What exactly is a nano tank?

Update so newcomers can catch up quickly:
Tank specifics:
Aqueon 14 gallon rimless

Stock:
1 wild variety female Betta splendens (Have)
6 chilI rasbora (Need)
6 Salt and Pepper or Pygmy Corys (Need)

Plants:
Experimental "aquatic" grass seeds (Have)
---Microswords (Need) or Dwarf Hair Grass (Need) If this doesn't work out
Tall Hair Grass (Need)
Jungle Val (Need)

Hardscape and stuff:
Soil underlayer (Have?)
White sand layer (Have)
1 Freak Rock (Have)

How it looks now:
TBA

Next thing to do: Spread Soil and Start Grass



Original Post:
So I was contemplating what I could do should my 5.5 free up sometime in the future, and I've seen nano tanks mentioned kind of frequently on here. I read around a bit online and just want to double check that I'm understanding the concept correctly. It's just a small tank with small fish right? Or is it something more than that?

I also read over a few lists of fish that are considered nano fish, and it seems that, while many are small, they'd still be too active for my 5.5 to give them enough swimming room. Are there any species that'd work in a tank that small? Celestial Danios? ChilI Rasboras? Pygmy Cories? They're all pretty tiny but different sources say different things on their activity levels.

 

I have a betta some ramshorn an Otto cat 2 small guppies and 3 ember tetras in one of my 5.5’s and my other 5.5 I use as a Cory fry grow out tank and it also has ramshorn.. the nano fish u mentioned could work in your 5.5. The first pic is my Cory’s and the second is my bettas n company

 

I have a betta some ramshorn an Otto cat 2 small guppies and 3 ember tetras in one of my 5.5’s and my other 5.5 I use as a Cory fry grow out tank and it also has ramshorn.. the nano fish u mentioned could work in your 5.5. The first pic is my Cory’s and the second is my bettas n company

Ooo those look great! Love the betta one in particular. If any of those fish would work, how many should be included in the tank? I'd probably plop one of my female bettas in there as well

 

Ive got

Sparkling gourami (currently 2, but looking to rehome one as he is bullying the other)
KubotaI rasboras (8)
Pygmaeus corydoras (7)
Ramshorns

In a 10g


All of these could go in a 5.5, in less numbers. The kubos are pretty active but super super small. Cousins to them are microrasbora species like boraras, chilI rasboras, dwarf rasboras... cute tiny fish.

My 10 gallon nano. Tiny fish, mimicking a larger tank, but in smaller space. The kubos are hard to see theyre so small



KubotaI rasboras btw. They only grow to 3/4 of an inch. A betta may snack on some, I know my bully sparkler attempts, hence the nipped tails

 

Ooo those look great! Love the betta one in particular. If any of those fish would work, how many should be included in the tank? I'd probably plop one of my female bettas in there as well

I started with a betta and 5 embers but down to 3 and I don’t plan on upping the school.. it would be safe to put 4-6 nano schoolers in with your betta IMO

 

Ive got

Sparkling gourami (currently 2, but looking to rehome one as he is bullying the other)
KubotaI rasboras (8)
Pygmaeus corydoras (7)
Ramshorns

In a 10 gallon


All of these could go in a 5.5, in less numbers. The kubos are pretty active but super super small. Cousins to them are microrasbora species like boraras, chilI rasboras, dwarf rasboras... cute tiny fish.

My 10 gallon nano. Tiny fish, mimicking a larger tank, but in smaller space. The kubos are hard to see theyre so small
View attachment 657659

KubotaI rasboras btw. They only grow to 3/4 of an inch. A betta may snack on some, I know my bully sparkler attempts, hence the nipped tails
View attachment 657660

The Kubos are cute! But you're right... too small and she might eat some - though sounds like they grow about the same size as the chilis?
Also the yellow-green might clash a bit lol:


(Excuse the jar/tannins, she just arrived yesterday and is still recovering from the trip - she's a wild splendens )

I started with a betta and 5 embers but down to 3 and I don’t plan on upping the school.. it would be safe to put 4-6 nano schoolers in with your betta IMO

So something like this:
1 female betta
4-6 nano schoolers (chilI or kubotaI rasbora/celestial danios/something like that)
No pygmy corys?

 

You could do pygmy cories, just no more than 6 though.


1 betta
6 nano schoolers (id also look at ember tetras)
6 pygmy corydoras

And leave it there.


Your betta girl is beautiful!!! Id love to find a girl like that around.

 

You could do pygmy cories, just no more than 6 though.


1 betta
6 nano schoolers (id also look at ember tetras)
6 pygmy corydoras

And leave it there.


Your betta girl is beautiful!!! Id love to find a girl like that around.

Seems like a lot lol, but I'll give it a shot
I thought embers had a pretty high bioload though?
And ikr, I wanted just the yellow male I got (I'll post better pics tonight), but the seller sent me a picture of her too and she was just too cute

 

I currently have a pair of Betta hendra in a 5 for conservation purposes.

 

Okay, so I took the female betta home and was going to put her in my sorority but my other females grew a lot so she's way too small. Rather than risk it, I think I'm just going to setup this in a new tank (As I said, this tank was just going to be if my 5.5 freed up - wish I could do this in a 6 gallon cube but those are ridiculously expensive for nothing but 5 panes of glass!)

So how's this sound:

1 Female betta (mentioned above)
6 ChilI Rasboras
6 Pygmy corys

White sand substrate, and then fill up the tank with various hair grass (Dwarf, Tall,etc) and then just like a nice medium sized rock in the middle?

 

Got some better pics of her... I think I’m going to pic up a tank this weekend, but I won’t be able to actually start decorating or stocking as planned for a while... need more funds, y’know?

Also instead of the driftwood I think I got a cool rock I could use

 

I did some more thinking. I think I’d like to spend a bit more and get a rimless cube, but I’m going to wait for them to be on sale. Depending on prices, I’ll either get a 6 gal or a 14 gal. With a 6 id leave the stocking the same. If I did a 14, should I bump up the number of chilI rasboras and/or pygmy corys?

 

A rimless cube would be a very nice looking tank! If you did a 14 gallon that is double so I would up the number of rasbora and corycats.

 

A rimless cube would be a very nice looking tank! If you did a 14 gallon that is double so I would up the number of rasbora and corycats.

Thanks! I was thinking it'd look cool with what I was thinking for decorations Think like rasbora and 8 corys if I go with the 14?

 

I got the 14... but I did get like 43% off

 

Nah nevermind this post

 

Do you all think a 14 cube has enough foot space/carry capacity for pandas rather than pygmys?