Nicole Navarro’s Colorful Micro Tank
- PNW Custom
- 11 hours ago
- 2 min read
PNW Custom Community Spotlight 🔦
Nicole Navarro dove straight into saltwater with a massive system and never looked back. With decades of freshwater experience behind her, Nicole took the leap into reefing about 12 years ago and instantly realized something many beginners don’t hear enough:
“Saltwater isn’t as hard as it seems.”
Today, she keeps tanks of all sizes: large, nano, and teeny tiny, including her PNW Custom 40oz Micro Tank, a setup she describes as “too easy” and “too cute” to resist.
A Lifelong Aquarist with a Love for Tiny Reefs
Nicole grew up with aquariums, but saltwater quickly became a new obsession. What keeps her hooked? The serenity. She loves watching her soft corals sway in the flow and her clownfish playfully kick up sand, even if it makes a bit of a mess.
“They are just so relaxing to watch.”
Her 40oz Micro Tank has been running for about 6 months and currently lives on her kitchen counter, though it’s destined to return to her classroom after the holidays, a perfect micro reef display for students.
What’s Growing in Nicole’s Tank?
Nicole is building a colorful zoa garden with a variety of soft corals and mushrooms, including:
Multiple zoanthid varieties
Branching Green Star Polyps
Bounce mushroom
Superman mushrooms
A large Yuma mushroom
A few mystery mushrooms (the best kind!)
And yes, there are a few critters too! Her tank is home to a snail, a blue-legged hermit crab, a strawberry crab, and two tiny gobies. One of them, a green banded goby, has been lovingly named Jeremy by her son.
Set-Up & Maintenance
When Nicole described setting up her PNW Custom tank, she mentioned:
“Too easy! The hardest part was trying to figure out how to hide the cords.”
Maintenance has also been a breeze. She tops off every two days and performs a water change every two weeks. Her advice to new hobbyists?
“People tend to overcomplicate things. This is by far my easiest tank to do maintenance on.”
Want to Be Featured Next?
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