opinions about nano reefs

[HammerLover]

Before I setup my very first nano reef, I've been reading a lot of articles and forums about nano reefs, particularly the 10-15 gallon sizes.

All articles state different views on nano reefs. Some favor it because some people have done nano reefs succefully, even as small as 2.5 gallon. Water changes is much cheaper, and the costs for equipments will of course be much cheaper as well. Of course there are many more pros and con's of nanos that were said but most cons can be handled with proper stocking and good husbandry.


Even though lots of people keep nanos and lots of articles favor them, a lot are still not in light with nano reefs. The small amount of water, with fluctuations of Ph, salinity and temperature can be a very stressull and unideal environment for corals and fishes. A lot have also stated that nano reefs cannot work for long term because of its unstableness.

As a college student I'm just limited to a 10 gallon reed and I just cant do more than that. My 10 gallon reef was going well for 3 months before crashing due to a powerhead failure. I know people will chime in saying that my tank was an example how unstable a nano reef is but my tank went for 4 days with no powerhead. I'm sure even with larger setups that can cause some fatality in the tank. In the 3 months of my tank my corals had been happy and my fishes were fine. Some green coralline was already starting so Ill take that as a good sign as well.

I know 3 months isn't enough to prove anything but if can a nano reef last long term? I wanted to make my system last for yeas and I'll do my best for it since its the only thing I have for now. I've seen people saying they aren't comfortable placing any fish in a 10 gallon due to its small size, but is it really impossible?

My tank is already finish in its mini cycle after the crash and everything is now going well. Some diatoms had been showing as usual and most of my fishes that I just added recently were fine. My first corals were a small torch coral and a cyarina. The cyarina immediately ate the next morning. Same with the torches. I don't know if I should still continue this reef or should I just stick to freshwater tanks for now. Lately Ive been feeling that maybe I should just give up for now and wait for awhile when I can have a much more larger and stable system. I really love reefing so much that I really have an allotted time for reading my homework on every coral I'll purchase ahead of time.

Thougts and opinions are welcome

 

[Joke]

Just take it like a normal tank but just remember small changes make large impacts on your tank. I would recomend an auto top off just for stability reasons.

 

[Tweaked]

Love Nano tanks and currently have the IM10 on my bar. Only recommendation I have is to get an ATO. This helps allot l with keeping the salinity stable.

 

[kmbyrnes]

I started with a 12g nano, and had it for 18 months. It was far more challenging then the bigger tanks that followed it. But for me, the size limited the livestock and I really like tangs and butterflies.
Restarting it is on the horizon again. Wife wants a small tank for her office. It will be fun to do it with a few more years of experience.

 

[HammerLover]

My 10 gal nano is progressing well
Now the only corals in the tank are two small heads of torch and medium sized cyarina that were both doing well. After an hour of placement they immediately opened up. After seeing more success about nano reefs I'm going to continue rebuilding up my 10 gallon reef. I'll post pics this weekend.

 

[mpderksen]

opinions about nano reefs

A 10 gal is totally do-able. I had a great one as my first tank for a few years before I upgraded. No protein skimmer, no ATO, no controller. Simple HOB filter (removed the bio-wheel) 1 small power head, added a heater and a light. I built my own LEDs since fixtures hadn't really been commercially available yet. I would rinse out the floss/carbon filter weekly, and replace it monthly. The key was water changes. I did 2 gallons every week without fail. No dosing, no supplements.
Isolated nanos are VERY different than tanks with sumps. 2 small fish a shrimp and a few hermits. Softies grew like crazy.
Today, if I did it, I would add some Marine Pure spheres in the HOB. Now I use it as my QT with the same equipment.
View attachment 343084

 

[HammerLover]

Thanks for the input mpderksen! I hope I can pull through my 10 gal nano c:

 

[mpderksen]

Go slow. Much slower than last time. It's rule # 1 in reefing: nothing good happens fast.

 

[HammerLover]

Go slow. Much slower than last time. It's rule # 1 in reefing: nothing good happens fast.

Thanks for reminding!
I only added corals before when my tank is 1 month old and I've done some shortcuts too like buying cured Liverock teeming with sponges, coralline and feather dusters.

Now I'll add one small coral every week or every two weeks

I'll post pics this weekend of my 10 gal

 

[saf1]

Less room for error but that doesn't mean it is a red flag. There is someone in the Nano forum that has a vase for a nano - doing damn well I might add.

Manage the tank for what you want to keep and make it happen. There are plenty of nano reefs and planted tanks that look amazing. Treat it like a large tank, plan, go slow, be smart, and you will be fine.

