Nano for Beginners???

[davids]

Hi guys, I am new to the fish scene and I am interested in getting a small saltwater 8-gallon tank. As this point I do not know enough to get into live rocks and corals, but I was wondering if this sized tank with about 3 fish and some base rock and dead coral would be tough to maintain? Should I just go with a 20-gallon tank to start with??

Any incites would help me out greatly!!
Thanks,
Dave

[DanG]

For a beginner, go bigger. The tank chemistry changes will take longer to affect the tank residents before they become an issue.
20 or 30 would be an ok starting size.

[Matt]

Welcome!

I'll provide some input as a newbie in the marine aquarium world myself. I started a nano (10 gallon) a bit over a year ago.

We passed on a bigger tank when we got interested in marine, and opted to try a 10 instead. It has been a terrific and successful experiment for us. We went in with full awareness that it was trickier than larger systems, and would require a large commitment to maintenance and education. We figured if we could make it work, we wouldn't be afraid to try a larger system (which are unquestionably more expensive, but not more difficult).

Small <> easy. Bigger systems are easier in most ways. Larger water volumes dilute and buffer problems, and give more time to react to all kinds of problems.

Live rock is usually considered necessary. All the other filtration systems are pretty much maintenance pigs. A lightly loaded system with liverock is pretty easy to maintain.

3 fish in an 8 might be too many, unless they are very small species.

I love our nano. I still find new things in there. We've added a 37g cube to our collection, but although it is bigger, brighter, and has inherited most of the corals from our 10, I still spend almost as much time planted in front of the nano. It is so... intimate.

Good luck. I heartily encourage you. But do get some LR, and keep the fish load low. You won't regret it.

Now, I will tell your future: a mushroom, then some xenia. Some powerheads, better lights. Another coral or two. Bigger tank.

[Bob I]

Here's some insight. Don't do it. to begin with a tank that small tends to be unstable, especially without live rock. Live rock is one of the most important items in a SW tank. If you have an opportunty to start with a larger tank you should by all means do it. Three fish in an eight gallon tank without live rock would more than likely be about three too many.

[Flusher]

No three fish can live in an 8 gallon tank, AFAIK. That's overstocked, and in the very least the fish will be crammed and unhappy.

Add at least a pound or two of decent (and expensive) live rock to your set up and let the tank cycle/mature for at least a month. Keep up on the maintenance and monitor your water parameters, and you should be okay with maybe one very small fish. Do lots of research as you go, though.

I started with a 13 gallon tank and have been adding live rock to it bit by bit for a few months. I now have a 4 gallon sump on the tank, 26 lb. of live rock, two occellaris clowns, and quite a few corals.

I'm just starting up a 6 gallon nano which might house a clown goby in the future, or a smaller Mantis Shrimp if I can find one.
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[Skimmerking]

Originally Posted by Bob I

Here's some insight. Don't do it. to begin with a tank that small tends to be unstable, especially without live rock. Live rock is one of the most important items in a SW tank. If you have an opportunty to start with a larger tank you should by all means do it. Three fish in an eight gallon tank without live rock would more than likely be about three too many.

WEll THis is my opinion OK...

I will take Bob's Side on this one Its a small tank if you get lazy with the parameters its going to nip ya in the butt the Calcium, ALkinity, Ammonis, Nitrates, all the good stuff in a reef tank once it is on its's way it's going to let you have it u will need to change your water water on a weekly basis.

Or unless you decide to do a small, small tank. I have been in the reef hobby for 5 yrs OMG already and i have tried everything then you can imagine. With that, all my tanks have been automated or close to it if i can its alot easier and allows you more time to watch it grow.

But IMO I think a good beginner tank is 50-55 gal. here is why with a shorter tank people tend to wanna get eveything in the tank right away. they get all the rock and bang its all there and they start to get lazy. Then the big fish are the ones they wanna get Tangs , big angels.

Or if they get a longer tank I feel IMO your time at it setting it up stocking it. I feel that is how I able to do it go with a bigger tank. width is the answer. NO not really
I prefer Lenght it looks more natural too. Now that I have slid off the answer from the original post.

ALot of Reefer's here will give yuou the honest answer and tell you not to get a small tank. But in the End it's going to be you who makes the answer and spend the money and decide on what you are able to get.

Read .read read ,read the first thing to do.
Make sure you have the right tank and the equiptment all picked out on what you wanna buy.

Patience, Patience, patience, Relax ,relax, and don't rush it..

HTH Sorry for the long winded post..

