Nano in office

[law086]

Hi folks,

I'm not new to the reefkeeping hobby, but my current setup is far from a
nano, having around 250 system gallons, so I obviously don't need to deal
with the issues that must be common with a nano setup. I'm considering a nano setup for my office, but I'm worried about the issues that might go along with such a setup. I'm looking for practical experience from those that have done this before. My biggest concern is keeping a tank that I'm not in contact with daily. I typically do not work on weekends, this means that tank would need to on it's own for two days, possibilty longer for company holidays. I also travel about 20% but have office friends that I'd be able to train into minimual up-keep. I guess I can invest in an auto feeder for any fish that I decide to keep and can also setup an auto top-off unit, plumbed into an old salt bucket with a powerhead.

I was also wondering if you'd recommend one of those JBL Nano Cube setups or would I be better off just going with a regular 10-15 gallon tank? If you like the Nano cube, is the deluxe worth the extra money?

Thanks!
Ron

[Agu]

I found having a tank at the office was cool, and a pain in the you know where.

Unless you have duplicates of everything the equipment has to be hauled back and forth. In addition a lot of companies turn off the heat/air con on weekends.

If you do it more power to you,

Agu

[MarVida]

I have a 10 gal nano in my office. I work Monday thru Thursday so every weekend is at least a three day'er. It's just a standard 10 with a 12" HOB fuge, SeaClone 100, auto top off system, 150w HQI (on a timer) for lighting. It contains various corals ranging from 'shrooms to SPS. It's completely automated except for feeding. It can run almost 5 days on a 4 gallon top off reservoir. For longer absences I just leave extra water for co-workers to use to refill the bucket. It's a very stable system and has been running for almost 3 years now.
I think you should go for it!

[Fishtale7]

I have a 7 gal minibow in my office. 28 PC lights. I only do a 1 galwater change every two months. No heater, no chiller. 1 small (and I mean tiny) powerhead and a small hang on filter. Thing has been running for almost two years now. 1 small perc and 2 green chromises and a few snails. No problems, I bring a gal of RO water to work and leave it in the closest of my office for top off. I think the less that you do to a reef the better it is.

[skipm]

I think the first thing to check into as Agu pointed out is whether or not the heat and AC are turned off or way up/down for the weekend. The other thing to check into is how much power is available, this will limit how much lighting you are able to have.
I have a nanocube and really like it, it is the 12DX model. There hasn't been alot off topoff problems so far mainly due to how tight the top fits. You could do a FOWLR and that would eliminate some of the lighting issues and make it easier to care for. I wouldn't go with the DX unless you want to have corals. HTH, Skip

[law086]

Thanks for all the comments so far! I'll have to double check on the HVAC over the weekend, but I'm fairly sure it stays constant. It's a small business and we do have people working over the weekends from time to time. I also know power consumption won't be a problem either.

Skip - I was wondering about evaporation due to the tight fitting lid. My 3 gallon Eclipse has a nice lid and also evaporates very slowly. Good to hear.

Ron

[JAnwyl]

I have been running a 1.5 gallon nano for 5 months. I had some algae problems in the begining, but it has only gotten better. My Tank is inspired from the Nano below. I have done a lot of research but if you use water from the cycled 250 and do a little research there shouldnt be to many problems

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=532076

[JAnwyl]

Here are some more links that I used to set up mine. (I focused on the Melody)

http://www.nanotank.com./viewtopic.php?t=949
http://www.nanotank.com./viewtopic.php?t=551
http://www.nanotank.com./viewtopic.php?t=610

Jared

[skipm]

I also remember someone saying they had an algae problem in an office tank due to fluorescent lights being on all of the time. Just another point to consider when thinking about placement. Skip

[law086]

At this point, I'm leaning towards using an extra 20g long that I have around the house. It's 30" long. For lighting, the Satellite (by Current) fixture is looking nice.

Do ya'll think the single 65w would work well, or is the dual 65w worth the extra money? I'd be looking to keep softies and LPS. Heat is also a concern as I'd like to avoid running a chiller.

Thanks!
Ron

skipm - fluorescent lighting around my office won't be a problem. I'm in my own room and I don't keep the office lighting on. I use lamps.

[sharrison]

I love my 10 gallon nano in my office. people walk by and they are lured in by the pretty light. lol

[law086]

Thanks for the input!

Does anybody have any thoughts on my lighting question?

Ron

[mightymouse]

wellif you can afford it more light is always better and if you go that route then you could probably keep sps later on if you wanted just a thought . . .