Starting a 5 gallon nano

[Booker301]

Looking to do mainly a nano reef. I wanted to know if anyone suggests a protein skimmer on such a small tank, or would water changes suffice? At most I'm looking to have two clown fish and a clean up crew of 6 in this tank, besides some anemones, and corals.

 

[pbjelly]

You could look into a HOB (hang on back) skimmer, which would add water volume to your system, but I kept a nano for years without using a protein skimmer.

5 gallons is very small - especially when you factor in displacement by rock and sand, and the smaller the tank, the more difficult it is to keep stable so I would do a lot of research on every single thing you put into or onto the tank - especially the animals you hope to keep alive.
Remember on a tiny tank, even testing your water or acclimating a new arrival will necessitate doing a small water change because removing a few ounces of water and then allowing your ATO to refill will change the salinity.

Small is hard and anything that adds more water volume to the system is good.