Aquariums?

[Unannounced Fart]

Bumping this old thread instead of starting a new one.

@Unannounced Fart - I'm thinking about starting a nano reef tank. Any advice?

Ah, it's probably been about 10 years since I've been in the hobby. And the technology has changed so much and I've forgotten a lot about reef keeping. You can get lots of great advice by reading the forums at reefcentral.com. I learned so much from that site when I was setting up my tank.

My best advice is to be very patient when you first cycle your tank, i.e., making sure the chemical balance is correct and establishing the proper amount of bacteria. Therefore, read up on the proper way to cycle a tank. It's so tempting to add fish and coral right away, but that will lead to disaster, so you need to be patient. If you cycle it properly, then maintaining the tank isn't so bad.

Also, the margin for error in a nano tank is smaller due to its size, so you have to be a little more patient when it comes to maintaining it, at least in the early stages. Once it's established, it's a lot easier to maintain. I remember there used to be all-in-one setups that you can buy that contains basically everything you need for an easy setup. It includes the tank, pumps, lighting, etc., all in one.

Since you want a reef tank, you have to decide what kind of corals you want, i.e., SPS corals or LPS corals. For a nano tank, you probably can't have a combination of them because they won't be compatible with each other in such a small space.

Once it comes time to fill your tank with creatures, you also have to research them. Some corals will "fight" and actually try to kill each other... some fish will eat your corals... there's nothing worse than seeing a cheap $20 fish munching down on a $200 coral you just bought. So you have to make sure everything you put in is compatible with each other.

I don't know your level of knowledge in this hobby, so sorry if my info is too basic. Anyway, good luck with your setup, a good reef tank is a very rewarding and fun!