Easy Maintenence Nano?

I used to have a 20g tall with a couple fish and some basic stuff but I got out of the saltwater stuff a couple years ago.

My 2 year old happened to see a tank with a "nemo" in it and he absolutely loved it.

My background: I have had freshwater tanks for the last 4-5 years. Currently have a 150g that I just feed and do water changes once a month on. I am fully aware of what it takes to care for a tank but dont really want to get too extreme just yet

I would like to set up maybe a 20g-29g with liverock, maybe an anemone, a couple corals and a pair of clown fish. I am basically looking for lowest maintenance possible and as quiet as possible. My old tank had a protein skimmer which was very loud.

I am just curious what kind of equipment will be adequate. I know I will need:
*Power Heads
*Light
*Heater
*HOB filter
Is there really anything else I would need for the set up I am looking for and keeping it as easy as possible?

 

I think you will need a skimmer to keep an anemone unless you are willing to do frequent water changes. An anemone needs just as clean of water as sps in general.....

 

And all skimmers are loud right?

 

Not all skimmers are loud but without having a sump, you really don't have a place for one unless you don't mind seeing one in your display.

I highly recommend drilling the tank and adding a small sump, 10g should be good with a Tunze 9002 skimmer and a return pump back to display.

 

Having been in the hobby awhile I have seen tons of sump but the completely intimidate me. I 100% understand a sump is the best option.

 

I know the verdict on those all in one tanks is pretty negative considering you can get a lot more for your money if you do it yourself but would one of them be a good option? Such as a biocube?

 

I have a biocube and love it, it works well really well. you can usually find them for pretty cheap on craigslist, and it is plenty big for a pair of clowns. There are skimmers that will fit in the back compartment as well, but stay away from the ones made by oceanic. they arent really effective, and there are better skimmers that will fit. IM, Eshopps, and a couple other brands make ones that will fit

 

A skimmer is not an absolute necessity. FTR, my very first tank 39 years ago was a 20g with a UGF and HOB. It housed 5 fish, a coral banded shrimp, and an anemone. With proper maintenance, I never had any problems. There are many here that are quite successful with sps without a skimmer. It all depends on bio-load and how much manual maintenance you're willing to perform. With only 2 small fish, I could not imagine an overwhelming amount of care being required.

 

A bigger tank is recommended for beginners as it is more stable due to a large water volume. Forget the HOB filter, over flows are the way to go. Drilled the best.

 

+1

I have run many a nano without a skimmer, with both carpet anemones and all different BTA. Your post sounds like you have enough experience to pull it off just fine.

Avoid high nitrate and phos level and provide adequate lighting.