Nano reef, not recomended for beginers?

[resiak]

What do you guys think about someone setting up a nano reef for there first reef tank?

 

[Hara]

It is ill-advised. It is too difficult to maintain water chemistry properly in a small tank. Low water volume is very unforgiving.

 

[abnmojo]

It is a lot easier to have something larger to fall back on. I took all my substrate, all my LR, and 1/2 my water from my big tank so I had an 'instant' tank each time I set up a nano, and I have two running now.

If something isn't doing well, I have someplace else to put it.

That said, If you have nothing right now, I DO recommend the 12 or 24 gallon JBL or M-Tank systems as a 'first' reef tank. Just be patient during cycling and don't go crazy trying to put fish in there either. Just think goby - just about all will be ok a 12 gallon nano, and won't need something bigger 2 years from now. Most other fish don't do all that well or will foul the water up with eating habbits.

With THAT said, live rock is a MUST for these things - they do 'filter' the water and buffer your system with all the stuff alive on and in the rock. If all you do is pick up a brand new tank from the LFS and mix some salt and dump some fake coral decorations and crushed coral substrate in there and expect a fish or coral to live in it in a few days, you will probably be disappointed, and have wasted a lot of money.

Also, since water quality is such an issue in these tanks I only use distilled or RO water to top off the tanks evaporation, or mix the new salt. I have not had any problems with my methods. Some LFS will sell 5 gallon containers, and even fill them with RO water for a small fee.

 

[resiak]

I was actually thinking about a 5g with no fish; just LR and corals. Maybe with a 5g sump. Does this change anything?

Thanks for the replys,
Dan

 

[abnmojo]

I would go with the JBJ systems. They are a lot better now, the bugs have been worked out mostly. You can get little skimmers that sit on down in the filter part as well, and other than that there is nothing else to buy. They are the least expensive route for a decent size, decent lights, and decent filter system and it is all built in.

If you have bit more money to spend, look at the M-tanks. They are really nice, if you can find them in stock anywhere. You can get them with MH lights, and the built in trickle filter is wild.

If you are DIY on this, I would just be real careful. My little experiment worked out fine, but with a tank this size, it does not take much to royally mess it up. One simple thing like temp in the corner of the room where the tank is can do it, but that goes for all of them.

The one thing about nano tanks is that there is no 'wrong' way to do one, this part of the hobby is wide open to experiments and change. Whatever works for you is 'right'.

Fish can be really good for a system with corals in it. Think fertilizer and more random water flow. Plus keeping pod population in check, there are more ups than downs with a very small fish. 5 gallon, I would think a neon goby or two. Just some flash for the tank.