SPS Nano Tank

[AvaS]

Hi! I would like to set up a nano reef to upgrade from my 7, while I really enjoy it keeping sps corals in it is a large challenge! I would like to upgrade to a waterbox 15/20 gallon cube, or IM nuvo 20 ( I know I should go larger if possible) depending on how much space I have in my new home. I do like the look of the cube though! So I already have a Kessil A360 tuna blue light for the tank, a thermometer, heater, and all three possible set ups come with a basic return pump. Since I want to do sps, acros are the goal, I would love some advice! I need recommendations of what I still need to pick up gear wise for the tank, and don’t really know what else to get, would anyone recommend a wave maker/powerhead, skimmer, doser, controller, to update the stock return pump, or any other gear for a tank of that size or no? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks so much in advance!
-Ava

 

[SashimiTurtle]

First, I have gone down the path you are wanting to travel and it is a bumpy one with lots of obstacles. I'm not trying to discourage you, but prepare you.

Water parameters change VERY fast in a nano. Imagine putting one spoon full of voodoo in a 500 gallon system then putting that same spoon full of voodoo in a 20g tank with approximately 15 gallons of water. Things get messy quick. SPS love stability so we need things to help us out in keeping the tank as stable as we can.

I would recommend an ATO as absolutely necessary. That rules out any salinity swings you could have. Auto Aqua Smart Micro is a nice unit and the sensor is the size of a penny.

You will also need to manage calcium and alkalinity usage. For this I would suggest monitoring until you feel it necessary to dose, then use kalk in the ATO or drip it very slowly into the return chamber. The problem with kalk is it will spike your pH, and having so little water this effect will be magnified. So go slow!

Flow is another thing you will need. Jebao makes good little power heads and they are pretty inexpensive. I have two SW4 pumps and they have been very nice for a nano sized tank. If you want to spend more money, the MP10s are nice pumps and you can keep the cords out of the water.

For a nano tank I wouldn't worry about a skimmer. You can pull more out of the water by doing water changes, and a 5-10g water change is very easy and cheap. It'll help keep up with Ca and alk and refresh trace elements as well as remove nasty nitrates and phosphates.

 

[AvaS]

First, I have gone down the path you are wanting to travel and it is a bumpy one with lots of obstacles. I'm not trying to discourage you, but prepare you.

Water parameters change VERY fast in a nano. Imagine putting one spoon full of voodoo in a 500 gallon system then putting that same spoon full of voodoo in a 20g tank with approximately 15 gallons of water. Things get messy quick. SPS love stability so we need things to help us out in keeping the tank as stable as we can.

I would recommend an ATO as absolutely necessary. That rules out any salinity swings you could have. Auto Aqua Smart Micro is a nice unit and the sensor is the size of a penny.

You will also need to manage calcium and alkalinity usage. For this I would suggest monitoring until you feel it necessary to dose, then use kalk in the ATO or drip it very slowly into the return chamber. The problem with kalk is it will spike your pH, and having so little water this effect will be magnified. So go slow!

Flow is another thing you will need. Jebao makes good little power heads and they are pretty inexpensive. I have two SW4 pumps and they have been very nice for a nano sized tank. If you want to spend more money, the MP10s are nice pumps and you can keep the cords out of the water.

For a nano tank I wouldn't worry about a skimmer. You can pull more out of the water by doing water changes, and a 5-10g water change is very easy and cheap. It'll help keep up with Ca and alk and refresh trace elements as well as remove nasty nitrates and phosphates.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me! Ur tank and setup is beautiful by the way! Such an inspiration! I understand that Nano SPS tanks are difficult and I appreciate the warning, but I have such a love for the hobby, yet my parents said no tank over 20 so that’s what it will have to be for now! I think I will definitely be picking up a auto aqua smart micro and a Jebao SW4. Do you think I would need 2? I know sps like flow so...
I will also make sure to keep an eye on all parameters and keep up with constant steady water changes too! Do you feel a controller is necessary or I can wait and if I feel I would like one I can always add it on? And do you personally feel 4 passive fish is ok for the 20? I think I am going to go bare bottom. Should I do live rock or dry rock? And thanks again for all of the help and let me know

 

[Justfebreezeit]

I have a similar tank (nuvo 20) to what you are looking to do, but its more mixed reef than Acropora dominant.

