First time in here,,,wife wants a nano

[Junkzoo]

A few days ago i took the wife with me to one of our LFS for some frozen food for the 180g FO big eaters,,,, She was checking out the fish there, and was looking at some,and i was telling her that either we have no room for more fish in the 75 reef tank, or the fish in question would not make it in there with the tankmates currently there. She said , boy , i'd like to get me a NANO,,,,then i could get these lil fish and stuff,,,,, after the shock of my wife actually knowing what a nano was,,,,i got to thinking,,,
I'd like to get her one started,myself too, alltho i would tend to try the smallest it could ,just cuz of my old days in the "trade" telling people "i would not attempt SW in anything less than a 55,," Boy, have we come along way since then,,,
Setting one up is no problem for me, but my questions are:
glass/conventional tank, or the plastic/acrylic all-in one tank?(tank/light/filter)
Smallest i should go with, and maybe the wife could get involved in it,instead of just watching my/our tanks,and writing the checks at the LFS,,,
I would tend to go with the easiest for her,prob me to a extent to care for,,,
Thanks,,,
Now i can add another forum to check into now,,,,LOL
Also: other than here to learn up on the difference in keeping a nano vs the "big" tanks,,,any recommended books out there to check out?

[RobinsonFam1]

cant beleive no one has repied yet!?

its the same thing as a big tank but on a much smaller scale obviously.
we have a 5 minibow from wally world for $30 i think. i had the stock filter in it along with a rio 180 for flow. i have since gone to a sump/fuge with great results. i moddded the hood to accept a screw in 50/50 pc bulb so it is centered in the hood and added a 40mm fan to keep things cool. on the fuge i have a 50/50 18w pc above the rock and chaeto. all in a custom stand that i built just for this setup.
just tonight i started to make the bow hood for it and will eventually go to a 70W HQI.

let me know if i can help some more!
BR

[darthteddy]

Ill just say what alot of other people will say before they say it. Get a nanocube deluxe or the new 24g. Its got lights, fans, filter, movement. Everything you need. They require little maitenece and look fabulous. They are big enoulf to have a pair of fish and stock can get some nice softies. Pretty cheap to.

[sausageman]

Originally Posted by darthteddy

Ill just say what alot of other people will say before they say it. Get a nanocube deluxe or the new 24g. Its got lights, fans, filter, movement. Everything you need. They require little maitenece and look fabulous. They are big enoulf to have a pair of fish and stock can get some nice softies. Pretty cheap to.

which new 24g are you talkin about? maker?
thanks..

[Michael]

I would recommend the JBL nano cubes as well. I believe that they are glass and they are relatively inexpensive. They make a 12 gallon and just came out with a 24 gallon. I have yet to see any of the 24 gallons hit the local LFS's around here. Of course, I would go with the 24! You run out of room on a 12 pretty quick.

Auto topoff is a must though. Its amazing how much a little evap will effect the salinity on tanks this small. Water changes are easy on this scale but need to be done more frequently. I was not able to find any books on keeping nano tanks.

[labooe43]

As far as the difference between glass and acrylic... it is personla choice, really. Glass is a lot easier to keep clean. It doesn't scratch near as easily. You can use a razor blade for serious cleaning. The acrylic you have to make your own acrylic scraper for. The Mag-Floats work for either, however for the light cleaning. I have an 11 Ga acrylic that I enjoy working with... so go with what you know, and have fun with it.

[impur]

IMO I would stay away from the nano cubes. Most ppl end up gutting the hood for better lighting, as well as removing all the stuff from the back and moding that. You could do a 10 or 20 gal AGA and get some good lights for the same price. You would also be able to keep anything, not just softies. I also suggest reading some of the info over at http://www.nano-reef.com/.

[SPANKYSREEF]

There is a new JBJ Nano Cube DX.........This model has 2--24w PC Lights and 2--fans....oposed to the single lamp in the old model....I'm hoping Santa brings me one!

[impur]

Yah, its still $250 or more.

[SPANKYSREEF]

They are on Ebay for $150 shipped

[impur]

You could still get a 10 gal or 20 gal and a 96w quad at hellolights.com for cheaper and be able to keep any kind of coral you want. With that nano cube lighting you can only keep softies. Then spend the extra money on good LR or nice starter corals. Of course if money is no object, go for the nano cube and gut the hood for better lighting(probably best to get the first nanocube and gut it since its cheaper)

Just giving you options here. I can't see the reasoning in buying something that you have to gut anyway. Whatever you do it will be fun and expensive so remember that!