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A nano reef is a type of tiny Marine aquarium, a reef tank of less than 20 gallons. The exact limit that distinguishes a nano reef from a regular reef is somewhat ill-defined (some claim that anything less than 40 gallons would qualify), but 20 gallons seems to be the generally accepted limit.

Nano reefs have become quite popular in recent years among fish keeping hobbyists, primarily because of low costs, smaller size, and maintainability. The burgeoning interest in this niche of marine aquarium science has fostered several notable contributions ranging from specific consumer products such as specialized aquarium filters, compact high intensity lighting systems and smaller circulation pumps.

Pico reef: Another term gaining popularity is pico reef, which is used to refer to nano reef aquariums of three gallons or less. These tanks require even more dilligence with regard to water changes and attention to filtration because the small water volume provides little room for error. One must take care when stocking these tiny tanks because introducing too many inhabitants can easily overload the tank's ablility to process wastes.

References: "Setting Up a Nano Reef Tank" by Jeff Yeramian,
Catalina Water Company - Supplier of boxed seawater for marine aquariums, Nano-Reef.com - A source for nano reef aquarium information. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nano Reef". This entry is a fragment of a larger work. Link may die if entry is finally removed or merged.