- I recommend upgrading the return pump to the sicce 1.5 if you go with the nuvo, increases flow in the tank and its much quieter than the stock.
- If money is no object, I would use two MP10's for flow. (I use one on my tank and while one is sufficient, I definitely feel have one to oppose the other creates better and more random flow). Two Icecap 1k gyres are something I've looked at and it looks to be a very enticing option and much cheaper than MP10s. I've never used jebao (like above has) but have heard good things. I would recommend controllable flow if possible though.
- An ATO is a must like mentioned above.
- I don't use a skimmer and I don't feel like one is needed for a tank this small.
- I also agree with robin that Kalkwasser would be great while the tank is still young. (I used it for the first 8 months of my tank in the ATO) Eventually you will have to get a doser though. (I use the Coral box Wifi one)
- I recommend bare bottom so you can crank the flow
- I used live rock from Tamp Bay Saltwater because I was impatient. While I would recommend it the random algae I deal with is kind of a pain. Dry Rock would alleviate this.
- I don't feel like a controller is necessary but once you get some money invested I would get a heater controller at least. Something like the Inkbird.

All that being said my tank is still young; just over a year. So i'm no expert. Everything I've mentioned is my opinion and what I've had success with and not the only way.

Here is a current shot of my tank to give you an idea.



If I had to start over (and I probably will in another year) I would have gone Sps only also! Good luck!

 

[AvaS]

Thanks so much for the reply and back great set up by the way! It’s looking great!! I will definitely be picking up an ATO and a heater controller, and save up for an apex one day. I sadly can’t afford gyres or MP10’s right now, while they are both great pumps! I think I am going to do a hydor wavemaker and Jebao, either SW4 or the new ones, OW’s I think. If anyone has experience with let me know which one I should pick up! I agree and think I will go with dry rock, maybe put some live rock rubble from an established tank on the back to help with the cycle. I will initially see how the tank does and start with Kalk, and take it from there! I underrated and really appreciate your input and opinions. Thanks for the help and let me know!

 

[AvaS]

@Robin Haselden, since you have Jebao experience, would you recommend the SW4 or new OW, and how many for a 20 gallon? And thanks so much for all your and everyone else’s help

 

[AvaS]

And which ATO would be the best one for me to pick up??!

 

[btmedic04]

I was debating between the smart ATO micro and the Icecap ATO for my Nuvo Fusion 20 build. In the end, I chose the Icecap as it doesn't require you to remove some backing off of your Nuvo Fusion 20 (you need to remove a piece in the spot where the smart ATO Micro sensor goes) and I wanted the dual optical sensors. I will definitely buy another Icecap ATO if I decide to do a Nuvo Fusion 10 build.

As far as Jebao goes, my experience is with the first versions; specifically the WP-25. It was an awesome wavemaker and was super cheap compared to the ecotech MP20. Unfortunately I never got around to finishing that set up as life happened so I cant speak on their long term reliability, but man that thing could move some water and create a standing wave by itself in the 55g I was setting up at that time

One thing that I would invest in right off the bat is a quality RO/DI unit. No matter what you dose/etc, your water quality will never get better than the quality it is before you mix salt with it.

 

[AvaS]

Thanks so much for all of the advice! I agree. I go to my local fish store at least twice a week and get my water there. They mix there own salt to 1.025 and have only used the same salt for years and aren’t planning on changing. I will definitely look into the WP-25! Sounds like one will be enough for a 20 right? And I will also look at the icecap ATO! Is it easy to use? As I have never used one before?

