Help With Choosing 5g Tall Nano Reef

[tpirovol]

Hi Everyone,

I want to setup a 5g nano reef for my boring desk at home. I dont want it to be long but rather tall as I dont have a lot of space. I was looking at this but wondering if there is anything better out there? I plan to have coral a gobi and maybe a clown or two.

Figured upgrade the pump and put in better media, keep the light as I have a window right in front?


Thoughts?

 

[Sean Clark]

I was just looking at the same one at Chewy.
I think I might go even smaller 2.5 or 3 gallons.
So many decisions.

 

[tpirovol]

I think this is what I am going to do.

MarineLand Portrait 5g
Hydor 50W Heater
Fluval Sea Marine Nano Bluetooth LED (20 Watt)
Pump (Going to try a Sicce 1.0 or Jebao DCA1200 as I have them) if not Hydor 260

Filtration
One chamber filled with bioballs
Filter Chamber Purigen and Chemi-Pure Elite

 

[Sean Clark]

Looks good, you can use a 10watt heater. 50watts is overkill for 5 gallons and will be physically bigger so harder to fit/hide. Just my opinion.

 

[tpirovol]

True do you know which one would be small and work? Also do you have a better idea for the light (ie. Cheaper?)

 

[Sean Clark]

10 watt Heater
For a light, I was going to use an old Kessil A80 that I already have.
The Fluval is about a cheap as you can get in a "reef" light.
I wouldn't go with anything less for lighting.

 

[LegalReefer]

I have the MarineLand Portrait 5g and it has been good to me so far. It's a bit small and tall, so I'd recommend building rockwork high, because there can be a lot of vertical space to fill, but lighting for corals swiftly can become an issue. Good luck, can't wait to see what you manage to do!

 

[tpirovol]

I have the MarineLand Portrait 5g and it has been good to me so far. It's a bit small and tall, so I'd recommend building rockwork high, because there can be a lot of vertical space to fill, but lighting for corals swiftly can become an issue. Good luck, can't wait to see what you manage to do!

Thanks I agree I plan to do tall full arch. Couple of ??

1) What media are you using and how did you fit it in?
2) What return pump did you use?

 

[LegalReefer]

1) Gonna sound bad but I'm using the generic media they provided. Growing chaeto in my tank and I've got 6 pounds of live rock in there, so bio-filter is how I get most of my tank cleaning down, with manual water changes providing the rest. I try to follow a "Keep it simple" approach to maintaining my aquarium; natural is better in my book, though this is not always perfect. Figure out what works best for you!

2) For the return pump, I'm using the generic that came with it, and a tiny aqueon pump I dug out of an old tank I had for some extra flow. I don't have a ton of disposable income at the moment (I'm in law school), but once I do I plan on upgrading.

 

[LegalReefer]

Pics of how it looks now. I need to update my build thread, and clean the glass better

 

[Sean Clark]

I have the MarineLand Portrait 5g and it has been good to me so far. It's a bit small and tall, so I'd recommend building rockwork high, because there can be a lot of vertical space to fill, but lighting for corals swiftly can become an issue. Good luck, can't wait to see what you manage to do!

What do you use for a heater and light?

 

[Sean Clark]

Sorry for all of the questions. Very needy lol

 

[LegalReefer]

What do you use for a heater and light?

Never feel bad about asking questions, questions are one of the absolute best ways to learn!

This is what I use for my light, a Coralife. It has white and blue mode, not super adjustable but powerful enough to grow my corals. For a heater I don't know the brand or specs, but it's one of the glass tube heaters, an old one I salvaged from an old 30-gallon my family had in the basement. My build is very much "budget"

Edit: Amazon links don't post, apparently. I use a Coralife Marine Aquarium Clip-on LED Light, not fancy at all but it does the job. Another thing I need to upgrade, lol