ok i have a 5 gallon and a ten and a 20 gallon tanks im tinking of making one of them in to a salt water nano reef tank what do i need and what do i need to do 
5 gallon salt nano tank
- Thread starter aquaman5000
- Start date
ok i have a 5 gallon and a ten and a 20 gallon tanks im tinking of making one of them in to a salt water nano reef tank what do i need and what do i need to do 
A salty tank that small it will be mainly focused on corals and not fish. Look for some small power compact fixtures like this
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=599
You will need to find some live rock and sand. Since the tank is so small just go with 100% live on everything instead using base rock or dead sand.
Also look into a large HOB filter and have it act as your refugium. Aquaclear filters are great for this. You could fit some macroalgae and rubble rock for extra filtration. It is also a great place to hide a heater. You may or may not need powerheads if you decided to go with a large HOB filter. It will depend on what you want to keep.
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=599
You will need to find some live rock and sand. Since the tank is so small just go with 100% live on everything instead using base rock or dead sand.
Also look into a large HOB filter and have it act as your refugium. Aquaclear filters are great for this. You could fit some macroalgae and rubble rock for extra filtration. It is also a great place to hide a heater. You may or may not need powerheads if you decided to go with a large HOB filter. It will depend on what you want to keep.
agreed. A small system is going to require more care on your part, but it can and has been done. Patience is also a requirment, but with a little time and effort, and you can a have a very nice nano.
The small PCs are perfect for a tank 20 gallons or less. Id preffer T5s but go figure, they dont make them for any tanks less then 24 inchs in lenght. about 8 lbs of LR in the 5G would be fine, and about 15 lbs of Live sand, should be more then plenty.
I would strongly consider a way to purchase RO water for this tank, because the smaller the tank, the better the water is going to have to be. Filtering is harder, Skimming wise because most skimmers designed for nanos, are not the most efficient things you can spend your money on.
around 4-6 weeks for a cycle and get some coral in there, and you basically have a finished tank. As mentioned, a 5G tank, is not suitable for fish. If you were interested in fish, the only ones that would be okay in a smaller setup would be clown gobies and watchman gobies. Shrimp will also work, and if i dont say so myself, a good one to start with would be the fire shirmp, AKA emperor shrimp.
good luck, and remember, take your time, and research anything and everything.
The small PCs are perfect for a tank 20 gallons or less. Id preffer T5s but go figure, they dont make them for any tanks less then 24 inchs in lenght. about 8 lbs of LR in the 5G would be fine, and about 15 lbs of Live sand, should be more then plenty.
I would strongly consider a way to purchase RO water for this tank, because the smaller the tank, the better the water is going to have to be. Filtering is harder, Skimming wise because most skimmers designed for nanos, are not the most efficient things you can spend your money on.
around 4-6 weeks for a cycle and get some coral in there, and you basically have a finished tank. As mentioned, a 5G tank, is not suitable for fish. If you were interested in fish, the only ones that would be okay in a smaller setup would be clown gobies and watchman gobies. Shrimp will also work, and if i dont say so myself, a good one to start with would be the fire shirmp, AKA emperor shrimp.
good luck, and remember, take your time, and research anything and everything.
do a 20 gallon with a t5 light like this:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/209726/product.web
then you can keep corals and a few fish. plus it will look better being a bit bigger than a 5 or 10 gallon
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/209726/product.web
then you can keep corals and a few fish. plus it will look better being a bit bigger than a 5 or 10 gallon
sweeTang21;2571770; said:
they make t5s for less than 24 inches:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/236409/product.web
my next nano reef light haha im gonna do a 10 gallon setup (hopefully within a year haha)
thanks guys for the advice i think im going to go with the 20 i have a t5 coral life running on my 55 fresh water tank i just want more of a challenged lol i have fresh water down to a art now ! going to take my chances to learn salt
just do RO, don't screw around like i did. Sure tap is cheaper, but with the algae and crap I have to deal with and am getting under control now due to the extra nutrients and such....well just do RO water haha. Any other questions, just go for it, I am pretty new to salt, but I'm getting the hang of it and will help you with what I can. A good way to start is just start reading everything you can.
lol well i got some salt water form a buddy that did a w/c with his salt tank sooo hopefuly this old water will get me going lol im cheap