 

[btmedic04]

Thanks so much for all of the advice! I agree. I go to my local fish store at least twice a week and get my water there. They mix there own salt to 1.025 and have only used the same salt for years and aren’t planning on changing. I will definitely look into the WP-25! Sounds like one will be enough for a 20 right? And I will also look at the icecap ATO! Is it easy to use? As I have never used one before?

The WP25 was one of jebaos first pumps (circa 2013 I think) and would be way too large for a nuvo 20, the sw4 or ow4 would be the way to go. And it sounds like you have a very good LFS as far as the icecap ato goes, it's very easy to set up. Just make sure the optical sensor with the black wire is facing down (fill line) and the white wired sensor facing up (over filled line) and plug them into the correct spots on the controller. If it overfills, it will stop pumping and emit a loud beeping sound until you correct the issue. Mine just did 20 minutes ago because one of my trochus snails thought it a good idea to walk across one of my tanks overflows lol

 

[AvaS]

Thanks so so much for all of the advice! I will definitely look into picking up a SW4 or ow4 and another AWESOME AMAZING member on here is donating a hydor wavemaker to me, which is absolutely amazing and I am so happy to have it!! I will make sure to follow your advice with the ATO!

 

[AvaS]

I may sound super ignorant for asking, but do I need to buy a water container for the smart ATO, I really don’t know how it works lol

 

[btmedic04]

I may sound super ignorant for asking, but do I need to buy a water container for the smart ATO, I really don’t know how it works lol

I dont see anything ignorant in that post bud! The only dumb questions are the ones left unasked

To answer your question, you will need to supply a reservoir for your ro/di water. For now, I am using a 5 gallon food grade bucket with a 7/16" hole drilled into the lid for me to pass my return and power line through. It's working great but does take up a lot of room in my cabinet which is causing me to look at the trigger 5 gallon ato containers pretty hard

 

[Justfebreezeit]

I use a food grade bucket as well. Can't beat it for the price.

 

[hart24601]

My sps nano is starting to take off, 34g deep blue. Good advise here. Lots of flow, a whole lot. Like 100x (50x effective if using ramping) and good ato. I like the smart micro and their switched outlet so can run from my ro/di downstairs.

Decent doser is going to be a good idea. I don't think need a controller.

Be careful not to overstock. Sps nano and pico don't have to be crazy hard, but managing nutrients can be hard. A lot easier to add them if needed than remove with too large of bioload.

 

[lbacha]

Sps nano’s can be tricky but they are well worth it. My 8g just hit 1 year and there have been lots of ups and downs. As people said things can go south fast. The key is stability and not rushing things. The tank will go through stages of ugliness but it will eventually settle down and stabilize.

Len

 

[AvaS]

Thanks for ALL of the great advice and motivation everyone! I will listen and follow all of it! So I should get some type of container for the ATO to put Rodi in it, and the tubing and everything else comes with the smart micro ATO? Is it work getting the water change part? @hart24601 do you have an affordable good doser you can recommend to me? And I will make sure I take it slow and steady with livestock and stocking the tank! I will also make sure to have good flow! I am planning on doing the stock return and one or two jeabo sw-4 pwerheads on the hydor wavemaker. How does that sound for a 20? Ok amount of flow? Thanks and let me know!

 

[hart24601]

The tubing does come with the smart ato. Just need container. I am using the bubble magus doser from bulk reef supply. It's a solid middle ground doser.

Flow sounds good to start, as coral become colonies will need to trim or add more flow but that comes later!

 

[Sean1986]

I’m a fan of the nano sps tanks! If you truly are going to go sps dominant tank I would say doser will be a must and spread out your dosage as much as possible. Swings in a small tank happen fast as stated above. Stability is key. One thing I’ve had issue with nanos is keeping nitrate and phosphate the sps suck it up really fast I have to dose both.

 

[AvaS]

Wow your tank looks beautiful! A crazy about of awesome sticks in there! What doser would you recommend? And thanks for the advice/ recommendation/ info @hart24601!