How Big To Start?

[Pjimmy]

I’m new to reefing and am wondering what you have all learned from experience. My initial instinct is to go big, but how difficult is that to manage?

 

[Xanthurum]

As big as your budget allows, however it is much cheaper to cut your teeth on a smaller tank. You can always buy equipment for a larger system and still start with a smaller system. What I mean is with DC pumps you can get a pump that will work with a larger system and just turn it down. Same with some skimmers and sumps, WaveMakers can be transferred to larger systems and you can always get a second or 3rd light when the time comes. Then all you do is sell the old tank and you are set. Then again you may find a smaller tank is exactly what you want.

 

[JoshH]

I’m new to reefing and am wondering what you have all learned from experience. My initial instinct is to go big, but how difficult is that to manage?

I'll say go as big as your budget will allow comfortably. Keep in mind the bigger you go the more expensive things like lighting get and regular expenses. However as a newcomer the bigger you go the easier it can be to keep parameters stable

 

[Sawyer Breslow]

The more water volume the more forgiving. You will have more time to respond to issues. Also to consider:

1. available space for tank.
2. Lighting needs. The bigger the tank, the more lights needed.
3. Sand and rock needs. The bigger the tank, the more needed.
4. What kind of fish and coral do you want to keep?

basically need to consider cost associated. That all being said I think a 50gal is a good starter size to get your feet wet and enjoy the process. You will probably want to upgrade in a few months, lol. Good luck and ask lots of questions!!!

 

[Ippyroy]

I was planning on a 120 due to space constraints. I bought 90% of the equipment, then the pandemic happened and my hours got slashed for bit. I decided to do a 32 gallon Fiji Cube instead and used most of the equipment I had accumulated on it. It works great and the future upgrade will be a bit more painless on the wallet.

 

[Indytraveler83]

I always like to reccomend either a 40 breeder or standard 75 gallon to start. They are big enough to be stable, but small enough to not require some of the very expensive equipment.

Those two tanks are also fairly shallow (height) with good depth (front to back) which makes them good forms to use for corals and aquascaping.

 

[Rudzbrewski]

I’m new to reefing and am wondering what you have all learned from experience. My initial instinct is to go big, but how difficult is that to manage?

Many different ways to go about starting. The traditional answer is “go as big as your space and budget can afford”. However, I am glad I started small to learn at a lower entry cost. I think just having a solid plan with a realistic goal in mind and tailoring you’re strategy to fit that is the most important part.

 

[92Miata]

The problem with 'go big' is that doing maintenance tasks get harder. Doing a water change becomes a project, not just a couple buckets.

I think the 30-40g all in ones are a great place to start. They work, lighting is reasonable, equipment is cheap, and they're big enough to not be unstable.

 

[jtl]

After having many tanks over the years I settled on 100g as my go to size. Big enough to do a nice aquascape and hold a decent amount of fish yet small enough to make maintenance easier. Just pay attention to the dimensions, not too shallow front to back and not too deep (20" is a nice depth).

 

[jeffrey750750]

There's nothing worse than spending a year and 10k on a 60 cube then wanting to go bigger. Now I'll have to have two tanks, more maint and more expense. I'm not about to take down something that's doing so good. Go as big as a hundred gallon, that's my recommendation

 

[Rrwilson1223]

As big as the budget allows. id say to take time to really think through what is a must-have vs what you can live without. If your whole aim is to have lots of tangs and such, might as well go big and figure out budget on equipment. I know lots of folks who end up buying bigger tanks every few years to get that something that they really wanted.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

IMO a 50-75g is perfect for a beginner. I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than a 30g for a new hobbyist and nothing larger than a 120-125g for a first tank (unless they have very specific reasons for going bigger than that).

 

[Montiman]

For me I always lean on the quality over quantity argument. Most people will be happier with the most amazing 30 gallon tank on the planet than with a cobbled together 300 gallon tank.

