How do Nano tanks work?

[Johnboyminster]

I.e the filter system..

I have the sponge on the left next to it two baskets of media then on the right the skimmer but i can't quite get my head around how it works.. as the water just seems to be flowing over the top of the two.. i see an inlet at the top and bottom of the tank on the left and side in front of where the sponge sits. is the filter pump under the skimmer?

I'm guessing the water get pulled through the sponge upwards then the filter pump pulls the water down through the baskets, lastly through the skimmer and the back into the tank?

My Skimmer stopped working today when i checked it, very annoying although i know that i don't neccesarily need it grrr.

[cl0wn]

what nano is it?

[reefergeek]

Only seen one which was a crap design, it used the skimmer to drain water through the filter part all well and good but to get the skimmer cup high enough out of the water for it to skim right you couldn't shut the lid as soon as you did it pushed the skimmer cup 3/4 in the water then all it did was fill with water

[Johnboyminster]

My skimmer cup sits perfectly so i think that is ok.. the tank is a Betta Lifespace 90l.

[Johnboyminster]

Just to dig up this thread - i'm still wondering about this - my nano has a constant trickling sound from where the water runs over the top of the baskets and down into where there skimmer sits.

The skimmer compartment is never full more than 2 or 3 inches high and yesterday my skimmer just stopped working, i think it burnt out as not enough water was getting too it... The filter pump is working fine and water is circulating fine, just can't help but feel that the skimmer section should be more full?

Any thoughts?

[ShyTalk]

I don't really know your tank in detail mate, but the water level is usually dictated by the weir/comb on your inlet, or it is on my D-D24,can you adjust yours? On mine you move the weir down more water flows through the three filtration sections, up less, but I never have less that about 10" of water in any compartment back there which is good or my heater would be exposed and burn out too, where is your heater? & make sure its mostly submerged.
Shame if your skimmer has fried itself, but as i've said before they aren't vital in a nano, regular water changes will do the job for you and i reckon they strip a lot of nutrients out that corals and critters need.

[Johnboyminster]

This is what confuses me, the inlet on the very left hand side of the tank, the water always sits half way up the comb and just runs over the top of the sponge and baskets the into the skimmer/filter outlet section..

The heater sits in the tank itself - i did want to put it where the skimmer go's and just leave the skimmer out but as said there isn't enough water in the chamber..

i feel a diagram coming on.....

[reefergeek]

Take the sponges out if i was you to see if the level at the level in the skimmer side increases sounds like its emptying the last chamber to quick before water can be drawn in to the first chamber and through the media, only one way to find out

[Johnboyminster]

That's a good shout reefer i'll do that - here's my diagram anyway as i'm quite proud of it..11960

[reefergeek]

ah have read a few threads about nanos and the sponge it causes to much trouble, folk replace it with live rock rubble then in the containers rowa, carbon, possibly floss

[Tangman]

It sounds like you need some more water in the system if you only have one compartment just covered and the skimmer has burned out. Twiggy

[Guest101]

you need either an auto topup or youneed to topup by hand every day,

[reefergeek]

Or that the return pump is emptying the last chamber before water can get through the sponges from the first section this would cause a bottle neck in the filter chambers. Seen other threads about it with nanos

[Johnboyminster]

you need either an auto topup or youneed to topup by hand every day,


It sounds like you need some more water in the system if you only have one compartment just covered and the skimmer has burned out. Twiggy

I top up every day, plenty of water in there it's always at the same level and i fill up from the back section of the tank.


Or that the return pump is emptying the last chamber before water can get through the sponges from the first section this would cause a bottle neck in the filter chambers. Seen other threads about it with nanos

This is the probable cause i think - will find out tonight..

[ShyTalk]

Yep sounds like the water flow isn't keeping up with the pump, what pump is it?

Here's the set up in my nano, recommended to me and used by many a nano owner and the water flow keeps pace with my maxjet 1200lph on full blast no problem.

