Nano Tank EcoPico Reef Ready with 3 LED Strips

Hey guys,

I'm looking to buy a nano aquarium for my girlfriend. I see the EcoPico Reef Ready with 3 LED Strips has a very nice modern look while being functional and efficient. My question is do any of you have experience with this tank? is the lighting enough for some LPS and soft corals? In addition, what about a skimmer? The pictures on their site shows a great nano reef in the EcoPico without a skimmer and I find it hard to believe someone can keep a reef looking like that without a skimmer or sump. I'm also afraid a hang on skimmer will destroy the EcoPico's simple presentation and modern look. Any ideas?

Or is there any other nano aquariums you all might recommend??

 

hey i have that tank and i am setting have had it up for four months it is really great....and yes the filter is good mine is not as far along but all my levels are good and my only coral (lol) is great.....
I dont have any other filtration besides the filter however.....i am buying a filter that is a hang on wet dry system because i want some more flow and the filter it comes with wont last it is good for 6 months to a year...
but i got a new hang on canister filter with biological, chemical,and mechanical filtration....it is great and built for nano only 30 bucks ill attach the link

great kit for saltwater i think...
a little small
but good

Canister Filters: Rapids Mini Canister Filter at Foster & Smith Aquatics

thats the filter

 

I've got one one going right now. The light is good for my zoas and star polyps but in about a week I'm upgrading to a par38 bulb from reefbreeders so I can have Lps and maybe 1 Sps. Some Lps will do fine with the light it comes with but will thrive with a better light. I'm not getting myself into any harder to keep corals yet as I want to get the params as stable as possible by practicing stable water changes. I don't feel like a skimmer is that important in such a small tank. The filter it comes with is fine as long as you rinse it every once in a while. As long as you don't slack on the maintenance (half gallon water change every week you will be fine) I would focus more on keeping everything stable during maintenance more than anything because as I learned, things can go downhill very fast in such a small tank. A big pro of the ecopico is the glass lid. It slows down evaporation alot. I think it was a very good buy and I really enjoy it.

 

These tiny systems are VERY hard to keep stable.It is best to keep them simple.Not something I would recommend for a beginner. Anything under 30 gallons can be a handfull even for an experienced aquarist.
I would say in this case bigger is definitely better.
How about a Pico with a Betta??:-/

 

man i didn't want to read this i wanted to put one in my dads house he THINKS he knows everything about saltwater but he really doesn't haha but me on the other hand ive been back in the hobby for 3 years strong did it mainly with a standard 55 gallon but now im in the 60 gallon cube.

But do you think that i could make this work? i want to set it up let it do its thing let my dad buy what he wants and what not (maybe diy or buy a upgrade led light) i make my own RODI water and have 155 gallons of salt mix sitting in the garage for my tank and i could always take 5 gallons of my established water and a piece of my rock to start him off correctly all my stuff has been in my tank for 3 years all rich in coralline.

i just think by using my main tank it would be easy to start and maintain a ecopico with regular weekly water changes i dont even think you would need to think about a sump. i dunno let me know what you think.

 

I also started in the saltwater hobby with a 20 gallon tank, however do note that i've had freshwater tanks almost 6 years before that. But it was challenging in the start. But once you start learning, you'll be able to keep down the nutrients, which is a BIG problem in nano reefs. My 20 gallon reef (Which is a pretty good size, and cheap aquarium imo) is the Aqua-Medic Blenny. I'm not sure if its available in stores in America yet, but i've seen it on english websites before. This tank is great. It comes with a powerful skimmer, that is very effective and doesnt need to be changed. It also comes with a bag of carbon, and some extra supply of it aswell, and a great pump that makes a belting and effective water flow, that your tank will stay healthy and clean. Also, it comes with very powerful LED lighting, that is specially made for photosynthesis (It has a very high PAR) and its 3 different spotlights, so you can focus on different areas on your tank, allowing you to aquascape in many different ways. But, again nanos are not for beginners. They can be quite of a challenge I would reccommend starting with soft corals, since they thrive very well in nano reefs, do to their low maintenance. Eventually think about Kenya Trees, Finger Leathers, GSP's, or any other soft coral that are suited for beginners. You can go the LPS way to, i would reccommend Duncan Corals, since they are not very picky with water parameters and food. It grows pretty quickly, but not to quick either, and it has lots of movement and coloration. Oh, and did i mention? This tank has an amazing and sleek design. It has a sump in the back, where all of the equipment sits, and lamps will hang over the aquarium and look unique. Its definitely a very decorative and sexy look aquarium Hope you find out which nano you would like to buy, but i can definitely reccommend the Aqua-Medic Blenny. Good luck!