Tank Question

[alecms312]

Hello Hello

I am preparing to take my first steps into the world of Nano Tanks - i have a 20 Gallon saltwater tank right now so im not totally green in this, but i have not ventured into the realm of corals yet - only fish, shrimp, crabs, etc.

my question is specific to the tanks at this link:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=10677

these Nano Cube tanks sound pretty compact and easy. Too easy....is the filtration system they use adequate? do i need to add a protein skimmer or any other apparatus in addition to what it comes with? and the lighting supplied by the non-deluxe version, is it adequate? the single bulb versus 2? it claims to be the full-on complete deal, but i'm admittedly a skeptic, and i'd rather not spend ~$200 and be wrong....

help and advice much appreciated.
-Alec

 

[SaltWaterNewb]

I think if you read some posts here and on other sites that you will find that for a serious reef setup, a lot of folks use these cubes but with a good bit of modification. Usually the mods include but are not limited to:

-Lighting up grades, usually MH or T5
-Upgraded pump for water flow
-Modification of the overflow, drilling out for more water flow, removing filter media and turning in to a fuge, ect.

Those are just a few that I have read about as being the most common.

 

[Ritsuko N]

SWN is dead on right as far as my opinion of these go.

-Upgrading the pump and over flow for more water flow and filtration capacity is most highly recommended. It will make these systems muchmore conducive to coral keeping.

-The lighting is modest so if your looking to keep corals other than very hardy softies and LPS you really should up grade the lighting. The problem with doing so is that many who make these upgrades start having over heating issues.

In stock format they are workable but with limitations. You didnt mention what corals that you wanted. This will be the big deciding factor in regards to purchasing your tank. I would say that m,ost softies and many LPS will do okay under this lighting. If you want to keep clams which are not recommend in such small tanks or you want to step in to the world of SPS corasls then in all probabilty you want a model with HQI halides. If this is the case then I think you would be best served in a larger model and modding as required for better ventilation to remove the heat from the tank other wise you may find that you need a chiller.