August '03 - Joshua Berrian's 26 L Nano Reef. (USA)

An interesting contrast with last month's huge marine tank, for August we feature a small, inexpensive but nevertheless nice looking Nano Reef maintained by a dedicated teenage aquarist!

Owner:	Joshua Berrian, 15, from Durham (USA), 2 years of fishkeeping
Setup:	June 2002
Dimensions:	42x25x27 cm
Volume:	26 L (nominal)
Filtration:	Red Sea Prizm protein skimmer
Heating:	75 Watts Ebo-Jager
Lighting:	1x32 Watts Sealife 50/50 Smart Lamp.
Substrate:	5 cm layer of reef grade sand.
Decoration:	22 kg live rock
Water:	Temp 27°C, pH 8.2, KH 9, N03 5-10 ppm
Others:	8 cm cooling fan, light timer
Fauna:	False Percula Clown, Bicolor Blenny, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Hermit Crabs, Emerald Crab, Astrea Snails
Corals:	Various including Candy Branch, Ricordia, Red Sea Xenia, Xenia elongata, Green Star Polyps, Zooanthid Polyps, Acropora fragments, Red Mushrooms, Frogspawn, Small Goniopora Fragment.
Maintenance:	4 L water change every 2 weeks, minimal dosings of calcium and iodine, feed inhabitants,
Comments:	This aquarium has been a great experience for me. Being a minor with a minimum wage job inhibits me from setting up a larger reef tank. Lack of funds and time is a constant problem. Thankfully I came across the idea of a Nano Reef (a tiny reef aquarium). Despite the controversy surrounding the idea of keeping marine life in such a small environment, many have kept successful nano reefs, even smaller then mine! I find that maintaining this tank is much easier than I originally thought it would be. It is so cool to observe my reef and it seems every time I look at it I find something new. Regular water changes and proper species selection are key to a successful nano reef. The most important thing is understanding your limitations when it comes to stocking your reef.

If you'd like to submit an aquarium for Tank of the Month, just contact me.

Photos taken by Joshua Berrian and displayed here with his permission.