Succesful tanks under 10 gallons

[bassplaya12]

I was looking on F&S today and was seeing a lot of "all in one" tanks that we're under 10 gallons. The most common being 6 gallons or 3 gallons. I was wondering if anyone has had success with these? I figured it would be a cool desktop thing to have. Me and my buddy just set up a 10g for our dorm room and if all goes well I want to set up a smaller one for my desk. Anyone have any ~6g or smaller?

[psykobowler]

Most nano tanks under 10 gallons that I have seen does not last over 2 years. I kept a modest reef on a nanocube 6 at my cubicle at work and the problem always boils down to stability. I had issues with fluctuating temperature and salinity to the point even soft corals are not happy. I have upgraded the lights, pumps etc but it boils down to fluctuating temp and salinity. I would fill the tank to the brim on Friday and come back to work on Monday with only 75 percent water remaining. I still have the tank up with 1.019 sg, one percula clown and plenty of plastic decor.

[bassplaya12]

^^Well it would be in my room so I would be able to keep it topped off every morning. I can see the temperature being a pretty big problem though yeah

[GoingPostal]

They can be easy as pie, just don't stock them up with fish or corals that are aggressive or need to be fed, bioload is what will kill you or stuff outgrowing and then people upgrade. I had a 2.5 and a 5.5 for a while but lack of space and poor lighting choices for smaller tanks made me go larger, I didn't find them difficult other than more topping off and a pain to clean/rearrange anything in a small space. All the small AIO have pc lighting which really limits corals you can keep. I loved my aquapod 12 gallon, ran that for a couple years up from a 10 gallon and now have a 24 gallon nanocube.

[bassplaya12]

^^ I would be keeping all softies and some small fish. More decorative than anything, and just a place to keep small frags to then introduce them to my 10g. 2 gallons seems small, 6g almost seems like it'll be the same size as my 10g. I guess I'd have to go 3g. Which AIO do you recommend?

[bassplaya12]

^^^

[kidkams]

i have a nice nano tank not quite sure how many gallons, i would say around 5 and while i love it it is very stressful when you keep corals in it. with fish alone the tank is great and easy to care for, i've even kept baby seahorses, but with corals it is much harder

[bassplaya12]

^^ Why do you say corals are harder with it?

[seriousreefer91]

this is a 9.9 gallon reef tank,haha, guess it qualifies!
http://www.nanoreefblog.com/showcase/justin-parcos-9-9g-sps-dominated-nanoreef

it is somewhat harder to take care of corals, but it is very rewarding. and the additives are a lot cheaper because you dose less.hehe.

[seriousreefer91]

and btw heat, top off, fluctuations of water parameters, and correct dosing is detrimental.

[bassplaya12]

^^ Have a ten gallon right now hah...Looking for at least half the size probably

[KafudaFish]

I think the reason why you don't see too many small tanks are:

1. Tank failure and/or reefer quits.
2. Reefer upgrades instead of maintaining.

There are not too many tanks here on RC 5+ years old and even fewer that are over 10 years old. What I mean by this is start date to present without crashes or restarts for going a different direction.

Why? Human nature mostly. People get tired of the same and want something new thus they upgrade or move or the economy chages or life and they down grade etc.

I am curious as to what you mean by some fish?

Finally what is your definition of success?

Good luck too.

[Bill Nye]

I find a nano far easier to maintain if you have no fish. Fish create alot of bioload in small tanks and it builds up over time. My 5.5 g now has no fish and and minimal inverts and all my nutrients stay at 0. I had a 7 gal with a fish and some shrimp and whatever, and I was always battling nitrates and phosphates.

The main 2 things you want with a pico reef is a fuge and an autotop off. The auto top off makes life so much easier, keeps your salinity stable and allows you to blow a fan right into your tank to keep temp down.

[bassplaya12]

^^ I don't know why I said some fish, I meant one if that. Something really small and when it out grows it introduce it to my bigger tank, or something. Definition of success in this situation is have it for a year or two with minimal die off. Everything doesn't have to be the same for those two years, but I don't like killing things.

[KafudaFish]

Hey it is cool.

I am always curious about people's "goals" or plans for their tanks and if they reach them and how.

Just stuff to think about really.

Again good luck and post your build so we can learn something.

[Jarred1]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1717475

that is a sweet tank that is 5 gallons i think

[bassplaya12]

Originally Posted by KafudaFish

Hey it is cool.

I am always curious about people's "goals" or plans for their tanks and if they reach them and how.

Just stuff to think about really.

Again good luck and post your build so we can learn something.

This is still a "maybe". If I end up doing it I'll definitely post a build thread!

Originally Posted by Jarred1

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1717475

that is a sweet tank that is 5 gallons i think

Checking that out now!

[bassplaya12]

That tank looks awesome!! I definitely would want an AIO in this situation though

[Agu]

You people make nanos sound too difficult .

My newest tank is a 5.5 that's over 5 years old. Also have a ten over ten that's seven years old and a stock ten gallon (I modified the other off the shelf tanks, no AIOs for me) that's pushing eight years up and running. All tanks have fish and corals and they're all fed twice a day.

As my sig says, it's not about the technology, it's about the biology. A little planning and maintenance goes a long way if you want to be successful with nano tanks.

ime

[bassplaya12]

^^ Thank you!! haha Me and my friend were just talking about how most people make nano's seem impossible! So you've had way more success than we're expecting with our ten gallon. What do you have it stocked with? Also what's in your 5.5?

[KafudaFish]

Originally Posted by Agu

You people make nanos sound too difficult .

My newest tank is a 5.5 that's over 5 years old. Also have a ten over ten that's seven years old and a stock ten gallon (I modified the other off the shelf tanks, no AIOs for me) that's pushing eight years up and running. All tanks have fish and corals and they're all fed twice a day.

As my sig says, it's not about the technology, it's about the biology. A little planning and maintenance goes a long way if you want to be successful with nano tanks.

ime

Agu,

Ok please post some pics of your tanks. I have always enjoyed looking at your tanks and I think it is time for those that may have missed them to see aged tanks.

I am curious about your stocking and how have the tanks changed.

Have some corals done better in the beginning and then declined or vice versa?

When was the last time you added anything to your tank(s)?

[bassplaya12]

^^ Ditto that

[sunfishh]

I third the request for pics

[Agu]

Here's a link to a thread about the 5.5 I put up a few months ago.

Guess I'll have to do updates on the other tanks too.

[EnFuego]

This is my <10 gallon that has been set up for close to 2 years