flchamp89
Valuable Member
So we have Paul's incredible tank to marvel at but what about a nano. I'm interested in pictures and feedback of say 20g and smaller tanks that have surpassed a decade. Tell your story and show off.
Oldest Nano
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I think that may be a really small minority you are going after, but I'm curious how many respond (some loose interest, some crash and many upgrade long before the 10 year mark).
I think if we tracked worldwide forums the oldest nano is Nano Sapiens above, the oldest pico is the reefbowl nearing 13 yrs old and the second oldest living pico is Maritza the vase reef at 7 yrs going on 8 / 1 gallon
A few nuances affect tank age...back in the day everyone used to run totally hands off as some sort of contest to see which system would self regulate aside from water changes and basic care, there was never ever deep cleaning etc
I take my vase apart annually and blast it 1000% free of detritus or replace the sandbed as preventative maintenance, this is a reset to some but I don’t care lol I’m not trying to please anyone but the corals. I consider the rocks and corals the heartbeat of my system, and that deep clean is the same as partial clean for age purposes but I use deep cleaning to cheat and keep the system alive forever, biologically at least. A nerf ball could fell it any second.
A few nuances affect tank age...back in the day everyone used to run totally hands off as some sort of contest to see which system would self regulate aside from water changes and basic care, there was never ever deep cleaning etc
I take my vase apart annually and blast it 1000% free of detritus or replace the sandbed as preventative maintenance, this is a reset to some but I don’t care lol I’m not trying to please anyone but the corals. I consider the rocks and corals the heartbeat of my system, and that deep clean is the same as partial clean for age purposes but I use deep cleaning to cheat and keep the system alive forever, biologically at least. A nerf ball could fell it any second.
i believe there is a thread on reefbuilders about Sanjay having a 20 yr nano with no water changes, I’ve never found a build thread on that only the endpoint article. I personally don’t consider 20 gallons a nano but a mini reef, opinions differ. 20 gallons is so much dilution that’s an ocean lol
Ain’t nobody going even a few years on a true nano without a water change, you’ll be in the sand rinse thread seeking cyano cures by month six
Ain’t nobody going even a few years on a true nano without a water change, you’ll be in the sand rinse thread seeking cyano cures by month six
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flchamp89
Valuable Member
This is such a large forum I figured there has to be a few here with some age. I had a 5g running for 5 years when the nano craze hit but only had a couple of corals.
Biocubes have been around a while. You would think someone has an old one still running. I personally don't subscribe to nano tanks being more difficult maybe more work if that's what some mean but I think that can be argued too.
Biocubes have been around a while. You would think someone has an old one still running. I personally don't subscribe to nano tanks being more difficult maybe more work if that's what some mean but I think that can be argued too.
BestMomEver
2500 Club Member
I’ve always heard that a pico is less than 10 gallons. Many people consider a nano to be anywhere between 10 and 50 gallons.
It's completely true that gallons doesn't translate to stability. The one gallon vases don't require daily topoff, it's weekly, using no mechanical gear or ato that can fail. They're more stable than any aquarium on this board but you cannot ever bump into them~ easy break
Changing half a gallon of water is doable for even a beginner, its rule breaking hilarious and scientifically wonderful that the once claimed hardest to run systems/ 1 gallon reefs with two grand in corals / are the simplest. Great for beginners. I love how rules made are actually flexible, and negotiable depending on the resolve of the person who was told something isn't possible or accepted by the masses. Reefing hobby rules have a short lifespan.
Changing half a gallon of water is doable for even a beginner, its rule breaking hilarious and scientifically wonderful that the once claimed hardest to run systems/ 1 gallon reefs with two grand in corals / are the simplest. Great for beginners. I love how rules made are actually flexible, and negotiable depending on the resolve of the person who was told something isn't possible or accepted by the masses. Reefing hobby rules have a short lifespan.
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Ling_Thing
Valuable Member
I’ve had my nuvo 10 going for 7 years, had to remove one piece of rock as GSP took over, left a tiny spot I didn’t see on another rock and sure enough a year later I’m about to rip that rock out too, dang GSP!
Cadlights 12g...11 this month.
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LOL, yeah, that would get a lot more replies.
Look at my sig (not yet updated with a FTS for the 11th year).
Dkeller_nc
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In my case, I built my 20g reef in 2004. It was originally constructed to mimic the equipment from Julian Sprung's rather famous 20g from the 1980s - Tunze low-profile skimmer, true live rock and all. My only conscious substitution was power compact fluorescents for his original MH. I still hand-dose the tank with alk and Ca, and water changes are 20% or so every 3 or 4 weeks. I've substituted equipment since I set it up - it now runs a Reef Octopus 110 "classic" for a skimmer, and far more effective Tunze 6040 powerheads for circulation than the old-school fluvals it had to start with. And at some point in the near future, I'll have to ditch the PC lights for T5HOs since the bulbs with the proper spectrum have ceased production.
But basically the tank is unchanged. So yeah, if you're asking whether you can maintain a nano tank for a long period, the answer's yes.
But basically the tank is unchanged. So yeah, if you're asking whether you can maintain a nano tank for a long period, the answer's yes.
if anyone was using the same rocks from X timeframe its still the essense of the tank, its pretty much all I preserve during cleanings. rocks and corals affixed remain, rest is blasted clean.
I'm not saying everyone does that or has to, I'm just saying if anyone repeats the method the outcome converges into long lived tanks, few if any variation, and corals that never get disease and you have to chip them out with a screwdriver to make room for new growth. all long term syndrome/conditions and variations are caused by storing up detritus along the continuum and the end of the continuum that blasts detritus is cheat resetting their tank to an infinite lifespan via a method of total cheating which is awesome. to occasionally rip clean a reef tank is to be at the fringing reef zone just that once with your whole setup; high energy, clean, oxygenated water, high REDOX, you can feed 10x feeding just before the rip and fatten every polyp
if anyone here considers a fringing reef zone on the GBR as a great place for coral, its possible to implement that into your tank any ole time you'd like.
I'm not saying everyone does that or has to, I'm just saying if anyone repeats the method the outcome converges into long lived tanks, few if any variation, and corals that never get disease and you have to chip them out with a screwdriver to make room for new growth. all long term syndrome/conditions and variations are caused by storing up detritus along the continuum and the end of the continuum that blasts detritus is cheat resetting their tank to an infinite lifespan via a method of total cheating which is awesome. to occasionally rip clean a reef tank is to be at the fringing reef zone just that once with your whole setup; high energy, clean, oxygenated water, high REDOX, you can feed 10x feeding just before the rip and fatten every polyp
if anyone here considers a fringing reef zone on the GBR as a great place for coral, its possible to implement that into your tank any ole time you'd like.
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