Nano tank for a begginer

[edd_hardy]

I'm interested in starting a marine tank however there is no way the parents would let me use anything larger than a 2' by 1' by 1' tank and I have read that this is a very hard size to begin with. My question is; it sounds to me as if the main problem with a tank this small is instabilities in water quality, but if I added a similar sized sump (and so doubled the volume of water in the system) would this problem be lessened (and managable for a vigilant begginer)?

Also is it humane to keep a marine fish in the tank I am planning to use (I would only have one fish and hopefully a small reef/ invertebrates)?

Thanks in advance
Edd

 

[Adrinal]

First thing to do is get a book on reefing. Then start figuring out what you will need for your task...

There are some tiny fish that could be done. ...
You would need a huge control on your water... I'm not a math dude... but the chemistry of salt alone can change a lot with evaporation. This change will kill stuff fast

If you are doing just fish and inverts that dont need light... shouldn't be too hard.

Once again... get a book and figure out your costs. It is slightly more expensive for FO salt than FO fresh.

 

[edd_hardy]

Thanks for the reply. I'm trying to do as much research as possible before starting anything. Has anyone got an answer as to if a large sump makes water quality eaiser to control.

Thanks
Edd

 

[Fuzzy]

ive heard that clownfish, yellow tailed damsels(couldnt be kept with other fish), blennys, but ofcourse kept all by themselves. for inverts a scarlet hermit or fighting conch might be good.

 

[EddieW]

Edd,

You are correct - the larger the volume the easier it CAN BE to control the water quality.

As Adrinal says, the biggest problem with nano tanks is evaporation which alters the salinity of the water a lot. A simplistic way to look at it is if you lose say 1 gallon to evaporation on a 100 gallon tank there will be a 1% change in salinity. If you lose 1 gallon to evaporation from a 12 galllon (2'x1'x1') that is a 8%+ change in salinity. If you double the volume by adding a 2'x1'x1' sump then the salinity change is down to 4%.

Another thing to remember is the mantra: "The solution to pollution is dilution". The less water you have, the quicker contaminants will build up to dangerous levels.

Get the books, search the web, read everything you can get your hands on, and also have a look around for a forum which only deals with nano-reefs.

HTH, Eddie

 

[Landlocked]

A really good book is "The consciensious marine aquarist" by Fenner.

 

[edd_hardy]

Thanks for the information
Edd

 

[Adrinal]

If you can streach those limitations by 4" the perfect set up would be (in the US... not sure where u live) a 20 LONG and a 29gal sump. Iron stands are pretty cheep and these 2 tanks have the same foot print. I would suggest drilling 2 overflows (incase you want to upgrade in the future, more flow = better) but 1 with as big a hole as possible (less noise and better flow).

LS and LR and lots of dead rock to seed, a good pump ( I hate mine), heater, salt cover for the top tank and a light and you are gtg.

 

[Landlocked]

Iron stands are pretty cheep and these 2 tanks have the same foot print.

Be careful if getting an iron tank. Some of them can and will rust, and then you're in risk of your entire aquarium collapsing!

 

[Adrinal]

Really... those Iron stands? I have never heard of that
Well there are wood ones that can hold 2 tanks of the same foot print.. I think the cost is about the same too...

 

[Landlocked]

Really... those Iron stands? I have never heard of that

I think that most iron and metal stands have a protective coating on them, to stop the salt water from rusting them away.

 

[bgraber]

I don't think the salt evaporates very quickly. Everything I've read says to do top-offs with regular ro/di water.. No salt added.. Water changes of course you add salt..

 

[Landlocked]

I don't think the salt evaporates very quickly.

WHAT?
Salt doesn't evaporate. What will happen is that you will get salt creep over everything inside your tank, as the water evaporates, and deposits the salt all over the closest object. If you don't regularly brush this off, you'll get salt lumps all over everything that's not wet.

If you're doing nothing but topping off the system, you should only use freshwater. bgraber, I agree with you there. However, you should be regularly testing the specific gravity, and if that's low, you can add salt water for topping off the tank, instead of fresh.