nano tanks... more trouble than they are worth?

[fishyfoofoo]

My lfs guy tells me he had one that was a 6 gal, and it was more of a pain than anything else. Convince me otherwise, please! I would love to start one.

[Burks]

Your LFS guy might not be as knowledgeable as he acts like.

If a nano is so hard, a pico should be nearly impossible. Either I'm a lesser god of fish keeping or keeping a small reef tank isn't as hard as people claim it to be.

Just use some common sense about it. Good livestock selection, filtration, lighting, etc and most importantly a maintenance schedule and you'll do just fine.

Is it harder than a large tank? Possibly. I can't say for sure as I only have one tank. But I can say this, my 3g pico reef has given me a LOT fewer problems than my 40g planted FW tank.

Just read up and ask questions. Libraries have excellent books on the subject and you have numerous forums like this at your disposal. Some people might go nuts if you ask a simple question....ignore them.

[lando]

I have a 12gal nano and a 2.2gal pico. If you set them up properly, take your time and perform regular maintanance they are very rewarding. Not sure what the guy at your LFS was doing wrong...too bad he is giving out poor advice.

[macman7010]

Nano tanks like any aquarium require proper set-up and husbandry. Sadly, nano-tanks require much more maintenance on a more frequent schedule then larger marine systems. That said doing a weekly or twice weekly water change on a 12 gallon system is arguably easier then doing a 20-40 gallon water change on a 90-120 gallon marine system once a month.

IMO Nano-tanks do require more attention to detail, more frequent checking of water parameters and more water changes though they are not necessarily difficult to keep if done right and are certainly not more trouble then they are worth.

[SPARTAN VI]

Above all, don't forget this is a hobby! It's supposed to be fun right? I'm doing constant PWCs on my FW tank, but hope to never see this turn into a chore.

[fishyfoofoo]

Thanks, I think I will stick to my original plan of investing in one of these nanos!

[Ferret_Friend]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN VI

Above all, don't forget this is a hobby! It's supposed to be fun right? I'm doing constant PWCs on my FW tank, but hope to never see this turn into a chore.

I'm actually giving up on freshwater because of this. It's too easy to overstock a freshwater tank, and it seems that saltwater fish (in my limited experience) are far more resistant to less than perfect water conditions than my freshwaters.

But, that could just be inexperience talking. I've only been doing this for 18 months.

[SPARTAN VI]

Originally Posted by Ferret_Friend

I'm actually giving up on freshwater because of this. It's too easy to overstock a freshwater tank, and it seems that saltwater fish (in my limited experience) are far more resistant to less than perfect water conditions than my freshwaters.

But, that could just be inexperience talking. I've only been doing this for 18 months.

Inexperienced here as well. The only reason why I'm doing constant PWC is because I didn't do enough research and stocked too soon. Now I found myself attempting to cycle this tank with fish. Currently 3 weeks into it.

[Ferret_Friend]

Spartan, my first fresh tank was that way. I had a 29 gallon tank with over 25 fish in it less than a week after setting it up. I was told to give the tank a few days to cycle (while nobody explained to me what that actually meant), then to go ahead and stock things up. So, I'd get a fish, then it would be a schooling fish, so I'd get five or six. Then I'd get another fish that nobody tells me will grow three feet long even though they know I have a 29 gallon, amongst other things.

At first, I really liked the overstocked tank because there was so much activity. The crowdedness caused the schooling fish to school. The more territorial fish found themselves homes and defended the homes fiercely, and it was a such an active tank. I loved it. Within a couple of days though, fish started dying. I was doing PWC's left and right with the bucket method going up and down stairs one bucket at a time. It was just downright awful. Once the tank leveled off in terms of deaths, I still had too many fish in there, but inexperience let me think it was all ok.

After a year and a half, I JUST brought my rainbow shark back to the pet store. Reducing the number of fish in the tank while adding plants and better lighting kept things far more stable. Chemical levels were still higher than preferred, but the fish were doing fine. The problem was, I was on that sensitive edge. One small fish died, and I didn't see it for nearly a day. The ammonia spike killed another, and a domino effect ensued. I went from a dozen small fish and two medium fish to two small and two mediums because of the die off. My 6 inch pleco, my five inch rainbow, a guppy, and a small chinese algae eater were the only survivors.

The last die-off was mostly due to a lack of free time. I literally had no time to do any kind of PWCs, so my tank that was living on the edge crossed the line, and the chain reaction destroyed it.

