Nano Reef Tank

When people think of a reef tank, they often fail to completely understand what it is. When asked about nano reef tanks, they often become even more confused. While a nano tank is gaining popularity by those who enjoy reef tanks, it can be confusing; just like a normal reef tank, the nano reef tank features live corals and other types of sea creatures in an aquarium. While fish tanks are mostly fish, the nano reef tank focuses on the actual live coral reef itself. The tank's purpose is to showcase the live coral, with fish and other plants and rocks used to accent the beauty of the living rock.

Basics of a Nano Reef Tank 

The basics of these tanks really revolve around the size of the tank itself. While normal reef tanks aim to take a small section of the sea and have it live in an aquarium, the nano tank takes that to another level, trying to do so in a smaller tank. While some say that anything smaller than 40 gallons is a nano tank, there are others who think that the tank must be less than 20 gallons. While this is a way to save on costs and size for a tank, there are consequences; nano reef tanks are often much harder to take care of than normal, as the smaller tank means less water, which means more water changes and more attention to the tank itself.

It Is Not Necessarily All About the Coral Reef 

Yes, the purpose of a nano reef tank is to focus and showcase the actual living coral reef. The other life in the tank, however, is still important, and should be thought about. There are many types of life that exist in  these types of tanks that are important to the ecosystem of the tank; you need phytoplankton, mushroom polyps, and potent nematocysts in the tank to be sure that the tank's ecosystem allows the coral to live and thrive. For the soft coral and the look of the tank, clownfish anemones and cleaner shrimp, along with other sessile animals, are important. If you are adding a lot of fish, be sure to know and watch out for aggressive fish; these fish can completely ruin the ambiance and life of the coral and other living creatures in the nano reef tank.

It is a Smaller Scale

A nano reef takes the idea of a normal reef tank and takes it to a much smaller scale. While the normal reef does feature smaller fish, the real focus is on the living reef. Fine particulate foods and small particulate organic matter is present when looking at a nano reef tank, as everything is on a much smaller scale. Everything in the tank will be a smaller size; at the end of the day, the coral reef should be the largest and most prominent thing in the tank, as it is the showcase and purpose of the tank itself.

Think about the Tank

The tank that you use is just as important as what living creatures you have put in it. Having a good place for the live coral and fish to live is crucial; adding a good sand bed for the nano reef tank is a great way to increase the feel of the tank, and give the ecosystem what it needs. A great coral keeper makes sure to check reef temperature and colony orientation carefully, and use protein skimmers to help clean the organic material and food from corals that can get in a tank.

Check out the discount prices on aquarium filters [http://www.theaquariumlady.com/Filtration.html] at The Aquarium Lady [http://www.theaquariumlady.com].