Saltwater newbie pico tank questions

TikiBird · Sep 7, 2016

Hello, all! I'm equally terrified/excited to maybe finally take the plunge into saltwater! I know it's not a recommended option to start off with, but I have a lovely little Aquatop Zen Nano 3 gallon tank I would like to make a home for some "easy" corals. This tank does not have a top on it.

I expect this will require careful attention to parameters and daily top offs of water due to evaporation? Will I need someone to come by every day when I go on vacation to do this? How long can a tank this tiny be left unattended without trouble? Just trying to plan ahead for trips if I do this....

Thanks so much for any advice!

brandon429 · Sep 7, 2016

a reefbowl is way better for your needs, I get 7 days no topoff on vacations, its about ten times more stable than a three gallon tank, even though its one gallon lol. it breaks every rule in reefing see my sig...something to consider. plus, it has a top

its just too small for fish. if you want corals, its the most stable pico design ever, which is why its older than any pico design we could find.

3 gallons easier for fish but 10x the work of a one gallon partially sealed vase that goes 7 days in between any work and keeps no fish, but most any corals you can buy.

see my sig for one, and google "Maritza the vase reef" for another really sharp one. these are the most stable pico designs around, since they don't evaporate much. the gallonage of a pico reef doesn't impart stability, a reefbowl is orders more stable than a 3 gallon at 1/3 the volume due to actual physical differences in the shape of the container.

my one gallon reef beats a 400 gallon reef tank salinity stability, for example. however, an errant nerfball thrown in the living room would do nothing to a 400 g, and to a reefbowl you might as well shoot it with a shotgun lol.