Personally, the biggest problem I've run into is sticking with the mentality of wanting an easy reef tank. As I add corals, I start wanting to drive the tank harder and maximize growth but it's really difficult to have maximum growth and an easy tank while being on a budget. A tip I'd add, have priorities and set reasonable goals
Totally agree with the Feed Very Little thing, just keep in mind as he said this is only optimal for Easy Coral and Easy Fish and expect Slow Growth. This ideology is so hard for us Reefers though because we go to the LFS or online and see all these awesome coral and fish then before we know know it were trying to cram in at all in. It's good to know that keeping an Easy Reef tank is possible though if we can contain ourselves.
i'm sure im overfeeding too, i got a 21 gallon tank (15 gallon water) with just one Synchiropus ocellatus and one Ecsenius stigmatura, and im always afraid that the Synchiropus does not get enough food, so i feed daily or every second day....
When my 10g tank was doing great, I over did the adding of stuff like additives and such and made the process too complicated to the point that I don't even know what happened. I lost all my SPS. So now I've gone back to basics and my tank is starting to look nice again. Thanks for the video
Thank you for this series! Ive been contemplating a saltwater system for a while, and many videos I watch overcomplicate things and it makes me feel like its a lot more work than it is. After watching yours I feel much more confident about getting one without feeling overwhelmed. p.s. this was filmed on my 20th birthday, and its crazy that Im one year older than one of your frags
You are the most chill nano reef keeper I have watched on RU-vid. I just set mine up with live rock and the same sand and was prepared to wait months to add anything because of the cycle everyone rants about. What I’m getting from this is that if my water is good, meaning salt levels and all of my other water test points like PH, Nitrates, Ammonia, etc, I should have no problem adding at least corals?
Man fuck all the negative 👎🏼 comments reef builders,I have a Waterbox 20 on order and everything I watch on RU-vid is nerve racking Almost asked for a refund Easy tanks are great 👍🏼 for some people including myself with 2 recent major back surgeries Your being very clear in this video about what you did and what we shouldn’t do Thanks 🙏 for the content Big Bro
I recently started researching to finally build a reef tank. These videos have been super helpful. Then, I heard what happened, and I am truly sorry. My condolences.
I purchased my nano tank completely set up from a very experienced reef hobbyist. He wanted to get another larger tank and was having to let the nano tank go. It took five months for me as a complete novice to get it to where everyone was thriving in the tank. It was heartbreaking each time I lost a fish or coral but I knew I was doing my best. The day came when I could sit and watch each little creature go about its business. I loved it. Unfortunately, I had to evacuate for a hurricane, the town lost power for 5 days and I lost everything. I haven’t tried since. I don’t think I have the skills to set it up without killing a lot of organisms. I can’t ethically do it. In the system you have here, would it support any of the other creatures that I enjoyed so much: blue leg hermit crabs, a snail, a shrimp and a yellow goby (I can’t remember the name but it’s the one that is commonplace and no bigger than 1.25”. I would rather have more creatures and less coral.
Sorry to hear that ! I think u made great progess and if i where you id try again u will only get better from where u left off and seems like u had the tanks stable
I lost my well established 75g reef tank back in 2008 when he had to evacuate for a hurricane also. Power was also out for several days. Came back to a completely melted tank of everything:, including my Purple Tang of 6 years and a mated pair of Maroon clowns I had for over 5 years. I was so heartbroken that tank sat for several years empty until I sold it all. I had even had a custom built hood solid wood canopy with lights, fan, and special hinges on it. I swore I'd never do it again, and maybe I won't.. but now 16 years later, I miss it... I do have a 75g freshwater, but I miss my reef... who knows.
This video just soothed all my noobie worries and made me more confident to get some corals for my tank. I haven't had a single ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate spike in all the time I've had this tank, even when disaster struck with some injured fish I got. I already have purple and red algae growing. I got some copepods as hitchhikers on my snails. I've only done water changes cuz people kept telling me to and not because my water chemistry was off lol. Also, I'm going to start feeding my fish less from now on haha.
Awsome tips list bro and the tank is looking great. That bacteria adative is awesome. I had an issue with a smiling outbreak used vibrant and boom looks great now. Keep up the great content.
your videos have been inspiration on this tank. Im setting up the same system. Im not stocking it day 1 , but I do have a goal of no water changes and im hoping to be able to do without the skimmer too, i'll add it if i have to down the road but it runs a bit louder than I like so I hope to do without it.
So glad I watched the recap on this build. I’ve been in the aquarium hobby for 36 years but only started reefing 5 months ago. I’ll be definitely winding back the feeding. Love all the videos, very informative and helpful. Thank you.