Compartment1, directly behind weir...medium sponge at bottom, small bag of carbon wrapped in floss, small sponge. These filter out any waste food or large chunks of crud, wash them out weekly in the water you syphon out for a 10% water change.

Compartment 2: nothing

Compartment 3: Heater and pump

That's it.

Ditch any baskets of other media like bio balls, I'd not recommend l/r rubble as its a sod to clean when the crud builds up in it, no need for a skimmer or phosphate remover, keep it nice and simple, less to go wrong & it works well.

With my weir comb adjusted to the highest point the water just covers everything in section one and I have about ten inch in the other two sections, more than enough to cover the heater, it should be the same for you?

[Johnboyminster]

Thanks - the sponge i have in there is huge so when i take this out if it levels out a bit better i'll cut it in half i think and then see. I the three baskets i have filter floss in two and stones in the third.

It would be really great if i could get the heater in the back compartment!

[ShyTalk]

Well it is the best place for it and i can't see why you can't put it in there, it was designed to have all the equipment hidden back there, if your water levels are too low for a heater then you just need to sort out why, with mine i just lower the weir comb quarter of an inch.
No need for your stones or floss, if you aren't running carbon then just leave a small sponge in to trap big bits of crud.
It's unlikely your sponges would affect your water level though, what happens if you take out the weir comb?
You water level in the back compartments should go level with the main tank without it?

You won't find anyone advising you to run these baskets of stones or floss, what made you do that?
Serves no purpose except to collect crud and turn into nitrate factories...the floss in mine is just there to stop particles of carbon from getting into the main tank and i use just enough to wrap the bag of carbon in it, two baskets of floss is just waste.

When you say stones in your third are you meaning l/r rubble?
Again some say do that, but then you have to ask yourself how are your going to clean it? And why bother if you have enough l/r in the main tank that will take care of your filtration, why add more and have to mess about cleaning it?

If it didn't work in my tank i'd not recommend it to you, get rid of everything but one sponge in 1, nothing in 2 and pump heater in three, job done, takes seconds to maintain too, a bag of carbon will give your water a bit of polish but thats personal choice.

[Johnboyminster]

Hi! Well, cut my sponge in half and it's now fine.. so it was that that was slowing it all down.

I ran the floss and stones because the baskets came with the tank and i thought it the right thing to do.. The stones are just stones, not LR rubble, little grey pebbles..

I am now running nothing but sponge... happy?! lol.

[reefergeek]

Glad you got it sorted, i would use carbon and phos remover in the baskets possible floss in one of them and then rock rubble in the main and ditch the sponge altogether

Bugga just reminded me the other tanks still running outside better turn the pump off lol

[CP Ocean]

Bugga just reminded me the other tanks still running outside better turn the pump off lol
opp muddy garden

[reefergeek]

lol grass needed watering, The tanks not filling up just running it filled up to make sure the return pipe is at the right height and to set the min and max on the sump

Its off back home very soon and having some salty goodness action

[ShyTalk]

Phosphate remover could always be added if needed, but unlikely you'll need it to be honest, my phosphate has never gone higher than 0.03 and yours should be the same so not needed, but if something goes wrong you can add some then, no point adding it if it isn't needed eh?
Carbon i do like to use, you can certainly see a difference with it, lots of different methods, some do one week of carbon and three weeks without and many other combinations, me, well i'm lazy i guess, its in there 24/7, i just rinse it every week with the water change and replace it every 4 weeks or so.
Again i can see no value of a whole basket full of floss, i wouldn't use it all except to wrap my bag of carbon in & that is to stop carbon particles getting into the tank and then i only use two chunks about 6 inch square.
There's always lots of ideas of how to run a tank, but the method i use came from a US site that does nothing else but nano's, it works for thousands of them and me and is really simple and that is the key, keeping it simple, no skimmers, no rock rubble, no phos remover unless needed...and then you really need to find out why its needed and sort that out rather than rely on removers.