Nanoreef???

[Nanofish]

Hello, I been keeping planted tanks for years and decided that I would like to start a nano reef. I'm thinking of using my 2g fluval spec and I just ordered a wave point reef led light for it. I was thinking of using live sand no rock and coral maybe a small goby or something. Can I get some ideas? I know it's a small tank and hard to keep. What other things will I need first?

 

[Kentech5]

I would strongly consider an auto topoff for a tank that small. It will help a lot with instability due to evaporation. You can do a nano as a salty beginner but it does take some work. And really I would consider 2 gallons a PICO. I would be prepared for frequent water changes.


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[Nanofish]

What's a good ATO for a small tank?

 

[Nanofish]

What if I just add water daily?

 

[Breadman03]

What if I just add water daily?

That isn't ideal, but is doable. The reason is that all of your element levels swing in concentration due to the amount of water in the system varying.

 

[BeachVacationer]

I have a 5 gallon spec reef tank. With a 2 gallon you could do small shrimp, crabs and/or snails. Without live rock it would not as interesting IMHO. There's not enough room for fish. With a wave point led you could add a easy soft coral or 2. As for an ATO, I have a well known nano for mine but only use during vacation. This because I can do a better job by adding a bit everyday. I drew a waterline on the outside of the tank and everyday I make sure it doesn't fall below that. With an ATO, I noticed the water level drops about 1/4 inch before it kicks on. So my manual method keeps salinity stable better than an ATO. You can do 50% WC every week or so and it should be ok. You'll need to get a led dimmer and timer and adjust those to prevent excessive algae growth, especially if you add a coral or 2.

 

[Nanofish]

I also have an empty 3g but without a lid that I could use. I could probably put in a nice little piece or something of live rock. This is another idea I could move my betta out of my 5.5g bare bottom to my spec and use that tank for my nano reef.

 

[MrDemonicAngel]

on my previous nano (Fluval Spec V) I've used a Hydor Smart ATO. The sensor fit in the rear chamber nicely.

 

[zchauvin]

Using what you want is not a big deal. I had a 2g spec with wavepoint. Two pieces of rock and 1" sand bed. Did half of display worth water change every Saturday morning. Top off every 2-3 days with a cup of RO/DI. All I used was a small bag of chemipure. I had a green sinularia, frogspawn, and wallhammer. Tailspot blenny. All lived and were healthy.


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[zchauvin]

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[BeachVacationer]

Here's my spec v, been running for 2 years now.

View attachment 371792

 

[Rallos]

I usedAuto Aqua Smart ATO Micro in my spec V and it keeps the water levels rock steady and the sensor is only the size of a penny. I have bought several of these and love them! Best ATO I have used.

 

[Nanofish]

After seeing both those specs I'm going to use my fluval spec. How much water did you change per week?

 

[Nanofish]

Can I keep a clown fish in there? The orange ones?

 

[Rallos]

You "could" keep a small one but it's not recommended. You'd really need to be on top of water changes as any lapse in maintenance in a tank that small will only end in disaster. When I had my spec V I changed a gallon of water weekly and it worked well until my little clown decided to go carpet surfing while I was away.

 

[Nanofish]

It seems like a ton of work for a small tank. I'm feeling discouraged but I already ordered the light for it.

 

[zchauvin]

It seems like a ton of work for a small tank. I'm feeling discouraged but I already ordered the light for it.

Relax... it does not take any more maintenance than what you would do on any other tank.

I would not recommend a clown, and I bought 2.5g of premixed saltwater from my lfs and that lasted a month


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[Rallos]

That's why I usually advise people to go with the biggest tank that they have room/money for. Not only will you likely want to upgrade in the future if you start small, bigger tanks are more forgiving in terms of water change schedule and when you have a bigger water volume changes are more gradual.

 

[crazycolt42]

Hey Nanofish,
I have two Fluval SPEC's, the 2.6 gallon ones, for each of my daughters. Currently they each have one Betta in them. I do a 50% WC every two weeks and have to top off every 3-4 days with freshwater treated with Prime. I too have considered switching them both to PICO tanks. From the research I have done, (I tend to go by LiveAquaria's recommendation on minimum tank size), No fish, other than a betta, fresh or saltwater, is recommended in anything under 10g. Now, I have read people successfully keeping one single Goby in a tank under 10g, but you'll more issues with water parameters than with a fishless set-up. Softies and some LPS are typically not very hard to keep and are somewhat forgiving in regards to water parameters if provided correct lighting and temp. I do agree though that a clown would be a bad idea in anything under 20-30g for long-term health of the fish. The picture of zchauvin's tank is exactly what I am picturing for them since they are bored with their beta's. I am not sure what is best for filtration in a fishless set-up or whether to use a heater. My experience with these using freshwater, I definitely would set-up an ATO. Evaporation is crazy in ours! Good luck man and keep us updated. I'm not going to even try to set-this up until I have my RODI system hooked up.

 

[Nanofish]

My girlfriend said if I can get "nemo" I said don't know about that. Can I?