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View Full Version : What kind on nano tank is the best!


Carrera75
11-26-2006, 11:34 PM
I am looking to purchase the best 12-14 gallon nano tank and the best options seem to be: :idea: :idea: :idea:

Option # 1
14 Gallon Oceanic Bio Cube. Includes: Integrated Wet-Dry bio-filter. Dual action cartridge and pump included. Built in surface skimmer Coralife Lighting 24 watt 10,000K & 24 watt Actinic 03 2- 3/4 watt Blue LED moon lights

Option # 2
Aquapod 24 Gallon 2 - 27W Power Compact, Lighting system-has one 27 watt Dual SunPaq Daylight, one 27 watt Dual SunPaq Actinic and two Nocturnal Blube Lunar lights, cooling fan. Integrated filtration system-submersible pump, mechanical sponge filter, ceramic media, bioballs, activated carbon.

Option # 3
JBJ 2 x 24 Watt CFL Lighting
50/50 (10k/Actinic) Bulbs Included
Nite-Vu LED Moon Lights
Remote Electronic Ballast w/ Disconnect
Includes Dual Cooling Fans
Built-in 3 Stage Filtration
Improved Modular Surface Skimmer Intake
Directional Return Nozzle
Flip Top Canopy for Easy Maintenance

All these tanks sell for about the same price.
I would like to keep a 2 or 3 small fish and some low light corals. I currently have 2 freshwater tanks but Im totally new to saltwater fish tanks. I would really appreciate to get some advice from you guys. I think there are some very knowledgeable people on this site.

Looking forward to receiving advice from you guys.
cheers:biggrin:

nanoreefer
11-27-2006, 12:19 AM
hello i have the boicube 8g and like it quite a bit(i wish i would have gotten the 14g though:() witch ever tank you get you will need to mod it some, for my biocube i took out the bioballs and filter cartrige(bad for SW tanks)i then used a razor and cut off some of the black paint on the back so i could put a light on it and keep macro algea in the second chamber with some LR rubbel, you will also need to repace the pump that comes with any of those tank sence it wont be enough flow realy for SW tanks(iam replaceing mine with a maxie jet 600 i think)or add another powerhead if you want, on the aquapod i heard that they can get quite hot and that fans arent that good plus they have only a small opening on the top so you will have to open the entire lid to work on the tank witch can be annoying for you and corals, i think the JBJ nanocube is pretty mutch the same as the BC 14g but i think the lights cords are all one so you cant put them on diffrent timers but i could be wrong, also there was an issue with the nano cubes cracking!!.

personaly for the 200$ i would get the biocube 14 and do some mods too it and get the extra water volume but thats just me:)

a good place to look for info is nano-reef.com

i have crabs
11-27-2006, 02:08 AM
i bought the 29g biocube and its sweet sofar had a stornger pump and blulbs from the 8g or 14g modles

zanew33
11-27-2006, 02:54 AM
u should skip those and go for the bio cube 29gal its awsome for what u pay a the pump u dont need to change.

Pan
11-27-2006, 04:01 AM
i like cadlights nano tanks personally....should take a look at em.

Carrera75
11-27-2006, 04:39 AM
Thanks for sharing all your knowledge and opinion with me. I have been doing a lot of research trying to find out nano tank works best for me. It is a very hard decision as there are so many options out there. All your opinions/advice are welcome.

cheers
:biggrin:

Flusher
11-27-2006, 10:53 AM
I'd say forget the pre-built nanos. A lot of them need to be modified anyway, which is a waste of money, IMO.

You could buy a 20-25 gallon tank for pretty cheap, drill it, and add a sump/'fuge using another tank (like a 5 gallon).

I built my own "cubes" and they turned out pretty good. I'm going to drill my smaller cube in two places so I can get rid of the overflow tube and the powerhead hose. mops.ca sells decent glass drill bits for pretty cheap, and they work.

Here are some pics. They're a bit dated, so my tanks look a bit different now. (Don't bother with the Lee's skimmer or the Current USA Nano skimmer.)

