5 Gal nano ?'s

[Rotti123]

Hello, I'm new here and new to reefs as well. I'm getting ready to start a 5 gal nano and I had a couple of questions.
Do I need live sand? my local fish store can sell me live rock from thier large tank, and they'll even sell me 5 gal of water from that established tank to get things started but they don't have any live sand right now. They could order it for me. Could I add water and live rock then live sand a week later? or should the sand come first.
Second question. is a 5 gal nano unrealistic for a beginer? I'm doing lots of research. I've had fresh water tanks before and I am willing to put in the time and effort to make it work.

Thanks for any responses.

[labooe43]

Well hello and welcome to the hobby... you'll find it a lot of fun! As far as the live sand questions... which comes first, the sand or the rock ... that is a good question! Hopefully someone else on here will be able to answer that one for you.

As far as the 5 Ga being a beginner tank... heck yeah! the smaller the tank, the more volitile it will be, so extra care is required and frequent checks and balances. It trains you up good for when you will go to a larger tank.

Good luck with your endeavor! using water from the LFS's tank and LR from there also... very little cycling will be required. The rock is already established with the water... so it should be ready to add a cleaning crew to immediately.

Just don't make the mistake of overstocking the tank. This kind of tank requires a great deal of reservation and research when deciding on new species to introduce. Enjoy the corals, they will flourish under the right lighting and water circulation... but don't plan on more than one or two SMALL fish.

Best wishes! show us pictures when you're all set-up!

[kbxiong67]

Do you need live sand? No. Sand is mostly for show. I mean it doesn't hurt to get live sand....but it doesn't hurt your tank if you don't have it. The most important thing is "how good the live rocks" are. The better your live rock....the better filtration.

You can definitely add sand later...but...it will cause a sand storm in your tank and the grains will be all over your live rock. Again it won't hurt to add sand last...but is wiser to add sand first.

If your LFS is selling you live rock and water from an established tank....it's ready to go. No cycling process.

Is a 5gal unrealistic for a newbie? I look at it this way....if you can keep up with your water changes every week...you'll be fine. That is key to getting all essential elements, ca, etc restored back into your tank. Weekly water changes also help bring down nitrates which will cause your tank to grow algae. So...yes it's very possible for a newbie to own a 5g. Just remember...live rock and water changes are the key to success.

Don't dose your tank with anything. If you've made a commitment to do the weekly water changes...you don't need any chemicals for ANYTHING. Those water changes will give you everything you need. UNLESS you get hard corals like SPS.

Hope this information was helpful...I never knew about this forum when I first started. Made crazy guesses and assumptions....but through experience...this is the information I learned.

KB