Best tank size for a new nano-reefer

[Aunt Minnie]

OK I know this question has been asked a million times before, but I wanted to ask it in such a way that I don't get a million different answers.

 

Conventional reef wisdom dictates that larger tanks are better, as increased water volume means increased water parameter stability. Obviously this advice can be difficult to heed, especially for those of us with small dwellings and limited income, in which case a large system is not practical or affordable.

 

The workaround to the decreased stability inherent to nano reefs is more frequent water changes and a rock-solid ATO system. However, the fact remains that a nano reef WILL crash sooner than a large reef if left unattended or if a piece of equipment fails.

 

While I'm definitely willing to take the plunge into nano reefing and will fastidiously do all necessary tank maintenance, I realize that I may occasionally make some "beginner" mistakes. Additionally, I'd like to have a water volume large enough that can reasonably withstand unforeseen accidents such as a heater failure, livestock death, etc., therefore giving me time to discover and fix the problem.

 

Given this logic, what is the smallest size tank you'd recommend for any beginning nano reefer?

[Ibnzmonkey]

Ive never reefed or owned a SW aquarium before. I've always owned a 55g FW with Cichlids. I know starting off in SW with a Nano is like playing a video game on hard mode. I like the challenge and am willing to learn as I go.

 

As for me. I am using a 10g Aqueon tank I had in my closet that I used primarily for transporting my cichlids between moves. I am slowly piecing what I can together and will soon post a build.

[lakshwadeep]

Conventional reef wisdom is often wrong about nano tanks.

 

Nano tanks are not inherently more unstable. That is just bad logic used by people who don't realize even 55 or 100 gallons is a drop in the bucket compared to the ocean. Even those tanks will not last long with a heater failure when it is most important (during the winter). As long as you keep up with evaporation, there should be no difference between a nano or large tank, provided you have kept the stocking proportional. That's a big point since you should really get 20+ gallons if you want more than a few fish in your tank. Invertebrates generally don't care about space. Pico tanks can often be easier to keep because there are no fish.

[Paigee]

Hard to say... 20g long tanks are a nice foot print, but if you can do it, I would go 40b. I'd love to have a 40breeder

[dallasprstn]

Hard to say... 20g long tanks are a nice foot print, but if you can do it, I would go 40b. I'd love to have a 40breeder

 

agreed, i loved my 40b, the dimensions are so perfect..and sometimes they go on sale for $40 at petco.

[seabass]

...what is the smallest size tank you'd recommend for any beginning nano reefer?

For a beginner, I'd recommend a standard 15 gallon tank (24" x 12" x 12"). This gives you room for a couple of nano fish and is a popular size for decent lighting fixtures. However, lakshwadeep is right; if you want more fish (or more choices of fish), you should look at getting something even larger.

[GiantBen]

I recommend a BioCube

[castiel]

My opinion (and granted I have minimal experience so far), is that somewhere around 20G is a good beginner size. Manageable (in terms of size/weight), not too expensive to stock something that size, reasonably stable, space for a few fish.

[gerbilbox]

Conventional reef wisdom is often wrong about nano tanks.

 

Nano tanks are not inherently more unstable. That is just bad logic used by people who don't realize even 55 or 100 gallons is a drop in the bucket compared to the ocean. Even those tanks will not last long with a heater failure when it is most important (during the winter). As long as you keep up with evaporation, there should be no difference between a nano or large tank, provided you have kept the stocking proportional. That's a big point since you should really get 20+ gallons if you want more than a few fish in your tank. Invertebrates generally don't care about space. Pico tanks can often be easier to keep because there are no fish.

 

+1

 

I agree, I started with 15g, and I'm now down to ~8g, I don't think it's necessarily more unstable if at all. The problem I see is that it's easier to overstock a small tank, and that's what can make a tank go unstable and more crash prone. Keep stocking size-appropriate.

[Aunt Minnie]

Thanks for all the recommendations everyone. Yes, I do want to keep fish (albeit not many), perhaps a clown and a sixline wrasse or goby. I am currently planning a custom rimless AIO setup with total system volume a little over 20 gallons. However, some of that volume will be displaced by rock, sand and equipment, realistically bringing the volume down to ~18 gallons. I posted this thread just to see what people's thoughts are on a volume in this ballpark.

