Reef Tank Pics
Setting up a Nano Reef
I have always wanted to get myself a reef aquarium… A complete ecosystem enclosed in a glass/acrylic tank with beautiful coral and interesting livestock…. The only question I ask myself now is “What took you so long?”
Dealing with space restraints can be an issue when setting up an aquarium. Nowadays a lot of Nano sized aquariums are available on the market and with some limitation to the selection of livestock/corals will allow you to set up a small marine environment.
I had to make a decision on whether I wanted a freshwater or marine aquarium – both of them have their pros and cons. Unable to decide I purchased both and decided to start of with the freshwater shrimp aquarium. A marine aquarium can be harder to maintain but rewards you with beautiful colors and very bizarre creatures…
Before I made the purchase I had some reading to do, so I took about six weeks and consumed any literature I could find on the topics. The requirements to successfully maintain an Aquarium (especially a Nano aquarium) boil down to a few facts:
– maintaining biological stability (water quality, waste): If you know basic chemistry and have some common sense the basics should not be a problem and small mistakes (and mistakes will be made) should not have a too ciritcal impact
– maintaining livestock: This is probably the most fun part in the process. Get the facts/data of your livestock and analyze their behavior. If you have an analytical mindset – be prepared to explore a whole new world with plenty of interesting stuff to learn. Questions like “What food do species x prefer” and “Do species x and y” get along and how can I scape my reef to give my corals a healthy environment will come up here.
– equipment choice: This is a large industry and products are flooding the market, find what works best for you and your livestock or better yet…. build it yourself… 
With High Power LEDs, Micro controllers and compact computers like a Raspberry Pi will allow you to bring your tech experience into the whole aquarium spectrum.
Also, if you love photography (especially Macro Photography) you will love owning a reef tank.
Coming up will be a series of Blogs about setting up, maintaining, enjoying and improving my reef aquarium.
