Mini Nano Tanks???

[sandlot13]

Okay, so recently at my local saltwater store, i was talking to the guy who ran it and he mentioned that he had a .5 gallon tank! This blew me away, so i started looking into it....... apparently its not as uncommon as i thought. So anyways, my question to you guys is what do you know about these mini tanks. It shouldnt be to hard to set up a 1 or 2 gallon tank, right? Just put in some live sand, live rock, a few soft corals or polyps, maybe 1 or two fish and just stay on top of weekly water changes...... nothing to difficult. Anyone have any experiance with these tanks and any tips for me. Ive been into the hobby for about 6 months now and have a 37 gallon tank already, so i kinda know what im doing, just looking for some tips and tricks. thanks for helping!
tanner

 

[scubanoah]

no fish, but some polyps and shrooms, some crabs maybe a shrimp depending on how big you go. very hard to maintain water quality.

 

[marco333]

Originally Posted by sandlot13
It shouldnt be to hard to set up a 1 or 2 gallon tank, right? Just put in some live sand, live rock, a few soft corals or polyps, maybe 1 or two fish and just stay on top of weekly water changes...... nothing to difficult.

No its very hard to keep a small nano. And no fish can be kept in a nano that small.

 

[sandlot13]

It can be done....... the guy at the local fish store has one that he has a small goby with two pieces of leather coral. Apparently no one else has tried that though

 

[tuningvis]

Originally Posted by sandlot13
It can be done....... the guy at the local fish store has one that he has a small goby with two pieces of leather coral. Apparently no one else has tried that though

of course it can be done... and has been done before... but IMO it is not what we are in this hobby for...
we should not try and see what fish we can cram into a lil cup
we are here to sustain the longest life possible for the creatures .. this means giving the best enviroment possible.
and if you are not out to provide the marine life with the best enviroment.. you should maybe seek another hobby.
pushing limits in smaller tanks is what kills marine life... and should not be done.

this is all just MO and i dont mean to flame anyone.

 

[sandlot13]

your point is very well taken fellow fish lover......... that was not my intention at all (to see how small of a tank i can make), but was curious as to whether it could be done. and if i do make one, i probably wont even put any fish in it and just use it to grow polyps or something of that sort. sorry if you misread my intentions

 

[tinyreef]

look around under 'pico reef' and if you really want small 'femto reef'. the smallest viable reef i've seen was around 0.3-gal.

 

[fallinmor]

i got a one gallon goin fer about 3 weeks now and i got a hi fin shrimp goby a tiger pistol shrimp and a black clown goby it's doin fine and if u put lr in it urgood to go. it's a little hard to find lighting to fit in a small hood like impossible. but other then that they aren't hard to maintain so far it's been easier then my 20 gallon.

 

[littleliza]

Yikes!! all that in a one gallon??? Those poor fish! I'm just starting a 12 gallon and couldn't imagine putting in that many, plus having lr taking up space... can they turn around???

 

[scubanoah]

1 gallon w/ LR,LS, or whatever substrate ur using, plus whatever else u might have in there(treasure chest, diver w/bubbles, shipwreck). all that leaves u with about 1/2 gallon of water, not near enough keep a fish alive and well for any significant amount of time. they will die! IMO u need at least 5 gallons of water to keep the smallest of fish alive and healthy.

 

[bang guy]

Hey Tanner,
I know I was a bit too forward on a previous post toward you. At least I think it was you :notsure:
Pico tanks are fairly uncommon but they can be done. I'm in agreement that a fish isn't a good idea but you can have some really entertaining tanks without fish. Mysid Shrimp, Amphipods, mini-Anemone, sprig of algae are all good candidates for Pico reef tanks and they can thrive in that environment with the right combination of animals.
If you get a cheap rheostat connected to a simple halogen desk lamp you can light the tank and control the temperature at the same time.

 

[fallinmor]

ok in response to those who say fish in a one gallon can't be done it can be u just need to watch them more then the bigger tanks both of the fish in mine r less then half an inch each. yes i agree they can't be in for a prolonged period of time but they r in there untill they get bigg enough for my 20 gallon. but if u plan on doing a small tank with like a fish in it go with a clown gobie they stay small and don't swim much.

 

[tuningvis]

wow .... where did anyone say it cant be done...
i can stick a shark in my 10 .... that "can be done"
do you feel special that you have a fish in a 1 gallon?
you shouldn't ... it's not right... and you should prob not do it.
what is your reason for putting a fish in there?
do you have LR, LS ? like stated above those things can decrease water volume by 50% or more!!!
just think of how this fish feels ... they use to have a whole ocean... but nope.. not they get a tablespoon of water ...
happy reefing..

 

[bang guy]

No need for flames. Just state an opinion and feel free to explain your opinion.
I think it's a mistake to add a fish to a tiny tank but it's just an opinion. I prefer to use marine aquariums to reduce stress. Worrying about a fish in a marginal environment does nothing to reduce stress in my world but to each his own.

 

[marco333]

Originally Posted by fallinmor
i got a one gallon goin fer about 3 weeks now and i got a hi fin shrimp goby a tiger pistol shrimp and a black clown goby it's doin fine and if u put lr in it urgood to go. it's a little hard to find lighting to fit in a small hood like impossible. but other then that they aren't hard to maintain so far it's been easier then my 20 gallon.

You have only had that tank up for three weeks, and you have three fish in it???
You should have it up for two months and after that maby put one small fish in it.
use some common sence and save your fishes lives.
And putting a little live rock into a tank dosn't make it good to go...

 

[tuningvis]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
No need for flames. Just state an opinion and feel free to explain your opinion.

noted Dr. just gets a lil frustrating when he's boasting about it ..

 

[scubanoah]

I'm with ya Tuningvis, very frustrating when people blow off much needed help. just trying to help keep people who do blow off the help from giving bad advice.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by tuningvis
noted Dr. just gets a lil frustrating when he's boasting about it ..
I understand. I have the same affliction.

 

[sula]

I saw one of those tiny reefs on display at the LFS checkout counter. I thought Gee, that would look cute on my desk. So I asked the guy what they did to keep water quality up. He said "Daily water changes". Not weekly, daily. And I'm pretty sure it just had corals, no fish.
That changed my mind real quick...

 

[sandlot13]

ive done a little more research on it....... Picotanks are not as uncommon as most people think, but as you all have been discussing, not many people recommend fish. Some say it works, some say it doesnt. Either way, its a great piece of desktop ocean for those that take proper care of them. It can be more work, but from what ive seen, if done properly, its just as "easy" as larger tanks. Lighting has been proving to be difficult to find, at least to find one that will fit the kind of tank i want. Thanks for your comments everyone, it was interesting to see other peoples persepectives
tanner
PS - I am asking for a JBJ 6 gal for my birthday....... any comments on those tank systems at all??? thanks