Mini sump for pico reef?

[Luffy]

So I'm planning on building a pico reef( my first saltwater tank) within the next month or so. Hoping to be around 3 gallons. Do you guys think it's worth it/ a good idea to have a mini sump like say.. Using one of those 2.5 gallon betta tanks? Thought about this because I want to keep the DT as clean looking as possible. I also considered an AIO tank but that takes too much display room.

[Polarcollision]

Try a coil denitrator. I built one to run on my 8 gallon which is fed enough food to keep a mandarin and dwarf seahorses happily full. Believe me, that's a ton of food! I haven't done a water change in 3 months, but nitrates come in around 1-2 ppm. Best part is there's no maintenance--only a negative if you like that kind of stuff. :-)

[NinjaReefer]

It certainly can be done. I think most people dont do them on picos becuase they usually have them as small desktop tanks not usually on stands.

 

Another option if you want a clean look is to use a canister filter and inline heater.

[Luffy]

Another option if you want a clean look is to use a canister filter and inline heater.

I thought canister filter for reefs isn't a good idea?

Also the weakest inline heater is 200w.. Won't that be overkill for such a small tank?

[PicoSavvy]

If you replace the media the canister filter came with, with chaeto or live rock then a canister filter is perfectly fine to use

[NinjaReefer]

Some people do say that, but I dont think there is anything wrong with them. Its a way to move water through whatever filter media you want to use. As long as you clean it out regularly it wont be a problem.

 

haha 200 watts would be overkill yes, but its not like it would cook your tank. It will shut off when it gets to the right temp. Maybe you could fit a small heater in a canister and cut then seal a hole for the wire. Just an idea. There are lots of options for making a clean looking tank.