New nano tank?

[WUTABUZZ]

i am not really new, but my wife got rid of my last reef tank. i had a few fish and shrimp and lots of softies. i have a bit of knowledge but i need more as always.
i am thinking of going small and getting a 12 or 24 gallon tank. either the nano cube or the aqua pod.
i want a live substrate with lots of live rock. i will probably add a small power head for more current. i maybe want one fish, probably a mandarine. they are low maint(with good water) and won't be destructive. do i need a shrimp for scavaging in such a small space? what about snails? i want to try some hard corals. can a small tank handle this or not? the 12 nano has 48 watts. the 24 aqua has 64 watts.(not quite enough) the back of the tank will have a nano skimmer. not gonna have a refug.
i really want to get a tank but space is limited with all of my wifes stuff. haha so that is why i am downsizing. please help with any suggestions and ideas to make this a successful nano reef.
i am leaning to the 12 with 48 watts. has plenty of light for all corals. thanks

 

[bertoni]

You could grow a number of low-light stony corals in a setup like that, I think. Trachyphyllia or Caulastrea might be two corals to consider. This book is helpful, IMO:

[ericsbook]

I wouldn't put a mandarin in a 12g or 24g tank since they often eat only live food, and thus tend to need a much larger amount of live rock. I would guess you'd want a couple of snails for cleanup, but you won't need a shrimp.

There's a nano forum here on RC. That's probably another good place to look for information.

 

[WUTABUZZ]

what type of small fish would you recommend? i know that 3 to 4 watts per gallon is recommended for most corals. how much would i need for other hard corals?

 

[bertoni]

Well, sun coral (Tubastrea) doesn't require any light, for example, although they're a bit harder to keep. There are many corals that don't require a lot of light. You could also look into the nano tanks with built-in metal halide lighting or perhaps consider setting up your own system with a MH fixture, although that'd be more expensive, I think.

For a 12g tank, some neon goby fish or a similar species would be fine. A 24g would hold percula or ocellaris clowns.

 

[WUTABUZZ]

so no on the sps corals? only lps or softies? i kinda wanted to try sps, but if it won't work, don't wanna waste money or kill em.

 

[funman1]

Yeah don't waste the dough.. Save it for a bigger tank or upgrade the nano to MH

 

[WUTABUZZ]

the aqua pod 24 gallon has an option for a MH but it is only 70 watts. the compacts are 64 watts. is there a big difference or would i need a bigger MH?
tell me about your nano....please

 

[WUTABUZZ]

what about clams?

 

[bertoni]

The lower-light clams might be okay, but they will outgrow that tank eventually. Not an issue if you don't mind trading the animal for a smaller one, etc. The clam forum is the best place to go for advice on those animals.

MH is a point light source, so it probably has better penetration for high-light corals. I'm not sure I'd try it, though, but I don't have much experience with such animals.