 

The dimensions I'm currently planning are 20" x 18" x 14", with the AIO section taking up 3.5" of that 18". While I could increase the tank volume by making the footprint a square 20" and increasing the height, I wanted to retain a more "shallow" feel. Since this is a custom build though, I don't want to go through all the effort of building and setting up the tank, only to hate the dimensions and size later on down the road.

 

Thoughts?

 

+1

 

I agree, I started with 15g, and I'm now down to ~8g, I don't think it's necessarily more unstable if at all. The problem I see is that it's easier to overstock a small tank, and that's what can make a tank go unstable and more crash prone. Keep stocking size-appropriate.

 

What would you consider an appropriate stocking list for a 20 gallon tank?

[Veng]

I would say anything between a standard 10Gallon and a bio/nano cube 29. I'd say 40B's while they are AMAZING tanks, are simply too large for most entry level nano reefers. Cut your teeth on something like a 10G or a 14 Biocube which you can afford to fill, and afford to make mistakes on, and will let you learn what everything is and does and why it's important. Then move on to a 40B if you feel cramped after a year.

[banshee]

I'm starting with a 14G BioCube and I think it's perfect. The start up costs were within budget and now I'm just waiting for my first paycheck from my new job to finish stocking corals. Even with only a few corals and 2 fish it doesn't seem empty and the maintenance is easy. Some days I wish for the 29G but then I remind myself that I can upgrade later and a small investment now will save me from crashing a fully stocked larger tank in the future.

[majtek862]

There is definitely a learning curve to this hobby. I started out with the 29 bio cube. I had some success, some serious failures and in the end it just wasn't big enough. I'm glad I had a smaller tank to get me though some crashes and screw ups while I learned. Much less to lose in a smaller tank and worth keeping in mind. I ended up almost doubling in size to a 56 gallon and I have to say the bigger tank is way easier to keep. I've had very few problems with it since I upgraded. I'm not sure if it's because of the larger size or I just got better and more experienced over time. My suggestion would be go with something like the 40b from the start. That size will keep you happy for awhile without going too big.

[21093r53]

75 gallon should be good

[TheUnfocusedOne]

I dissagree with the idea that there is a "best size" tank for someone.

 

 

It's all about your budget, expectations and commitment. Read up, see what critters you must have in you tank (corals, inverts and fish) then buy accordingly. My one suggestion is if you're on the fence between two tank sizes, go with the bigger one (within reason!). So long as you have the extra money to fund it of course.

[PwnMe]

Any size is good if you do it right... My 8 gallon was done correctly. I got good liverock. I waited for the cycle. I added a sensible amount of fish and CUC. I do a weekly water change with a high quality salt. I do top offs by hand.

 

So regarding your criteria... I use a smaller heater so if it dies it'll take a little while to fry the tank. My livestock is noticeable. I have one baby Ocellaris and a CUC. If anything dies I will notice. The CUC would probably eat it regardless.

 

With you livestock idea it'd be best to go for 20 gallons though. I just wanted to make the point that if you are careful you can keep any size tank. I am a beginner reefer and I have gone 4 months without a single failure or death. Except a snail. He was eaten.

[Daleo]

My first tank was a 12g NC DX completely stock. It was nice. Just large enough to handle a dead fish, but small enough for you to enjoy and fill without taking out a second mortgage. I would probably have it up now if the galss wasn't all scratched up. Another plus was the AIO allowed me to buy a kit, and then I could replcae parts as I learned how everything worked.

 

I agree, nano reefs are not harder than larger tanks. My 75 is much harder to keep stable. (Open top w/ no ATO) I have to top off manually every day about 1 gallon.

[solefald]

I am on BC29 and I have to say this is my first and last AIO tank. Yes it looks nice, but at the end of the day I am using none of the stock components except the tank and the plastic lid. To make things worse, unlike BC8 and BC14, the lid on BC29 does not have hinges, so it has to be completely removed from the tank more often than not causing salt water to drip all over the floor.

 

And not only smaller tank or an AIO tank limits your stocking, it also greatly limits your equipment choices.

I think 50-75 would've been much better. My next one is going end up being 85G or so rimless

[lkoechle]

I have a 20 L and it is the first fish tank I have kept with the exception of bettas in a bowl when I was a kid. I havn't found it labor intensive or extreme in the least. I do daily 1 gallon water changes which aren't necessary but I figure it can't hurt. That's a personal taste thing. Plus it only takes two minutes (we timed it before work one day) to pull out and put in which beats dedicating more time on the weekends and ensures I always have mixed water available in case of an emergency.

