spider_pig

to have a .5 gallon nano tank? To get an idea of what it's like to have a SW tank. or would I need a bigger tank? I don't want any fish. I would buy a small piece of live rock. Would I need other equipment?

Thanks

Peterpiper

Hi David,
Nano tank of this size are not a good starting point, IMO you would need a sump of some kind to keep the perams in check. water volume plays a big part.
LR comes with living critters, and they need to be looked after the same as any fish or corals ie they need good water, food, O2 ETC.
Lighting on a small tank will heat the water quickly.
Just my 2 cents

Tumbleweed

For a beginner Salt Water tank I would recommend starting out with something that is at least 25gal. The reason for this is to give your self a little bit of forgiveness with the water parameters while you learn how they change and how to make adjustments to them. A .5gal pico tank is not large enough for you to really get an idea on how a salt water tank works. For a 25gal. fish only tank a simple setup would cost you less then $100. Start simple use a HOB filter and simple heater. Get a couple of small fish that are hardy and forgiving ie. Damsels or Chromis. See how it works out for you and if it is something that you want to pursue. If it is then you can always add to that tank and build from there. There are plenty of sites on the Internet and a lot of books you can get that explain how a salt water tank works and how to set one up. Do your research. I spent 3-4 months researching salt water tanks and set ups before I even set the first one up. The more Info you have the easier it will be to do. Hope this helps.
Brian

sirdarksol

A neat idea, but I would have to agree with the above statements that it would be a problem keeping the water parameters (especially temp) under control.

spider_pig

Ok, thanks.

au01st

I don't think the temperature would be as big of a problem as evaporation would. Losing just a small amount of water would throw salinity way out of whack. Also, what would you keep in there except maybe a few mushrooms or zoas. If you really want small, I think there's a 3 gallon on Doctors Foster & Smith site for about $40 that would work alright. I'm thinking about getting one for myself to sit next to my 75 and will use it to acclimate zoas and mushrooms for 2-3 weeks when I bring them home from the store, and also maybe to grow copepods.

Just do as much research as you can. I got my 75 gallon mid August, and I haven't added salt yet (though hopefully next week!)

sirdarksol

It sounds like the only thing being kept would be live rock (to see what grows out of it).
I actually plan on doing this as my first marine tank.
Good point about salinity.