Thankfully, saltwater has been going slowly. I've had two fish for a couple of months now, but one got eaten by my cat. So, now just the clownfish, some live rock, and a couple of snails that I recently discovered (thinking they were some kind of sea slug no less!) are it. I'll be moving in the next couple of months, so that tank will stay underpopulated. Once I move, I want to do more. I want this to be a reef tank. I'd like to get another royal dottyback, because Skittles was awesome. I have to wait though.

Fishkeeping has taught me one thing. It has taught me patience. I also find that when a tank is truly finished and how I want it, it's a nice sense of accomplishment. Most people look at a fish tank and go "oh, that's nice." Those of us who know all the hard work and precision that goes into creating a stable environment that also looks nice are the ones who really appreciate it.

I could spend the rest of my life just setting up fish tanks. If I ever get rich, I'll be doing fishy things all day every day. I've become addicted to fish. I couldn't imagine not having any fish now that I've had them. I would have to at least have a betta bowl for lack of anything else.

I <3 Fish.

[Nikkiheartsfish]

I have a 12gal nano and a 2.2gal pico. If you set them up properly, take your time and perform regular maintanance they are very rewarding. Not sure what the guy at your LFS was doing wrong...too bad he is giving out poor advice.

Your LFS guy might not be as knowledgeable as he acts like.

Not exactly sure why that'd be considered poor advice, or even unknowledgeable. Everyone has their own personal experience. His idea of a "pain" may be your cake walk. We all have different "pain thresholds" for maintenance. That is why we have such a diversified and interesting hobby-- people have so many different experiences to share. Give the archetypal "LFS guy" a break once in a blue moon

[SPARTAN VI]

Originally Posted by Ferret_Friend

Spartan, my first fresh tank was that way. I had a 29 gallon tank with over 25 fish in it less than a week after setting it up. I was told to give the tank a few days to cycle (while nobody explained to me what that actually meant), then to go ahead and stock things up. So, I'd get a fish, then it would be a schooling fish, so I'd get five or six. Then I'd get another fish that nobody tells me will grow three feet long even though they know I have a 29 gallon, amongst other things.

At first, I really liked the overstocked tank because there was so much activity. The crowdedness caused the schooling fish to school. The more territorial fish found themselves homes and defended the homes fiercely, and it was a such an active tank. I loved it. Within a couple of days though, fish started dying. I was doing PWC's left and right with the bucket method going up and down stairs one bucket at a time. It was just downright awful. Once the tank leveled off in terms of deaths, I still had too many fish in there, but inexperience let me think it was all ok.

After a year and a half, I JUST brought my rainbow shark back to the pet store. Reducing the number of fish in the tank while adding plants and better lighting kept things far more stable. Chemical levels were still higher than preferred, but the fish were doing fine. The problem was, I was on that sensitive edge. One small fish died, and I didn't see it for nearly a day. The ammonia spike killed another, and a domino effect ensued. I went from a dozen small fish and two medium fish to two small and two mediums because of the die off. My 6 inch pleco, my five inch rainbow, a guppy, and a small chinese algae eater were the only survivors.

The last die-off was mostly due to a lack of free time. I literally had no time to do any kind of PWCs, so my tank that was living on the edge crossed the line, and the chain reaction destroyed it.

Thankfully, saltwater has been going slowly. I've had two fish for a couple of months now, but one got eaten by my cat. So, now just the clownfish, some live rock, and a couple of snails that I recently discovered (thinking they were some kind of sea slug no less!) are it. I'll be moving in the next couple of months, so that tank will stay underpopulated. Once I move, I want to do more. I want this to be a reef tank. I'd like to get another royal dottyback, because Skittles was awesome. I have to wait though.

Fishkeeping has taught me one thing. It has taught me patience. I also find that when a tank is truly finished and how I want it, it's a nice sense of accomplishment. Most people look at a fish tank and go "oh, that's nice." Those of us who know all the hard work and precision that goes into creating a stable environment that also looks nice are the ones who really appreciate it.

I could spend the rest of my life just setting up fish tanks. If I ever get rich, I'll be doing fishy things all day every day. I've become addicted to fish. I couldn't imagine not having any fish now that I've had them. I would have to at least have a betta bowl for lack of anything else.

I <3 Fish.

Patience is definitely something fish keeps will need! Man, this isn't a hobby you can literally jump right into.

Happy to say my overstocked tank has completed its cycle with the help of Bio Spira. 9 fish, all under 1.5" long so far, so they'll be able to live like this long enough for me to get a bigger tank.

Surely wont be doing the same thing with my nano reef.