Arguments for many small tanks vs one large one

[ThunderGoose]

I'm sort of in between. I currently have three tanks and keep thinking of taking down my 120 freshwater planted tank. But then I go "it looks sooooo pretty and it's sooooo easy." yeah.

So I have one mid-sized display reef - I wish I had room for a bigger display - and one nano. The mid-sized is in the living room so we watch it when we're sitting on the couch. The nano is on my desk so I can look it when I'm working (or procrastinating). They're very different and both are fun to watch.

I don't think I could do three reef tanks unless they were connected or had auto water changes. Cleaning the glass isn't too bad but I still have to haul buckets of water up from the basement. Ugh.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a 360g, 93 cube and 40g drop off.
All three manage the same way with the same time needed. I do less on the largest tank when it comes to maintenance. Its a matter of space available, budget and remember the electrical bill when considering which route to go.

 

[madweazl]

One larger tank in the 500-1000g would probably be my overall preference as I could keep everything in a single display. It would provide more area for the fish (and other inhabitants) and would likely look more natural in the end. I have the space to do it in the basement but then it's in the basement and we're never down there. I've settled on a 150g in the living room and a 120g going in the office to replace the 75g. Both systems will go into a common sump where I can perform the bulk of the maintenance as a single system.

 

[Reef-junky]

I would consider anything 300+ Gallons a monster tank. It really depends on if you want to get into bigger fish I would say. You can fully automate any size system.

 

[starypotter]

Wow my first featured thread! Thanks @mdbannister!!

 

[rock_lobster]

The best option is definitely missing. 1 giant tank and multiple small separate systems for dedicated frag tanks, special needs coral propagation or species specific tanks.

 

[Rcpilot]

I'm setting up a 180g after several years away from the hobby.

I'm one of those really OCD guys that NEEDS a functioning QT tank at all times. I love a nifty refugium and want to incorporate a 20-30g display fuge into the new 180 system.

I also like having a frag tank for when it comes time to "cull the herd" inside the display tank. It's nice to have a weekend sale once or twice a year and make a little cash to pay for salt or replacement pumps.

Nanos are cool too. I always wanted to put a little 3--5g nano on the marble kitchen countertop with no heater and 1 little Catalina goby and maybe a couple margarite snails?? (cold water critters)

Since we're not doing homework, and were just dreaming... lotto money...

I'd have different systems like others have described. There's some really cool fish that aren't reef safe. There's sea horses, and SPS corals. I'm an LPS addict and I like zoas. It would be neat to have a couple tanks on this side of the house with a common sump in the basement. Then have a couple tanks over on that side of the house with a different common sump for them.

Now... this is all assuming I'm paying somebody to take care of them. With lotto money, I'm gonna be traveling a lot! LOL!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

The best option is definitely missing. 1 giant tank and multiple small separate systems for dedicated frag tanks, special needs coral propagation or species specific tanks.

while this is the ideal concept, not everyone can support space, monetary and dedicated time to multiple tanks. Time and money often the barriers to such concept.

 

[Aaronhome27]

Good question really. I don't know about many small tanks but 2 or 3 maybe for me. Allow myself to do different species. But I do see that this could be done in one large tank. But I think it's kind of like art. 1 small tank in several different rooms. Something like an anemone clock tank in one room, reef tank with wrasse, etc in another.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

I don't think I'd want a true "giant" system. Probably a 240g with everything in a separate fish room. Also probably a frag tank on the same circuit as the 240. Something like Melev's room, but more of a lower, wider tank

 

[rock_lobster]

while this is the ideal concept, not everyone can support space, monetary and dedicated time to multiple tanks. Time and money often the barriers to such concept.

You would be very surprised how little additional time and money it is. First of all prop tanks are extremely cheap to begin with need minimal gear and investment. Second i only notice about an extra 5 mins of weekly maintenance on having 1 tank vs 3 its as simple as filling up 3 test tubes vs one when doing the testing. My prop tanks have easily paid for themselves probably 20 times over and allow me to save anything from my main tank in the event there were ever a crash. I've salvaged my entire tank once by moving everything into other systems so the savings there were probably in the 10s of thousands.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Oh I agree and have 4 tanks total. Its just Not ideal for everyone as many can just afford what they currently have or an apartment which they are lucky to be allowed to have a tank. I spend maybe a 1/2 hour a day on the 4 tanks.

