Nano Aquariums: 10 Success Steps To A Small Aquarium

Whether you are setting up your first aquarium or exploring a new niche in the aquarium hobby - a small, under 40L aquarium will be a great project for both home and office. These aquariums are often called "nano-aquariums", they take up very little space and their undoubted advantage is that such aquariums will fit perfectly into that very empty corner of the room. Taking advantage of multi-stage filtration, compact fluorescent lighting, serving a thriving nano-environment in a freshwater or even marine aquarium is a breeze.

Nano aquarium, photo aquarium fish photography picture

However, small aquariums require special attention as changes in water composition, temperature and stress factors are very pronounced in aquariums less than 70 liters. With a little inquisitive mind, patience and diligence, you can also create a beautiful and most importantly healthy nano-environment in your aquarium. This article will show you how to achieve these results.

1. Choosing Equipment - Success lies in choosing the right equipment for your aquarium. In this case, everything is perfect and you just have to choose the right heater.

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2. Proper placement - before you want to set up a compact aquarium on your desk at home or in the office, consider that even a 40L aquarium weighs about 55 kg when full. Find the right stand that can withstand the stress and humidity. And your reward will be the absence of unnecessary headaches.

3. Choosing a theme - equip and populate your aquarium according to your chosen region. This will make it much easier for you to adjust the water parameters for each of your inhabitants. Similar species of fish will get along better, and the possibility of stress in the aquarium will be minimized.

Mini aquarium, photo aquarium fish photography picture

4. We rarely and little inhabited - restraint and patience are the aquarist's best friends. Avoid overcrowding the aquarium, otherwise you will find it extremely difficult to maintain a lively environment in such an aquarium. Also, when you install a new system, add just a couple of fish for a week - if not a month. Choose fish as small as possible. Build life in your tank around young stock, a pair of display fish and a group of bottom scavengers.

5. Provide natural filtration - let nature work for you. For best results and minimum external filtration, avoid artificial plants and objects in the aquarium. Instead, use live plants and prepared substrate for freshwater aquariums, or live aragonite sand and live rocks for nano reefs.

6. Boost Lighting - Many aquarists using the Eclipse System increase the wattage of their lighting systems for best results. Fortunately, these kits are manufactured in such a way that they are easy to find and install.

Nano cube, mini aquarium, photo photography picture fish

7. Review - in small aquariums any water quality process is much faster, so daily inspection of the aquarium is necessary. Fish behavior - nervousness, convulsiveness and fearfulness are the first signs of a serious problem in the aquarium. Also keep a few water testing kits handy. If nitrite, nitrate, or pH readings scare you, then you can use more accurate water tests.

8. Constant partial water changes - in nature, rains and currents renew water by removing pollutants from it before their concentration reaches dangerous levels. The best thing you can do for your aquarium dwellers is constant water changes, about 10-20% of the tank volume twice a week. This is especially important if you are increasing the population in the aquarium or keeping fish with a high biological load.

Nano aquarium, photo photography picture fish

9. Change Filters Frequently - To avoid algae outbreaks and to keep your fish healthy and stress-free you need to change filter elements following the manufacturer's instructions. If you neglect this, then some chemical filters can eventually release accumulated toxins back into the water.