I have a 150 & an 8. I went from a ~30 to the 150 about a year ago and started the 8 in January. Both have been easy to maintain. The 8 is a small mixed reef and the 150 is softy only. The 150 I'm sloppy with water changes, but, between the fuge and softies, the tank thrives on the higher nutrient water...as it is I'm planning on moving my skimmer out of the sump to double the size of my fuge. The 8 I have been more up to date on maintenance, I do a one gallon water change per week, have an appropriately small clean up crew, and only three fish in it (a flasher wrasse, a purple firefish, and a jester's goby). I'm also running only a large wavebox and return pump on the 150 and the stock pump on the Nuvo 8...I guess my point is that this hobby is only as expense and hard to maintain as you make it. When I started I had to have the best of everything and the cost quickly blew up on me, now I try to get the best of what I actually need and all in all a nano is now no harder to maintain than the big boy.