Thoughts on Reef Jars?

[HuduVudu]

But if you change all the water weekly like some other threads do you shouldn't need to supplement anything now I want one

If you are trying to grow something that requires supplementation you are going to be in for a nasty surprise.

Imagine this, you are successful and your coral grows. Displacing more and more water volume. Fantastic right? Nope, you now have less water volume to push the same and soon to be more supplements. This means that you need finer and finer control to keep parameters stable. You do NOT want to be in this position. There is a reason people choose larger tanks for reefs.

Please think hard before embarking on this. It may SEEM easy but as someone who has a "small" reef, it is not.

 

[fulltang]

Those are neat little holders too!

Thanks! They're cut down 1/2" PVC end caps - idea courtesy of @Ron Reefman

 

[DeniseAndy]

I feel comfortable trying it, when I get around to it, because if anything is suffering, I can put it back into one of my other systems. Of course, this is where anything I put into it would come from anyway.

My jar is simply a cylinder with a wide mouth that has a cork cover. I thought it would be easier to drill for airline. Someday.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

In my 1 gallon pico I keep zoas and mushroom.

 

[Kehy]

If you are trying to grow something that requires supplementation you are going to be in for a nasty surprise.

Imagine this, you are successful and your coral grows. Displacing more and more water volume. Fantastic right? Nope, you now have less water volume to push the same and soon to be more supplements. This means that you need finer and finer control to keep parameters stable. You do NOT want to be in this position. There is a reason people choose larger tanks for reefs.

Please think hard before embarking on this. It may SEEM easy but as someone who has a "small" reef, it is not.

Wait... people try to keep parameters stable in these? I do agree with avoiding corals that require supplements though, but in my case it's due to me wanting a very hands-off bit of enjoyment. I'd say that if you acknowledge and accept that some things will just be more effort than they're worth in a jar, you can have fun. Just go for stuff that you know has a will to live, and don't over think it, and it's pretty stress free.

Could be the cocky planted FW side of me saying that. I've had a 120ml bottle that used to live in my windowsill and within a year the plants were too large to remove. My mother has it hidden somewhere in a windowsill still I think. The biggest tank I've ever had is 20 gallons, and I've done a ton of palmtop pico FW setups.

 

[reeferals]

One suggestion if you're asking for suggestions for a retail product, take a look at the reef smart light. Integrating the light in the lid does so much for the aesthetics of a jar, and if it seals decently that also resolves evaporation issues.

I’ve always wondered how much heat these lights give off and if It would be enough to heat the tank. If I were to ever set up a jar I would want minimal equipment. Like I wouldn’t mind a single airline for water movement but, I think sticking a heating element in there would be pushing it aesthetically. I can’t think of a way that would keep temps up without being an eyesore.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

I’ve always wondered how much heat these lights give off and if It would be enough to heat the tank. If I were to ever set up a jar I would want minimal equipment. Like I wouldn’t mind a single airline for water movement but, I think sticking a heating element in there would be pushing it aesthetically. I can’t think of a way that would keep temps up without being an eyesore.

I only use my heater on my 1 gallon pico in winter. In summer spring and autumn i don't use it because my light it enough.

 

[fulltang]

I’ve always wondered how much heat these lights give off and if It would be enough to heat the tank. If I were to ever set up a jar I would want minimal equipment. Like I wouldn’t mind a single airline for water movement but, I think sticking a heating element in there would be pushing it aesthetically. I can’t think of a way that would keep temps up without being an eyesore.

A jar is basically going to sit at ambient room temp. I overcame the in-tank aesthetic concerns using a canister filter with Lily pipes and a heater inside. Check out my build thread for details if you're interested: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fulltangs-long-journey-to-a-custom-3-gallon-jar.898666/

 

[DeniseAndy]

That is way too much for me and a jar. Nicely done though!

 

[DesktopReefer]

I’m loving all of the definitive comments from people who have probably never kept anything smaller than a 75

I think what a lot of people forget about is that a water change in a system that size takes 5 minutes. Want to take all your rock out and treat some algae with hydrogen peroxide? No big deal.

