Best Size Aquarium For an Entry Level Reefer?

[Daltrey]

Pick up a 160 and follow BRS 52 weeks of reefing. I went with a Red Sea Reefer 750xxl. It’s a 160.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/video/video-category/52-weeks-of-reefing

 

[Maggie321]

I have a 90 g freshwater and a 39 g salt in the same room upstairs (kitchen) and in the bedroom same floor opposite side of the house we have a 60 g freshwater. Floor not reinforced.

Getting ready to put a 200g in the living room. Slowly. The floor is reinforced with this.

 

[Cody Grkman]

Welcome to R2R.
+1 on the 75 gallon (what I have now and started with last year). Great starter size as you have plenty of options for fish as well as coral and can be lit with only 2 LED fixtures (if you go that route).

 

[PatW]

The bigger the tank, the more stable. Stability is good because reefs are really stable and reef creatures are just easier to keep in a large tank.

The 125 gallon tank is a good choice. It allows a big sump and sumps can never be too big. Plus, it is 6’ long which is long enough for some of the smaller tangs and tangs are really nice fish to have. About the largest production tank is the 180 gallon which is also 6’. Anything larger tends to be custom and I would not want to start with a custom.

But then there is reality to deal with. The 4’ tanks like the 75, 90, and 120 are good tanks.

 

[lapin]

Seems like the next question is will my floor hold 1200 lbs spread over a certain distance. Here is just one thread of many on the subject.

"This topic has been discussed repeatedly on this forum, check old postings. A heavy aquarium such as you describe is a point load, and a 1200 lb point load is a lot. Consider that standard floor loading for a bedroom is approximately 40 pounds per square foot, so a single joist spaced 16 inches on center, 15 feet long, would only pick up approximately 750 lbs total, spaced over 15 feet. If that aquarium happened to be located over a single joist near the middle, there is a good chance you could cause failure of the joist."

So spread the load over as many joists as you can. Up against a load bearing wall is a good thing. Make sure your joist run at 90 degrees to the wall. Only a structural engineer will know for certain what your floor can take. Maybe you know who built and designed the house.

 

[jakeh22]

I started with a 75 and upgraded to a 90 which is only deeper so you get that nice eye level water line when viewing the fish is the best thing in my opinion. It is hard to work in deep tanks if you ever set up and broke down a buddies or something you know it’s nearly impossible to see the coral while placing and then you need a step stool and with my 75 I did not

 

[Flatlandreefer]

I think a 4 foot tank would be a good first tank. Big enough to grow into but small enough that you can actually afford it. Remember, you will still have to buy all of the livestock once you get all of the equipment set up.

 

[Jesterrace]

I started with a 75 and upgraded to a 90 which is only deeper so you get that nice eye level water line when viewing the fish is the best thing in my opinion. It is hard to work in deep tanks if you ever set up and broke down a buddies or something you know it’s nearly impossible to see the coral while placing and then you need a step stool and with my 75 I did not

Tell me about it. When I upgraded from my 36 to the 90, I couldn't believe how much difference that depth makes. Makes me really glad I didn't go with a standard 150 (ie 30 inch deep tank). I will never go any deeper than what my 90 offers.

 

[TaylorPilot]

To me, I would choose either a 40B with a 20L as a sump, or go with a 120 and a 40B for a sump. I've never really understood the 75 or 90...They are all 4 foot long tanks, so they lighting requirements are pretty on par (no pun intended). The 120 is 24" deep and 24" tall. They are a very nice size tank. I would probably steer away for a 125 due to the 6' length and the added cost for lighting. Again, if you are going to go 6', get a 180, because the cost will be marginally different and that 24"x24" feels much bigger. If you do go larger, just realize that the up-front cost are just the beginning. With a 120, a 20% water change is 24 gallons. That is 5 buckets full...It's a pain if not setup right. You really need allot of space to house all the stuff you'll need to maintain a larger system. Water storage is a big one with larger tanks. A RODI system. If you start smaller, you can buy water at the LFS and its pretty simple and quick.

 

[rocsec1]

My 120 was on the first floor with finished basement below it. It was fine. In the new house it is in the finished basement in the family room.

 

[HotRocks]

Some do, some don't, but I'd personally recommend also setting up a quarantine system. If you check the disease forum you'll see every day that people are frantically tearing their tank down to catch fish because their newest addition didn't get qt'd.

It doesn't have to be elaborate..
I use a 29g tank, heater, hob filter like an aquaclear, and a pump. Few pieces of PVC and you're good to go. This gives the fish time to adapt to captivity and you the time to observe for potenial problems. Much easier to treat a fish that's already in qt than trying to jam ALL your fish in hurried hospital tank.

+1 to a QT/hospital tank. I was brought into the hobby using one. Fish are too expensive, and disease is much more common these days unfortunately!

 

[HotRocks]

My 120 was on the first floor with finished basement below it. It was fine. In the new house it is in the finished basement in the family room.

My RSR 750XXL (200 gal total) is on main level above basement. No issues. Just food for thought.

 

[Matthew Frost]

Give AIO cubes a look. For an entry level set up you can do some wildly cool stuff and its REALLY easy to keep costs under control. And if you upgrade most of the stuff you would buy would be upward mobile.

