Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Dear Mr. Goemans,
I've wanted a marine aquarium for years. It started when I was about 10, got worse after my parents took me diving in the Caribbean, and has basically continued to build over the last few years. Alas, when I finally have the money for a tank, I'm in a dorm room.
However, it recently came to my attention that a decently cared for nano aquarium can be successfully run by even a beginner. I'm thinking about getting a 12 gallon Cube. What I plan to do is have a one specimen tank at least to get the hang of things. Past that I have some questions.
1. I want to place some Live Rock and Live Sand in the tank, especially since I think this would be the primary means of filtration for the system. However, I'm not sure as to how much of either ought to be placed in it. Does the rule of 1 pound per gallon still hold true in such a small tank? The primary wonder, though, is on whether a Deep Sand Bed (DSB) or a plenum would benefit such a small system. After extensive searching, I can't seem to find any reasonable opinions on the benefits, if any, of either system in such a small system. And if a plenum or DSB is recommended, how deep should the sand be (I'm looking at 1 - 2mm sand grains at the moment). It's doubly important because a 4" plenum in a small tank is a significant amount of room, but I really want a good solid and stable setup.
2. Would a system with the recommended biological filtration still require a skimmer? I'd like to buy one, but haven't seen much in the way of small protein skimmers. Is there a small effective skimmer you can recommend, or should I look into building a small one? Also, I've heard there are some pumps that actually function to mix the air and water, but haven't seen any. Do you know of any such models?
Thank you for your time and dedication to marine life and systems. Your website was very informative, and was in fact the first truly reasonable discussion of several issues I've found.
Thank you,
JT
Hi JT,
Thanks for your letter and the 'nano' system approach is catching on and is actually a good way for many new to the hobby to get their feet/fingers wet, so to speak.
In such small systems I'm of the opinion that neither a plenum nor deep bed is the correct approach. In these type systems, a bare bottom or shallow bed of about one inch or less is the more correct/reasonable approach. The goal with these small systems is generally to maintain species that will do well in these small confines and continue to be visible. If too crowded with live rock, or corals that will outgrow the container, not only will its inhabitants be too confined, they may become stressed, leading to poor health.
If I were to set up a similar size system, it would contain about an inch of 2 - 5 mm sand, about five pounds of live rock, some easy to maintain and fairly low light and low water movement corals, such as mushrooms, brain and/or Euphyllia corals, two or three small fish, and possibly a cleaner shrimp. As for a skimmer, there are a few small hang on models, however, I've not tried them, so you'll need to experiment. However, if the system is properly set up and the bioload is kept quite low, the skimmer is not needed. And as for biological filtration, the goal with nano systems is to maintain a biologically balanced environment so that major external filtration equipment is not needed. And this is very possible if the bioload is kept low. As for water movement, a small powerhead concealed within the rock decor should suffice. And if some forethought goes into the setup, the powerhead and its cord can be camouflaged with pieces of small rock cemented to it and placed so the entire 'assembly' can easily be removed for service when needed, such as in the corner of the tank. And as for the pump providing an 'aeration' source, that would result in a lot of splash/salt creep in the area where the bubbles reach the surface, and be a constant maintenance problem. Besides, if the bioload is kept low, an additional source of oxygen will not be needed. It's the old "KISS" way of thinking, and quite appropriate for nano systems.
Hope this helps, and glad you liked my website. Recently, my website was given permission to be the first in the world to post the latest revision of the Butterflyfish Taxon. Check it out.
Bob