Honestly thank you for this video! Set up my reef tank almost a week and a half ago and have been nervous to purchase anything. First salt tank, have multiple small tanks ranging 20-55 and a 310 freshwater. Fingers crossed all goes well. :)
Great video! Been in the hobby for over 2 decades and have had SPS dominate tanks from 300 to 5 gallons. #7 was pure gold! Your Grandma always used to say "an Ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure". She was right, trust me!!! #8 was rock solid too! Auto Top Off systems are too cool and convenient but thats a whole lot of components that could fail and result in disaster! The simpler you can make something, the less likely there is going to be an issue cropping up and throwing you for a curve ball! Like you I subscribe to a light fish bioload and Im very stingy with the food!!!
Thank You!!! After watching another series I moved my brand new unopened setup to the garage. I just couldn't take all of their negatives!! You have inspired me to setup!!!
The low bio load and hardy coral and fish is always a good idea. Instead of overstocking smaller tanks - set up multiple small tanks with different fish and keep the bio load low in each tank. Or invest in a bigger tank I suppose
Have loved this whole series and am looking forward to building a 50gal reef tank this year. On the issue of quarantining fish and corals from a store to prevent pests in your tank, how do you do that.
@@ReefBuildersVideo I did my research, plus when watching your content I realized you name corals and other marine species with their scientific names unlike us hobbyists who mainly use nicknames for corals and fish ;))
Listening these tips who's been a tech addict came totally as a surprise. But for sure he's the best and authentic resources to reef or saltwater fish keeping we have lot for ever..😢
@@Fifthimagez I have it set up and running but due to the constant lockdown around here I haven't had a chance to stock it, so it will take some time for me
@@EvilSage42 I completely understand take your time I’m considering adding some corals this weekend this is my second attempt with a reef tank so I’m still learning as well
Corals and very little bioload to your aquarium though so you could add more coral. Sticking to some more bulletproof varieties. I love zoas trying to create a massive ZOA garden in my 180 litre mini tank it's not quite a Nano Reef possibly one-and-a-half times bigger than yours. I basically feed every third day. I feed new life spectrum marine pellets.
I have been really happy with your videos on setting up this tank! So amazing. Thank you guys. I have a question though. How come you aren't using a heater or a cooler? How do you control the water temperature on the tank?
The auto top off thing i am with you on. My first nano had a dumb ass attack and forgot to turn the auto off when doing a water changed dumped about a gallon of fresh water. Threw my salinity way off. Lost several nice peices that had just started to take off. Super sad day hahah. Like the saying says keep it simple stupid. Less moving parts less to break seems logical.
Some of these good tips are great for freshwater as well! Saving for when i start my saltwater tank!!! Do you think it would be a bad idea, for a first saltwater tank, to have a larger tank? Maybe a 150 cube? Lots of flow and some high lighting above? I have big dreams
Jake, let me start by saying that I love your videos. You have great content, and a great variety of it! However, I strongly disagree with the message you are sending to new or prospective reefers with this video. These methods are NOT for a novice. You have some of the easiest corals possible, and yet they are still barely surviving, NOT thriving. Moreover, as you yourself clearly realize, these methodologies are not sustainable indefinitely. Not testing? Not dosing? Barely feeding? Your Dino outbreak is almost inevitable, and you are starving your corals. The new sandbed is keeping the system relatively stable (for now) but that won’t last forever. Please make it clear that someone brand new to the hobby can not expect to buy the most expensive nano tank on the market, stock it with fish and corals, and automatically get good results...
yeah, but so many reefers are constantly trying to justify all the extra effort and money they spend. there are so many thing reefers SWEAR you have to do, and most of them are so unnecessary and honestly not even practical most of the time. the whole point is to have easy corals, build up your confidence to try new things without thinking about it. tank looks great to me. All this extra automation and controllability does a lot more harm then good. it’s crazy how many people ruin their tanks chasing #’s. it’s mind boggling to me. The eye test. that’s what matters...
I'm actually so confused with this video I'm learning how to set up a marine tank and this really didnt help 😂 like why hasn't he done water changes what's eating all the extra nutrients in the water
@@ronaldkregar7139 The living things deplete the water of nutrients and minerals.... you replenish them with water changes, they're in the salt mix. I don't advocate all the over the top, unnecessary stuff either. But you HAVE to do water changes.... that's just common sense.
Hi. I have a 16 gallon nano with 3 medium pieces of live rock, two ocellaris clowns, a blenny, a long tentacle anemone and a crab. I have had a large saltwater tank in the past but moved and am just now getting back into it (I have had a koi pond going). I have Coraline on two rocks also. Wondering how much/often to feed anemone? Lfs recommended zooplankton and phytoplankton alternating every other day. Another lfs recommended shrimp feeding. I am looking also on advice on how many max additional clean up crew? Had one blue green algae bloom already.
