Should I downgrade my 20g tank?

[AquaJunkie]

Will it cost less in salt if I downgrade to 10g

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Theoretically yes, a smaller tank will use less salt. At that size though you won't be saving much, even at half size. 10g worth of salt around here is 9.99, if you are doing 5g water changes that's only $5 a week...might as well keep the 20 in my opinion

 

[Sun357]

Salt doesn't make that much of a cost difference in between those size differences. You can get 200G of salt mix for $50ish if you go with Instant Ocean and that should last a 20G a very very long time.

~Fred

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Another thing to consider is the stability in the water parameters. You may have to do more frequent water changes in the ten gallon to keep the water parameters in line. This would mean that you are using the same or larger amount of salt.

 

[Mole]

Another thing to consider is the stability in the water parameters. You may have to do more frequent water changes in the ten gallon to keep the water parameters in line. This would mean that you are using the same or larger amount of salt.

this... I do more consistently large water changes with my 20 than I ever did on my 55... relatively speaking that is...

 

[AquaJunkie]

Thanks. I've been doing weekly 20% water changes due to green hair algae.

So 10% weekly on a 10 gallon would be cheaper.

I'm thinking with that saving I could even afford ro di weekly too.

Also would 30lbs of live rock be ok in 10g or too much?

 

[Aqua fire/medic]

Keep the 20..... Much better dimensions

 

[SeymourDuncan]

30lbs of rock in a 10 will save money on water but you want have space for anything

 

[Mike in CT]

Buy salt in bulk ( probably get free shipping most online shops) and the cost of salt will be negligible. If you get hooked on this hobby salt will be the least of your financial concerns ... Lol
Also regarding tank size ... I crashed a 30 gallon a few times when I was starting out, but once I moved up to a 75 it gave me a lot more wiggle room before conditions got out of hand.

 

[AquaJunkie]

Thanks for all the comments guys.
My tank looks like sh*te and I just want to be able to sort it out with as many water changes as possible. 10 gallon would save more on salt then 20 gallon as I'm doing weekly water changes ATM anyways.
Il just stack the rock up til I feel it's full enough.
Just need to figure my algae problem out now lol

 

[SeymourDuncan]

If I were you I would skip the tank downgrade and go straight to investigation mode. You can fix this easily, give us a rundown on it. What you feed, dose, brands of salt, source of RO water...it could be something simple. Sometimes the most obvious problems are the least thought about

 

[SeymourDuncan]

And the rock doesn't look awful, so you aren't in a situation where you need to do anything drastic. Plus the aquascape is rather nicely situated.
Think of it this way. If you take already grassy rock and cram it together it will just spread faster and cause more dead spots where stuff will collect, causing more maintenance than you have now.

 

[glb]

I wouldn't downgrade. A 10 gallon will take a lot more work to keep stable.

 

[mcarroll]

Cost correlates to bio load a lot more than tank size.

Decreasing tank size just means you are over stocked even sooner.

-Matt

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Go bigger

 

[Mike in CT]

Go bigger

+++++++++++

 

[NanaReefer]

What is your source of water? You mentioned getting an Ro/di unit. Does this mean your using tap water? If so then there's the reason for your algae issues.