 

[starypotter]

I'm setting up a 180g after several years away from the hobby.

I'm one of those really OCD guys that NEEDS a functioning QT tank at all times. I love a nifty refugium and want to incorporate a 20-30g display fuge into the new 180 system.

I also like having a frag tank for when it comes time to "cull the herd" inside the display tank. It's nice to have a weekend sale once or twice a year and make a little cash to pay for salt or replacement pumps.

Nanos are cool too. I always wanted to put a little 3--5g nano on the marble kitchen countertop with no heater and 1 little Catalina goby and maybe a couple margarite snails?? (cold water critters)

Since we're not doing homework, and were just dreaming... lotto money...

I'd have different systems like others have described. There's some really cool fish that aren't reef safe. There's sea horses, and SPS corals. I'm an LPS addict and I like zoas. It would be neat to have a couple tanks on this side of the house with a common sump in the basement. Then have a couple tanks over on that side of the house with a different common sump for them.

Now... this is all assuming I'm paying somebody to take care of them. With lotto money, I'm gonna be traveling a lot! LOL!!

Oh I love the cold water nano!! Don't give me any more ideas haha I love your lottery money plan!

 

[don_chuwish]

I'd love to have one large-ish tank - at least 120G like I have now - and a connected 'display refugium' with plenty of pretty macro algae. A separate nano would be fun too. But that would be about my limit for what I'd want to manage.

 

[Elgringodiablo]

I have 5 systems now, 240 gallons all in, ranging from 10 gallon frag tank to 92 gallon Red Sea Reefer. They are spread across 3 rooms and 2 floors... I would happily trade them for a single 300 gallon... 5 water changes per week, testing multiple times per week, constant fixes and tweaks.

The only upside I can think of is the ability to segregate incompatible species.

 

[Jordan Prather]

I like my multiple large systems currently have a 225 a 125 a 90 a clown breeding tank and a frag tank setting up a 180 this weekend or next to

 

[Belgian Anthias]

An aquarium system as big as possible, display tank(s) and refugia on the same filtration system. And separated good quarantine facilities. A good aquarium system has always minimal two seperated tanks!

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

I went with multiple small tanks my main is a 24gallon then a new fluval 13.5 and my sons cheap £5 second hand about 8 gallon freshwater tank converted to salt.

I run them all on NSW so the water is free. But i do very little maintenance on the 2 smaller ones. One as my fluval is only 2 months old and only has 2 clowns in it and some rock, 2 snails.
The smallest I clean the glass maybe once a week as it doesn't get very dirty, not because I don't want to. And do a 20% water change on it maybe every 6-8 weeks I only test it once a month.

Then my main mixed Reef I always have to clean the glass every 3-4 days as alot of natural light comes into the room and I have sps so the light is brighter, I test it once a week now my dosing pump is tuned in. I only do a 10% water change the same time as the smallest tank 6-8 weeks. Both the main and small tank over 2 years old. No tanks have a sump.

 

[Forsaken77]

I think having multiple small tanks allows less possibilities. Yes, you can have a certain species specific tank, but you are also limited a lot by what you can keep due to the tank size.

Fwiw, I have a 93 cube and a 180. I thought because a regular 90 gallon tank was a nice size and amount of water, that a 93 cube would be sufficient and take up less space. Dumb logic, lol.

I will never have another cube again. When my 180 is completely finished (because I've been piecing it together) I will dump the cube as fast as possible. If no one wants it, it's getting tossed. Not even something I would save in storage for future use. The cube is too small, even being 90+ gallons, for fish (unless you keep mostly 2-3 inch fish).

Bigger tanks do not necessarily equate to more automation either, though it is preferable. They definitely are way more expensive. Just the glass box and stand are a few grand, even for off the shelf tanks. I had spent almost 5 grand on my cube, without an Apex, and then had to spend it again with the 180 because all of the equipment is to small.

 

[Kimberely]

I have a 125 gallon reef that's only 5 months old (all my fish are hiding in the caves since I turned on the light just for this picture), and a 75 gallon freshwater planted tank, but I'd really like to eventually add another smaller FOWLR for a dwarf lionfish at some point.