New 12 gal reef tank

[Marie]

I just started to set up my 12 gal tank and am using the eclipes 12 system. Would you recommend using power heads in this small a system. Do I need a protein skimmer and if so what would you recommend. Any help would be appriciated!!!Text

[Chuck S]

Have you ever set a reef tank up before? A nano is treated much like any other reef tank. There are smaller powerhead options available. So this will be a stand alone and not plumbed into a bigger tank and sump? If so you need to be very careful of evaporation. This small a tank can evaporate 10% of its water volume a day causing severe osmatic shock to its inhabitants. Skimmers are a good thing if you are not using one I would do more frequent water changes.

[oldron]

I have noticed over time from others comments that the eclipse tanks do not lend well to reef setups. what the complaint seems to have been was poor gas exchange do to the closed in shroud and filtration method. also a lot of salt creep due to the splashing of the filter discharge. chute

[Chuck S]

Yeah as if gas exchange was not already nill enough on that small a surface. I have a 20 gallon and thats as low as I have personally gone. I utilize a sump though. Thats one of the biggest reasons I asked if it was planned on being hooked to a larger system. My 120 and 55 gallon systems utilize the same sump thus in reality two different zones of the same system. Larger the system volume the better it is.