Selecting the right nano tank...

[AquaStud]

Well, Ive been away at school for a year now and its been just as long since I tore by beautiful 29 gallon reef tank down. My girlfriend got us a small 5.5 gallon freshwater tank that we have been playing with, but now I'm feeling an itch to get back into saltwater so...Ive decided to do a nano. I dont really know what I want or where my money will be invested best but here are a few of my ideas.

-Finnex 8 gallon which includes 24W PC lighting
-JBJ Nanocube 6 gallon 18W + 2 moon lights
-or take a standard 10 gallon tank and add a CurrentUSA 18" Nova Extreme 2X20W
-possibly a 3 gallon pico

add heater, high quality LR and sand for filtration, and empty filter + powerhead for flow.

I added in lighting specs because I would like to keeo corals again, and either way im only going to get either 3 or 4 watts per gallon, which will be sufficient for the low light corals I would liekto keep. Keep in mind i will have to transport the reef to and from home during the summer and semester break, which is a 20 min drive.

Thanks, and its great to be back on this site

 

[mr86mister]

I would personally go with the 10 gallon. Since you have previous experience with saltwater that helps out great. My question to you is, are you looking for a sleek looking aquarium where everything is hidden except for a few cords or does this not matter to you? If you are looking for looks, the JBJ Nanocube 6 should work. Maybe if your college allows it, JBJ Nanocube 12 or Oceanic Biocube 14 just to add a few more gallons to make the water easier to stabilize for the event of new corals.

 

[AquaStud]

10 gallons is the max size for an aquarium that we are allowed to have. Some things I would like to have in the tank are a watchman goby (possibly a pair), single clownfish, and shrimp of some sort. Id like to add a lot of corals too, mostly polyps, some soft corals such as Toadstool Mushroom Leather, Pom Pom or Pulsing Xenia, and mushrooms. I dont know if my lighting would be adaquete for all of these, but i believe they are mostly low light corals. As far as looks go I would like it to be smooth and good looking, but I can always build and AIO with a ten gallon or use some carpentry skills to build a box around a ten gallon to hide everything. So now i just have to decided where to go from here and start a build log...

 

[mr86mister]

That would be great. Build Logs are awesome. So if you can't do the 12 you should do the 10 and make your own mini stand and canopy for sure. You should try to see if you can get a stronger light if your budget allows it so you can be comfortable with 6-7wpg. That fixture look's perfect I love t'5s I'm about to get a Nova Extreme Pro or Tek for my bowfront.

 

[AquaStud]

Well, Ive narrowed down my choices for lighting, so here they are...

20" 1x96W Coralife 50/50 Quad Lamp
20" 2x40W Satellite w/ lunar light
20" 1x40W Satellite w/ lunar light
24" 2x65W Caralife Aqualight w/ 2 3/4 watt lunar lights

I understand the 24" would have a little overhang on either side of a 10 gallon tank, but id be willing to cope with it since the light bulbs themselves are 21". Keep in mind id like to eventually, like a year after establishment, introduce some more hard to keep corals such as SPS. I'd also like to have a lunar light. Any suggestions?

 

[AquaStud]

Well, I've decided to go a completely different route and do a 5.5 gallon AGA with a built in fuge similar to those that I have seen on nano-reef.com, which I think will work out best in the long run for me. Im going to go pick up the tank tonight but progress wont begin for a while. Equipment will be as follows...

Coralife 12" aqualight 2x18W
Maxi Jet 400 submersible pump
Stealth 50W heater
Digital thermometer

everything will run me about $120, I will open a new thread once the project is underway.