Nano Tanks Are Smaller But Do They Need Less Work?

A nano marine aquarium is one which at the smallest end is around 10 gallons capacity and at the largest around 30. They can be fish only or reef, but of course the capacity for fish and corals is restricted.

Most aquarists dream of an aquarium which is large – 6 ft by 2 by 2 is a fairly common size. These allow a larger number of fish to be kept and many more corals. The impact of a successful large aquarium is simply stunning; I cannot imagine anyone who breathes not being taken by the overall beauty.

The advantage of the large aquarium is that the aquarist has a lot to play with and, within guidelines, could create nearly anything. The disadvantage is the cost. The aquarium itself is not going to be cheap. Then equipment to service the gallonage is required = a larger protein skimmer, several and in the case of a reef more powerful lighting, more live rock, larger heaters, larger chiller etc. Stocking the aquarium will be more costly – more fish, more rockwork, more corals in more seawater. The cost goes on – dry salt for routine seawater changes, electricity costs (electricity becoming more expensive in particular). So buying a large aquarium needs some careful forethought. Going over-budget and cutting back on routine maintenance is not going to enhance the likelihood of success.

For many a large aquarium is simply just a non-starter. This is usually because of cost but can also be because there isn’t a location to keep one. In these cases all is not lost; a smaller aquarium can be just as interesting and far less costly to obtain and keep.

The apparent downside is that there will be less fish or other livestock. Clearly fish need to be suitable to the captive environment and corals need space to grow. If fish only are to be kept then rockwork is needed to provide homes. Live rock will not be so expensive. The fish kept will be small types. A shrimp could be added. Lighting is not a problem. This environment for fish will be interesting and could be beautiful, the rocks aquascaped to make the most of the space available. Watching the fish settle in and become accustomed to their home is very satisfying. There aren’t any aggressive large fish to cause the small ones to be timid so they’ll be seen often.

If the aquarist wants a reef then it is obvious that it is going to be small. A reef of live rock can be constructed in a small aquarium, though the smaller ones look better with just three or four larger rocks carefully arranged. Fish choice is limited to one or maybe two small ones as seawater quality must be high and fish place the greatest pressure on this. The choice of corals must be completed cautiously, as large corals are not best placed in small aquariums. However, soft or hard varieties could be kept with their number restricted and positioned with care. Suitable lighting is required of course, and in a small aquarium it is more likely that fluorescent T5 tubes could be adequate. If metal halide is used, then bulb wattage will be minimal thus reducing running costs.

That is the biggest advantage, running costs. With smaller heaters and lighting system etc electricity will not be the potential monster it could be with a large aquarium. Routine seawater changes will not be many gallons so dry salt will last a long time, and supplements likewise if used.

A nano aquarium could be constructed piece by piece by the aquarist, or alternatively there are now a good few companies marketing ‘plug in’ versions. With these the aquarist will have less time to wait for the aquarium to be ready for livestock, though that prerequisite for marine aquarists – patience – remains important.

So the nano aquarium is less costly to run and stock, but what about ongoing maintenance? All the jobs of the equivalent large tank, fish only or reef, have to be completed. The routine seawater change needs to be done (but being less gallons a smaller and more manageable container is suitable). The lights need to be changed at recommended intervals (the cost will be less). Seawater parameters require routine testing as on a large system (no difference). The aquarium glass needs to be cleaned regularly (being smaller the job will take less time). Livestock needs to be observed for health (there are less so this also takes less time). All the jobs of the large aquarium are needed, there will not be a saving in this (except in cost), but the time the jobs take could be less overall.

There are some really lovely nano aquariums about. They admittedly do not have the impact of a large display, but get down in front of them and they suggest a small part of a reef. The beauty is not in any ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ but in the detail that develops.

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Is A Nano Tank Suitable For Beginners?

A beginner is more likely to make mistakes than when some experience has been gained. That is true for most things including keeping a marine aquarium.

A larger aquarium, as large as can be fitted and afforded, has always been the normal advice to a beginner. This is because if the aquarist makes an error with, say, an additive there is more seawater to absorb the error. Also, if the fish are overfed, which is a common ands understandable mistake, the effect on the seawater will not be so severe so quickly. Routine water changes should be being done, but nevertheless water quality would suffer. In addition, a larger volume of water is less subject to variations in outside temperatures. If warm weather arrives then a small amount of water will heat up more quickly than a larger amount.

As Peter once put it, a spoonful of sugar in a cup has more effect than a spoonful in a bucket.

Overall, I suppose the larger aquarium is still the better choice? I am no longer so sure. Surely no aquarist is going to apply an additive to the aquarium without reading the instructions to obtain the application dose rate. If overfeeding occurs, then a small aquarium will have less fish than a larger one and so the danger from overfeeding would be evened out maybe. The question of water temperature increase hasn’t changed of course.

There are advantages to the smaller aquarium. A beginner may be tempted to skip routine water changes now and again, as they take preparation and need a fair bit of salt for a larger tank. A Nano is easy, as the gallonage involved is small, so there’s no problem with preparation, storage or application.

Another thing about the small aquarium is that it is cheaper to set up. If the beginning aquarist wants to see how it goes for a while then the outlay is minimised. Also there is less to look at, so attention is drawn to the fewer livestock in the tank and any problems are more likely to be seen.

So, as said, I have mixed feelings. There are many beautiful tanks, big and small. Some of the big ones are stunning in their impact. Many small ones are beautiful in their detail. Also many new aquarists do keep small aquariums and succeed.

So, if anyone asks me ‘What size aquarium should I go for?’ my response is likely to be two questions: how much room have you available, and what do you fancy?

Is the ‘largest tank’ advice out of date?

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Does A Nano Reef Need A Protein Skimmer

Nano reef aquariums are now very popular, because their size means they can be fitted almost anywhere in the home, and there are ready built systems that can be matched in to the home décor. Nano reef systems are small, meaning that they can be anything up to a net 50 gallons. Some are very small, only 10 gallons or so.
[Read more]

Nano Systems – They’ve Been Categorized – But They Still Need Looking After

We all know what is meant by a nano system, don’t we? It’s a very small marine system of, say, 10 gallons or less that is dedicated to a fish or two, and a piece or two of live rock.. That’s right, isn’t it?

Well, no, it isn’t. It may be that I’m uneducated (and I’m not saying that possibility is unlikely!). A nano system is now placed into any of three categories.

First of all, the nano is a system under 50 gallons. I’m not sure if this refers to the gross or net capacity of the aquarium. [Read more]