20 is small for a beginner and a tall tank makes it even harder.
Get a larger tank is my suggestion. 50 is a good size to start for a beginner. The smaller the tank the less forgiving it will be. The smaller tank means things go bad even faster.
Thats what i have. I started out in a ten gallon tank, then decided i wanted to go bigger. That was about a year and a half ago. And my tank looks gorgeous. I have yet to have any problems with it. But if your new to saltwater make sure you have everything you need.
protien skimmer
proper lighting - if u want corals, or anemones
good filter
heater
sand substrate - live sand is best. you can get it from petco or petsmart of a LFS (local fish store)
Live rock. Its expensive but you can get a good deal on it. This works as a natural filter its great to have.
Make sure you let the tank mature before you add fish or coral or "life"
Sure you can. The question is should you do it. With salt water tanks, the best way to go is with "the bigger the better ". If you go salt with only 20 gals, you will be limiting what kind of fish and other salt water life you can put in it and have them survive. It will also be more difficult and possibly more expensive to maintain a smaller area with the right balance.
You can, but that's a pretty small tank for saltwater. Tricky to run, especially for a beginner, and very limited as to what fish you can keep.
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