FishProfiles.com Message Forums

How big is a tank when it stops being a nano?
Any thoughts. I guess if you have a 125g like LF a 20g probably feels like a nano, but really how small does everyone thing a nano is?

Last edited by tetratech at 17-Dec-2005 07:43

My Scapes

10G and under. And I would even say 10G is a stretch

Last edited by Megil Tel'Zeke at 17-Dec-2005 08:09

For me, Nano means really small, no more than 3 gallons

But I know many tanks 5 to 10 gallons are considered nano as well, even the one that is sold as 12G Nano. Crazy

I guess also that nano means different things for salt than for fresh water. Fitting a reef in a 1G is really a challenge (but I have seen it).

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yes, that's a good point, probably a 10g for salt I would consider a nano, but in fresh I wouldn't since it's the most commonly sized tank sold. I'm thinking 5g or less for planted freshwater.




Last edited by tetratech at 17-Dec-2005 08:39

My Scapes

It depends on what you are using it for. As you have listed this thread in planted aquaria, I asssume you are not talking about SW. The "nano" was a term started in SW. The size of the tank is small, but it was more of how the care was applied to the small tank where the name "nano" came in. Small tanks without a sump, could not support most types of specialty filters, thus they required many more frequent water changes. This is where the term nano tank originated. It was considered a small/medium sized tank that did not use advanced types of filterization. Because it was the small tanks that could not use them, as they would not fit. Eventually, it was just changed to small tanks as being the nano type type tanks.

As for size, well that is what ever you consider it. In the SW community, it is still considered that anything under about 20 gallons, and in some cases under 30 gallons, is considered a nano tank. There are several companies out there that have 20, 24, and as much as a 30 gal that they named as nano cubes. Cube, because the tanks are actually in a cube shape. And to further defeat the original purpose, these SW made tanks, have all the filters built into them.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

Interesting history lesson ACIDRAIN,

Funny how terms come to be just to be changed into something completely different and rather meaningless.

I guess we don't have enough flexible terms in the hobby so we created one more .

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well by definition it is a term loosely meant to mean "extremely small" so I guess there can be no real defining it individually, unless a group or organization sets parameters for a contest etc. On APC most people consider anything under a 10 a nano for planted.

I term nano was originally taking from the term nano-second and just reused for different applications.

Last edited by tetratech at 17-Dec-2005 09:30

My Scapes

I'd say less than 5.5 gal.
Most LFS's have banks of 10 gals, I would not call then nano's.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Yes, I would agree Tom, definitely less than a 10, since that is the most common startup aquarium for most first time hobbyists.

My Scapes