Considering a nano-reef?

[EddieW]

Some useful points to consider if you are thinking about a nano-reef. This info is from www.nano-reef.com

Reef aquariums are not toys. However blunt that may sound, it is true. As hobbyists we have the responsibility to maintain healthy systems to the best of our ability and to meet the needs of the animals we keep. For the sake of the animals, and your wallet, one should take some things into consideration before starting. With this in mind, here are some things to concider that will help you make the most of your reef keeping experience.

Most people start nano reefs for the following reasons:
Space: Many cannot have aquariums larger than 10 gallons in the dorms or apartments
Fascination: Choosing a nano reef because they like the uniqueness a smaller system provides
Secondary: Setup a nano reef as a grow-out place to put coral frags from their larger system
Costs: Some start nano reefs because they feel that they will cost less than a larger tank

Common Myths about nano reef keeping:
Nano Reefs Cost Less: This is sometimes true, however the cost per gallon is quite possibly more for a nano reef than a larger system, though the final investment is quite a bit less. Also, the more you get into coral collecting, etc. - the more you will find that nano reefs really aren't inexpensive at all.
Nano Reefs Are Difficult: In most cases, they really are not. They do however require plenty of initial planning, research, research, and research. They also will require at least 5 minutes of your attention daily. As long as you follow your maintenance schedule, and do not make any sporadic additions, your tank will be quite easy to keep thriving.
Nano Reefs Are Just Like Normal Sized Systems: Not even close in many ways. One of the biggest differences is what livestock can be kept in smaller systems. Nano Reefs DO have limits, and they need to be respected.

If you want a challenging and rewarding experience, and are willing to give the time and dedication it takes, then this hobby is for you. With any reef tank comes responsibilities and limits, but they are truly worth it. Nano Reefs have broken down a great deal of barriers that once existed, and have given many more people the opportunity to keep reef aquariums.

Christopher Marks 12/4/2002


HTH, Eddie

 

[Eelzor]

Thanks Eddie, I found it quite useful - But I have a few questions.

1. Is there a limit to how small a nano reef tank can be? (E.g. can it be 1 gallon?)
2. The smaller the tank - the harder it is to maintain? Or is anything under 20 gallon pretty much the same effort?
3. What fish/inverts can be kept in a 10 gallon or so tank?

Thanks Again,

P.S - We should all ask questions here and this deserves to be pinned.

 

[crimsontsavo]

Yes you can have a 1 gallon nano tank. Can't do alot with it though,lol. Very very easy for it to crash too.

The smaller the tank- the faster it can crash. And it limits what you can have in it.
Corals/anemones are living things with special needs. Not at all like a freshwater plant.

10 gallon? Um, not really sure.
Try looking here. Fish.

Goby. It says 30 gallons- just thought you'd like to see though.

 

[crimsontsavo]

Better yet, here's one!

Goby2

 

[EddieW]

Eelzor:

1. Is there a limit to how small a nano reef tank can be? (E.g. can it be 1 gallon?)
Yes, but as Crimsontsavo says it can be very likely to crash. People have done nanos down to 1 LITRE but this is more as a 'look what I can do' sort of thing.

2. The smaller the tank - the harder it is to maintain? Or is anything under 20 gallon pretty much the same effort?
As it gets smaller things can become trickier. You have less volume so you need to keep a closer eye on - evaporation can become a big problem. The other problem is the difficulty finding equipment of appropriate sizes especially in the UK. Lighting and skimmers are particular problems. If you exercise care you can get away with any size.

3. What fish/inverts can be kept in a 10 gallon or so tank?
Pretty much anything small. In my 10 I have a peppermint shrimp, a pyjama cardinal, hermits, a sallylightfoot crab (freebie in rock) and snails. I am looking to add a couple more small fish once the LFS gets holdof them. A lot of people tend to look more at what corals they will add and then just add a couple of fish to keep things tidy. I personally wouldn't go with a pair of clowns in anything under 15 gall, but you might get away with it in a 10...