Very useful tips - I am just about to start a reef nano - one question I have is - which ones better - back side sump (MAX Nano) or in-cabinet sump (Reefer Nano) ? The one in video is back side sump and seems to doing just fine!
Jake, I have 2 small Reef Tanks and I am about to start a 29 gallon w a 10 Gallon Sump. I am planning some more difficult Corals. I am using Dry Marco Rock. What do you recommend in the way of Cycling? Was planning on seeding sump with some Bio Media I already have Cycled then adding a couple Mollys once the Nitrite drops.
When using tap water, are you filtering it at all? I am considering getting a nano reef and the water change is the most daunting. I use a berkey and have generally good tap water as I am in the Midwest but am really hesitant for the reason of having to buy water from a local store. When you say no water change, does that mean you are simply adding right proportioned tap/ salt water to the tank when topping off?
Hey Jake, I have a 5 gal marineland pico with two clowns and many of the same corals you have in this build. Equipment wise I have a kessilA80 and upgraded return pump, otherwise everything is stock. I too have a lid on my tank and planned that to reduce top off and create stability. I agree that many times less is more rather than complicating things. My reef and fish are thriving. I wanted to mention my duncan coral was not happy when I first got it. I thought they would need higher light requirements. Come to find out moving it 4” lower in the tank brought it back. Keep in mind this made a difference under a lower par 15 watt light! I set my kessil to ramp to100% intensity at 5% (blue) color. You may try moving the duncan lower on the scape since it is dead center at the top under your light. Good job on the tank and the good insight for the reefing community!
@@kevinparra1072 kevin many reasons for me I wanted a tank on my night stand that I could view while in bed. I wanted the challenge of keeping a small reef since many people think it cannot be done and I have been keeping reefs for some time. Another reason is mixing less salt water and being able to complete larger water changes per volume. I can easily and quickly reset my tank with 5 gals of mixed water and usually only need 2-3 gals per change. A small tank allowed me to use a glass lid which controls evaporation I never add fresh water. I could go on with reasons another one is needing less corals to make a proper aquascape vs a large tank would take more money and corals. I can buy small frags and watch them fill the space. My tank is plenty big for my fish I also have a cleaner shrimp and a large elegance coral which has been thriving for the past 3.5 years.
@@kevinparra1072 I have had less success with larger tanks lets put it that way. The most complicated aspect in a small build is determining which corals can coexist due to the fact they will most likely touch. I went with an elegance coral for this reason vs an anemone because I know they can move about a tank. People think the kessel A80 is not powerful but in fact if my corals struggled it was because the light was too close to the lid. I have since raised it 6-8” and my hammer corals have more color and open up. I had no problems with chalice but have not experimented with SPS because I am running a moderate amount of flow. You might also be concerned about corals with sweeper tentacles. You can search the web but people have been successful with reef tanks in vases only using air as a form of water flow. I have done this in the 5gallon in a battery powered air stone during power outages and everything survived for several days.
I will add, when I first started keeping nano tanks I had less success because I did not have an inkbird controller for temperature. I believe this is a huge yet simple upgrade. The next thing is mixing salt accurately with distilled water so that salinity is close to the salinity in your tank. Corals don’t care if it is 1.024 or 1.026, but if your tank is 1.024 and you add 1.026 that change may bother them and make sure salt is mixed completely it usually takes at least 12 hours or more to clear for a good salt BRS did videos on this. Finally adding water with a great temperature variance will make your corals contract. Try to add water at roughly the same temperature either by heating or cooling it based on where you live or time of year. I have my inkbird set at 78 degrees to help with summer time temps. Hope this helps!
Just purchased this tank and it’s awesome. One question for you what is the light setting you are running? I have blues at 100% but not sure what % to set my whites. Thanks!
how do you manage the GSP on the same structure as the other coral? does the lower light and limited feeding keep it under control or do the other corals do fine at keeping it in its lane? also I just watched the build of this and i ended up breaking out my box of Marco rock that I have stored away for the Nano build I am planning. the issue I realised is my Marco rock is all in pretty large pieces which is going to prevent light spread over the front of it should I break them in to smaller pieces or should is a near vertical structure sufficient for most corals? I could build up to the back wall but I had planned to grow my GSP on the back.
With two fish.. instead of “feed very little” I might challenge to not broadcast feed, it’s easy to hand feed pellets to two fish every day.... and fun! No food gets to the bottom when hand feeding, it all gets eaten..
Having a lid on the tank is a double edge sword though. On one hand it's great for those fish that like to jump and reducing the need for an ATO however they are terrible because you need to clean it regularly. In my experience cleaning once a week is a must otherwise it gets dirty which looks bad, and starts reducing light into the tank. Also, if you wait too long it becomes very hard to clean.
That ultimately depends on your environment, it's very pristine in the studio so very little dust, but my friend's houses have pets and kids and yeah they have to clean their lids pretty often
