A nano under 20 gal will crash in a year?

[Hawkingcolorado]

I just read this on wetwebmedia...Who has a nano under 20g that has been up for years? What do you attribute your success to?

[goodtimes]

I think that regular water changes in a nano and not overstocking is the key to success.

[john miller]

Here is one:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1791683

He's a Mod on here and I think most of his tanks are 10 gallon and under and have been running for years. Very simple and low tech too.

[brandon429]

Im near six years in a one gallon
its the hardware that will get ya, have to get lucky with things like home ac and keep your tank free of as many weak links as possible. thats an old assumption about them being short lived-made before pico reef science and technique became common, and commonly tried.

here's the thread if Im not mistaken:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/small.htm

across web forums I know of three gallons past two years old. el fab's was 3 solid. thats in the early stages of the hobby, we don't have 40 years under our belts like the guys and gals with large tanks. when they started, getting two years out of a 100 gallon reef was equal work and luck.

for the sub three gallon crowd no one offers a ton of specific help...but getting a year now and more is becoming more common.

[brandon429]

it used to be we were told why they would not live long

now we know what absolutely makes them live long and people post about that regularly.

[dixiedog]

Poppycock! :hammer:

My tank, born July '09, and just getting started:

http://i40.*******.com/2iviemx.jpg




OOps, you said "under 20 gallons", and mine's a 29.

Same answer applies though. :)

[KafudaFish]

To me the article is warning people especially those just starting out that small does not mean easier and that we must pay as much or more attention to these systems.

We as a whole love to shoe horn everything we can into our systems and then wonder why there are issues down the road.

The bigger question should be: Why do these systems not make it pass a year etc.? The answers could be related to any sized system.

1. Simple tank crash. This is a sad part of the hobby but even TOTM level ones crash.
2. Longevity. This is still a young hobby and most people have been in it for only a few years.
3. Human nature and boredom. People decide to upgrade, down grade, focus on a different aspect of the hobby etc.
4. Life. People move, other things come up like jobs and family etc but also we are keeping living organisms as a hobby. My dog was 10 when she passed which is not old for a dog but is for a great dane.



Think about how many tanks you read about that are 10, 20 or even 40 years old. PaulB's tank is the oldest and he has crashed his system several times. I can think of a few others but cannot remember who they belong to but one guy is from PR with a 20 yo tank, JP's decade old tank, Splief (sp) 14 yo tank, and a few others that pop up every now and then.

Brandon's and Agu's tanks are 5+ years old and still going strong.

My 5.5 was started in June 2009 and had water late August/early September and I feel like it is just now beginning. My plan is to keep it going for as long as I can without changing it. Some would argue that looking at the same tank everyday is boring but to me it is a lesson about life.

getting off the soap box now and heading back to where I lounge.

[tpallas]

Im near six years in a one gallon
its the hardware that will get ya, have to get lucky with things like home ac and keep your tank free of as many weak links as possible. thats an old assumption about them being short lived-made before pico reef science and technique became common, and commonly tried.

here's the thread if Im not mistaken:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/small.htm

across web forums I know of three gallons past two years old. el fab's was 3 solid. thats in the early stages of the hobby, we don't have 40 years under our belts like the guys and gals with large tanks. when they started, getting two years out of a 100 gallon reef was equal work and luck.

for the sub three gallon crowd no one offers a ton of specific help...but getting a year now and more is becoming more common.

Yeah, just check out the dates in the bibliography of that article.

[Cosmo^Kramer]

Poppycock! :hammer:

My tank, born July '09, and just getting started:

http://i40.*******.com/2iviemx.jpg




OOps, you said "under 20 gallons", and mine's a 29.

Same answer applies though. :)

HOLY!!! SWEETTTTTT!!!!! Beautiful!!!!
All kidding aside,thats one of the nicest nano's I've seen.Great job:thumbsup:

[Hawkingcolorado]

Is that BB with Starboard and some sand granules attached?

[dixiedog]

Thanks, Cosmo!! It's got a long way to go, though. Give me one more year, maybe two. ;)

Hawking- it's just starboard, no sand granules. The starboard is just kinda 'freckled' with coralline. :)

[rockryno]

i just passed a year in my 10 gal. no probs yet. Regular water changes and just letting it do its thing is key