December Meeting
Sixteen people logged into Zoom on Sunday, December 6, to hear Karen Randall talk about nano tanks.
According to Karen, a nano tank is usually 10 gallons or less. Nano tanks are becoming much more widely available. In the beginning, there were very few options. Nano tanks also come in a variety of shapes, and each has its own benefits and challenges. You don’t have to use a standard “aquarium’ for a nano tank, you can use anything that can hold water (even a very large bowl). In certain small tank set-ups, use some sponge to block the filter inflow to make sure that shrimp or fish don’t jump in and get trapped!
Karen also displayed a variety of different options for good tanks and which tanks to avoid. Try to avoid tanks that have a single plug for the filter and light, which causes issues since you can’t put the light on a timer like you could if it was a separate plug.
Even in nano tanks, filtration is important. Karen mainly utilizes hang-on-back filters. Some tanks come with lights included, but if you’re growing lower-light plants, even compact desk lamps can work for lighting your nano tank. If you have plants that require higher-light, there are a few different inexpensive options for unintegrated aquarium lights.
Karen doesn’t usually run CO2 in her nano tanks, as it would make the plants grow too quickly, but it can be done if you want to try it. However, she cautions not to use the nano Fluval CO2 system. You could try a Yeast Reactor, but also has its own set of issues. Tanks of compressed gas seem to be the easiest.
Other things you may need for a nano tank: a heater (thermostatic and adjustable), a set of aquascaping tools, and a net for skimming debris. Karen also went over the steps she uses to set up a nano tank and which fish and/or shrimp do well in small tanks.