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HOT TIPS Column: March 2006 Issue of Advanced Aquarist

March's theme is "Nano Reefs." If you were to setup a nano reef tank, how would you do it? What tips would you have for someone venturing into this size of a tank?

Your tips and tricks will help new and existing reefkeepers and also helps to bring the hobby to the next level (plus it's just cool to get published in a magazine like Advanced Aquarist).

When published, your hot tip will have your username published (along with your real name if you so desire). Every month we will be running a new HOT TIP thread so stay tuned and help out when you can.

The staff at both Reefs.org and Advanced Aquarist would like to thank you for your continued interest and support of our online community, magazine, and services.

Let the submissions begin!

Best regards,

Reefs.org and Advanced Aquarist staff

[tinyreef]

get an automatic top-off unit (ATO).

the most critical piece of equipment imo. stabilizes the salinity due to evaporation that affects these small volume setups.

even if someone is diligent with their top-offs, a weekend away, illness, or holiday (especially for workplace nanos) could devastate a small tank by shooting salinity beyond tolerance from evaporation.

[wetworx101]

I disagree. For a nano, I would consider the use of a built-in-sump (like a nano-cube, M-tank, etc.. but one can also section off any aquarium to have a wall that makes part of the tank the dusplay, and the other part a sump/fuge) to be a great idea that allows the use of full glass tops and negates the need for an ATO. I see more and more people hacking up black acrylic sheets with teeth and holes for plumbing to do just this. I run two nanos like this, and the headaches are much less than with a seperate sump. Just look at the popularity of such products like the nano-cube and aqua-pod...it shows how popular of an idea this is.

I think a great product for nanos is the hydor flo. Cheap, very effective, and easy to use method for randomizing flow...nothing I couldnt live without I suppose, but still good.

My ultimate nano...??? A tank that would be at least 24" long for easy use of existing mainstream T5 or even PC technology. Smaller than this, and these lights either are too long, or harder to find in a good size.

I would do a built in sump...like this 15L...
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.p ... =74073&hl=

Then a DIY skimmer like this...
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.p ... opic=58540

What the heck, maybe a small ATO...
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.p ... opic=29093

[Jolieve]

Wow.. nano advice...

Be religious about maintenance. The size of these tanks means that they are NOT forgiving when water chemistry gets out of balance.

[tinyreef]

some other nano-specific advice would be to pay special attention to "nano-sizing":

look for "nano-sized" frags, sometimes "small" from the ols still isn't really nano-appropriate. there are a number of nano "specialist" vendors that sell appropriate-sized livestock though.

nano-sized equipment is an obvious bit of advice, e.g. microjets, minijets, or small heaters/general equipment as mentioned above

or one can utilize a closed-loop setup so that the water-moving equipment isn't so obtrusive (real estate is at an ultra-premium the smaller you go)

live rock also should be nano-sized or if necessary manually-sculpted to fit or aquascape appropriately/aesthetically

some equipment that can be used either in traditional/larger tanks and nanos include: turkey basters/pipettes/syringes, chopsticks, and tweezers.

if you go real hi-tech , get a stick. one can affix a paperclip or air-tube (i use rubber bands) to a chopstick or short dowel rod to use as a probe or vacuum/siphon.

lastly, probably as important as the ato (imo) is a fan or other cooling device. every nano will eventually have temperature problems without some type of cooling plan.

[LA-Lawman]

water change. water change, water change....

do not overstock fish. Have good flow and and even better skimmer.

[Amphiprionocellaris]

When getting live rock, check with your LFS to see if they have some spare "rubble." My LFS sells reef rubble that they collect over time from live rock shipments and coral losses. Rubble is not only a great size for a nano, but you can often get it a lot cheaper, too!

Also, if you're considering a nano, consider a species- or group-only display tank. Displaying only one species or group can really alleviate aggression (=less headache), and nanos can be the perfect size for those fish/invertebrates that aren't great for the reef anyway.