I also find that I tend to have eyes bigger than my wallet. For this reason I usually recommend going smaller than you might initially think. The one thing that makes me go bigger is that tanks large enough to have utilitarian fish like tangs, rabbit fish, and copperband butterflies are easier from my experience. Because of this I don't recommend starting with anything under 50 gallons and I do recommend including these helpful fish.

I currently have a 180 gallon main display and a 10 gallon nano. Despite doing larger water changes 4 times as often as my main display I have bad algae problems in the 10 gallon. Recently I broke down and just took all of the rock out of the nano and put it in my main display. Within 3 days the rock was completely clean from the tangs munching. I am now considering upgrading to a 40 breeder or larger just so I can throw in a tang. Do not underestimate the value of helpful livestock.

 

[CavalierReef]

I'm insulted!! My size tank wasn't even an option! Actually, I'm restricted by space and I agree with those who feel you should get your feet wet (and your floor) with the largest system you can reasonably afford. I saw a $47 per gallon number recently and perhaps that gives someone new to the hobby an insight to where they might want to start. I have had 90s, 120s, and 180s over the years and if I had seen that number I would have croaked. But I think the hobby was a little less expensive then. I also agree that larger systems might provide a little more room for error but I'm finding that my small system is easier and quicker to correct. But you have to pay attention and respond to changes quickly. Do what you feel comfortable with and know that there is so much help out there. And certainly HERE! Happy reefing.

 

[Dragon52]

I started with a 30 gal way back when, then a 55gl & traded it for a 135. Got out of the hobby for about 20yrs, started back with a 120 & now have a 185 but wish I had gotten a 250/300.

 

[ReeferWarrant]

I bought a used 32 gallon Biocube to test the waters with. I have no regrets in that decision, other than I want a larger tank now that I'm getting comfortable. Like above mentions there is equipment you can buy for a smaller tank that can be used in bigger set ups, like powerheads that can be set at certain percentages of power. I think an AIO between 32-40 is a perfect beginning piece, this way all you have to do is a 5-10 gallon water change weekly to keep the parameters steady. Then do as you please from there. I would go that route but also have an idea what you want as your end goal, do you want fish that require more space? Do you want corals? What are their requirements? Is there something you absolutely want to have in your tank?

I hope that helps!! Good luck!!!

 

[Nick Steele]

I think go with what ever you are comfortable doing depending on living situations.

I started with a 20G as I’m still in an apartment and I will not ever want to move a tank larger than 20-30G again. I’ve moved my 55G freshwater twice and it’s not fun and throw on top of that coral etc even worse. If it was doable I would have went 100+ gallons but won’t be here longer than a few years so it was easy to do the 20G to get my feet wet and still enjoy the hobby and learn.

 

[RtomKinMad]

We a
Started with 75 which was a nice size except I wanted tangs. So we got a 120 and still not enough room for tangs, then upgraded to 300 6’. I wanted bigger fish so also got a 300, 8’ for larger tangs and angles. We still have a 75gal which has been taken down and restarted and is now mostly coral instead of fish. So I would say it depends on what you want to keep (coral, fish, large fish, or both) space, money, and time. 120 Worked the best I feel of all our tanks. Not too big not too small. Sometimes wished we would have been satisfied with that instead of wanting more. Good luck and choose the best for you’re lifestyle and desires for fish/coral.

 

[Hydrored]

I went with a 120 and upgraded to an 8’ tank 8 months later, I would say go as big as you can afford. One thing is lighting is expensive, wife was not happy after the tank upgrade then another 4500.00 in lights that I forgot to disclose.

 

[JMM744]

If you have the room go at least 48 inches long. Very standard lighting and pumps and sumps and stands for that size. My best display is still my 70 that’s 48 inches long. Very comfortable fit and holds enough coral to hurt your wallet. Plenty of room for fish too if you stay smaller.
Whatever you do be sure to ENJOY the ride.