I’m not going to make any claim that they are “easier” or “harder” than tanks many times their size. They are just different. Also, how does one measure “hard” or “easy”? If it’s time invested, even with full waterchanges every few days, I’d bet you it’s still way less maintenance than a large tank. If we’re measuring in terms of difficulty of keeping parameters stable, yes I’ll give you that adding things to a smaller tank have to be done in much more precise doses.

As long as you go into a jar not fooling yourself that it will be a no maintenance thing, you’ll be fine.

The other great thing?!? It can sit on your desk and be 1 foot from you all day long.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

I’m loving all of the definitive comments from people who have probably never kept anything smaller than a 75

I think what a lot of people forget about is that a water change in a system that size takes 5 minutes. Want to take all your rock out and treat some algae with hydrogen peroxide? No big deal.

I’m not going to make any claim that they are “easier” or “harder” than tanks many times their size. They are just different. Also, how does one measure “hard” or “easy”? If it’s time invested, even with full waterchanges every few days, I’d bet you it’s still way less maintenance than a large tank. If we’re measuring in terms of difficulty of keeping parameters stable, yes I’ll give you that adding things to a smaller tank have to be done in much more precise doses.

As long as you go into a jar not fooling yourself that it will be a no maintenance thing, you’ll be fine.

The other great thing?!? It can sit on your desk and be 1 foot from you all day long.

I haven't kept anything bigger than a 0.75 lol

 

[fulltang]

That is way too much for me and a jar. Nicely done though!

Fair enough, I went overboard due to my specific configuration, but honestly you can make it happen with off the shelf fresh water lily pipes, that $40 canister filter and that specific diameter heater.

 

[fulltang]

I’m loving all of the definitive comments from people who have probably never kept anything smaller than a 75

I think what a lot of people forget about is that a water change in a system that size takes 5 minutes. Want to take all your rock out and treat some algae with hydrogen peroxide? No big deal.

I’m not going to make any claim that they are “easier” or “harder” than tanks many times their size. They are just different. Also, how does one measure “hard” or “easy”? If it’s time invested, even with full waterchanges every few days, I’d bet you it’s still way less maintenance than a large tank. If we’re measuring in terms of difficulty of keeping parameters stable, yes I’ll give you that adding things to a smaller tank have to be done in much more precise doses.

As long as you go into a jar not fooling yourself that it will be a no maintenance thing, you’ll be fine.

The other great thing?!? It can sit on your desk and be 1 foot from you all day long.

Yeah, not having to deal in large quantities of water reduces overhead in a bunch of ways. Less cost spent on DI filters, salt, containers. A 100% water change with rock scrubbing takes me 20 minutes in my 3 gallon.

 

[ApoIsland]

I’m loving all of the definitive comments from people who have probably never kept anything smaller than a 75

I think what a lot of people forget about is that a water change in a system that size takes 5 minutes. Want to take all your rock out and treat some algae with hydrogen peroxide? No big deal.

I’m not going to make any claim that they are “easier” or “harder” than tanks many times their size. They are just different. Also, how does one measure “hard” or “easy”? If it’s time invested, even with full waterchanges every few days, I’d bet you it’s still way less maintenance than a large tank. If we’re measuring in terms of difficulty of keeping parameters stable, yes I’ll give you that adding things to a smaller tank have to be done in much more precise doses.

As long as you go into a jar not fooling yourself that it will be a no maintenance thing, you’ll be fine.

The other great thing?!? It can sit on your desk and be 1 foot from you all day long.

From someone who had both a large reef tank and also a couple small pico vase/jar, I can say that the jar is both harder and easier at the same time.

I was only keeping zoas in the picos, but for me it was infinitely more difficult to get the heat, flow, and algae issues solved.

The water change was far easier of course. But the motivation to do a weekly water change ended after about 4 weeks even though they only took about 15 min once the water was mixed up.

Those zoas did look awesome being magnified in the jars though. And I'll definitely set them up again if I have a lot more time on my hands.