Uk - Nano Tank Options?

[krish]

Hi all,

Being new to salt water setups but having around 3 years experience with tropical freshwater I have a few questions

I live in the UK and have been investigating my options regarding a Nano tank purchase for a reef tank with fish. Space (and of course money) dictates my path towards Nano ownership.

These are the tanks I have my eye on but cannot make up my mind which one is the best option.


OPTION 1

My lfs has told me that he is expecting to have in early next month the following 58 litre tank. It is built by Boyu and is said to be identical to D+D nano (apparently also made by Boyu) but comes with protein separator and UV light system (only type I've found like this).

No price just yet though, but apparently will be competative.

Its the TL-450
http/www.boyuaquarium.com/pro-luxuryaquariumfishhomeE.htm


OPTION 2

A 'not-so-local' fish shop has a Deltec Nano Cube 90 litre with LED Light and Cabinet.

£225 including cabinet + £4.99 delivery = £229.99 total...

http/www.aquatic-store.co.uk/catalog/pro...roducts_id=1310


OPTION 3

Alternatively I can purchase from the USA a 24G (90 litre ) JBJ Nano Cube Deluxe with LED.

$401.99 including cabinet + delivery - thats about £212 total...

http/www.jbjnanocube.com/index.html?lang...763.html#P10763


So, these are the the tanks I have shortlisted. Each have the filtration system built into the back which I like the idea of.

Can anyone suggest what would be considered the best option? I like the sound of OPTION 1 as it comes with protein separator and UV light system, but then again I have read on here and other forums that the UV isnt needed!

Also, prices are so much cheaper in the USA that it actually is cheaper to import - even with the shipping costs!

Thanks for taking a look and any advice/pointers/opinions are very much welcome.

Krish...

 

[CAC]

Are you looking for a full set-up, so you dont have to buy separate lights, fliters etc???
Or dont you mind if you need to buy things separate???
Also, are you wanting to keep corals, and of type???
What about fish?
Have you got a particular budget, because the bigger the tank, the more live rock (LR) you will need....ANd youll be aiming for arround 1kilo per 2 US gallons of water...So, if your tank is 10 gallons (40 litres) then you will need 5kg of LR, which will cost you about £50, on average...

Just some things to think about...

Mikey

 

[krish]

Hi Mikey, thanks for the reply.

Are you looking for a full set-up, so you dont have to buy separate lights, fliters etc???

Yeah, I like the idea of this.

Or dont you mind if you need to buy things separate???

I might want to do some mods at some point which I believe is possible with these all-in-one untis, but its not a prioirty.

Also, are you wanting to keep corals, and of type???

I am thinking of some soft corals and maybe some anenomes.

What about fish?

About 4 clowns; or how ever many a 90 litre tank can hold. A cleanup crew.
Two other things I would like are a starfish and a clam but I havent read up on these two yet so am not savvy as to wether they will be suitable.

Have you got a particular budget, because the bigger the tank, the more live rock (LR) you will need....ANd youll be aiming for arround 1kilo per 2 US gallons of water...So, if your tank is 10 gallons (40 litres) then you will need 5kg of LR, which will cost you about £50, on average...

I think about £200 ish is my limit right now, I was thinking of a tank around 90 litres.

 

[callum_parsons]

i dont think a 90l tank will have stable enough water conditions for a nem. plus you will need a halide lighting system which can cost a fair bit. and they dont tend to live long in aquariums so i would leave them in the wild where they can live a full life instead of a fraction of it

 

[krish]

OK, thanks for the heads up on the nem.

What about the tanks that I am able to get hold of and listed above?

Does anyone have any comments on these tanks; from a Nano Tank keepers point of view?

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Hi Krish and to TFF

I'm not too familiar with any of the tanks you listed but This Thread By Steelhealr has got to be the best thread ever on modding and getting the most out of your NC24 which is 1 of the tanks you listed (If i remever correctly )

Looking at the lighting on the systems with the 2 18w t5's i'd say they'd be fine to have soft corals such as mushies and zoo's in but as other members have said a nem is diffently a bad idea They need a mature tank at least 1 year old with strong good lighting - even then there is little hope of keeping it alive long-term

The same could be said of a clam, they really need good lighting and MH's are the way to go along with a mature system, i'd go against them in a nano TBH. A nano really isn't big enough to be able to sustain and keep a starfish fed unless you were after something like a brittle star? I got a couple hitchhike on my LR and they're doing fine still

Another thing i'd advise against is 4 clowns in the tank, in a larger tank this would be okay but the problem you'll face is when the clowns pair up the dominate 2 will bully and even kill the inferior clowns. I also think 4 clowns would be too high bioload on these sized tanks.

HTH
Dan

 

[Betta5]

Where abouts are u coz i may be looking for a nano. Are you in loondon somewhere? (you dont have to answer if you dont want people knowing where you live, some people dont want others to know) Thanks
Sean

 

[krish]

I live near Royston which is North Herts...