This is a 20 gallon high aquarium that has been running saltwater since 2022.
Nothing beats the diversity of a tropical coral reef community to me. It's not as difficult as it's often made out to be, especially if you stick to soft corals and marine "plants" like macroalgae.
Reef fish and invertebrates are often well-adapted to live in small spaces among many other animals and with the right attention to species and temperament you can have quite a lot of fish in a small space. A mature saltwater system like this where coral uptake all nitrates needs very little maintenance; 1-2 small water changes a year is all I have to do and fish food supplies most nutrients for the coral.
And some marine fish, like clownfish, can live to 30 years old!
Posted by LobeliaTheCardinalis
13 Comments
r/ReefTank i think its a pretty active salt water community i think freshwater is just a lot more common and easier to get into
I dig the plants, saltwater is too barren for me (yes I know how corals grow)
Love saltwater but I’d probably ruin my reef / tank somehow. That’s why I stick to freshwater lol
Not so much as not being a fan i just dont have the spare thousands to throw at it lol
I love it. But im poor
https://preview.redd.it/d00kb3bmzbjg1.jpeg?width=2775&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ed39b23c0b17db59b901e80f6a7da97404f833c
Love mine!
I love it but I went broke last time I had one 😂💕
Wife and I spent the last year moving around, so I had to break down my 45-gal mixed reef and I really miss it. I think I probably won’t go salt again until we buy a house since they take so long to establish.
https://preview.redd.it/azf61i0f0cjg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a9b84d70b41deb08e3a60efc2603ddc777e13ff
Love the tank, the diversity makes it seem larger than 20 gallons! I will say my largest tanks are freshwater ie a 75 gallon and few others – my only saltwater tank is a 20 gallon long and I love it. I have not had to do a water change in a long time as well-
I will say it’s not too hard maintaining but it’s the initial cost that was worse for me starting it up and paying for corals, saltwater or salt mixture bags for water changes or moving things around – I think if you have smaller tank it’s great! But I can’t imagine what I would pay if I wanted a giant saltwater tank – even though I would absolutely love it
Do you by chance have a lawnmower blenny somewhere in there?
Awesome tank! The main thing I find off-putting about marine tanks is the lights. That harsh blue that corals love is just so unpleasant.
I love the freshwater tanks that I’ve kept but my heart belongs to the sea. They’ve all just been practice for keeping saltwater eventually. I’m still not confident enough yet but I’ll get there.
I rather go outside and pick cotton than having a salt water tank.