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Nano marine tank for 13-year-old?

2 replies

Y0gamummy · 27/07/2026 08:35

DD, about to turn 13, is really into marine life, oceans, sharks etc and has her heart set on some kind of coral set up in her bedroom. I'm fairly comfortable with the idea but not sure about ongoing costs. She's looking at a nano tank, c 60 litres, and is primarily interested in coral but could I guess add some fish later. We've been to a shop and had some advice re importance of the lights, skimmer etc. I'm concerned about ongoing electricity costs (about £50-80 a year I've read?) and the ask if we go on holiday - would we need someone to come into our house every day to feed and top up water, then potentially do a water change if we're away longer than a week? It all sounds a bit fiddly for me, the testing of the water etc but that's probably just me!

OP posts:
Potatomashed · 27/07/2026 08:37

Can you start with a tropical tank? Much less high maintenance and if that is well looked after you could go marine? Also the bigger the tank, the more stable the water conditions. I’ve had a 240l set up for a few years and would just about leave it a week if I fed lots prior.

Y0gamummy · 28/07/2026 11:31

@Potatomashed she won't go for that as it's coral she's interested in, she's not even sure she will add fish.

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