13.5 gallon display w/ 4 gallon sump:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/Flusher/nano-black.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/Flusher/nano-topless.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/Flusher/sump-nocover.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/Flusher/woodtrim3.jpg

6 gallon display w/ 2 gallon sump:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/Flusher/mantistank1.jpg

Pieces I used instead of drilling the tanks:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/Flusher/sumphardware.jpg
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Farrmanchu
11-27-2006, 12:30 PM
There you are Flusher! Flusher-built Nanos ROCK, SW or FW. But if you're not a DIY type, the Biocube is great, with the mods mentioned above. A box of water is all you need, the lighting and flow are the important parts. My Wife's Nano is a 10 Gal. with a Whisper Mini HOB filter(LR rubble only), and two mini powerheads in tank. 2 Coralife 50/50s (20 Watt each) screw right in to the stock canopy. There's also a 50 Watt heater. Total cost of all her equip. was around $200.

Flusher
11-27-2006, 12:36 PM
There you are Flusher! Flusher-built Nanos ROCK, SW or FW.

:mrgreen: Thanks. I've been busy lately with other hobbies...
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Carrera75
11-27-2006, 04:19 PM
Your tanks is awesome man, I wish I had the skills to build one but Im not.:cry: Originally I wanted to buy a 10 or 15 gallon tank to start my own tank from scratch. Although, when I found out how expensive the lighting can be I thought that it would be easier to buy a nano deluxe or biocube as these 2 come with the right lighting and look pretty sleek. Buying just the tank would about 10/15 dlls and then the lighting would be over 100dlls and I don't think it would look as nice as the nano deluxe or biocube.

I know some of you guys have made some changes to these tanks but I wonder if the original equipment that comes with these tanks is good enough to set up a saltwater tank. I looked at somebody else's nano on saltwaterfish.com and all she has is the original older model 12 gallon nano deluxe with only 36 watts. She didn't change anything and her tank looks amazing. Her tank has been running for over a year and I was glad to see that a simple set up like the nano deluxe can work well.

check this girl's nano:
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=226080&page=1&pp=50

let me know what you guys think.
cheers:biggrin:

Flusher
11-27-2006, 04:27 PM
That looks good. Lots of low-light and hardy soft corals and LPS.
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Der_Iron_Chef
11-27-2006, 04:36 PM
*drools over Flusher's nano* :biggrin:

guysmiley
11-27-2006, 04:42 PM
I was thinking of the same nano cubes a couple of weeks ago.

I didn't buy one but instead picked up a used 37 gallon tank, stand and MH light. It cost less and it's so much better.

Garrick.

Carrera75
11-27-2006, 11:59 PM
I don't have the space for a big tank. Also, I believe that the bigger the tank the more expensive it is as more live rock and live sand are needed among other things. I would like to have 3 or 4 small fish with hardy corals that do not require lots of light.

I have been reading lots about how to set up a nano and apparently it is possible to have a beautiful lookingnano without using a skimmer. The filtration owuld be done with live san, live rock and weekly water changes. Is that true?

cheers

niloc16
11-28-2006, 12:12 AM
i did a 10gal nano with no skimmer and only 2 clowns, 4 snails, live rock and some corals and did weekly water changes. i fed very little and still you get the macro algae growing quite good eventually. after that i would recommend a skimmer. just my opinion though

albert_dao
11-28-2006, 05:21 AM
You shouldn't need to spend any money on mods for the BioCubes. I have one on my front counter and it's pretty damn sharp...

Carrera75
11-28-2006, 06:22 AM
are you using a skimmer? how big is your biocube? what kind of fish do you have? cheers

Stab_Master_Arson
11-28-2006, 07:43 AM
The good thing with nanos is you can simplify. I have sinced stopped running my filter all together. I purchased a skimmer simply because I am anal.

THe way I had it originally, I had the tank, lights, heater and a powerhead. That is it. I have also started adding the seachem pack goops just recently as well.....because I'm anal.

