[loveforfish]

just want to start simple. i heard i can get away without a protein skimmer for now,, all im looking for is a beginner set up with some live rock and bare bottom with maybe one small fish for now.. just to start with.. what all do i need.. should i change the bulb out of my hood and get a actinic or anything?

[mbunakeith]

welcome...what are you going to keep in the tank? corals, just fish, other inverts? you should really decide what you want to keep in it first, and then go from there. the setup you will need can be radically different depending on what you want to keep. some sun polyps dont need light but clams & sps corals need lots of light.
with a 20g tank you can probably get away with 2 small fish and a handfull of different kinds of corals. keep asking away.. we're ready.

[SalTee]

Just throwing my 25 pennies in- for fish, I've found that a pair of cleaner gobies are quite the loving pets and may even spawn. Possibly a Scooter Blenny- once acclimated and feeding, they are practically bulletproof and can be quite colorful, not to mention full of personality. One or two Perculas is colorful and fun- and quite easy. For corals, Zoanthids come in about every color you might want- very fast growing and often a bit too tenacious. Mushroom Polyps are also very colorful and require little, if any, care. I highly recomend Xenia-hardy, fast growing, and hypnotic in its pulsing. Or, if your like me and got a little brave in the beginning, you might try an LPS- my choice was Green and red Favites- still thriving today. Or if you want a real eye-catcher try a Condylactis Anemone- they are among the most beutiful and easiest of anemones- assuming you can put out roughly 2-3 watts of light per gallon. Also- from personal experience, I don't reccomend fish with this carnivore- the tank would be a more-or-less species tank. I also have a liking for Hermit crabs- particularly blue-legged ones and a liking for shrimp- any of the Lysmata shrimp are nice additions both as ornaments and scavengers- the added bonus is that if you get a mated pair, it's hard NOT to have them spawn- which means a little extra fish/coral food.
For things such as light and filtration/circulation, I'm a believer in not having too much- I like to cram at least 4 watts/gallon into my tank- soon that will move up to 6 per gallon. I also like the water turnover rate to be no less than 13 times per hour preferably up around 15 or 16. And Filtration? Too much is never enough. My 24 gallon setup has a built-in 6 gallon wet-dry filter containing Sponges, ceramic rings, bio-balls, and two pouches of medical-grade resins for chemical filtration. I've got about 21 lbs of extremely porous Live rock and a 4 1/2 inch thick sand bed- never really liked the idea of a bare-bottom tank- too plain for my eyes. I also stick to a water change schedule of roughly 20% weekly- divided up into about 1/2 a gallon per day then on sunday I do about two or three gallons- again I don't think its possible to do too much- I only do as much as my daily schedule allows. Hope you got a few good tips or ideas from this long yarn- enjoy your reef tank and good luck!

[ccorral]

I would strongly recommend a skimmer. Check this out only 30 bucks
Taam Rio Nano Protein Skimmer - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store

Animal choice will be dictated by how much light you have.