Low tech anemone and clownfish cube - will it work?

[thejacgues]

Hello,

I am thinking about small 40x40x40 (64l) anemone cube.
I'd like to keep there a cleaning crew, 2 clownfish and a bunch of anemones (like quadricolor bubble tip and similar ones).

I would like to run it with a cascade filter, well developed biology from a living rock and sand, use extra bacteria supplements and mechanical filtration from cotton wool - and that's it. No skimmer, rare water changes. Will it work? If not, what might be the key issue?

I'm just struggling to understand what are the anemone's key weaknesses - nutrient levels in the water or other factors?

 

[burnsq]

it might work. But consider activated carbon for safety and monitor nitrates and Po4.

 

[Spare time]

So basically you can do no water changes but you need an export method such as a skimmer + carbon dosing, macroalgae, or fast growing corals.

Always run quality activated carbon.

I did this in a 14 gallon cube tank. There was a HUGE leather coral that was basically my main export method for nitrate and phosphate.

 

[Hot2na]

look up Jaubert plenum ...I would employ that along with your cascade hob and live rock ..You should have better success ..

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Aquariums are all about nutrient import vs nutrient export, you need some kind of export (filtration or water changes) or the tank will eventually choke, and it will happen sooner on a small tank like that. The low-budget hands off approach doesn't work well in saltwater hobby.

 

[Hot2na]

The low-budget hands off approach doesn't work well in saltwater hobby.

Absolutely do NOT agree...you'll find plenty low tech setups on here ...and that plenum is about as low tech as u can get -produces consistent and GOOD results,minimal effort

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

No skimmer, rare water changes and a cascade filter, I’m assuming no overflow of any kind?
One big hurdle right off the bat is going to be getting oxygen into the tank, so you’ll want to add the surface skimmer attachment. That’ll help but they’re finicky, so regular adjustments will likely be necessary.
It doesn’t sound like you’re going to have much in the way of waste removal, so nutrients (poops) are going to build up and not have anywhere to go.
This doesn’t seem like a recipe for success.