Which nano tank should I get

[Wills]

Hi I'm trying to decide which nano tank to get for my office. Thought I'd get some thoughts from you guys to see which one I should get and what I should do with it.

I'm going to be working from home for quite a while due to whats going on - at least 3 days a week and I have the perfect spot next to my desk for a small 60cm tank. I've already bought a 60cm light fitting so thats sort of set now haah.

The two Im weighing up are 60x30x30 or a shallow 60 which works out as 60x30x18. The first tank is 54ltrs and the second is 30ltrs.

I'm undecided on what I want to do in it - Im thinking a Betta as I have never had one and there are some really impressive ones around now. But in the 54 liter it feels like I could have a few more options, I've always been curious about shell dwellers and this could be a good chance to try it? Only thing that puts me off is they are a bit bland in colour sometimes...

Let me know what you think

Wills

 

[kwi]

The bigger one, as well as giving more options the water will be more stable.

 

[ClownLurch]

Big tank Betta.
Rescue one from their cells and give it the life it deserves...or as near as possible in a glass box.

 

[AilyNC]

I think bigger tank size just for a betta and lots of gorgeous plants

 

[CassCats]

Go for the larger tank. Can't ever be too large, even for a nano.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Are you after a standard rectangular shaped tank or one of those half moon ones?

Reason I ask is that if you’re putting tank on a desk, a standard tank will take up more room on the desk, leaving you with less workspace but if you get a half moon or something then gives you more space on the desk surface but those are good for a Betta or shrimps only set up.

If you want a rectangular standard tank then a Fluval flex which can be 34l or 57l, these are pretty good from what I hear of them.

Fluval Flex Aquarium 57L (Black) | Charterhouse Aquatics

The all-new Flex nano aquarium series provides contemporary styling with its distinctive curved front. The tank is equipped with powerful 3-stage filtration and an infrared remote control that allows you to select between several colours and special effects

charterhouse-aquatics.com

Half moon tank, tetra art explorer comes in 30 or 60 litres, nice looking tank, I have one of those for my son for when he’s a bit older. Got it at car boot sale before pre covid, brand new tank only for £10, but no light or filter, would have changed those anyway! So could not turn that down!

Tetra Aquaart Explorer 30 Litre Coldwater Aquarium

Tetra Aquaart Explorer 30 Litre Coldwater Aquarium from Complete Aquatics, The one stop shop for all your aquatics needs with fast next day delivery, Rated 5 Stars on TrustPilot

www.completeaquatics.co.uk

 

[seangee]

Is the 18 depth or height? 18cm is not very much. The one on my desk at home is 90x30x30. I reckon 60x30x30 would give you decent options for nano species.

 

[Wills]

Thanks guys I'm going to go for the bigger one, it will go on the unit next to the desk which is why I dont want to go too big/heavy... I've had an 8 gallon on there before and it was ok so not concerned.

The tank I'm getting is an Opti White open top tank - will get a glass cover and clips at some point. With an Oase Filtosmart Thermo 100 - they've put heaters in their small filters now which is really cool!

If I went for the 45 litre I think as a planted tank the Betta would be my only option, I was wondering if a pair of Laetacara Dorsigera would work given its a 2 foot tank? Scape wise I want to keep it low tech, I've got a dimmable 33 watt LED light. I've been toying with 2 ideas.

1. I've got loads of river cobbles left over from my old 6 foot tank so I was thinking of covering a selection of them in mesh covers with types of pelia and liverwort moss like Riccia and Subwassertang - I was thinking it would look somewhere between rolling hills and a topiaried garden.

2. A big tangle of wood - long lengths of twisty sticks with some simple grass type plants in a sand substrate.

I have been reading about shell dwellers a lot tonight and I am quite tempted... Neolamprologus Similis look like a good candidate and in the right style tank could look good, I think they would need a black background and dark if not black substrate. I once saw a shell dweller tank that was set around a big white Nautilus shell with fine twiggy wood which looked awesome. But they can look quite dull and I would probably be over run with fry...

Going to order the tank now and keep thinking!

Wills

 

[seangee]

You may find a grassy substrate frustrating in a low tech tank. My helanthium tenellum in the office tank is still hanging in there but I must confess I am tempted to uproot it and try something else at every water change.

 

[Wills]

I was thinking something like dwarf sag just to grow as individual plants and if they spread great. My helantium seems to be getting full of brown algae really think I need to assess if I use RO better.

this is the video that made me want a shallow tank still wobbling a bit if I want the pond style shallow tank though

 

[Wills]

Hmmm the bigger tank I found looks like it’s going to work out to expensive because of delivery so back to thinking of the shallow tank. Tempted to go with some tiger badis and shrimp what do you think?

 

[ClownLurch]

Asian Stone/Anchor Catfish and Scarlet Badis up for grabs on eBay for £4 from one of em Glasgow fish dealers. Are they ok with blue shrimp?

 

[threecharacters]

If you go with a shallow you should plant with some dwarf lily! Something like this would be awesome.

Nymphoides aquatica, Nymphaea zenkeri, and Nymphaea stellata could all work (roughly ordered by leaf size smallest to largest). I feel like a betta would love the lily pads for cover and bubblenesting.

 

[AilyNC]

Hmmm the bigger tank I found looks like it’s going to work out to expensive because of delivery so back to thinking of the shallow tank. Tempted to go with some tiger badis and shrimp what do you think?

After watching that video I'm on the shallow tank buzz. I'd love to do a serious Aquascape tank.

 

[Wills]

If you go with a shallow you should plant with some dwarf lily! Something like this would be awesome.

Nymphoides aquatica, Nymphaea zenkeri, and Nymphaea stellata could all work (roughly ordered by leaf size smallest to largest). I feel like a betta would love the lily pads for cover and bubblenesting.

Really like that, think I might break the waterline in some way too.

After watching that video I'm on the shallow tank buzz. I'd love to do a serious Aquascape tank.

This one will be low tech for sure - my high tech tank is enjoyable but is sometimes more trouble than its worth haha!

Wills