Starting a reef nano

[Nanonon]

I had a 110 show 18 years ago.

my son brought me a nano tank home. 
 

I don’t think it’s much . 
it’s a 6 gallon tank w a Fluval hangon filter with love sand rock and two blue legged hermit crabs and and led lamp

 

when I was into this I had multi stage ro system with uv light protein skimmer in sump refugium metal halides ect. 
 

can someone give me a crash course on what is needed for this 6 gallon tank to thrive. Filter , skimmer? Lighting. Looking to get some small sps, polyps , mushrooms , maybe goby and shrimp pair. 
 

thanks 
 

 

[mcarroll]

These days there are nano-equivalents for most of the same gear you used on your large tank back in the day.  

 

Live rock and a skimmer is still a go-to recipe.  Not the only recipe, but still the best one, all things considered.

 

If it's not already apparent, you won't need halides anymore though....LED does the job pretty well.  A Kessil Tuna Blue setup (or similar) would be a close match to what you had in halide lighting.  DIY is possible.

 

You still want RODI water.  (Or at least demonized distilled water from the grocery if you only need tiny amounts.)

 

I have no specific recommendations for fish, but 6 gallons is VERY small for keeping fish.   So whatever you pick ("nothing but corals and inverts" should be an option) should be among the smallest fish available.   Some shrimp gobies fit that description, but not all.

 

 

[PeterU]

25 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

demonized water

😂

[Tired]

A yasha haze or antenna goby will work in a tank that size, provided you make sure to give its shrimp plenty of places to burrow, but those are about the only shrimpgobies (barring the very rare white-capped shrimpgoby) that you'd want to put in that tank. You need little teeny fellas.

[mcarroll]

23 hours ago, PeterU said:

😂

🤪 "Oh how I love thee, Spellcheck." 🗡️