Reef tank recommendation

[aerialdronemaster]

Hi all

I have been using nano tank 24g for last 3 months, and it looks like I really like it, but I would like to have more fish, more corals, and and it looks like small tank is more problem, often water changes, harder to keep it maintained .

Well what do you guys recommend? RedSea or different brand?

I dont want to bo bankrupt haha, but I realize it will cost few thousands
is 75 gallons ok? smaller bigger?

I really want features like ATO , maybe in the future system to test water and add whatever is missing

I would like to keep mandarins , so will need cultivating PODS

I am also really new, just 3 months in the hobby, maybe it is too early?

What are your thoughts ?

 

[Arricefe]

Maybe a tad early for an upgrade. Research all the info on what you might want to keep. Also look locally for a complete setup from a reefer that's leaving the hobby, that's a great way to get a tank and save money for the contents of it. Good luck!

 

[Albertan22]

I’d suggest looking at some of the must have fish you would like to keep, then researching what their minimum tank size is and determine if that is within your budget. My first salt tank was a 4 foot 120g. It let me have some tangs and had really nice dimensions for aquascaping. I honestly feel bigger tanks are easier so better suited to beginners, so I wouldn’t worry about time in the hobby when upgrading.

I personally prefer to build my own systems using a drilled tank and custom sump rather than buying kit type tanks like the Red Sea or water box systems, but to each their own.

 

[Hydrored]

My recommendation is go as big as you can afford, I just purchase an upgrade after 8 months from a 120 Planet to a 209. I will now be selling the 120 at a significant discount losing out if I just would've bought the tank in the first place.

Good luck!

 

[Victor_C3]

My first tank was a 30 gallon nano. It served me well for the first 2.5 years I was in the hobby. It affords a pretty decent amount of space for a decent amount of livestock. With SPS, it took me more than a year to max out the number of frags I thought I could fit before I had to wait for them to grow into colonies. However, I did have a sump and that gave me a lot of extra options to explore and work on while my system was maturing.

Personally, I’d wait at least a year before upgrading. There is a lot of learning to be done in the meantime and you’ll have a better idea about what you like and don’t like about your tank before you upgrade. You’ll also see exactly what people mean when they say “it takes a tank a year to fully mature”. There is a big difference in the stability, growth of corals, and ease of maintenance that comes at that point.

I’d use the next 9 months to learn more, plan, and save up money. I’ve heard that you can expect to spend $50 per gallon of display tank size. Based on my nano tanks, I think that number is wholly accurate. However, I’m far exceeding that on my current 115 gallon display. I’ve spent more than $7,000 on it so far and I plan on spending another $2,500 - $3,000 on equipment before I’m done. However, that also includes $1,250 on an inverter/charger and a bank of batteries to use during power failures.

So, learn and save up lots of money. That’s what I recommend.

It won’t be as if it’s a lost year while you’re waiting on your upgrade. You’ll most likely be able to transfer everything from you nano to a larger tank and avoid a significant cycle.

 

[Hydrored]

My first tank was a 30 gallon nano. It served me well for the first 2.5 years I was in the hobby. It affords a pretty decent amount of space for a decent amount of livestock. With SPS, it took me more than a year to max out the number of frags I thought I could fit before I had to wait for them to grow into colonies. However, I did have a sump and that gave me a lot of extra options to explore and work on while my system was maturing.

Personally, I’d wait at least a year before upgrading. There is a lot of learning to be done in the meantime and you’ll have a better idea about what you like and don’t like about your tank before you upgrade. You’ll also see exactly what people mean when they say “it takes a tank a year to fully mature”. There is a big difference in the stability, growth of corals, and ease of maintenance that comes at that point.

I’d use the next 9 months to learn more, plan, and save up money. I’ve heard that you can expect to spend $50 per gallon of display tank size. Based on my nano tanks, I think that number is wholly accurate. However, I’m far exceeding that on my current 115 gallon display. I’ve spent more than $7,000 on it so far and I plan on spending another $2,500 - $3,000 on equipment before I’m done. However, that also includes $1,250 on an inverter/charger and a bank of batteries to use during power failures.

So, learn and save up lots of money. That’s what I recommend.

It won’t be as if it’s a lost year while you’re waiting on your upgrade. You’ll most likely be able to transfer everything from you nano to a larger tank and avoid a significant cycle.

This is good advice, with my new build I'm at 69.67 per gallon and that doesn't include salt, fish, coral, or rock

 

[Oldreefer44]

Just like houses and boats; it doesn't take long to wish you had a bigger one. My advice is to go as big as you can afford and have space for.

 

[Victor_C3]

This is good advice, with my new build I'm at 69.67 per gallon and that doesn't include salt, fish, coral, or rock

Interesting. My number comes in at $60.87 per gallon spent to date and I believe it’ll be around $86.96 per gallon by the time I’m done getting my dosing pumps set up with storage containers and stir plate, a small glass-door refrigerator to store live plankton and live food stuffs, and my power backup solution - not counting livestock and coral.

So I guess that means $50 per gallon doesn’t apply when you’re buying upper end equipment.

 

[Gernader]

Interesting. My number comes in at $60.87 per gallon spent to date and I believe it’ll be around $86.96 per gallon by the time I’m done getting my dosing pumps set up with storage containers and stir plate, a small glass-door refrigerator to store live plankton and live food stuffs, and my power backup solution - not counting livestock and coral.

So I guess that means $50 per gallon doesn’t apply when you’re buying upper end equipment.

Yeah, I did not get the high end equipment for my 75g (with 30g sump). My cost per gallon is around $34.70. That includes all of my equipment, fish, corals, rocks, salt, and testing equipment.

 

[Baby Ray]

Im sure you know of the difficulties of keeping mandarins and I'm not expert but from what I've heard, 75 gallons is big enough to at least attempt at keeping one and having a chance. However, I also think that it takes years to build up a healthy enough pod population to support a mandarin that would still have to supplemented. You are moving quickly and there is nothing wrong with wanting to upgrade but know that when you do upgrade, you'll have to slow down a little bit and just wait before adding a mandarin

 

[aerialdronemaster]

understand
what is interesting the MAX series doesn't ave a refugim !

 

[aerialdronemaster]

so, what do you think between reefer XL 424 and MAX s ( similiar size)

I do not like that the refugim is not included with MAX ( it is important for me to cultivate pods)
but the max has all you need, reffer even when using the WIZARD on their page, is still missing stuff, like return pomp,

 

[codycolina707]

Hi all

I have been using nano tank 24g for last 3 months, and it looks like I really like it, but I would like to have more fish, more corals, and and it looks like small tank is more problem, often water changes, harder to keep it maintained .

Well what do you guys recommend? RedSea or different brand?

I dont want to bo bankrupt haha, but I realize it will cost few thousands
is 75 gallons ok? smaller bigger?

I really want features like ATO , maybe in the future system to test water and add whatever is missing

I would like to keep mandarins , so will need cultivating PODS

I am also really new, just 3 months in the hobby, maybe it is too early?

What are your thoughts ?

I started with a 55 gallon and didnt take me long to realize i wanted a sump and the tank was terrible for aquascaping ended up buying a 150 about 5 months after setting up the 55 and love the new tank i have no negative things to say about it.