Glass Box Tank?

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Hey everyone! Looking more in-depth at different tank setups, it's hard to miss the fact that most reef tanks are really complicated in their setup (at least from an equipment perspective). As someone who is just starting to explore the hobby, I realized that it was pretty daunting to me and to plenty of other people as well. So, in the interest of finding something less daunting/complex (and cheaper) to explain to others, I was wondering about the pros and cons of doing something simple - like just a glass box with water, a heater, pumps, some kind of filter, and lights simple. (So, no sump, overflows, controllers, reactors, etc. - just the bare bones needed to make a reef tank.) I know it would need regular water changes or dosing, but, as I understand it, you don't technically need any permanent fixtures in the tank for that, so it doesn't make the list.

Pros & Cons? Potential problems? Would it work alright for livestock?
What are your thoughts?

 

[MnFish1]

Part of the answer involves 'how big', 'what you're wanting to put in', and 'how much do you want to spend'.

IMHO.

The Pros of a glass box: Less things to break, ?Less expensive
The Cons of a glass box:: The equipment that 'complicates' reef-keeping makes it 'easier'. Having a sump - allows you to hide things like heaters, filters, etc. You may find it more difficult to manage 'difficult' species of fish/coral. In the long run - you may find it more expensive - with regards to water changes, etc than using a skimmer.

My bottom line - you don't have to have a 'complicated' set up its not one or the other. A sump and a skimmer allows you to hide equipment, dose 'chemicals', have a relatively larger water volume - which helps stability. And - Its not 'complicated'. you don't need a calcium reactor, hard plumbing thats color coded, a lit sump, a controller, etc. etc. etc.

 

[nereefpat]

Sure. A reef without a sump is very possible.

I ran my old 90 gallon for nearly a decade with just live rock, sand, hang on back skimmer, and powerheads...and heater and PC lights.

I actually would skip any 'filter' for smaller sumpless tanks. You do need to account for dosing, if keeping stony corals, and topping off, and I would do 10+% weekly water changes.

What tank are you thinking about?

 

[nereefpat]

My bottom line - you don't have to have a 'complicated' set up its not one or the other.

That's very true. A sump doesn't need to be complicated at all. Your display can use a single standpipe as a drain, and the sump can be a glass box big enough to hold a return pump, heater, and skimmer (or not a skimmer).

There are so many ways to run tanks. And keep in mind all the 'tanks of the month' and whatnot long before controllers existed.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Sorry for the slow response (I got sick after I posted) - thanks for the feedback!

I probably should have phrased my initial post better, as you are correct that it's not actually complicated. What I meant to say was that it seems really complicated to many outside the hobby (as observed in my own experiences and on several different posts I've seen here on R2R). My main thing here is just what are the upsides and downsides to doing something "simple" for a display tank in part to let people interested in the hobby know it doesn't always have to be crazy expensive or involve a ton of machinery/add-ons. Something a lot of people can see as being "easy" - kind of like a responsible goldfish bowl, if you will.

That said, I definitely agree that a lot of the extras are incredibly helpful, and I'm in no way trying to discourage those. I'm more just trying to figure out what someone would need to do in order to compensate for not having them.

Currently, I'm not looking at any tank in particular, but in the future I'm looking at a starter tank somewhere in the 70-100ish gallons range. Possibly something long and shallow, but I haven't decided for sure yet.

Anyway, thank you guys again for your input!

 

[MnFish1]

Sorry for the slow response (I got sick after I posted) - thanks for the feedback!

I probably should have phrased my initial post better, as you are correct that it's not actually complicated. What I meant to say was that it seems really complicated to many outside the hobby (as observed in my own experiences and on several different posts I've seen here on R2R). My main thing here is just what are the upsides and downsides to doing something "simple" for a display tank in part to let people interested in the hobby know it doesn't always have to be crazy expensive or involve a ton of machinery/add-ons. Something a lot of people can see as being "easy" - kind of like a responsible goldfish bowl, if you will.

That said, I definitely agree that a lot of the extras are incredibly helpful, and I'm in no way trying to discourage those. I'm more just trying to figure out what someone would need to do in order to compensate for not having them.

Currently, I'm not looking at any tank in particular, but in the future I'm looking at a starter tank somewhere in the 70-100ish gallons range. Possibly something long and shallow, but I haven't decided for sure yet.

Anyway, thank you guys again for your input!

Yeah - to me - the main thing - since its something I want to 'look at' - is the aesthetic. I like minimal cords, etc. Thus - I have a sump. I used to have reactors for this and that, and test every week, etc. I still have an unopened Tunze ATO and another unopened controller. I just have not found the need. A sump - gives you places to put things that look (to me) - ugly in a tank - and needn't add much expense. I have a skimmer - and nothing else in my sump. but - I have 25 percent more 'total water volume' - and no heater cords, etc. As @brandon429 has shown you can put a reef 'in a bowl'. they look beautiful. (I hope no one else reads this) - IMHO - some people go overboard

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Thats how i started out (15 years ago), a glass box, heater, HOB Filter, powerhead, and Go!

From there you decide how much you like the hobby, and invest further if you want to. Not to discourage you, but so many new people go all out buying fancy new equipment without understanding, then end up failing and quitting a year later. its really a hobby where, you should just stick your toe in to start.....

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thats how i started out (15 years ago), a glass box, heater, HOB Filter, powerhead, and Go!

From there you decide how much you like the hobby, and invest further if you want to. Not to discourage you, but so many new people go all out buying fancy new equipment without understanding, then end up failing and quitting a year later. its really a hobby where, you should just stick your toe in to start.....

Thank you for the response! Honestly, browsing through the forum here I have noticed that a lot of new people to the hobby approach it with little research and it doesn't work out well (like when a lot of people I've known have tried keeping betta fish without proper research - I've yet to see one last more than a few months).

Anyway, going back on topic - what were some problems you faced with that basic setup, and were there any upsides to it compared to a more standard tank today?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Thank you for the response! Honestly, browsing through the forum here I have noticed that a lot of new people to the hobby approach it with little research and it doesn't work out well (like when a lot of people I've known have tried keeping betta fish without proper research - I've yet to see one last more than a few months).

Anyway, going back on topic - what were some problems you faced with that basic setup, and were there any upsides to it compared to a more standard tank today?

there are no problems for fish only, like you say, as long as you do the research to ensure you can care for it. Only basic tank maintenance and testing is required for fish only. The harder, more expensive, more complicated stuff is later when you get that itch for corals. Keeping fish is relatively easy, corals is like a science project.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Great information. Thank you!