Any Members Here Have A Nano Reef 3 Gallons Or Smaller?

[PaPeRo]

Just wondering because I plan on setting up a 3 gallon nano reef.

 

[rhysiboy]

when they are smaller than 4g they are called pico tanks. try a nano 1st as they are dificult enough (so ive heard) so then that must mean that a pico is ultra hard.

 

[Donya]

Yep, a 3 gallon would be a pico and they are no easy task. There are two problems right from the start that IME set picos apart from nanos as far as difficulty goes:

- heat. Small tanks heat up very easily, even from things like pumps and lights. A pump may elevate the tank temperature noticably above room temperature, and a strong light too close to the tank can make the difference between temperatures of 78F and 86+F in a matter of a few hours.

- keeping sg constant and managing evaporation rates...and ballancing both with heat buildup. Put a lid on and sg is more stable because evaporation rates are slower (good), but more heat builds up (bad).

From an early setup standpoint, those two are the things that gave me the most trouble. Stocking options and whatnot are a whole 'nother can of worms once the tank is actually up and running. Once that point is reached, difficulty varies directly with what you plan on keeping.

 

[PaPeRo]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I will keep those factors in mind when setting it up. I might start with just LR and see how difficult it is to keep stable then may add one or two small fish.

 

[Mr.September15]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I will keep those factors in mind when setting it up. I might start with just LR and see how difficult it is to keep stable then may add one or two small fish.

You can't really keep any fish in a pico. I've never seen a fish kept in one, I've only seen corals being kept in one.

 

[PaPeRo]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I will keep those factors in mind when setting it up. I might start with just LR and see how difficult it is to keep stable then may add one or two small fish.

You can't really keep any fish in a pico. I've never seen a fish kept in one, I've only seen corals being kept in one.

Not even if I plan on usng a HOB filter and protein skimmer?

 

[SkiFletch]

Fish in a 3g pico? Wow that'd be tough. The only fish I could think of that would be suitable for that small water volume MIGHT be a psuedochromis springeri or a neon goby, but even then I probably wouldnt do it. I hear a lot of people like keeping colorful mantis shrimp in picos

 

[Donya]

I might start with just LR and see how difficult it is to keep stable

Get temperature and salinity stable before adding the LR, otherwise you run the risk of causing excess dieoff on the LR and loss of interesting stuff. It probably wouldn't extend the cycle time much in a 3 gallon, but you never know what critters might come in on the LR that you want to keep.

then may add one or two small fish.

Fish in something under 5 gallons is not a good idea, and some people will set that limit higher. That is one of the downsides of stocking picos...with little exception, fish are ruled out from the beginning. This is both because of filtration and space issues. I have a single 1" Gobiodon okinawae in my 5 gallon, since those are the smallest fish I've seen, but I wouldn't put one of them in anything under 5gal. If fish are your goal you should be looking into a much bigger tank than 3 gallons.