Farrmanchu
11-28-2006, 12:04 PM
That girl's Nano that you posted the Link to is nice. Notice how most of the Corals are brownish or greenish? Those colors typically require less intense lighting. Usually the brighter the Coral's color, the more intense lighting is required. So wheather you mod the Biocube or not, Coral selection will directly affect your results. If you want to keep some cool soft Corals, low light/flow may suffice. If you want super bright colored LPS, or SPS, intense light/flow is required.

albert_dao
11-29-2006, 07:17 AM
Here's the store 14 BioCube (stock lighting, added a SEIO 620 and a 25 watt Stealth heater):

Tank

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/1778/nano4on2.th.jpg (http://img154.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano4on2.jpg)

Moonlights

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/6545/nano1mi6.th.jpg (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano1mi6.jpg)

Colorful-ish corals

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/8853/nano2al8.th.jpg (http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano2al8.jpg)

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/4820/nano3nl5.th.jpg (http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano3nl5.jpg)

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/6746/nano5zw2.th.jpg (http://img154.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano5zw2.jpg)

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/936/nano6wq8.th.jpg (http://img19.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano6wq8.jpg)

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2700/nano7ee1.th.jpg (http://img149.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano7ee1.jpg)

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1796/nano8rz6.th.jpg (http://img19.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano8rz6.jpg)

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7012/nano9ob6.th.jpg (http://img19.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano9ob6.jpg)

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/3601/nano10ge4.th.jpg (http://img96.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nano10ge4.jpg)

albert_dao
11-29-2006, 07:29 AM
Oh yeah, here's a list of the non-coral livestock:

Fish
Pair of Percula Clowns
One Royal Gramma
One Orchid Dottyback

Crustaceans
Pair of Harlequin Shrimp (the starfish eating ones)
One Fire Shrimp
Two Emerald Crabs
One Boxing Crab

Mollusk
Lots of Stomatella
Several hitchhiker clams


I feed the tank daily with roughly two tablespoons of mysis and a pinch of NLS pellets. Most of that food is target fed to the LPS corals (Acanths, Candycanes and Favia) and the three Dendrophyllia colonies. Also, every second day, I pop in some of the various coral foods (phyto/zooplankton) for everything else. Twice a week, I put in a chunk of chocolate chip starfish for the harlequins.

The tank gets weekly 40% water changes. I suck all the gunk off the bottom and scrape the glass of a little. That's about it...

Carrera75
11-29-2006, 07:59 AM
Wow! your tank looks awesome. I hope that mine looks as nice as yours when I set it up. Thanks a lot for all the information and pics of your tank

cheers

albert_dao
11-29-2006, 08:04 AM
Heh, thanks man! Nano's are pretty easy to run if you're diligent with the maintanance, IMO.

Just do your research on livestock options and plan out your rockwork and you should be good to go.

Carrera75
11-29-2006, 08:11 AM
I have been reading lots about fish. Im taking my time as I do not want to make any mistakes when I set up the tank. I have 2 FW tanks that have eben running for almost tow years not but I know that FW and SW are totally different. I think I wll go for the biocube as it seems to be one of the best nano tanks availables.

cheers

albert_dao
11-29-2006, 08:14 AM
On the topic, I might also add that low lighthing corals aren't necessarily dull. Candycanes, Acanths, Favia and Euphyllias will all thrive under the stock lighting of many of the newer Cube tanks and they all exhibit VERY strong chromatic qualities. Pagoda corals also do well under PC's and are a pleasing green color. Also of note, zoanthids and star polyps have some pretty eye popping color, if you can find good strains.

Finally, I'll make a quick mention of the nocturnal predatory corals of the genus Dendrophyllia. Firstly, they're not beginner corals. They need clean water and diligent, daily feedings. I'm talking a LOT of food here. Each of the polyps in that little tank eats a cubic centimeter of mysis and pellets a day. However, if you're up for the challenge and haven't spent your tax returns yet, these are amongst some of the most rewarding corals in the hobby.

albert_dao
11-29-2006, 08:16 AM
I have been reading lots about fish. Im taking my time as I do not want to make any mistakes when I set up the tank. I have 2 FW tanks that have eben running for almost tow years not but I know that FW and SW are totally different. I think I wll go for the biocube as it seems to be one of the best nano tanks availables.

cheers


If there's one fish I'd recommend above all others for a Nano, it would be an orchid dottyback. You can get them captive bred and they're mega hardy. On top of that, they're peaceful, have insane color and have no problems sitting right in the middle of the water column in full view.

Fish
11-29-2006, 04:28 PM
The photos that Albert posted really don't do the tank justice either. It looks amazing in person. If I would have stood at that counter for 5mins longer I think I would have just tossed my larger tank plans out the window and bought one of those...

- Chad

Skimmer Juice
11-30-2006, 03:11 AM
definetly the nicest nano I have seen. It is worthgoing to gold's just to look at the tank.