New Tank Build -- Could use some feedback...

[Aaron Shapiro]

Hey all,

So a few months back I dove in headfirst with a large, high-tech, pre-owned aquarium. It was fun to keep in general, but ultimately I was never able to really wrap my mind around having a used tank, that had scratches, and an unknown history (was it kept level the whole time? Etc...) So I sold it.

That being said, the bug has remained. I would like to shift into something smaller... Something between like 10-20gallons, AIO, mixed reef, etc.

Here's my space:

I use this table for some photo work, (I write about wristwatches for a couple of blogs). So, Ideally, I'd like to retain 3/4's worth of working space. The table is 60 x 34".

At first, I was thinking about the IM 25g Lagoon Tank, but its footprint is a little larger than I think I actually want. So I am considering either the IM 14 Peninsula or maybe a Waterbox 20g Cube.

Apart from that, I was figuring I'd run it with the following:

- AI Prime 16
- Neo Therm heater correctly sized for the tank
- Live Sand
- Dry Rock
- No additional circulation to start, probably adding a Nero5 in a month or two.

The IM I believe comes with a DC pump from BRS, so maybe flow would be fine...

Any additional thoughts? Or any other tanks/sizes I should consider? Does anyone have any experience with these tanks? How was scaping? How was adding corals? Any other feedback in general?

Thanks in advance,

-A

 

[geddavis]

in nanos one of the most important things is to make sure it is topped off very often. due to the small size if not topped of it will get large salinity swings. causing coral and sometimes fish die off. I also recommend either doing a long cycle or using Carib sea life rock or both because if you don't it will most probably have algae problems for the first year or so. i have been using only dry rock for about 2 years now but I just tried some Carib sea life rock in a 10g nano I set up a few months ago and it has been very helpful in keeping algae down. other than that is fairly easy just check water parameters once a week or so and do 10% water changes. also AIs are OK however I just worked on a tank with some AI hydras on it and they where a huge pain because they are wifi connected so sometimes they just disconnect and there is no way to fix them until they connect again seemingly at random. I have always used kesills and have not had a problem yet. run great and have more than enough light. what are your plans for coral and stocking?

 

[ylreefer]

Firstly good to hear your still In the game .
I had anano 10 months back, it was 45x45x50 high AIO custon tank. I really enjoyed that tank while I had it.

The only real issue I had was keeping my alkalinity stable.. I tried KALK in the ATO but as I had little evap and it wasn't constant it did nothing but caused a sharp PH swing. So I think for smaller tanks you just need to be mindful that any changes no matter how small can have massive effects on the live stock.

That being said there are no end of nano tank out there that look amazing. I think this is one of my favourite.


Adding rocks was never an issue and you will simply build a structure based on your tank size, I used real reef rock which was nice to look at but impossible to drill and fix together as it's made up of lots of tiny bits so it just crumbled.

I think the bonsai tree structure is a great one for nano tanks, its very understated imo. Give's a clean simple yet pretty layout of corals while still giving room for fish. As for adding corals etc no problem at all as long as you don't go buying 10 each time you visit the LFS as you'll simply have no room for the temp acclimation floating. Also with adding to much at once you'll throw your ALK/CA out of whak To.

Bottom line is they look great, are easy to maintain once dialed in, and as long as you do things slowly there's no reason for concern.

As for the tank, if go with which ever fits in your space that you fancy the look of. I've not used any of the mentioned brands so cannot comment on the system design or such, but I'm sure other will chime in soon.

Good luck with it.

 

[JoshO]

I'm just starting out in the SW world myself, I've got a Fluval Evo 13.5. No doubt you'll have seen them about! I love how it looks, the size I'd imagine would be perfect for your desk!

 

[Aaron Shapiro]

Alright... Well, I've taped off the areas of the three tanks I'm looking at and built out some spreadsheets for all three...

Looks like the IM 20 Peninsula would be the cheapest to get set up, while the IM 25 Lagoon would be the most costly... With the Waterbox squarely in-between. See here

Here's my tabletop:

Ideally, I'd like to retain as much of the tabletop possible to continue using it for photos... but from what I can see any of these sizes would be fine. I'm sure I'm GROSSLY overthinking this, but I have the time and figured it's worth putting in the work.

Any thoughts on the Orbit lights for the Peninsula? Am I doing myself a disservice by doing two of those instead of AI's or Kessil A80's? Using the Orbits significantly decreases the cost of entry. I do love how this tank would act as a true Peninsula in my office. The window to the right's blinds are almost always closed during the day except on the weekends so I don't imagine algae would be a problem. My previous large tank was in the same place.

I'm also still attracted to the lagoon build as it'll be on a tabletop and it would be easy to view it from above.

And the Waterbox Cube... I'm attracted to WB tanks for whatever reason, and I think a dedicated Nem tank in a cube would be really cool...

Anyway, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NB Reefer]

Congrats on starting a new tank. I think any of the three choices would be great. My only concern would be can that table support the weight of a tank? Any of those three tanks could easily end up being 150 to 300 pounds.

 

[Aaron Shapiro]

Congrats on starting a new tank. I think any of the three choices would be great. My only concern would be can that table support the weight of a tank? Any of those three tanks could easily end up being 150 to 300 pounds.

haha yeah the table will be fine. It’s an old stainless steel drafting table from the 50’s.

It formally housed a biocube 32 and didn’t blink.