Nano AIO Softie Starter
A 20-gallon cube AIO is the kindest first tank: small enough to be cheap to fill, big enough that water chemistry is forgiving. Soft corals are the right starting livestock — they tolerate the parameter swings beginners cause.
The build, piece by piece
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Tank + Stand
Waterbox Cube 20 Nano AIO AquariumWaterbox Aquariums · nano_aio$270Some links may earn ReefCrafter a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn how ReefCrafter is funded.
Lighting
Nicrew HyperReef 100 Gen 2 LED Reef LightNicrew · LED panel$200
Flow / Powerheads
Hydor Koralia Nano 240 GPH PowerheadHydor · nano AC powerhead$25Some links may earn ReefCrafter a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn how ReefCrafter is funded.
Heating / Temperature
Eheim Jager TruTemp 75W Aquarium HeaterEheim · glass heater$30Some links may earn ReefCrafter a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn how ReefCrafter is funded.
ATO + Dosing
AutoAqua Smart ATO MicrooptionalAutoAqua · nano ATO$99Some links may earn ReefCrafter a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn how ReefCrafter is funded.
Filtration / Media
BRS Premium ROX 0.8 Aquarium Carbon 1 lbBulk Reef Supply · activated carbon$25Some links may earn ReefCrafter a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn how ReefCrafter is funded.
Compatibility check
We ran this template through 23 live rules. Each finding below shows the rule that fired and the values it pulled from the build — see how the engine decides.
- AIO + extra powerhead usually unnecessaryAIO designs already deliver flow via the return pump and overflow geometry. Adding a powerhead inside the display can over-flow the chamber, kick up sand, and stress livestock. Verify your tank actually needs more flow before adding one — most AIOs do not.
Templates run hardware-only checks. Livestock-specific compatibility runs in the planner once you customize this build.
Understand the weak spots before you customize.
What this template can and cannot decide.
Template pages run the live ReefCrafter rule engine against the saved gear list, then expose the exact warnings that fired. They cannot guarantee fit after you swap equipment, change livestock, alter plumbing, or skip the maintenance assumptions behind the build.
Editorial policyTopic cluster
Make this build yours
Swap components, change tiers, see compatibility update live.
Customize this build →