are nanos easy to maintane?

[fish-4-life]

Not getting any SW tank any time soon. Im a frshwater beginner right now but I went to a new dentist today and he has a nano reef in his waiting room. I LOVED just starting at all the fish! There was one awesome fish that ate sand but the sand came right out of its gills! so cute! anyways, what do u need for a nano reef? how would u compare it to a small freshwater tank? thnx!

 

[R33F FeTiSh]

I had never done any fish tank when I started. I read sw for dummies and talked with a couple fish guys for a while. Bought a 29g biocube and been trucking ever since. Check out my tank, its 3 years old now. It's a bit overstocked due too breaking down a larger tank. I just change the water every week or two.(5 gallons)

 

[JoshuA c]

Did u buy the cardinal as a baby?

 

[ErrolP]

IMO yes, but add ons and mods as well as extra filtering are always helpful if you want your nano to thrive, I personally use alot of biological filtration equally as much as chemical in my 29g Biocube.

 

[R33F FeTiSh]

Did u buy the cardinal as a baby?

No, they are the same size as when I got them. Their really active for cardinal fish. Especially when dinner is served

 

[JoshuA c]

Yeah mine too. I was just wondering because I just got mine and they are still small. I'm curious as to how long it takes them to mature.

 

[redsea]

I think they are fairly easy to maintain. My first SW was a Red Sea 34 Gallon system.

 

[fish-4-life]

I think they are fairly easy to maintain. My first SW was a Red Sea 34 Gallon system.

what more do you need to do for a saltwater tank than a frshwater?

 

[JoshuA c]

Ok I'll be the smart *** to say it: salt

 

[newbjank]

Ok I'll be the smart *** to say it: salt

Lol................

 

[JoshuA c]

I hope this helps ur nano experience

 

[Mike-words]

You will need:
Salt lol
Aragonite sand
Live rock
Protein skimmer
Better lights ( for corals a lot of stock kits aren't high powered enough)
Refractometer
Sw test kit

 

[Ausfish]

I just started a nano reef about 5-6 month ago. Cycling takes ages and you can never stock as much as you would like, in the end I find myself staring at my clown way more than at my 55g cichlid tank these days though

I think the easiest way is a biocube that has a filter, skimmer and proper lights already included. The skimmer isn't really essential for nano tanks though. Then you'll need:

SW test kit
Hydrometer/Refractometer
Thermometer
Live sand
Live rock
Salt water from the shop or RO/DI water and a salt mix
A timer for the lights of you want corals down the road
All sorts of supplements like calcium, iodine,...
An RO unit to top off water, tap water will give you an algae bloom and a headache

lots of patience for it to cycle
And the smaller the tank, the more frequent your water changes will need to be. I do mine weekly, sometimes more often.

I would get a good idea of what you want to keep as that determines your equipment. reef keeping can be quite expensive, especially if you decide you'd like a tang and then find out you need a 12x bigger tank


Many reef fish and corals need a special diet, read up on everything before you buy it because things like a mandarin/anemone will starve in a normal tank if you don't have the right equipment, food and knowledge!

Once it's all running it will provide you with many hours of joy though, believe me

 

[ilostnemo]

You will need:
Salt lol
Aragonite sand
Live rock
Protein skimmer
Better lights ( for corals a lot of stock kits aren't high powered enough)
Refractometer
Sw test kit

i wouldnt do a skimmer in a nano tank.

 

[Mike-words]

Depends on your bioload. Suplements may not be needed but depends on what you are keeping.

 

[carey]

I also don't think a skimmer will be needed. All you need to do are your weekly water changes, feed appropriatley and keep an eye on your parameters. My 4g and my 29g are currently running with no skimmers and the nitrates are about 5 in each tank.

In addition, the selection of skimmers for that small of a tank is very limited and the cheap ones just dont work as promised so save your money for something good.

 

[ilostnemo]

Depends on your bioload. Suplements may not be needed but depends on what you are keeping.

I've kept multiplle picos and nanos witth sps lps and leathers without skimmers