Nano vs larger tanks setup

[mling]

I have a 45 Gal tank that is 3 mths old and I have just bought a 16 G to be a Nano Tank. What are the differences in the setup of the 2 tanks ? Do I need a skimmer for a 16 G ? Do I need compact lighting for a reef tank with only fishes and inverts or would the fluorescent that came with the tank suffice ? Can a nano tank have a DSB ?

[miztahphong2]

you will need a skimmer if you want it to be a reef tank or a fowlr. if you want corals you should upgrade the lighting and yes it can have a dsb.

[jdallred]

Set up is not a lot different than a larger tank. The most important thing to consider is that things happen a lot faster in small tanks and bad things happen even faster.

I run a skimmer on my 20 gal but that is because it is a sps tank. If you are doing FO (fish only) or FOWLR (fish only with live rock) then I would say a skimmer is dependant on your bio-load.

If you are only going for FO then the normal output (NO) lights will be fine. If you are going for FOWLR then lighting depends on how much growth you want on the LR (live rock).

A nano can have a DSB, but remember that the deeper your SB is the less room you have in the tank. A 4" dsb in a 24" deep tank is a lot different than a 4" dsb in a 12" dsb.

[Condiman]

miztahphong2,and jdallred, Hit it right on the head.