Size Definitions for Pico, Nano, Mini, Large Reefs

[jimsflies]

I wanted to have a discussion regarding the volume of tanks as they relate to our reefing terminology. The purpose for this is to work toward using these terms in our Member's Reef forum to enable members to sort by reef size.

In my mind, I see the following classifications:

pico (<10 gallons)
nano (10-39 gallons)
mini (40-180 gallons)
large (>200 gallons)

Did I miss any...are the ranges in line with what you think they should be? I'm figuring these would just be display volumes, not total system volume?

[larryandlaura]

Looks good Jim.

[Heidi]

Looks good Jim.
I am glad you are doing that Jim I am surprised to see that my hex was in the "nano" category. I always wondered where the cut off was for "nano" and pico too. thanks for clearing this up for all us noobes :)

[larryandlaura]

Yeah my tank is a mini! Time to upgraded.

[jolson10450]

personally i see it as:

pico = 3g or less
nano = 29g or less AIO tanks (if it is not AIO i consider it a regular tank)
mini = 3g-29g tanks (determined by main tank size)
small = 29g-120g tanks (determined by main tank size)
large = 120g+ gallon systems (again, determined by main tank size)

[jimsflies]

personally i see it as:

pico = 3g or less
nano = 29g or less AIO tanks (if it is not AIO i consider it a regular tank)
mini = 3g-29g tanks (determined by main tank size)
small = 29g-120g tanks (determined by main tank size)
large = 120g+ gallon systems (again, determined by main tank size)

I'm confused. If I have a 3 gallon tank is it a pico-nano-mini then?

[jolson10450]

I'm confused. If I have a 3 gallon tank is it a pico-nano-mini then?


if it is 3g it is a pico, if it is a 3g AIO tank, it can be a pico or a nano, if it is a 3g system with a sump etc... it can just be considered a mini reef.

in other words if it is a 3g with a hang on filter and hanging lights or clip on lights it is a 3g pico, if it has an internal filter and a hood with lights built in etc.. then it is a nano but you can consider it a pico as well, and like said above if it has a sump with it then it can be considered a mini reef.

[bluwc]

Id say this is a closer size range IMO.... but personally id say small it 29-75g, average reef would go 75-180, Large 180+ as 75-180 tend to be more "common"/ average sizes
Now are we talking what the display is or the total volume of water including the sump?

[jimsflies]

This has to be simple ...the only words that should come after the word "if" is "less than" or "greater than" followed by a number.

I'm not seeing whether or not it is an AIO being a factor. However, we can have discussions on whether to include total volume or display volume.

There may be good reason to use display volume rather than total volume. From a forum research standpoint, if you were reseaching pico reefs and if it was connected to a 100 gallon system...you may be interested in seeing what the person has done...lighting, pumps, etc....more so than the guy researching 100 gallon systems and finding a 3 gallon fishbowl connected to a 100 gallon sump.

[jolson10450]

ok then to make it simple

3g or less = pico
3g-29g = nano
29g-90g = mini
90g-180g = large
180g+ = huge or massive or something, cant really thing of a good word for this one. maybe extra large?

and yes display tank size should be all that matters. it is considered a "system" if you include the sump/fuge and at which point is is volume based example 90g tank 90g sump is a 180g system. if you are listing it as "large tanks" then it should just be the display size.

[jimsflies]

ok then to make it simple

3g or less = pico
3g-29g = nano
29g-90g = mini
90g-180g = large
180g+ = huge or massive or something, cant really thing of a good word for this one. maybe extra large?


Looks good...although I recall nano on RC goes up to 34 gallons. So to be consistent...

3g or less = pico
3g-34g = nano
34g-90g= mini
90g-180g = large
180g+ = very large (mega?)

[jolson10450]

Looks good...although I recall nano on RC goes up to 34 gallons. So to be consistent...

3g or less = pico
3g-34g = nano
34g-90g= mini
90g-180g = large
180g+ = very large (mega?)

looks good to me, your choice on the last one though either very large or mega tank works for me lol