Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => New Fishkeepers => Topic started by: pollydoodle on May 14, 2018, 04:47:32 PM

Title: Nano tanks without lids, Whats the difference
Post by: pollydoodle on May 14, 2018, 04:47:32 PM
Hi all, I'm a complete and utter newbie on keeping tropical fish and I'm researching everything first, maybe too much  :-\ and just trying to  decide what tank to buy for starters.  It seems that most have lids, but the Aqua Nano doesn't, it has a light suspended over the top - I have only seen pictures.  What would be the difference
Title: Re: Nano tanks without lids, Whats the difference
Post by: Sue on May 14, 2018, 05:10:28 PM
Hi, welcome to the forum  :wave: And well done for researching  :)

The Aqua Nano does actually have a 'lid' - it has a glass sheet suspended on brackets attached to the tank rim.


Historically, tank lights were fluorescent tubes or even plain light bulbs. Obviously these have to be connected somehow, and with a long thin thing like a fluorescent tube it has to be held in place. The easiest way to do this is to have a hood which holds the light in place. In more recent years, LEDs have become available, and these are small, light and can be made with a stalk to attach it to the tank. If the light is clipped to the side of the tank it doesn't need a hood, but it does need something to cover the tank, so a sheet of glass, or sometimes plastic, is used. Yes, a tank can be used without anything over the water but this causes problems with evaporation, things getting into the tank (dust etc) and creatures in the tank can get out. Fish jump and snails and shrimps can climb.


A word of caution - very small tanks cannot hold much in the way of livestock so unless you want just a single betta or a shrimp tank, avoid the Aqua Nano 30  :) We have members who own the Aqua Nano 40 who would be able to help with that tank.
Title: Re: Nano tanks without lids, Whats the difference
Post by: fcmf on May 14, 2018, 06:43:49 PM
Welcome to the forum  :wave:

Picking up on Sue's last point, "the bigger, the better" is the best rule of thumb when it comes to choosing tank size. For a tank smaller than 60x30cm, as Sue says, a single betta, shrimps, snails are all that such a tank will house. A tank size of 60x30cm 'footprint' gives you some options for livestock such as a shoal or two of nano or very small fish - but, if you have the space for larger than that, definitely go for it as it opens up many more options of fish as well as larger or more shoals. It's almost guaranteed that, once you have a tank, you'll either want another species of fish and regret not having a bigger tank or you'll want more tanks. Larger tanks are not necessarily more expensive than cheaper tanks - and some good bargains can be found, whether online, in shops or second-hand (but make sure that a second-hand tank is watertight by testing it out before buying). Another benefit of a larger tank is that water quality is likely to be more steady than in a smaller tank.

Hope that helps.
Title: Re: Nano tanks without lids, Whats the difference
Post by: kdt1 on May 14, 2018, 11:20:12 PM
very true i have a 5 foot and wished i had gone bigger.
Title: Re: Nano tanks without lids, Whats the difference
Post by: Littlefish on May 15, 2018, 07:05:10 AM
Hi there and welcome to the forum  :wave:

I started with a small tank, and ended up buying bigger and bigger tanks. Fish are very addictive.  ;D

What are the water parameters in your area? That will also have an impact on what fish you will be able to keep. You can check on your water providers website.
Title: Re: Nano tanks without lids, Whats the difference
Post by: TopCookie on May 15, 2018, 09:33:58 AM
Hi pollydoodle and welcome to the forum...  :)
Title: Re: Nano tanks without lids, Whats the difference
Post by: pollydoodle on May 15, 2018, 04:17:27 PM
Thank you for your replies.  I had planned a 60cm tank in the available space, but now a major furniture re arrangement is planned.  :yikes: My youngest son has decided my purchase for me and is as excited as I am, especially as it is my money being spent :)  He had his own fish until a house move forced  sale. Now he has his own house, I don't think his purchases will be far behind mine