Why a nano saltwater aquarium?
Source: Nano Meerwasseraquarium
Seawater aquariums conjure up a wonderful atmosphere. In order for the fish and invertebrates living in them to feel comfortable, the tanks must be large enough. They should hold at least two hundred to three hundred liters. A seawater aquarium means investment of time, know-how and financial possibilities, but above all space for the entire system.
If rooms are small or there are hardly any suitable placement options, a touch of the sea atmosphere can still move into your own four walls or into everyday office life with a nano tank. Because nano seawater aquariums are really small.
Pools with a volume of up to 60 liters fall into this category. Depending on your opinion, those with up to 100 liters are also included in marine aquaristics. Due to their small size, there is still a place in every apartment to set them up. But there are few marine animals that can be kept in very small aquariums. Fish are not included. You need a sufficiently large swimming surface.
Nano saltwater aquariums do not offer you that. These also often have a cube shape. The base area is then still small, even with the larger variants. And many fish don’t use the space above, they prefer to stay in the bottom area. The mini-pools come into question, especially if observing and caring for invertebrates is fun and if you can enjoy the details and the beauty of corals. Nano saltwater aquariums can also be used as quarantine tank serve.
Advantages compared to larger tanks
Nano seawater pools look chic. Because of their size and lighter weight, they can be placed in a variety of places, even in small spaces. They are significantly cheaper to buy than large pools and can sometimes be operated with less technology.
Their cleaning is less complex and comparatively cheaper. For beginners who have informed themselves very well in advance and start with an aquarium as a complete set, the mini aquariums can be an introduction to marine aquaristics. Especially when dealing with aquatic plants and sea creatures is generally in the foreground and not keeping fish.
Disadvantages compared to larger pools
Small aquariums are generally more delicate and difficult to maintain. Due to their lower water volume, they have little buffering capacity. Mistakes in management, such as feeding too much at once, quickly have a negative effect. The water values must be set precisely so that the ecological system in the pool remains stable. Small pools heat up quickly and cool down quickly. The time to react to problems, such as a defect in the heating element, is shorter.
No fish can be kept in the nano saltwater aquarium and only comparatively few individuals of some animal species can live together here.
Which animals and plants are suitable?
In general, nano aquariums can be set up as species, community or biotope aquariums. They are particularly suitable for stocking with invertebrates, such as small ones that live in salt water shrimp like the hollow back shrimp (Thor amboinensis). This shrimp has an interesting pattern and beautiful colour, shows up often and only grows to 2-3 cm in length. As a less sensitive species, it is easy to keep and also suitable for beginners. However, because it reacts sensitively to fluctuations in the density of the water (salinity), it should be slowly acclimated to the water. A hollow back shrimp costs about 10 to 14 euros.
snails don’t take up much space either. They look pretty and also remove algae from the decoration and panes. Than sedentary animals also come corals for keeping in question, as well as encrusted and disc anemones. They liven up the aquarium with their interesting shapes and fascinating colors. Just like in a large tank, it is important to wait for the biological start-up phase in order to then integrate soft corals and several weeks later, for example, shrimp into a tank. With regard to plants, plants that remain small in accordance with the small space and those that are slow-growing and undemanding are suitable. mosses (shrimp need mosses) and ferns can be easily integrated.
Decoration and reef building
Especially in the cube-shaped pools, it is important to decorate the top, for example with stones that are placed on edge and to which plants or roots purchased in specialist shops can be attached. It is important to the aquarium good to structurein order to allow different places to emerge despite the small space and thus, if necessary, to better enable the formation of territory.
Which technology is possible?
In principle, the technology does not differ from that of a large saltwater aquarium. Lots of retailers are offering these days complete sets at. Here the entire technology is already integrated in the aquarium in miniature format and often cleverly hidden in the small system. All technical components are coordinated with each other. Even accessories such as repair tools or nets are included in the appropriate size. Because very small pools tip over easily, the purchase is ideal for beginners, for example. If a complete set is not an option, the necessary technology and accessories must be purchased in a suitable size. Standard filters, for example, bring too much current into the mini pools and it is difficult to handle the mini systems with conventional nets.
The flow should be about twenty times the tank volume per hour. LEDs can be used as lighting. If corals are kept, the lighting must be adjusted according to their requirements. The lighting integrated in complete sets is usually sufficient for soft and leather corals as well as some LPS hard corals. Retrofitting is usually required for more demanding PLCs. A skimmer is not absolutely necessary if you only stock corals, protein waste is then negligible.
Costs
The acquisition costs are between 300 and 1500 euros. If 10 euros per liter volume is set as a rough guideline, 600 euros should be estimated for a 60 liter pool. Running costs also vary. Electricity costs (heating and lighting) account for the larger share, those for water are rather low in a very small pool. There are also costs for salt and water tests.
Depending on the size of the pool, costs can range from 10 to 40 euros per month. In general, the acquisition costs and running costs are significantly lower compared to a large seawater aquarium.