Think I’m Done!???

NanoMan16 · Oct 13, 2021

Ok well back in March I bought me a Biocube 16 LED tank. I though why not give the nano tank world a try. Went through the new tank headaches and all that comes with the hobby. I can say have had to upgrade and add on a few things to get it “just right”. Upgraded the pump added a wave maker. Biggest deal and game changer was upgrading the lights. Shout out to the guys at Steve’s LED’s great system great plug and play upgrade!! The Hurricane-X controller is flawless! Shameless promo out of the way lol. Have a fuge set up in the back also using the InTank media basket. This I can say is my pride and joy tank. So take a look at the photo do you think I’m about done?

PandorasChalk · Oct 13, 2021

NanoMan16 said:
Ok well back in March I bought me a Biocube 16 LED tank. I though why not give the nano tank world a try. Went through the new tank headaches and all that comes with the hobby. I can say have had to upgrade and add on a few things to get it “just right”. Upgraded the pump added a wave maker. Biggest deal and game changer was upgrading the lights. Shout out to the guys at Steve’s LED’s great system great plug and play upgrade!! The Hurricane-X controller is flawless! Shameless promo out of the way lol. Have a fuge set up in the back also using the InTank media basket. This I can say is my pride and joy tank. So take a look at the photo do you think I’m about done?

Looks great, but let's be honest with ourselves, MTS never ends. It recedes and hides then comes back when you see another tank.

mdb_talon · Oct 13, 2021

Looks great, but most of us are never done! If you are then you have more self control than me.

robbyg · Oct 13, 2021

Most people do not know when to stop and that eventually leads to a tank crash. I think your pretty much at the limit but resisting the temptation to add more is going to be hard. I suggest you stay far away from all LFS

Zoa_Fanatic · Oct 13, 2021

Hey your flamethrower ready to prune that GSP. It grows fast

MaxTremors · Oct 13, 2021

I think nanos look better with more smaller corals. I don’t mean frags, but controlled, groomed little colonies instead of larger colonies. And you’ve got room for a bunch more. You can let things grow in more, but id pack every inch of the rock with something. I’d add some more zoas, some gonioporas/alveoporas, some blastos, and some more acans. Basically stuff that comes in multiple colors but that you can pack in next to each other. I’d also get a trachy, lobo, or scoly (or some button scolies) for the sand bed in the front, and then some rock flowers or maxi minis on the sides. I’d also glue pieces to the back wall. Pack it full!!!!

Zoa_Fanatic · Oct 13, 2021

MaxTremors said:
I think nanos look better with more smaller corals. I don’t mean frags, but controlled, groomed little colonies instead of larger colonies. And you’ve got room for a bunch more. You can let things grow in more, but id pack every inch of the rock with something. I’d add some more zoas, some gonioporas/alveoporas, some blastos, and some more acans. Basically stuff that comes in multiple colors but that you can pack in next to each other. I’d also get a trachy, lobo, or scoly (or some button scolies) for the sand bed in the front, and then some rock flowers or maxi minis on the sides. I’d also glue pieces to the back wall. Pack it full!!!!

Rock flowers have eaten fish on me. I don’t trust them

Nano sapiens · Oct 13, 2021

Considering you only started this in March, that's looking great!

You are at the point where things get...interesting'. You could just let your existing corals grow in further, or you could keep adding more corals to fill up free space, or get a case of 'upgrade-itis' like so many do when the corals start to really grow out

. There's no wrong or right way about this, except 'wrong' would be a path where the system health and animals are negatively affected and/or the aquarium becomes too troublesome to effectively manage.

IME (my current small nano is 13 years old), with these smaller nano aquariums one does have to be mindful of the coral type and mature size. Adding some of the smaller species (zoas/palys, acans, button scollies, etc.) helps to keep things manageable and at scale (at least for a while). Having said that, given enough time and proper care, even the smallest polyped corals can cover a whole lot of area and strategies need to be developed to deal with coral growth in such small volumes of water.