Nano Tank Filtration: What You Need to Know

A robust filtration system plays a vital role in any saltwater aquarium. But it's particularly important for nano tanks, where even the smallest change to water quality can rapidly affect the entire ecosystem. If you want to raise healthy, thriving fish in your aquarium, you need to understand how nano tank filtration works.

Filtration Helps Maintain a Nano Tank's Delicate Ecosystem

Maintaining a healthy saltwater aquarium can be a delicate balancing act. This is especially true for smaller tanks because small environmental changes can impact water quality fast. The balance is even more fragile if you have a reef nano tank because corals are sensitive to nitrates, phosphates, and other toxins.

However, don't let this discourage you! If you have a nano tank, you simply need to keep a closer eye on your aquarium to maintain its health. A good filtration system will help. It removes waste and debris, maintaining the nitrogen cycle and keeping toxins low.

Methods of Filtration

Aquarium filtration, whether saltwater or freshwater, has three main types. Providing all three methods can best help you maintain quality water health.

  • Mechanical filtration: Traps larger materials suspended in the water. Should be cleaned regularly.

  • Chemical filtration: Binds dissolved particles in your water to a media, often activated charcoal.

  • Biological filtration (nitrification): Beneficial bacteria convert ammonia from fish waste into nitrites, and then the nitrites into safer nitrates.

Filtration System Components

Filtration systems can often contain several components, depending on the type you choose. Ask a veterinarian or pet store expert if you aren't certain which components to get since expert recommendations can range from all four to just one filtration system. Your options include:

Sumps

Sumps are a second tank usually kept in the stand under your aquarium, containing only water (no fish or coral, etc.) Water from the aquarium flows in from an overflow in the aquarium, and a pump pushes water back up. Sumps help keep the surface water cleaner in your aquarium, and you can keep your filtration equipment in the sump, giving your nano tank a sleeker look. Many nano all-in-one or "AIO" systems, like the Coralife Biocube, have small sumps built into the back of the aquarium.

Refugium

A refugium is a separate, smaller tank or chamber dedicated to growing beneficial macroalgae, which help absorb nitrates and phosphates. It's basically an extra means of biofiltration. Your refugium can vary depending on the type of tank used and even where it's kept. For example, some may choose a chamber that hangs on the back of your aquarium. Or your sump can double as a refugium.

Protein Skimmer

This device uses bubbles to trap proteins like fish waste, uneaten food, and organic debris, removing them from your tank. They often use air pumps or water pumps with venturi valves and come in out-of-sump or in-sump varieties. They're very good at helping control waste levels in nano tanks.

Examples of protein skimmers you might want to use in your nano tank include:

Filters

Filters can be kept in your sump, hanging on your tank, or inside your tank. Your nano tank must have a filter of some sort to maintain its water quality. In the next section, we'll discuss the filter options you can choose from.

Types of Filters

When choosing the best filter for your nano tank, you can pick from these saltwater aquarium options:

  • Power filter: Utilizes all three types of filtration. It forces water through a series of filter media inside a chamber, and then the water flows back into your tank. Often includes floss media to trap larger solids, activated charcoal for dissolved substances, and nitrifying bacteria.

  • Trickle or wet/dry filter: Popular choice for saltwater aquariums and utilizes all three filtration methods. Your tank's water is exposed to air as it trickles over a filter media (like floss or plastic balls), helping beneficial bacteria grow. It has mesh bags with chemical filtration media, and you can easily add a mechanical pre-filter. These filters are larger and often kept in your tank's stand. Or, they can be built into the back of the aquarium for all-in-one (AIO) systems.

If choosing a filtration system feels a little overwhelming, why not go for a simple solution? The two Coralife BioCube aquariums have a compact, customizable filtration system built in the back, so you don't have to worry about picking the right system for your aquarium. The Coralife BioCube Aquarium keeps things simple, and the Coralife SMART BioCube Jr. connects to the Aqueon BlueIQ app, giving you the ability to control lighting, set up maintenance and feeding reminders, get quick tips for maintaining your aquarium, and more.

Clean Your Filtration System Regularly to Maintain Your Water Quality

Regular maintenance is an important part of ensuring your filtration system works properly. Be sure to read the instruction manual that comes with each component closely so you clean the components appropriately and replace filter media at the right intervals. Test your tank's water regularly with a water kit to also check your system's effectiveness. By investing in a good filtration system and following these steps, you can maintain a beautiful saltwater nano tank where your fish will thrive.

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