Nano size and other stuff

StirCrazy · #1 10-22-2002, 05:15 AM

who decided 15 gal was the max for a nano? I have a 25 gal that I concider a Nano tank, and what other rules are there? like can you have a sump on your Nano? and if so can the sump be bigger than the Nano?

Oh and what kind of a Tang can you put in a Nano if you plan on putting it in abigger tank later?

Steve

Delphinus · #2 10-22-2002, 05:55 AM

A baby tang maybe? Man, there are some of the most ADORABLE little baby sailfins here at a LFS not much bigger than a toonie. I just about picked one up, but, I've decided to wait because they're Z. veliferum (as gorgeous as that fish is), but what I really want is a Z. desjardinii, and I know I can't do both.

I don't know if the 15g is a universally accepted threshold. It's just a subjective thing. "Nano" seems to imply "very small". I consider my 20g reef a "small" setup but not a "very small" setup. So I dunno ... I guess that doesn't qualify me as a "nano keeper" by my own definition but here I am posting anyways.

Whatever terminology works for you.

BTW, I have a sump on my 20g. And if I ever set up my 5g as a reef, I was thinking of putting a whomping big sump on that thing. Why not? A sump to me is the essence of simplicity. Hide my heater, hide my skimmer (if I choose to use one), and best of all (everything else is secondary, really, to me anyways) WATER TOP UP!! The system can withstand a little evaporation and the water level in the main display doesn't fluctuate. (Float valve!! Heh heh ... is there really any greater labour saving device for reefing?) Not that it's necessary, but that's really why I like sumps right there. I'd put a sump on my freshwater tank if I was to ever take it down and set it up again.

Anyways just my two pennies worth ...

reefburnaby · #3 10-22-2002, 06:37 AM

Steve,

The definition of a Nano isn't to clear. The way I used to see Nanos was that 20 gallon tank was the minimum size tank for any aquarium. At least, an aquarium that is large enough to be stable and can keep reasonable size fish. However, it is not hard to keep tanks smaller than 20 gallon, it just means less stability and less room for error.

For a while, people had a tough time keep corals in any tank, so tanks with smaller volumes were considered a bad choice. Today, technology and improved knowledge have changed that. It is possible to keep a successful reef (such as a 2.5 gallon) without too much difficulty.

But, keeping a 2.5 gallon reef is much more interesting than keeping a 25 gallon reef. You can still use conventional hardware for 25 gallon, but 2.5 gallon is a lot different. Skimmers, reactors, mega pumps are useless in a 2.5 gallon. However, a weekly 1 gallon water change is all that is needed to keep the 2.5 G happy.

- Victor.

AJ_77 · #4 10-22-2002, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

Oh and what kind of a Tang can you put in a Nano if you plan on putting it in abigger tank later?

Steve

Good point, there has been heated debate as to the "correctness" of putting a small tang into a small tank, given that at some point the tang will have to be moved to larger quarters. Is this irresponsible husbandry, keeping a fish for only the first portion of its life?

Heck, isn't this what we do with kids??

Alan

Bob I · #5 10-22-2002, 10:27 PM

When I first asked for the nanoboard to be set up, I came up with the 15 gallon idea because I had read that other people considered 20g a "mini reef". So I just threw in 15 g as an idea. If you want to call your 25g a nano it is up to you, but some folks would argue, but then folks argue anyway...RIGHT? And you want to put a 50 gallon sump on it ? Sure, why not? It is your tank. And personally I would not put ANY Tang in a nano. WHY?....They just look too nervous for me.

ops: I am sure the first poster who asked about the tangs did it as a joke though. 8)

naesco · #6 10-23-2002, 12:46 AM

Hey you guys!
Stircrazy was obviously just joking about the tang thing.

Nice try but no prize Stir!!!

AJ_77 · #7 10-23-2002, 01:27 AM

We know him well enough not to take him seriously.

But perhaps there is a point here, even if it came from him just wanting to "stir" the pot a bit:

What about buying a fish with the intention of keeping it only until it outgrows your tank? I know this has produced flames in the past, but how is this evil? I'm not playing devil's advocate here ( :twisted: ) but I am curious...

I'm thinking it is probably a bad idea in most cases, but... Those of you with highly-developed ethics, what do you say?

Aj :?

Bob I · #8 10-23-2002, 01:38 AM

Well then again, a person can buy a fish without knowing how it is going to act down the line. I myself bought a baby Regal Tang once. I was able to keep it for more than a year. It then started to look nervous, which I find a lot of tangs do. I then took it back to the LFS where I originally bought it. They put it into their 1500 gallon show tank where it looked a lot less nervous. So in the end I feel this

was kinder to the fish than keeping it.

naesco · #9 10-23-2002, 02:28 AM

The problem with purchasing a tiny fish with the intent that you get rid of it is twofold.
First, who do you get rid of it to.
Second, if you are talking tangs here who could possibly get rid on one of these fish. You simply get too attached to them. I think there would be a tendancy to keep them longer than you should to the detriment of the tang and the other fish in the tank.

Example
Who would take Emilys clown tang. I would think that it would be too aggressive and too large for most tanks.
Having said that I would love to be one of the very very few who could keep a clown tang alive.

StirCrazy · #10 10-23-2002, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Joseph

We know him well enough not to take him seriously.

But perhaps there is a point here, even if it came from him just wanting to "stir" the pot a bit:
Aj :?

Hmm you asume to much my young friend

seriously though.. in my case I have what I would call a Nano or mini (25 gal size what it is called isn't to important,) but it is a secondary "Show Tank" being that you can see it along with my main tank. the water volume in my system is just over 150 gal. So if I refrase this question a little and ask "is there a Tang that I could get and keep in the 25 gal untill it grew to big for that one... then I would move it to the 92 gal tank (and if things go good eventualy to the 135 gal tank, if my wife doesent kill me first

)..

so as you can see I was not nessasarly trying to "Stir" the pot but rather asking a hypotyhetical question. The reason I call it hypothetical is because I cannot actualy do this as I have a tang in the 92 all ready, (and just for the record, it was our local Tang Police chief "Naesco" that aproved the addition of a tang to my 92, so I have royal grace. ) But if I didn't have one in the 92 I can see this as a cool way to put a nice fish in the smaller tank for a while.

I guess the main question is what kinds of Tangs are nice and helthy when they are real small?

***this is a serious question with no battle intended.. so if you are against something like theis let your stance be knowen but please no flames, if you want to make your point knowen that is cool, but explain your position don't just come across and say "tangs shouldent be in tanks under 500 gal" that doesent get anyone anywhare.

you may wonder whare this question has arose from.. I see more and more people setting up smaller tanks 33gal and less and buying little tangs for them. We know people are going to do it if they want but lets get some ideas about it going.. maby I should start another thread in the general area but this deals with Nanos also.

One of the things I was wondering last night is if Juvinial tangs exhibit behaviour like other fisgh.. that is they school and stay in a small teratory untill they reach sexual maturity, then they go therer own ways and become more nomadic. if this IS true then it might be perfectly OK to keep a small Tang in a small tank for a while then move him into a bigger one when he reached sexual maturity, but I have no comfermation of this so I cannot say.

Steve