NANO questions

[dragonfish]

Hey yall i am looking to start a nano and i got a couple questions of how to start and the ins and outs of a NANO.
1. What makes a Nano tank different from a regular?
2. Is a good starting size for a nano 3 gals?
3. Do you still use Live sand and LR for a nano?
4. What are the best type of fish for a NANO?
5. Is the filiter system what makes a nano salt water compatable?

I will appreicate the help!

 

[damselsrck]

1. What makes a Nano tank different from a regular?
A nano is usually a tank under 30 gallons.
2. Is a good starting size for a nano 3 gals?
I think that is a little small..or, no fish should be in that!
3. Do you still use Live sand and LR for a nano?
yes
4. What are the best type of fish for a NANO?
Usually small inactive gobies are good. Really depends on the size of the nano
5. Is the filter system what makes a nano salt water compatable?
It is going to be the exact same as a larger tank, only less of everything. It will be harder though to keep a nano's parameters stable than in a large tank.

 

[dragonfish]

:thinking: So if i already have a 5gal tank that i got at wal-mart should i get rid of it to switch over to a nano?

 

[damselsrck]

What size tank do you mean by "nano"? A 5-gallon is a nano. Do you want bigger or smaller? My opinion is in saltwater the bigger is always better.

 

[dragonfish]

Well when i search NANO tanks it brings up tanks with like a tri-filter system in it and i thought there was a difference between my tank and a nano?

 

[fedukeford]

Originally Posted by Dragonfish
Well when i search NANO tanks it brings up tanks with like a tri-filter system in it and i thought there was a difference between my tank and a nano?
all nanos are different, the kind your talking about i think is an aquapod (a newer kind of nano) that has a built in filtration unit and pump, so yes there is a difference, you would have to buy filters and the sort

 

[dragonfish]

Is there a guide to getting started with a nano??

 

[newbercube]

I wouldn't go smaller than 10 gallons for a salt-water nano...the smaller the tank the less it can handle the "bio-load" of fish. Plus I dunno about you but I like the idea of having 3+ fish in my tank with a 5 gallon you'd be pushing it with two.
A simple guide would be (and this is how I got started)
.75lbs of Live sand or aragonite per gallon of water.
1lb of Live rock per gallon of water.
Put the sand in, put the rocks in, mix your salt and water together OUTSIDE of the tank. Dump the water in. Put water in your filter then turn it on. Let the tank cycle for about 3-4 weeks (filter on with nothing in it) you can either put a damsel or two in to start the cycle or some people have said to put a cocktail shrimp from the grocery store in and let it decompose. Once a few weeks have gone by start testing the water, you can get some test strips or a test kit from your LFS or petsmart, ***** whatever. Once the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate all drop to zero you should be ready to start adding fish, coral, inverts, to the tank. Hope this is what you are looking for.