Nano opinions and questions

My friend is thinking about getting a 6.6 gallon nano cube; looks like the lighting that comes with it is about 3 watts per gallon with LED moonlights. Just wondering if anyone had any experience with small tanks and if you could give me your general opinion (worth it or not?) and what kinds of livestock you would recommend (would a black clown be ok?). Any help would be appreciated!

He def wants the small size for financial and practicality (will probably be moving in a year or so)

 

i've been starting out with my first nano, and found some helpful information here:
Nano-Reef.com - The source for nano reef aquarium information

there's some guide pages with recommendations for nano - appropriate livestock.

one book i can definitely recommend NOT to get is The Nano-Reef Handbook by Chris R. Brightwell. I got it from amazon as it was the only book i could find specifically about nano reefs. It's mostly an advertisement for products that i guess sponsored the book.

there's a nano reef group here on 3 reef www.3reef.com/forums/groups
there's a few people that comment there.

good luck!

d

 

I actually started with a 6 gallon Nano cube from JBJ and I love it. I am actually upgrading to a 12 gallon Nano Cube and donating the 6 gallon to someone who wants to get into marine aquaria. I know nano tanks scare some people off and I might have just been lucky, but it was very easy to take care of I just didn't put anything in that was sensitive to environmental changes.

 

I started a 10g nano and think it's the bomb, yo (that's modern talk out of a 44 year old). Seriously, I love it. I have a mated pair of Ocellaris clowns, one turbo snail and a small crab that I could not bear to throw away (came with my LR and I didn't want it in my main tank). I know......suckerrrrrrr. They are definitely worth it. They follow a few different rules compared to their larger counterparts and they are much more sensitive to change obviously, but nothing beats a nano that is put together right. Not even the big tanks IMHO.

 

Just IMHO, I would stay away from the "cubes". Just get a plain tank and equipment separately. It will save you time, money, and frustration down the road. If your going for a reef tank, nearly everything that comes in those "packages" will need to be replaced anyways, so why not just do it right the first time?
This is coming from someone who just got a 14 gallon bio-cube to build into a nano-reef. The lighting, flow, filtration, all are inadequate and need to be replaced/upgraded. If you take all that away, what are you left with? A 14 gallon tank, and nothing else, that you just paid $200 or more for You know what a plain glass 14 gallon aquarium goes for? about $30

 

Dude's got a point.

 

Yup! Packleader nailed it! K+!

 

I agree and disagree. I ran a 5g cube for 2 years before upgrading to my 20g. It was easy to care for and maintenance was quick. Everything that I had in it lived fine and it looked really cool when it was fully stocked. In the hands of an expert a nano that small (I would call it a pico) can look spectacular.

On the other hand, the coral selection is very limited because both filtration and lighting are problems. Originally I ran a 10watt coralife 50/50 fluorescent. After awhile I really wanted more light so I put in a second 10watt coralife 50/50 and that helped. I was able to keep frogspawn and torch corals, along with mushrooms, kenya tree, button polyps, a green finger leather, and some zoanthids. Water quality stayed surprisingly good but soon the whole thing became overstocked--another drawback.

My advice is this: if you are new to the hobby, cubes are great because they are easy and they lend themselves to beginner-friendly livestock. If you are looking to put together a densely packed reef wall with SPS and clams, and you know how to do so, go with custom tank setup.

 

the only fish i would put in a nano less then 10 gallons is a clown goby. but i feel free to have some inverts. i don't think the shrimp really care about having room to wander around.

 

hmm thanks for the info guys. Im also thinking about getting one for my mom. She used to do salt water but isn't looking for the commitment of a big tank. I dont think shes interested in going hardcore reef so i think im just going to get her one of the cubes; ive seen options for lighting upgrades for them, so i'll check it out. (I'll tell her to be careful with her coral choices if she takes that route).