Plug And Play Nano

[seffieuk]

hi

Have been looking at some of the so called 'plug and play' nanos - seen this one on ebay, which seems a good price. have asked for more spec. particularly the lighting - does this look a good buy folks?

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Complete-Nano-Tank-R...VQQcmdZViewItem

thanks
Seffie

 

[steelhealr]

These 'plug and play' nano tanks are very limiting ( I have one). Although they are almost ready to go out of the box, they DO require....or should I say would benefit from several DIY upgrades. They are satisfactory to support softies and some LPS corals.

However, I still tell most people that you just can't go wrong with a 20G long tank. You can completely design it the way you like....you can upgrade to lighting that supports SPS corals in the future (although some of the ready to go nanos can come with metal halides). JMO.
SH

 

[1entra]

I agree with steelhealr as the cube would have a lot of limitations. I really looked deep and hard into buying a 24G cube after reading steelhealr's journal but then decided against it.

Its just such a addictive hobby that I'm already thinking about upgrading to a bigger tank and I'm sure you'll feel the same you always want more things to add but will run out of space fast!!

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I have this exact model of tank. I agree if you have space a 20g long would be much better with your oqn choice of equipment in it.

That being said this tank is quite nice.

Pros:
Looks very nice
Hood design is good (can left up or slide back which makes it easier to access the back panel
It is well equiped, has a skimmer, UV, X2 18w PC's, moon lights, fans in the hood, heater and bio media.
It looks very nice (I know I have put this twice but for me its an important point ).

Cons:
The instructions suck
The built in pump is not strong enough so you will need to add a Power head.
The skimmer fills the tank with micro bubbles. This apprently goes away though and is easy to fix.
The stand is pretty but not very stable. When I clean the glass the tank wobbles (try and buy without the stand and get something a bit more sturdy).
My moonlight seems to have a short and doesnt always come on
The moonlight is on the same power supply as the main lights so you cant have them on seperate timers.

Looks like there are more cons then pros but i do really like this tank. I only had an 18" gap to fit a tank in so this one was perfect. I'm going to buy a second one to use a QT tank when I get my main reef up and running as it looks better then the other hospital tanks I have here (and will be set up right next to the main display tank).

One other thing. If you decided to get it the price is the same from online shops and probably from your LFS which is proably better to buy from then ebay.

 

[pprwngs]

ok this is more of a question for SH. when you say upgrade on a PnP Nano what upgrades? I'm looking to buy one and I hope you can point me in the right the direction! LOL also it's kind of sad this is my first time posting ever on this forum and ive been a member for almost a year I just read to much... Ah well, I'll be posting another nano setup once I get mine.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

For most of them the main upgrades they need are bettr water and better lighting. Some have rubbish skimmers (or no skimmers0 so upgrading these can be a help as well (though a lot of people run nanos without skimmers at all).

Of course there is always the "bigger tank" upgrade but if your like me you have this no matter what size tank you get

 

[steelhealr]

My upgrades:
1) DIY'd an over the wall bulkhead outflow to add a second pump in chamber 1
2) added a pump in chamber 3
3) created a refugium in the back middle chamber
4) added a Hydor flo outflow nozzle
5) purchased a surface skimmer that fits over the intake grate

All were relatively easy modifications to the system. SH

 

[seffieuk]

thanks guys, all really useful notes and tips. are there any other systems out there worth buying that will not break the bank

if i go with this one, will take a look around lfs, if you say i can get for the same price then i will save postage - great, thanks


seffie

 

[pengy666]

I have one of these nanos for sale!

Sorry shameless plug!

Anyway I liked my nano

My moonlight stopped working (replaced by LFS)
The pump is pants, I added a PH
Micro bubbles are an issue, Added filter sponge after skimmer it helped
Pump blocks easily and skimmer stops working randomly never did anything about it just used gravel cleaner it helped thaen I shut tank down for new tank!

It taught me a lot about reef keeping but I do wish I had gone straight for a 4ft or bigger? It would have saved me a lot of money!