 

I have soft coral two clowns and a six line and am thinking about a small goby for the future depending on the wrasse. The only livestock loss I've had was 2/3 of my zoas to the pox (and no one knows exaclty what causes those break outs) and a fire shrimp that got too friendly with the pump. I want to go smaller to a 5 gallon for more challenge and because I think cooler smaller inverts get lost in the hustle and bustle of larger tanks.

 

I haven't had any major problems being a first time keeper. I think 15 or 20 would be good simply because it gives you more stocking options than a 10 or smaller. Just do things right. I also learned Craigslisting is a great way to get dry goods at ridiculous prices. I got my QT set up off craiglist for 25 bucks plus salt, additives, test kits etc. he threw in because he liked me and no one else had responded to his other ad.

[Islandoftiki]

I started with a 2 gallon tank. Never had any major problem with the exception of a couple heater failures. I bought a Reef Keeper Lite to control the heater and put an end to that problem.

 

I added a 10 gallon tank about 8 months after I started the pico. I love the 10 gallon, and it works for me now that I'm living in a house, but the 2 gallon was much more appropriate for small apartment living, and not any less fun and exciting.

 

The 10 gallon is about 5 times more maintenance and cost than the 2 gallon. And I enjoy every bit of it, so it's not like it's a bad thing, but the maintenance on the 2 gallon was like 30 minutes a week total, including feeding, cleaning, water changing, adding new corals, water top offs, etc.

 

The smaller the tank, the more careful you have to be about stocking it, but then again, you can probably stock the whole thing for $150 with little frags and have some great diversity and a really great looking pico.

 

My point is, you can have a pretty darn small reef tank that's fun and enjoyable and not a lot of work if you do your homework and set it up well. Research, research and more research is the key to success.

[xDetroitMetalx]

If you've kept FW fish properly then I see no issue with a switch to SW. FW requires water chemistry knowledge as well, it's just at times important to keep track of a couple more when keeping SW. I personally have only kept track of of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate since I've kept SW, I'm a bad SW keeper.

 

That being said, all in one tanks are nice, modern looking, and compact. There are a lot of interesting options to go with and if you have a DIY or mechanical drive it can be very interesting. I just started a 14 gallon BioCube and thus far I'm enjoying it and I'm excited for the future of it. I've also had a stand alone 30 gallon tank which is still running actually! That tank was fun because you have so many options to choose from! I had a 5 gallon HOB refuge where I kept my Mantis Shrimp, a HOB skimmer mounted to the fuge, a nice lighting system.

 

Because of my mechanical interest all the options that SW gives sparks a new venue to fish keeping.

[drgreenz]

my first sw tank was a 40b(i really want another now that i have some exp) i had that up for 4 yrs, then had a 120 for 2 yrs and now a 10g. By far my most stable tank has and is my 10g. I think the question of parameters and stability relates more to the tank ecosystem than the shear volume of water involved. Tailoring your tank specifically for the species kept(ild start with the fish first then go on from there) is IMHO much more important than simply having enough water space for whatever we may want in there.

 

edit: actually i would like a custom acrylic shallow tank, 8"H x 16"W x 24"L(specifically for a shelf i have lol)

Edited April 4, 2012 by drgreenz

[solefald]

If you've kept FW fish properly then I see no issue with a switch to SW. FW requires water chemistry knowledge as well, it's just at times important to keep track of a couple more when keeping SW. I personally have only kept track of of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate since I've kept SW, I'm a bad SW keeper.

 

 

Uhm. I know you said "properly", but I know tons of people with FW tanks who don't know ANYTHING about maintenance or even whats in their tanks. Hell, they have no idea about water testing and laugh at me for being "too anal about the tank". They do top offs directly from a kitchen faucet, don't change water for months or just let it evaporate till there is only half of the water left... yet their fish and plants are fine. And don't get me started on that "clown puke" substrate they are using....

[patbrassil]

I'm just starting, i'm on a low budget so i'm recycling an old 10g. If i were able to choose i would just try to pick a 24"L tank. There are plenty of great and affordable lighting fixtures available for a tank that size. From what I understand so far your lighting will be one of the largest investments in to your SW venture.

[drgreenz]

yea i would say lighting is generally your biggest investment at least at first.