 

[elisa h]

I'd recommend around a 75 also. I personally don't think bigger is easier especially for someone new. It's more money, more time, more mistakes to be made etc. When parameters get out of whack on a smaller tank its much easier to do a large water change and get everything back to normal. I started with my 90 bought cheap off craigslist and I think it was a lot for me to take on without experience. No matter how much reading you do, theres some things you just don't understand until you run a reef yourself. It's definitely a learning curve and a test on patience. That being said its been around 6 months since I got my first tank and I'm planning on getting a RSR 650 peninsula when I move. I definitely don't wish that I went that big to start with though because I've learned so many things since starting that I can now incorporate into a new build. Basically, I'm glad I made some newbie mistakes on a cheap smaller build so that I know exactly what to do to make a bigger more expensive build perfect. And you can also transfer over any equipment you invest in from a smaller to bigger tank if you do decide to upgrade.

 

[Jesterrace]

I'd recommend around a 75 also. I personally don't think bigger is easier especially for someone new. It's more money, more time, more mistakes to be made etc. When parameters get out of whack on a smaller tank its much easier to do a large water change and get everything back to normal. I started with my 90 bought cheap off craigslist and I think it was a lot for me to take on without experience. No matter how much reading you do, theres some things you just don't understand until you run a reef yourself. It's definitely a learning curve and a test on patience. That being said its been around 6 months since I got my first tank and I'm planning on getting a RSR 650 peninsula when I move. I definitely don't wish that I went that big to start with though because I've learned so many things since starting that I can now incorporate into a new build. Basically, I'm glad I made some newbie mistakes on a cheap smaller build so that I know exactly what to do to make a bigger more expensive build perfect. And you can also transfer over any equipment you invest in from a smaller to bigger tank if you do decide to upgrade.

I agree with most of what you said, but I am going to have to disagree with the last comment on transferring equipment over. When I upgraded from my 36 to my 90 gallon the only thing that transferred were the powerhead and the 40lbs of live rock that I had in the tank. The light, the HOB Filter, The HOB skimmer, the Tank Heater all needed to be upgraded to a larger size for the tank.

 

[elisa h]

I agree with most of what you said, but I am going to have to disagree with the last comment on transferring equipment over. When I upgraded from my 36 to my 90 gallon the only thing that transferred were the powerhead and the 40lbs of live rock that I had in the tank. The light, the HOB Filter, The HOB skimmer, the Tank Heater all needed to be upgraded to a larger size for the tank.

Yea I think it just depends case to case. For me, I can transfer over my light but I will have to add another one and I'm transferring over my algae scrubber and powerheads.

 

[Flexin]

Looks at your space and consider your budget. Not enough will say it but the hobby is expensive.

If you have to break out cost, hold on the Apex until maybe month 6. Before that you will just chase parameters especially in the first few months and it’s not necessary if you take your time. It will also allow for you setup and to think about what you want to automate and how.

ATO and RODI are necessary for tanks unless you have an easy place to get your saltwater and RODI water. No matter the tank size . Also, pressure in the house. If it’s under 50psi, IMO ,you need a booster. You will waist so much water if not and it speeds up production.

How much room do you have for water changes? Where will you mix it? How much can you mix in one shot? Think hard about how water changes will be performed and come up with a system to make it easy. Carrying 5 buckets up a flight of stairs gets old but sometimes may be necessary.

Large tanks are nice, so are smaller tanks. Easy water changes for smaller tanks means you will stick to your schedule and get it done, are you the type of person where that’s a factor. Set yourself up for success.

Welcome to the forum!! I’m always excited to see a new tank build and live it with you on the forum

 

[shred5]

Looks at your space and consider your budget. Not enough will say it but the hobby is expensive.

If you have to break out cost, hold on the Apex until maybe month 6. Before that you will just chase parameters especially in the first few months and it’s not necessary if you tank your time. It will also allow for you setup and to think about what you want to automate and how.

ATO and RODI are necessary for tanks unless you have an easy place to get your saltwater and RODI water. No matter the tank size . Also, pressure in the house. If it’s under 50psi, IMO ,you need a booster. You will waist so much water if not and it speeds up production.

How much room do you have for water changes? Where will you mix it? How much can you mix in one shot? Think hard about how water changes will be performed and come up with a system to make it easy. Carrying 5 buckets up a flight of stairs gets old but sometimes may be necessary.

Large tanks are nice, so are smaller tanks. Easy water changes for smaller tanks means you will stick to your schedule and get it done, are you the type of person where that’s a factor. Set yourself up for success.

Welcome to the forum!! I’m always excited to see a new tank build and live it with you on the forum

Good post...
Budget and room are important.
To me bigger is also not always better because it requires bigger equipment, bigger water changes, more of this and more of that. With the way things are in the hobby now things are not too hard on any size tank.
Bigger may be more stable but when things get off they are harder to bring back inline.

Personally I think the sweet spot is a 75 gallon. If you want smaller 40 breeder and bigger is a 120.

 

[Haubfather07]

I started with a 45 and upgraded within 3 months to a Reefer 450. Would have saved a lot of money to have just started the size I wanted from the start. Glad I upgraded quickly tho so it wasn’t rough on a bunch of livestock to move. I’d start with the largest size you can fit (physical size, budget, time) and want.

 

[Reef of Fillory]

If you can afford the initial setup with descent quality equipment + the rock and stocking cost, you'd probably be better off going for the larger tank right from the start. If you're trying to pinch pennies setting things up, or want to spend $$ over time, go for a smaller all in one like mentioned before. The AIO cubes are good and make it simple. They also restrict the space for upgrades which will keep you in line budget wise. When you go bigger and you have the space to add more gadgets in, the likelihood of you adding those gadgets is high. Again, if you can afford it and realize going in that you'll want more even after the initial setup cost, then go for it.