nanocube?

[Julianna]

I was recently browsing around my lfs and they had on display a "mini reef tank" set up in this midget sized, 12 gallon, self contained aquarium. It had in it a variety of soft corals, live rock and one tiny little fish I couldn't identify. The system includes a wet dry filter, two 24 watt flourescent bulbs with a cooling fan and no heater. They had added an additional power head. So I had to ask, was this really all I needed to set up a mini reef? Because if it is, my daughters would be thrilled to have a nemo of there very own! I said, "no protien skimmer?" They assured me I didn't need one. I asked "no heater"? They said I didn't need that either. So I'm wondering what you all think about this. Is this really all I need?

[Oliver]

your lfs is full of s h i t, he only wants to make money. A heater is essential because they need constant 26 degree water. The skimmer is essential, look at the stuff they pull out, and the smalelr the tank the harder it is to look after. It is also alot of work, not just a fish in a bowl. It is also cruel to put a fish in that size tank. You'd be better off getting a bigger tank, and investing some money on quality stuff, its not cheap, think about that.

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

I've seen MANY nano-tanks with no skimmers. You dont need a skimmer if your doing frequent water changes, which you must do on small reef tanks anyways (once a week). Adding some macroalgae to the tank will help remove some nutrients in the water.

:)
-Diana

[cthopper]

Sorry to the mods and owners of this great site, but here is a forum dedicated to nano http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/ People there are very kind and informative (like here :D ). I have a 29 gallon which is kinda borderline, but there are all kinds of crazy sizes. I am not sure but I think they go down to about 2.5 gallon. Like ~*LuvMyKribs*~ said, a protein skimmer is not essential if you do frequent water changes, but you have to be really careful because small mistakes are bigger in a small tank (reef or not). You could probably do a FOWLR and keep a clown in a tank that small without much problem, but you really have to be careful with your bio-load. As far as a heater I don't have one on my 29 gallon, but my home temp. is regulated enough that it never causes a problem. Good luck and hope that I have helped.
chris

[Oliver]

fair enough, if you are doing frequent water changes than you might get away with out one. My suggestion would be though to get the biggest tank you can. The tank itself isn't expnesive, its usually the stand that is. So if you get a tank and put it on a table or something, than you would be alot better off than getting a small tank. Also, bowfront tanks can be anoying, because anything close to the glass gets blurred and enlarged, like in a goldfish bowl.

[FloridaBoy]

Juliana, the LFS was wrong to tell you no heater.
Even here in Florida, you can get major shifts in the temp, and Oliver is correct, constant 78-80 F really is required for all tropical marine fish. For instance, let's say you cut the air conditioning in your home off while you're at work. In FL, that will easily result in a rise to 83 degrees inside the dwelling during the day. When you come home, you flip th air on, and within 1 hour the temp drops to 73 in your home. The sudden change is the problem. And, despite the popularity of tiny marine systems here and elsewhere; mark my word; it is not a good trend for beginners. As any general book on marine aquariums by any author will tell you; for best success, esp. for beginners, a marine system should be a minimum of about 30 gallons. An experienced marine aquarist is more apt to watch a nano like a hawk; he has to, because they are more unforgiving than larger systems. cthopper is correct when he tells you small mistakes are bigger, and this is really the main issue with nanos; it's not that they are impossible to maintain, certainly not; they are temptingly compact and some have good success with them, but the real issue is volume... the small volume of water changes too quickly to afford marine fish the stabilty they need to be happy. The volume of the tank is one of your keys for success as a beginner. BTW, you don't need a skimmer or a reef set up just to maintain a clownfish, your research will bring you success.