Small reef tank advice. Need tank advice

[Lynsey]

I have been looking for a small tank, that would be suitable for a reef tank. I only want to have a couple of fish. I want a tank that has everything built in, so it looks nice, and I don't have wires and tubes running everywhere. I found two tanks:

* Clear for life 12 gallon flat back hex. It comes with built in wet/dry filtration, power compact 32 watt lighting, and has room in the back (built-in part) for a heater and a protein skimmer. Black back and canopy.

* Tenecor 8 gallon flat back hex. It comes with built-in wet dry filtration, and a compact flourescent light (I don't know if that would be suitable for corals and stuff). Black back and canopy. There is no room for a protein skimmer in that tank.

Do I need a protein skimmer? Does anyone else know where I could get a tank that has built in stuff like that?

I also found a tank, but I don't really know about refugiums or how they work? Would a tank like this be better? Here is the description:

The Desktop Reef Refugium Edition combines a refugium and aquarium into one compact unit. There's no longer a need for external plumbing to have a refugium.  The refugium area provides a safe place to grow macro algae and plants to filter your water.  All systems include a pre-filter sponge, glass cover, return pump, and solid oak canopy with a 32w smartlamp power compact for the main tank and a 13w 6400K power compact for the refugium.

Ideally I would like to just have 1 or 2 fish and a mini reef. I would like it to be as simple as possible, and I don't want to have to do a lot of water changes (more that 2 times a month).

Any suggestions please. I am in the dark about saltwater stuff, I am a freshwater person.

[Reefland]

Welcome to Reefland!

Starting up a saltwater aquarium is a challenge in it's own but starting with as small tank as you are pondering can really test the nerves. Be sure your ready to devote the time and go through the problems that will inevitabally arise.

Now don't let that get in your way because setting up a small tank can bring as much pleasure as a large tank. Any of the tanks you mentioned would work but each of them will require finding the right combination of equipment, natural filtration and bio load to be successful. Start slow with a few small peices of liverock and a couple of hardy corals; obviously not until the tank was ready for them. Mushrooms, greenstars and small leather corals are great additions to "mini-reefs".

Best of luck,
Scott Z.

[TooFar2Sea]

There seems to be a growing interest in keeping small reef tanks. You will find a lot of information at nano-reef.com . There you will find basic information, a message board, and a store that offers a tank similar to your third option.
I have done a lot of research on the subject myself, and have not seen many wet-dry setups. Most small tank owners rely on the live rock as their main source of biological filtration. The use of a protein skimmer is also optional, as many (including myself) get by fine without them.