What is a nano reef?
A nano reef is basically classified as:
A nano reef is basically classified as:
"Any marine reef tank less than 10 gallons in volume"
Some people may consider 20 gallons nano reefs as well, but for the sake of argument, we will remain with the "under 10 gallon" rule. Nano reefs have gained popularity over the past few years-and it's easy to see why! These tiny tanks take on their own persona and become quite zen-like in time. I have heard of many people claiming that keeping nanos is much simpler than keeping larger reefs. I remember one story quite vividly of a sister who had never kept fish in her life. She has sucessfully kept a nano reef going on her own for two years (at least when the story was written). Coming from a freshwater background and only having kept saltwater fish in a low cost tub, it seems a bit more difficult. Of course, once you get to understand the chemistry involved and the requirements of the livestock you plan on keeping, then the maintenace should be easy.
The interesting thing about nanos is that they do not follow many of the reef conventions that have taken hold of the saltwater community. For instance, lighting requirements in a nano are much more vague than in tanks above 30 gallons. The basics are this:
While this may seem like a lot of equipment, it really isn't. The costs can be kept down by purchasing these items over a period of a couple months. By doing it this way, you have plenty of time to research and convince yourself that this is really where your money should be going.
Generally the most common of all conventions in fishkeeping is, "Stability increases with tank size," meaning that the larger the tank, the larger the volume. The larger the volume, the more water toxic chemicals can dilute in. With nanos this rule is broken and smashed into itty bitty pieces. While it is very easy to overstock a nano, and chemical changes occur faster, it does not mean that animals cannot live, or even thrive in a nano. Most of the common sized nano tanks are 2.5 gal, 5.5 gal, 10 gal, and 15 gal. Personally, I find the 5.5 gallon a perfect size-with room to expand to a 10 gallon if need be. The choice is entirely up to you. I've seen a wonderful looking nano that was fit into a 1.5 gallon cube-incredible!
With many other tanks, placing a heater is the simple process of looking up you tank size and getting that heater. Once again, nanos would like to differ. Choosing a larger wattage, such as 120 watts for a 5.5 would greatly increase the chance of having a much more stable temperature. The heater will be able to heat the smaller volume of water quicker, and thus, maintain temperature easily. It is also a known fact that submersible heaters are much more economical and efficient than the cheap hang-on types. So, when purchasing a heater, make sure that the heaters are of higher wattage than your tank and that they are submersible.
A good quality hydrometer and a thermometer is a necessity. Without this tiny piece of equipment, you will never know the salinity of your water. Keep in mind that these hydrometers are calibrated at different temperatures than in your tank.
The use of a high quality synthetic salt is a must. Many people have found InstaOcean and InstaReef to be the best salt around. They claim that their salts remove metals and chlorine from the water. I have used their salt before and I will continue to do so in the future. I would like to try some of that InstaReef salt-there is supposed to be trace elements and calcium in that one!
When we are keeping nanos, the main concept behind it all is the Berlin Method. What we are actually doing is a slight modification on the theme. The Berlin method basically is this: with a large live sand bed, plenty of live rock, and a powerful skimmer, reef tanks can be kept much easier and with much greater success. When they talk about powerful protien skimmers in the Berlin method, they are not talking about skimmers with colums about two feet high. They are talking about skimmers that are six feet high or more! Obviously we could not attach such a larger skimmer to our tanks, but the concept remains the same. We are also using high powered lights to stimulated the coral growth, which is important if we want a healthy reef.
The airpump is just as important as the protien skimmer. In fact, the airpump is what makes the protien skimmer worth it. When purchasing an airpump remember that you are driving a protien skimmer, not another airstone. Try to get as much power as possible when shopping for one. I strongly recommend the TetraTec Deep Water series. Not only are they silent, they are powerful.
The lighting system in a tank should be dependant upon the types of animals you are keeping. If you were going to concentrate on mushroom corals, then strong powerful lighting is not necessary (though they do appreciate a well lit tank). If you wanted to keep any of the SPS, LPS hard corals, you would need high power lighting. Even if you wanted to keep those amazing giant clams, you would need at least 50 watts on a small tank. There are many prebuilt lighting systems on the market, but for those of us on a budget, building one is much cheaper and more fun! First, determine the types of animals you are keeping. Low lighting would be around 2 watts per gallon, where as high lighting would be about 5 watts per gallon. If you are keeping clams, then any combination to reach 50 watts at least.
I would strongly recommend Power Compact (PC) flourecents. They are cheap, small, and powerful. They need to be replaced about once a year, so expenditure on these types of systems are extremly low. A great supplier of do-it-yourself lighting kits is AH Supply. They have wonderful service and some really excellent prices. On a 5.5 gallon with giant clams, I would suggest two deluxe bright kits from AH Supply. This will be a total of 52 watts per gallon. Also, make sure you get daylight bulbs and blue lights. Anything above 5400K is a good bulb for daylight. All blue lights are roughly the same. (I have two blue and two 6400K bulbs on my tank.) Also, if you don't feel like working with wood, AH Supply sells some really nice hoods for a pretty cheap price.
A saltwater test kit is a "must need" item. Without this important piece of equipment it would be impossible to find out what is going on with your water. The basics include pH, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. You will also want a kit that can test calcium levels, phosphates, and if you have lots of shelled critters, iodine. The cost of a kit is minimal and it's return is immesurable. Two words: Get one.
Many companies push their additive products as necessary, but for us nano keepers, they are not quite as important. The fact that we provide weekly water changes replaces many trace elements and keeps the chemicals in balance. There are some items that you will need regardless. pH buffer, which keeps the pH at 8.0-8.3 is necessary as well as calcium supplement. If you are growing corals, they will need a high calcium level for growth. Some sort of microfeed is necessary for filter feeders.
There are very few reef tanks out there that do not utlize a wonderful product called Selcon. This is a vitamin enrichment solution for all animals; from brine shrimp to corals. You can drip it on the food, or drop it directly into the tank. The vitamins in Selcon are the difference between a mediocre tank and one that sparkles with vibrant color and robust health.