 

[mpderksen]

opinions about nano reefs

Given your experience, I hope you won't take offense if I offer some insights.
A month in a tank is like the blink of an eye. You are obviously excited, and are willing to read. That's great! But you need to define "slow". Some of the things that happen in a tank can take a full YEAR or more to stabilize. Coming from a freshwater background (discus, and African Cichlids) I was really shocked at the number of things that are intertwined and need to balance. To make matters worse, you change one thing, and something seemingly unrelated gets effected.
Plus, the Internet has some really bad advice that sounds good, but only worked one time so they think everyone should do it that way. There are about a dozen people on this forum that I constantly provide solid experience (I'm barely an intermediate). But if grun, Strickland, Snorvich, or D2mini chime in, among others, I listen.
I was a regular on Nano-Reef forum for a few years, and learned something new all the time. I would think, "I got this", and then I'd introduce a frag with bubble algae, or Aptasia. You're really never done learning. You may see in my recent posts, I added a BTA, and it's a completely new challenge for me.
Second, a nano has different challenges than a big tank with a sump. So if you read about "no water changes for a year" consider the ecosystem they are developing, learn the concepts, but don't think it applies to you.
Third, you can't beat nature or physics. While we may argue a deep sand bed, the truth is you can't keep a hippo tank in a 10gallon, no matter how small it is. And the calcium/Alk/Mg relationship is law. Etc. there may be a million ways to combat GHA, but some thing are just true for everyone.
It may drive you crazy, but I would recommend that you let your tank mature for a full 3-4 MONTHS, adding nothing new, and developing good maintenance habits. If you get the temptation to purchase a coral, take a deep breath, and go read up and ask questions. There's always another "perfect" coral you can get later.
Having been a successful nano guy for a few years, but making a pile of mistakes in the process, I know you can have a beautiful tank. But you can't have it by Monday. Killing things because you moved to fast will discourage you and drive you either broke, or out of the hobby.

Humbly,

Michael

Edit: the hammer in the lower left of my picture above is now the picture below in my 75g, but it took YEARS to get there.

 

[HammerLover]

Given your experience, I hope you won't take offense if I offer some insights.
A month in a tank is like the blink of an eye. You are obviously excited, and are willing to read. That's great! But you need to define "slow". Some of the things that happen in a tank can take a full YEAR or more to stabilize. Coming from a freshwater background (discus, and African Cichlids) I was really shocked at the number of things that are intertwined and need to balance. To make matters worse, you change one thing, and something seemingly unrelated gets effected.
Plus, the Internet has some really bad advice that sounds good, but only worked one time so they think everyone should do it that way. There are about a dozen people on this forum that I constantly provide solid experience (I'm barely an intermediate). But if grun, Strickland, Snorvich, or D2mini chime in, among others, I listen.
I was a regular on Nano-Reef forum for a few years, and learned something new all the time. I would think, "I got this", and then I'd introduce a frag with bubble algae, or Aptasia. You're really never done learning. You may see in my recent posts, I added a BTA, and it's a completely new challenge for me.
Second, a nano has different challenges than a big tank with a sump. So if you read about "no water changes for a year" consider the ecosystem they are developing, learn the concepts, but don't think it applies to you.
Third, you can't beat nature or physics. While we may argue a deep sand bed, the truth is you can't keep a hippo tank in a 10gallon, no matter how small it is. And the calcium/Alk/Mg relationship is law. Etc. there may be a million ways to combat GHA, but some thing are just true for everyone.
It may drive you crazy, but I would recommend that you let your tank mature for a full 3-4 MONTHS, adding nothing new, and developing good maintenance habits. If you get the temptation to purchase a coral, take a deep breath, and go read up and ask questions. There's always another "perfect" coral you can get later.
Having been a successful nano guy for a few years, but making a pile of mistakes in the process, I know you can have a beautiful tank. But you can't have it by Monday. Killing things because you moved to fast will discourage you and drive you either broke, or out of the hobby.

Humbly,

Michael

Edit: the hammer in the lower left of my picture above is now the picture below in my 75g, but it took YEARS to get there.
View attachment 343192

Thanks for the input!

Yea I've been very excited with my tank. If the crash wasn't counted my tank now would be almost 5 months old. Since it went for a mini cycle after the crash I've been slowly going through it.

I just added my corals last weekend and they have been doing fine for this week. I do 50% water change a week with NSW (I just add a bit of salt since the SG is 1.019) and my tank is quite fine. My corals before responded positively with NSW than premixed ones.

Sorry if I've been rushing ^^ I'll take this process as slow as I can