 3 types). The 30 model will be fine for one fish (right sized) in that tank. That filter is an all-in-one doing mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration. You can get an idea of equipment and things you'll need from this post: Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

These posts will help you with regards to aquarium capacity and stocking limits:
Fish Stocking Limit - for FO and FOWLR
and this one:
What Size Tank is Right for That Fish?

Thanks for posting. Good luck!

[fish are friends!!]

ok no anemone....its fish only tank now....i have the set-up know and got a new filter designed for a 30 gal (in a 20)....
i also wanted to ask this:
the tank is in my bedroom and lately my bed room as been getting hot which is affecting the temp. how can i lower it? I have turned of the light and opened the top cover....i also put some of the tank water in a bottle and i am refridgerating it and have been putting it back in the tank after it has been cooled to lower the tanks total temp.....wat else could i do? its cycling so i have time before i add any fish....

[Original Fin]

You're going to want to get rid of the lid completely. Then you will have the benefit of evaporative cooling.
If that still doesn't do it, use a clip on fan to blow across the surface.

An Open top, or a canopy with fans is the only way to go with marine systems. Besides the cooling effect, it also allows for adequate gas exchange.

Just beware that you will have to top off more often, and if you ever intend to keep fish that are known jumpers, you'll need to make a screen topper.




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[leebca]

Pretty much all that Original Fin has suggested are the most common means of handling overheating. But, what is the temperature? How high does the temperature get and how low does it get?

Open as many windows that are available, and cooling the room the best you can also will help a lot. Air circulation in your room helps.

Our marine fishes can only handle tropical temperatures which are usually about 78F. Sometimes a temperature of 80F is okay and even a little bit higher, depending on the fish, but if you are having excursions of higher temperatures, even with efforts of trying to keep it cool, then you'll need to be careful on what fishes you try to care for and also the types of invertebrates you have. The cooler the water, at or a bit below 78F and the fish do quite well. But another real issue is stability.

Our fishes don't do well with large temperature swings. You want to keep the temperature steady. In the wild these fishes just don't experience temperature swings. Their internal chemistry/chemical reactions (physiology) is all established on a steady temperature. Marine fishes are more sensitive to changes in temperature than most tropical freshwater fishes. Similarly, as you use the cooling processes of fans which increases evaporation, the salinity (specific gravity) of the water will vary and you want to control that, too. Adding back ice cubes of distilled water can help to some extent, but controlling salinity along with temperature and pH are the keys to long term success for marine fishes and stability is the main goal.

[fish are friends!!]

it currently have got i down to 78 degrees (the temp i want it around) but when i go to work it sometimes rises with the heat of the room....it will reach 82 degrees and possibly higher as the temp of the rooom rises....

[chrisfont23]

This is a very easy fix. Go to Walmart and get a clip on fan for like 10 bucks. You can keep your tank at a steady temp this way by blowing it across the top of the tank.

I have heard people have problems with the weight of the fan. If this is a problem, you can mount it to the wall. The clip end usually has two sides (obviously)...one side is hinged by the spring and one is flat with a hole in it and is part of the frame. You want the side with the hole in it. Take the spring off (gently) and separate the two parts. The remaining side is very easily mounted to a wall or something sturdy using a mollie or similar sheetrock anchor.

Too many times people turn off their heaters. This is also a no no as you will want something to keep the temp up if it gets too cool.

HTH!

[chrisfont23]

One more thing... the less mechanical doohickies you have in the tank, the less ambient heat you introduce to your tank. It's all relative. Personally, all you need is a good skimmer and some live rock.

[fish are friends!!]

ok thx

[Reefing Madness]

One more thing... the less mechanical doohickies you have in the tank, the less ambient heat you introduce to your tank. It's all relative. Personally, all you need is a good skimmer and some live rock.

Yea, what he said.

[fish are friends!!]

haha thx i will limit these mechanical "doohickies" i put in my tank lol!