Daft Nano Question

[Bob999]

Hi everyone

I've been doing a bit of reading as I'm thinking of getting a marine tank - probably a nano.

As with a lot of people I imagine, 'all in' setups like the Orca TL550 are of interest - the thing is, every thread I read about any 'all in' nano setup, no sooner has the person bought it, they upgrade/replace/add pumps, filters, lights etc - to the point that I have to ask - is it just better/cheaper to buy a tank and all the bits separately rather than buy an 'all in' setup then seemingly have to replace all the working parts anyway to get it up to the job.

Are my thoughts in the right direction or have I missed something? (I'm assuming I have or why would people still buy them?)

Would love to hear people's thoughts on this.

Cheers

 

[simonas]

Hello pal and welcome to the forum

I ran a river reef 94 litre until last week had it about two years and Ive now got a Jewel 180 Rio. If you can afford to and have the space get the biggest tank you can afford as I can assure you, you;ll want bigger better corals and fish. The nanos are great and I was very happy with the look of mine but now Im a little more experienced I want better corals that require more light and an anenome who requires the same

Im still a beginner with basic knowledge but theres so much science to it that if you wish to delve further the possibilities are endless.

I can only recomend a marine reef as they are fab to run and look amazing

 

[lljdma06]

You can keep sps & Lps in picos & nanos. Smaller anemones can be kept too, like the maximini & minimaxi carpet nems & probably flower nems too as the tank matures. The lighting isn't the main issue, many picos can be lit well, maintaining the water chemistry is. It's harder, doable, but harder, especially if you've not much experience with fish keeping.

If you get an AIO, get a used one, preferably with all the mods already done. Haha! My Biocube is a tricked out tank with quite a few very specialized modifications that would typically fetch a hefty price tag. Also look for an AIO that's about a year or less old. Easy to find, as Simon says, people like upgrading down the road.

I've got both types of tanks. Both are doing well. I love the look of my Biocube, but I'll see six months down the road if it grows corals as well as my pieced together 8g does. Both are 8g.

L

 

[Bob999]

Thanks for the replies.

I am a bit torn as to what size to get. I fancied nano first, larger tank later - but might be better to do it the other way round - ooh - decisions - but lots more reading to do before we get that far.

Critters and corals was what I mainly wanted to start with. I love critters - crabs and shrimps

I'm keeping an eye out on ebay for tanks near me (rare) - if I see something nice at a good price I may just buy it and stare at it in the corner of the room for a few months before daring to use it

 

[steelhealr]

I've run a Nano cube now for over 7 years. I made multiple modifications. If I did it all over again, honestly, I would get a 20 gallon long. IMO, it's the best nano tank around. Design it the way you want. Simple. Clean. Adaptable. You do it YOUR way, not the manufacturer's way.

A 20 gallon long keeps it nano-sized. It has less depth than a high allowing greater light penetration. The length allows for some great aquascaping vs. the quintessential 'clump of rocks' we see so often. A wide array of lighting options is available.

Finally, the only daft question is the one not asked.

Have fun.
SH