The things to watch for when selecting livestock for a nano are:
1) Size - you don't want to put a fish that will grow to 7" or more in a small tank. Some people do keep larger fish in nano tanks and move them on when they get too bug, for example yellow tangs. I am not a particular fan of this but I cannot say for definite that it is not acceptable.
2) Swimming - it is better to go for fish that do not swim around very fast. There is limited space in a nano and if the fish is used to roaming a large area then it won't be happy. Slow, methodical swimmers are good, as are some fish that dart around in small spurts.
3) Aggression - don't pick fish that will vigorously defend their territory. It comes down to space again - if one fish (or a pair) take over 3/4 of the space you are either going to end up with all the rest in one corner or dead. You also need to consider aggression when selecting corals as some will kill off anything too close and some have sweeper tentacles that can reach up to a foot long.
4) Feeding - make sure that the fish you get will accept a range of food. I would love to have a mandarin goby or a scooter dragonet but these need a lot of copepods in their diets to even survive. They will eat other foods but without enough copepods they have little chance of survival. In a nano tank you will almost neve have enough live rock to be able to keep enough copepods - you might be able to do it with a refugium or sump.

There are probably other things but I can't think of them just at the moment.

Crimsontsavo - that Griessingei Goby is STUNNING. I would love one but not at that sort of price....

Cheers, Eddie

 

[Eelzor]

I better keep big then as there are quite a few inverts I want and a few more fish. Thanks for the help though.

 

[DrOizo]

Could this be pinned it would be very useful for all future people thinking about a Nano

 

[EddieW]

Just to remind people that nano tanks (fresh or salt water) are VERY sensitive to changes.

Due to a faulty skimmer my 10 gall nano at work leaked over a weekend a few weeks back. As this tank had an auto top up system for evaporated water (important on a nano) the leak resulted in a large amount of fresh water being added over a 48 hour period. This resulted in the SG dropping to 1.012.

Unfortunately I was going away on holiday a few days later so I had to bring the SG back up fairly quickly. All seemed to be OK but whilst I was away things started to die off and this lead to a vicious spiral as . I managed to salvage the live rock and some of the hardier corals, but did lose a lot of livestock including all fish, all crabs, most snails, etc.

Nano tanks are ALWAYS more sensitive than larger tanks due to the smaller volume of water. As always, the solution to pollution is dilution!

HTH, Eddie

 

[Max]

Could this be pinned it would be very useful for all future people thinking about a Nano

to bad its from another websight.... maybe we could use it though

 

[impur]

I have a .75 pico reef Its a Via Aqua tank. I currently keep 1 single zoo, a small GSP frag, 1 polyp of Xenia, 1 emerald crab, 2 blue legged crabs, 1 astrea, and 1 cerith. Has been up and running for 2 months no problems, except a flatworm outbreak I didn't do it as a "Look what i can do" thing, i did it for my desk so i can have SOMETHING to look at when it gets slow.

I have since removed the cyran wrap and replaced it with a much nicer looking plexiglass top.

 

[impur]

Just to remind people that nano tanks (fresh or salt water) are VERY sensitive to changes.

Due to a faulty skimmer my 10 gall nano at work leaked over a weekend a few weeks back. As this tank had an auto top up system for evaporated water (important on a nano) the leak resulted in a large amount of fresh water being added over a 48 hour period. This resulted in the SG dropping to 1.012.

Unfortunately I was going away on holiday a few days later so I had to bring the SG back up fairly quickly. All seemed to be OK but whilst I was away things started to die off and this lead to a vicious spiral as . I managed to salvage the live rock and some of the hardier corals, but did lose a lot of livestock including all fish, all crabs, most snails, etc.

Nano tanks are ALWAYS more sensitive than larger tanks due to the smaller volume of water. As always, the solution to pollution is dilution!

HTH, Eddie

Thus another good reason not to run a skimmer on a 10 gal nano!!