[Flusher]

Originally Posted by asmodeus

Its a small tank if you get lazy with the parameters its going to nip ya in the butt the Calcium, ALkinity, Ammonis, Nitrates, all the good stuff in a reef tank once it is on its's way it's going to let you have it u will need to change your water water on a weekly basis.

Nanos need weekly water changes regardless, AFAIK. My Nitrates were at zero until very recently. They're at 10 ppm because I pulled out my skimmer last week and sold it prematurely. The replacement is taking longer than anticipated to arrive in the mail. I'm hoping for this to be fixed with a few big water changes (up to a whopping 5 gallons!) once the new skimmer is in place.

Ammonia and Nitrite shouldn't be a problem if the tank is cycled unless something big dies off or something new is added. I had a fish die; there were no problems with the water. The fish was a Rainford Goby, which has the diet requirements of a Mandarin, which I found out after getting it (even after doing lots of research). I never even found the body, not even the bones, so it obviously got consumed entirely by the critters in the tank.

I started using aragaMILK recently, but I underdose because I don't have the test kits for Calcium, etc, yet. Except for a couple LPS, all I have ar softies which are growing well.

But IMO I think a good beginner tank is 50-55 gal. here is why with a shorter tank people tend to wanna get eveything in the tank right away. they get all the rock and bang its all there and they start to get lazy.

Good point, though I've had mine running for 6 months or so, and I still haven't added everything I want to put in it. A smaller tank needs a bit more discipline and routine committment, I would imagine.

Then the big fish are the ones they wanna get Tangs , big angels.

Bah, that's like saying "Don't get a Betta bowl! You'll end up putting an Oscar in there!" I have to disagree, although it is very tempting to overstock with small fish.

I prefer Lenght it looks more natural too.

Length is better for the fish: they have more room to swim. Cubes look cooler, IMO, and with a small tank, you'll get a better view of all the little details. In contrast to a big tank, you probably want to maximize the viewability of the contents. (Just a theory...)

ALot of Reefer's here will give yuou the honest answer and tell you not to get a small tank. But in the End it's going to be you who makes the answer and spend the money and decide on what you are able to get.

I've never had a big reef/SW tank, but I get the impression that:

1. The advice to go with a larger tank is based on reefers' experiences fighting the impulse to rush things or to overstock; and

2. The more people who spend a lot on this hobby justifies it for everyone else. (Just kidding.)

Read .read read ,read the first thing to do.... Patience, Patience, patience, Relax ,relax, and don't rush it..

Yup.

If you're willing to go slowly, keep up on maintenance, and not overstock, a nano works pretty good, IME. Hopefully my tank doesn't crash now that I've jinxed it...
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[Skimmerking]

Thanks
. just curious is there a reason why you answered the post using my quotes. then question my answer's this board is about experience in this hobby and things that you have seen and opinions...

[Skimmerking]

WEll i disagree with your answer here you can have 3 fish in a 8 gallon tank you look at the 12 gal DX JBJ models they are aound 9 gallons and 2-3 gals if that of it is filtering you can easily have 2 hi fi gobies or 2 cleaner goies and a chromis or a clown with them.. My friend in the states has one going as we speak and has no problems .....

Originally Posted by Flusher

No three fish can live in an 8 gallon tank, AFAIK. That's overstocked, and in the very least the fish will be crammed and unhappy.

Add at least a pound or two of decent (and expensive) live rock to your set up and let the tank cycle/mature for at least a month. Keep up on the maintenance and monitor your water parameters, and you should be okay with maybe one very small fish. Do lots of research as you go, though.

I started with a 13 gallon tank and have been adding live rock to it bit by bit for a few months. I now have a 4 gallon sump on the tank, 26 lb. of live rock, two occellaris clowns, and quite a few corals.

I'm just starting up a 6 gallon nano which might house a clown goby in the future, or a smaller Mantis Shrimp if I can find one.

[Flusher]

Originally Posted by asmodeus

just curious is there a reason why you answered the post using my quotes.

You made some really good precautionary points that I've heard a lot wrt reef tanks and freshwater tanks alike. You also extrapolated your ideas a bit more than the other guys on this thread. After jumping into nano tanks recently, I thought I'd counter with my experiences, and reinforce the need to be patient and keep up on maintenance. No harm intended.

Oh, I do have to say that an 8 gallon tank wouldn't be much fun to start with, especially if fish will be the primary reason to set it up. A 20 would definitely be better, but from my experiences, a 50-55 gallon tank isn't necessary. That's mainly because I'm not into too many SW fish (especially not the bigger fish), or particularly finnicky corals (SPS, for example). Time will tell if this is because I'm new to the reefing hobby, but since my tank is pretty much a starter tank, I figure I'm closer to the level of reefkeeping that davids is at.
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