Thinking of starting a Nano

Hey there everyone. This is my first post on the forums and I thought that in the proccess of saying hi to you all, Id ask a question too.

Now, Ive been keeping Tropicals now for years, over 20 infact. Currently, I have a 8gal tropical tank in my bedroom and was thinking of turning it into a Nano Reef. Im a little bit uneasy about it though and unsure of how to go about it.

Ive never kept marines before and would appreciate any help in setting up a nano, IE how to make my first setup and any tips that you might have for me. Wouldnt mind having a clown fish and anenome in it if that is possible, but I dont know, which is why I am here.

Any help that you could give me in the way of advice and setting up a small reef would be greatly appreciated.

 

To 3Reef!!!​

Certainly possible, here is pic of my 12 gal nano with two clowns and couple of small anems.

However a nano is tough to start out on. They need lots of attention, and some knowledge to set up and keeping going.

Lots of information here on starting a new reef tank.

Using a tank that one housed fresh water tropicals can cause some problems if you ever used copper based meds in it.

Don't mean to deter you, but recommend you start out with a larger tank before taking on a nano.

Feel free to ask any questions want. We like helping anyone who has an interest in getting into this hobby/art.

The Tao of Marine Aquaria
Tips for Our Hobby and Life

© 1997 Adam H. Whitlock
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan 11/25/00











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Thanks for the pictures. Well, I have never used any meds in my tank, they have been very healthy ever since I set up the tank, never had a problem.

As to getting a larger tank, Im limited on room and budget, so a nano is more what I am looking for. Dont get me wrong, Id love a big 100gal tank, but havent the room, which is why Im looking at setting up a nano tank.

 

Go for it.

Go to your LFS, get some sand, live rock and salt mix and you will be on your way.

 

It really matters what type of livestock you want to keep. Softies, polpys, and mushrooms will do fine in a 8g nano. Anything else and I would recommend going a little bigger. My first reef was a 10g, and it needed constant attention. Also, keeping water parameters perfect was very hard. I also became a total addict, and I stepped it up to my current setup and incorporated a sump/refugium. This helped greatly. I am also limited on space (my reef is setup in my bedroom for crying out loud). The difference in space from a 8g to a 20g-30g isn't much, but stepping it up will make a big difference when it comes to options and ease..

 

Oh yea, I would also recommend reading every thread on this website, sucking up so much info your head might explode. I did, and it got me out of a lot trouble.

 

welcome to 3reef. nanos ar fun but can die from something as simple as a sponge going bad and poisoning the water.a bigger tank can take more abuse,all that water delutes it.i like nanos though.

 

my daughters 10 gallon with sump.i'm trying to learn to post photos right on here.

 

OKay, my head hurts already. What is LFS? Stupid question I know.

Also, what the heck is a Sump and whats it used for?

Heh...Im a bit thick it seems.

 

Hey Carl Welcome to 3Reef.

You have a challenge ahead of you. I've kept a 370G, 75G 40G, 10G reef tanks in the past and by far the hardest was the 10G.
But Nanos are all the rage and a lot of fun to keep (My wife wants one)

First LFS is Local Fish Store. A generic term for places to spend all your money
A sump is a secondary tank to house all the mechanical hardware to run the system like you see in Ziggy's post on the bottom. Sumps are plumbed into the display tank.

A 20G Nano is a great size. I would start to think about how to light it, if you want an anenome they require intense lighting. I will assume you will just have a hang on filter/skimmer and skip the sump for now.

J