which kind of tank?
- Thread starter greggy
- Start date
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10k
Guest
I am currently running a 5g nano-reef and it's the most fun yet. It's a little more work though. Good Luck! 
reeferx
Member
How mini is mini?
I am partial to the 30 gallon long (see pics of mine thru link below).
I also like the 40 breeder tank.
But if you want something really small, there are plenty of acrylic tanks out there in the 5-12 gallon range with built in filters. Pick up an issue of 'Freshwater And Marine Aquarium' magazine to see the latest ads on those kind of tanks.
matt rogers
<a href="http://www.threestepstoareefaquarium.com/myreef.htm" target="_blank">http://www.threestepstoareefaquarium.com/myreef.htm</a>
I am partial to the 30 gallon long (see pics of mine thru link below).
I also like the 40 breeder tank.
But if you want something really small, there are plenty of acrylic tanks out there in the 5-12 gallon range with built in filters. Pick up an issue of 'Freshwater And Marine Aquarium' magazine to see the latest ads on those kind of tanks.
matt rogers
<a href="http://www.threestepstoareefaquarium.com/myreef.htm" target="_blank">http://www.threestepstoareefaquarium.com/myreef.htm</a>
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10k
Guest
Haven't heard anyone say anything about that particular one. Mine is a stand alone with a skilter rigged with an airstone and dual pc retro. Keep in mind this is a coral only setup. I am currently growing a cup frag out in this tank. It's a blast!
iswimwithmyfish
Member
my first sw tank was a 6g eclipse acrylic. I only had 1 clownfish and live rock. i think it looked nice, but was difficult to maintain. <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />
iswimwithmyfish
Member
my first sw tank was a 6g eclipse acrylic. I only had 1 clownfish and live rock. i think it looked nice, but was difficult to maintain. <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />
marek
Member
I in fact even currently have one 6 gal eclipse... I guess the only difficult thing about it so far is the insane water evaporation speed... my of my, right now its like a half gallon daily. Algae and such isn't a big problem when enough snails and emerald crabs are introduced...
take care..
take care..
kelly
Member
Greggy,
I bought myself a 7gal bowfront to start the new year. I upgraded the lights to 28W PC lighting, and it is now starting week 5 of the cycle. I did not add any LR from my main tank, just used a silverside to start the cycle. I added about 2" of fine aragonite sand and about 13lb of dry CaribSea rock. Evaporation is minimal. I really like the look of the tank, and it sits right next to my computer. The only problem is when I try to connect to the internet, and if the light is on, I get a slower connection speed.
The tank should finish the cycle in the next week or 2, already have a minor diatom bloom. I can hardly wait to start adding stuff from the main tank. I went with this tank for 3 reasons: 1 - it is glass. 2 - It comes with a hood that was easily retrofited for lighting. 3 - I like the looks of the tank. I have seen 2 of them at different pet shops, and had to have one.
I plan on adding corals like mushrooms, xenia, yellow polyps, a small gorgonian, button polyps, frogspawn, star polyps, maybe a colt coral, leather corals, and some razor caulerpa. I would like to get an orange cup coral if I can find a nice piece also. If I add fish, maybe a firefish or something similar in size.
You should check out nanoreef.com. They have retrofit kits, and even some tanks with sumps in the back. They also have a forum for their members.
Hope this helps.
I bought myself a 7gal bowfront to start the new year. I upgraded the lights to 28W PC lighting, and it is now starting week 5 of the cycle. I did not add any LR from my main tank, just used a silverside to start the cycle. I added about 2" of fine aragonite sand and about 13lb of dry CaribSea rock. Evaporation is minimal. I really like the look of the tank, and it sits right next to my computer. The only problem is when I try to connect to the internet, and if the light is on, I get a slower connection speed.
The tank should finish the cycle in the next week or 2, already have a minor diatom bloom. I can hardly wait to start adding stuff from the main tank. I went with this tank for 3 reasons: 1 - it is glass. 2 - It comes with a hood that was easily retrofited for lighting. 3 - I like the looks of the tank. I have seen 2 of them at different pet shops, and had to have one.
I plan on adding corals like mushrooms, xenia, yellow polyps, a small gorgonian, button polyps, frogspawn, star polyps, maybe a colt coral, leather corals, and some razor caulerpa. I would like to get an orange cup coral if I can find a nice piece also. If I add fish, maybe a firefish or something similar in size.
You should check out nanoreef.com. They have retrofit kits, and even some tanks with sumps in the back. They also have a forum for their members.
Hope this helps.
fshhub
Active Member
to answer your question, the larger the base of trhe tank, the easier they are to maintian, especially when you take into consideration everyday evaporation, your water ahs to reamin the same constatly with anano reef, so evaporation could cause a major swing in chemistry, since only the h2o evaporates
PLUS, the larger footprint(l x w) has a larger bio filter to go with it
but i have seen 2.5 gallon nanos and nano reef .com has 3/4 gallon, so anythign is possible, but for a first, tank, i would suggest looking at the largest you can possibly go with(length x width)
HTH
PLUS, the larger footprint(l x w) has a larger bio filter to go with it
but i have seen 2.5 gallon nanos and nano reef .com has 3/4 gallon, so anythign is possible, but for a first, tank, i would suggest looking at the largest you can possibly go with(length x width)
HTH
kelly
Member
Greggy,
Yes it is considered a nano-reef, but I purchased it from my local AGWAY, the recently bought out one of our local fish stores. The 7gal bowfront if I recall rightly is made by All Glass Aquariums, and should be available from most pet shops. I have seen them in Petland, *****, and other stores.
From what I have read, anything up to a 20 gallon tank falls into that category.(personally I do not think of a 20gal as a nano though.) As Fshhub stated, the larger the footprint, the better the bio filter. I really like the looks of this tank, and the hood fits rather well keeping down the amount of evaporation.
Since I work from home at my computer, I can see what is going on in the tank all day long, and can monitor it's progress. The percentage of evaporation seems to be a little higher, but then I am running a hang on filter on the back. I plan on modifying a skilter 250 and replacing the 10 yr old canistar filter that is currently on it. I will probably add a small powerhead after it completes the cycle.
Again best wishes and dont forget to check on the nanoreef site.
Yes it is considered a nano-reef, but I purchased it from my local AGWAY, the recently bought out one of our local fish stores. The 7gal bowfront if I recall rightly is made by All Glass Aquariums, and should be available from most pet shops. I have seen them in Petland, *****, and other stores.
From what I have read, anything up to a 20 gallon tank falls into that category.(personally I do not think of a 20gal as a nano though.) As Fshhub stated, the larger the footprint, the better the bio filter. I really like the looks of this tank, and the hood fits rather well keeping down the amount of evaporation.
Since I work from home at my computer, I can see what is going on in the tank all day long, and can monitor it's progress. The percentage of evaporation seems to be a little higher, but then I am running a hang on filter on the back. I plan on modifying a skilter 250 and replacing the 10 yr old canistar filter that is currently on it. I will probably add a small powerhead after it completes the cycle.
Again best wishes and dont forget to check on the nanoreef site.
B
bsharp1313
Guest
What is a 3 gallon