Does ~10 extra gallons greatly help stability?

[ScottsTot]

"Bigger is better". That seems to be the number 1 advice to new hobbyists. I'm sure 10 gallons vs 50 gallons makes maintenance vastly different. But how about 40 gallons vs 50 gallons (a 10 gallon difference) or even 40 gallons vs 45 gallons?

I'm doing a ton of research about picking the right tank while taking cost into account of course. Specifically, I'm deciding on a sump with a display of about 4o gallons with a 10 gallon sump vs a 40 gallon aio tank. The aio is about $300 cheaper.

 

[ca1ore]

I don't think anyone can answer that with any certainty. I tend to be of the view that additional volume simply for additional volume is mostly pointless. Certainly the more volume you have the less quickly things can spiral out of control; but then remedies like water changes have to be larger for the same effect.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

The main bonus to me of the sump is options and customization.

Your options with an AIO are really limited to space constraints.
(that being said I have a 20gal AIO and I really like it)

 

[WVNed]

I don't have a sump so I get to always look at my skimmer and my heaters and my ATO sensors.

 

[JoshH]

"Bigger is better". That seems to be the number 1 advice to new hobbyists. I'm sure 10 gallons vs 50 gallons makes maintenance vastly different. But how about 40 gallons vs 50 gallons (a 10 gallon difference) or even 40 gallons vs 45 gallons?

I'm doing a ton of research about picking the right tank while taking cost into account of course. Specifically, I'm deciding on a sump with a display of about 4o gallons with a 10 gallon sump vs a 40 gallon aio tank. The aio is about $300 cheaper.

Between your two choices there isn't really a huge advantage water volume wise. But there are other pros and cons to consider. The AIO is cheaper, no plumbing involved, less chance of leaks and such. Much easier for a beginner to set up over all. BUT on the flip side, your 40G AIO is really a 32ish Gal display with an 8 Gal sump, you are limited in equipment selection and filtration layouts and the space in the rear sump can make regular maintenance tricky and there for something you might feel like skipping on. The 40 Gal with 10 Gal sump is more water volume, opens you up to much more equipment options and filtration methods in general. Being able to hide all said equipment is another huge bonus along with much easier cleaning. It also Gives you an area to quickly banish trouble makers in your DT and so on. Having to have the tank drilled and the added expenses involved in that as well as plumbing are potentially negatives to consider. As well as opening yourself up to plumbing failures, if plumbed properly this isn't really a huge concern but it's worth mentioning. Having a sump can take up a lot of space in your cabinet which might not leave enough room for other equipment such as dosers, controllers, food, cleaning equipment and so on forcing you to put these things elsewhere. So lots of things to consider on both sides of the equation. And you will get differing opinions for each, there are TONS of successful 40B setups and AIOs alike so really it comes down to what you think will work best for you and what will keep you in the hobby long term.

 

[ScottsTot]

Between your two choices there isn't really a huge advantage water volume wise. But there are other pros and cons to consider. The AIO is cheaper, no plumbing involved, less chance of leaks and such. Much easier for a beginner to set up over all. BUT on the flip side, your 40G AIO is really a 32ish Gal display with an 8 Gal sump, you are limited in equipment selection and filtration layouts and the space in the rear sump can make regular maintenance tricky and there for something you might feel like skipping on. The 40 Gal with 10 Gal sump is more water volume, opens you up to much more equipment options and filtration methods in general. Being able to hide all said equipment is another huge bonus along with much easier cleaning. It also Gives you an area to quickly banish trouble makers in your DT and so on. Having to have the tank drilled and the added expenses involved in that as well as plumbing are potentially negatives to consider. As well as opening yourself up to plumbing failures, if plumbed properly this isn't really a huge concern but it's worth mentioning. Having a sump can take up a lot of space in your cabinet which might not leave enough room for other equipment such as dosers, controllers, food, cleaning equipment and so on forcing you to put these things elsewhere. So lots of things to consider on both sides of the equation. And you will get differing opinions for each, there are TONS of successful 40B setups and AIOs alike so really it comes down to what you think will work best for you and what will keep you in the hobby long term.

I'm not too worried about leaks since I'll be going with Red Sea (whom I trust more than myself to put something together). HOw important is a fuge? With an AIO, I'll probably have to shell out another hundred or so dollars for a reactor. With the Red Sea 170, I'll probably have to make the ATO a fuge.

 

[JoshH]

I'm not too worried about leaks since I'll be going with Red Sea (whom I trust more than myself to put something together)

No matter who makes it, there is always some plumbing involved. In red seas case, there is only very little but it's still there. As for the need for a fuge, that really comes down to your own filtration goals. And with the 170 you can definitely turn the ATO into a fuge and it's really simple to do. It's not mandatory as you can use a reactor instead if you wish or upgrade the sump all together further down the road. The ATO switch to fuge is pretty popular as most find the ATO resevoirs too small for there intended use.