i'm a Noob! i have ?s

JR1974 · Jan 21, 2013

Hello everyone i'm new to the site i hope some of you can help me with a few questions and i hope this is the correct place to ask if not i'm sorry and let me know where to go. so here i go 1st ? i hear it's very time consuming and a lot of maintance to have a salt water tank even after it is established , 2nd ? also have heard the bigger the tank the less maintance it requires, 3rd ? i would like to have the tank (not sure what size yet) built into a wall or half wall in my home theater in the basement i was looking at the external hang on the side prtein skimmer (AQUAC REMORA PRO S) but if i go this route it will be seen and not have a clean look , right now i'm cosidering a 75gallon or 100 gallon. i kinda wanted to avoid undercabinet tanks and euipment if i could. well i think thats it for now i hope i hear from you experts out there and thanks again. Categories‎ Uncategorized

Dsdaley77 · Jan 21, 2013

While not an expert

I can definitely give you some info based on personal experience and info learned from others.

Reef tanks are tons of fun for most people. You need to be dedicated to your tank to make that statement a reality. You have taken the first step to having a successful reef tank as first and foremost, READ, READ, READ lol. Nowadays you can find just sbout anything you need to know right at your fingertips. As for time consumption..... It really depends on what type of tank you want. If you stick with mainly photosynthetic corals you won't have to mess with the tank quite as much. The more corals and fish the more you have to ensure that your water stays within all the proper parameters (ph,alk,salinity,CA,etc) as it becomes easier for big swings to take place based on the bioload your animals add to the system. You can have a successful reef tank without spending tons of time doing so or without all the bells, whistles and custom systems sometimes associated with reefs.

I am a believer that the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep good water parameters. The thinking is that with a bigger tank, there is more room for impurities and the likes that cause havoc in a reef system. In smaller tanks little changes show up fast because there is less water. I will never personally own a tank smaller than 75G unless its plumbed to my main tank.

For what it's worth, I had mine halfway in a wall cut out and hated it, never could do things from the back side of the tank and on a 75 or larger it can be helpful to reach all areas easily. Now, I have a sump and a Refugium and will never have a tank without them, they are life saving insurance policies if put together correctly IMO.

Hopefully this is a good start for you and I'm sure more will chime in, regardless...... Good luck and welcome to R2R

Russellaqua · Jan 21, 2013

An established tank requires some maintenance, but how much depends on how it's stocked and the equipment you use. Larger tanks aren't really less work, but they are more stable as evaporation is less problematic. For example, take evaporation of 1 gallon from each of 2 tanks, a 100 gal and a 20 gal. For the 100 gal this is a 1% loss, but for the 20 gal this is a 5% loss. Dissolved compounds don't evaporate so in the 20 gal the salinity would increase more etc. In-wall tanks are nice, but the equipment needs to be below the tank, or a small room needs to be constructed on the back side to house the equipment.

JR1974 · Jan 22, 2013

thank you for the info/advice very helpful and lots to think about.

JR1974 · Jan 22, 2013

thanks for the advice .

islander84 · Jan 22, 2013

Bigger tanks mean bigger maintenance . Bigger equipment to clean/maintain, larger water changes, bigger lighting systems, bigger dosing system,......
However it is easier to keep a larger system stable when it comes to parameters.

If you wanted to go with a 75 or 100.... i would say go with a 120 and you will be glad you did! I believe the footprint is 4 ft wide 2 ft tall and 2 ft front to back.

Mounting a tank can be fairly easy if you are skilled with framing and drywall or have friends that are. The biggest thing aside from structure is having plenty of easy access behind your tank!

Isoprene · Jan 22, 2013

This exactly. I am just getting to the phase (after 1 year or so) and now all i want is a plumbed in refugium and extra water volume in my main display. Im adding 30 gallons of water volume to my 55 via a frag tank and 20 via a refugium. The more water the easier parameters are which means more success for fish and coral. The quote here says it perfect.

Dsdaley77 said:
While not an expert I can definitely give you some info based on personal experience and info learned from others.

Reef tanks are tons of fun for most people. You need to be dedicated to your tank to make that statement a reality. You have taken the first step to having a successful reef tank as first and foremost, READ, READ, READ lol. Nowadays you can find just sbout anything you need to know right at your fingertips. As for time consumption..... It really depends on what type of tank you want. If you stick with mainly photosynthetic corals you won't have to mess with the tank quite as much. The more corals and fish the more you have to ensure that your water stays within all the proper parameters (ph,alk,salinity,CA,etc) as it becomes easier for big swings to take place based on the bioload your animals add to the system. You can have a successful reef tank without spending tons of time doing so or without all the bells, whistles and custom systems sometimes associated with reefs.

I am a believer that the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep good water parameters. The thinking is that with a bigger tank, there is more room for impurities and the likes that cause havoc in a reef system. In smaller tanks little changes show up fast because there is less water. I will never personally own a tank smaller than 75G unless its plumbed to my main tank.

For what it's worth, I had mine halfway in a wall cut out and hated it, never could do things from the back side of the tank and on a 75 or larger it can be helpful to reach all areas easily. Now, I have a sump and a Refugium and will never have a tank without them, they are life saving insurance policies if put together correctly IMO.

Hopefully this is a good start for you and I'm sure more will chime in, regardless...... Good luck and welcome to R2R