hello everyone i am new here as well as with saltwater i will be getting a new picotope 3 gallon on monday with a 100 gph power filter and i will have a 25 watt heater along with a 9watt 50/50 bulb light , along with instant sea salt and a fake 8 inch reef rock , along with sand and i will use stress coat for the water condetinor and cycle product to help it cycle now i want to know is all of this okay am i using the right stuff also i have a hydrometor to check the salt levels and a digital temp gauge , what am i missing all i want to put in this tank is perhaps one green clown goby and a tuebo mexicna smail along with 4 small hermit crabs the ones that doesnt get over an 1 inch please let me know if i am missing something to this list i will not be using nay corals or live rocks so will my 9 watt 50/50 work white / blue bulb , thanks for your time and your answers as i wait thanks
NEWBIE NEEDS HELP WITH FIRST TANK PICOTOPE 3 GALLON GLASS
- Thread starter crushingmyself
- Start date
especially for a first tank, id reccomend you get a bigger tank. im not overly framiliar with nano tanks, but with a 3 gallon, you REALLY limit what you can put in the tank, and even a small fish can create a huge bioload for a 3 gallon tank, ur gonna be dealin with water quality problems pretty consistantly if you get lazy with this tank 
( very regular water changes, general upkeep, etc). not sayin u cant do it, id just think u'd be more successful with a larger tank.
any of the nano guys have any advice when it comes to keepin a tank this small?
( very regular water changes, general upkeep, etc). not sayin u cant do it, id just think u'd be more successful with a larger tank. any of the nano guys have any advice when it comes to keepin a tank this small?
A little tank like that can be more difficult to take care of. I know I started out small (not that small) because of the space in my dinky apartment at the time. It's a lot easier to move too if your not settled. If that's the case, good choice. If not, I agree with Falcon. You'd probably be much happier with a bigger aquarium (20+ gallon).
On your original plan:
Use real live rock, don't get the fake stuff. It carries all the biological filtration to support your critters (great for fish tanks too, not just corals).
What are you using for sand? Make sure it's argonite or "live sand?"
Use filtered or distilled water. For a tank that small, it's easy enough to just buy a jug from the grocery store. You won't need water conditioner and the live rock will take care of the cycling. Just add salt.
I saw a nice little nano that did well with a 50% water change every week (it'll only be 1.5 gallons). Changing that much water out of it all the time made up for the fact that the tank is too small for a skimmer or anything.
I would recommend only getting a couple hermits or maybe a hermit and a snail. Four crabs and a snail might starve.
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On your original plan:
Use real live rock, don't get the fake stuff. It carries all the biological filtration to support your critters (great for fish tanks too, not just corals).
What are you using for sand? Make sure it's argonite or "live sand?"
Use filtered or distilled water. For a tank that small, it's easy enough to just buy a jug from the grocery store. You won't need water conditioner and the live rock will take care of the cycling. Just add salt.
I saw a nice little nano that did well with a 50% water change every week (it'll only be 1.5 gallons). Changing that much water out of it all the time made up for the fact that the tank is too small for a skimmer or anything.
I would recommend only getting a couple hermits or maybe a hermit and a snail. Four crabs and a snail might starve.
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I recommend a good test kit one with at least ammonia/ammonium, Nitrate, Nitrite and Water PH the more experianced guys/gals will advise better as I am just starting out also. Its intereasting to know whats going on in your tank and helpful to know when cycling is finished.
From what I can understand with a smaller tank you have less time to react to bad water quality than a larger one and it is less stable than a larger tank. I understand how budgets can be but think carefully about if a bigger one would be better, they are meant to be easier to manage plus if you catch the bug you will be kicking yourself up the butt for not going larger. I bought a 58 litre 15 Gal(US) Nano reef week later bought an 88 Gal(US) tank as the little one didn't look big enough. Also research is invaluable, get a good book, Saltwater for Dummies was very helpful to me, aswell as this forum, and my local Fish Supplier. Be weary some Fish Suppliers some (not all) will sell you stuff you don't need vet them first get free advice from a few about the same stuff before you make your selection as to which one you will stay with. :lol:
From what I can understand with a smaller tank you have less time to react to bad water quality than a larger one and it is less stable than a larger tank. I understand how budgets can be but think carefully about if a bigger one would be better, they are meant to be easier to manage plus if you catch the bug you will be kicking yourself up the butt for not going larger. I bought a 58 litre 15 Gal(US) Nano reef week later bought an 88 Gal(US) tank as the little one didn't look big enough. Also research is invaluable, get a good book, Saltwater for Dummies was very helpful to me, aswell as this forum, and my local Fish Supplier. Be weary some Fish Suppliers some (not all) will sell you stuff you don't need vet them first get free advice from a few about the same stuff before you make your selection as to which one you will stay with. :lol:
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