20gal Nano reef tank

[Fishguy8]

Do I need a Filter, Pump, Protein skimmer, and Wavemaker for my 20 gal nano tank. Or can I not buy one of these 4 things.

 

[Daniel92481]

You don’t need the protein skimmer if you plan to do regular water changes.

 

[steveschuerger]

I don’t use a protein skimmer myself. But especially with nano tanks I think water changes are a must. I’m starting a 20 AIO myself . First nano tank in a few years.
I’m going to use , maybe 2 Nero 3 wavemakers for flow plus the the 2 return pump outlets. And I’ll have a media caddy with gfo and carbon plus cotton balls for filtering. I hate socks. They work well, but need lots of attention.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Depends what you mean by filter, and you can certainly do well without a skimmer. Though i do prefer to have one even on a nano.

 

[Fish Fan]

plus cotton balls for filtering. I hate socks. They work well, but need lots of attention.

First, if I've never mentioned it before, I love the cat pics ;-)

I'm also a certified "sock hater" lol! But I've never heard of using cotton balls. Why not use Poly-Fil stuffing? It's the same material as filter floss, but found much cheaper at craft stores and your local Mega-Lo-Mart?

Poly-Fil at Wally World

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

A powerhead is crucial, 2 is better. The others are not necessary but you would need to do faithful 5 gallon water changes weekly to compensate for the lack of filtration and keep a low fish load. This is how I run my 15 gallon.

 

[steveschuerger]

First, if I've never mentioned it before, I love the cat pics ;-)

I'm also a certified "sock hater" lol! But I've never heard of using cotton balls. Why not use Poly-Fil stuffing? It's the same material as filter floss, but found much cheaper at craft stores and your local Mega-Lo-Mart?

Poly-Fil at Wally World

The media kits from Innovative Marine use oversize cotton balls. Best part is that they’re easily swapped out when dirty. And yes my cat can be a real hambone:p

 

[Fish Fan]

The media kits from Innovative Marine use oversize cotton balls. Best part is that they’re easily swapped out when dirty. And yes my cat can be a real hambone:p

Oh lol, I have one of their baskets and it came with the "cotton balls". I thought you meant the cotton balls like my wife uses lol!

 

[Fish Fan]

@Fishguy8 You're very likely to need a heater if you're planning on typical corals and fish that need to be kept around 78F. Keep that in mind :)

 

[Fishguy8]

Thx for the info.