Big tanks vs small tanks

[Tristan23]

Just curious to see pros and cons to having big or small tanks. I know water changes, salt, lighting are some factors, but from everyone experiences what do you like/not like from your previous to your latest setup?

[Tristan23]

And guys or ladies with big tanks: would you guys ever go back to smaller tanks?

[kkiel02]

I just go bigger and bigger. Went from a 65 to 180 to 375g. I think this tank is the easiest to maintain yet.

[Big_Pun]

i hate them all cause they both are expensive! for me as a sps lover big tank all the way sps love the room and the stability of larger tank since parameters do not swing as fast. if softie like zoas and some lps then a small tank is cool. all just my opinion from my experiences

[Sherita]

What Chris said. The parms on smaller tanks can get weird really fast, and even zoas don't like that. I've got both big and small tanks, and the littler tanks take up way more of my time than the bigger tanks. I can "set and forget" my big tanks, if I ignore the little guys......I have dead stuffs.

[Mr Cob]

Same here, big is easy just cost more in way of equipment and utilities.

It's funny, my smaller systems I end up putting a large sump or as big as I can anyways and then end up almost always adding more, they end up being large systems anyways.

I hate topping off nanos and use as large of a topoff container as possible.

With that said, my personal favorite tank of all time is my current biocube...but that's an easy favorite with the awesome wood work Ace did on it :)

I prefer large though. I miss my old half circle. Nothing cooler than seeing fish swim all around the reef.

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[350gt]

I like large and Leroy pushes me to go larger next time around....

but I dread the water changes..... I am one who likes to stay consistent with my water changes, even do small ones in between.

Nanos seem cool but I don't like the swings and I don't see the point investing so much money on something so small..

so I will stay around the 100-150 range....

[cowboy572]

Yep I agree with everything said. I enjoy the "set and forget" the larger tanks allow.That why I keep going bigger, 180 or bigger, or bust...

[Tristan23]

Thanks everyone for the great info! Keep them coming :) my first saltwater tank was a 30 than 75 and now 40 gallon. I really like my breeder and there was certain things I didn't like on the 75 which I prevent myself from doing to the latest tank. But it feels like there is a certain void with this tank lol I miss having a tang and obviously I'm going to need a bigger tank for tangs and all the swimming room they would have.

[The_wolfeman]

I've had both as well and have to agree, my current setup (120g)has been the easiest. I wanted a large water volume but didnt have the room for a 6ft tank. It's the best of both worlds in my opinion large in water volume but still small in physical size (4x2x2).

[jcnkt_ellis]

I have a 150 & an 8. I went from a ~30 to the 150 about a year ago and started the 8 in January. Both have been easy to maintain. The 8 is a small mixed reef and the 150 is softy only. The 150 I'm sloppy with water changes, but, between the fuge and softies, the tank thrives on the higher nutrient water...as it is I'm planning on moving my skimmer out of the sump to double the size of my fuge. The 8 I have been more up to date on maintenance, I do a one gallon water change per week, have an appropriately small clean up crew, and only three fish in it (a flasher wrasse, a purple firefish, and a jester's goby). I'm also running only a large wavebox and return pump on the 150 and the stock pump on the Nuvo 8...I guess my point is that this hobby is only as expense and hard to maintain as you make it. When I started I had to have the best of everything and the cost quickly blew up on me, now I try to get the best of what I actually need and all in all a nano is now no harder to maintain than the big boy.

[allan]

If light penetration wasn't an issue, I'd like to get a taller tank, that's both deeper and wider.

I used to do 20 gallon water changes on my current 210, but about three weeks ago I started doing four/five gallon changes a day. I make 30 gallons of salt water, and when I feed the fish I take off the ATO, turn on the salt water ATO, fill up a tall five gallon bucket full of tank water (I use this water to rinse my fish food), about ten minutes later I turn off the salt water ATO, turn on the Kalk ATO... and I'm done.

I couldn't imagine doing that with a small tank.

I'd like to add on to what Chris said. He's correct, but to be more correct, you have to have bookoo real estate in order to truly have a variety of coral stuff. If not, all you have is a variety of frags. When one colony takes up all of the space in a 29 BC, that's it, that's all you have. But if you get a bigger tank you can have a huge variety of zoa colonies, or several dozen varieties of SPS, or you can run a myriad of LPS and softies. But you need the space.

And you'll never have enough space. The little tanks, and there are a plethora of beautiful little ones running about, require a certain level of restraint that you won't find in the bigger tank boys (and gals). I've got a fairly small tank and I have picked up coral thinking that I would be able to find a place for it... only to find that I don't. I couldn't imagine trying to maintain a small tank.

[Scream311]

Pros of a Large Tank : Let me make this easy with some pics lol


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Pros, i found i was able to Introduce Many Different Species into the tank both Aggressive and Docile. Feeding was always Easy didnt have to Worry about over feeding or under feeding there was always food either Clipped to a spot hidden on a pane of glass or some Live critters swimming between rocks. Always had Room to work in both sump and display. Introduction of new equipment wasnt a pain as there was always a new spot.

CONS !!!! Water CHANGES ! on this FOWLR i was doin 30gal a Week ! Skimming a 5 gallon Bucket every 2 weeks !!!! Electricity Soared with 2 Dart Return Pumps, UV equipment, T5 Lighting, Power Heads.

When you go BIG you GO BIG ! Everything Needs to be Taken into Consideration.

Water
Electric
Salt
Food
Rock
Heat
Weight
Space

I Miss my 240 EVERYDAY ! Currently putting up with a 110 Tall and its just not the same :-( My Next Tank will be upwards of 300 gallons and again will be Stacked with Rockwork in the Center to allow a Shark to Freely Swim Laps around the Tank (pref in a Bullet Tank with Rounded Edges ;-)

[Tristan23]

I Miss my 240 EVERYDAY ! Currently putting up with a 110 Tall and its just not the same :-( My Next Tank will be upwards of 300 gallons and again will be Stacked with Rockwork in the Center to allow a Shark to Freely Swim Laps around the Tank (pref in a Bullet Tank with Rounded Edges ;-)


What's holding you back?! I've been contemplating to go bigger but living at my parents place I'm limited on space. I might as well start sleeping on on the floor or in the living room.

[FireWater]

You saw my 120 already. I prefer the larger tanks, but still have a place for smaller tanks as well. I kept a 30g at my office for quite some time. It is more expensive to maintain and set up a larger tank. What I have witnessed though is some folks set up a small tank and are not happy with it then want to scrap it and go bigger or they have one smaller tank and then add more smaller tanks. Why not just go big to begin with?

[ramsey]

I guess I'm the odd man out but smaller tanks (30-40g) seem easier to me. I agree that you can have swings and a bigger tank is more stable but maintenance on a smaller tank is much easier, it's less expensive and provides a more intimate setting. You can really see the little stuff going on in your tank if it's small.

[Bill S]

I'm a fan of the 100-150g range. My 215 is just a bit too big. A total pain to get to the bottom of the tank - I get wet.

Of course, Allan, with his alien-length arms, has no problems with big tanks.

[ramsey]

I'm a fan of the 100-150g range. My 215 is just a bit too big. A total pain to get to the bottom of the tank - I get wet.

Of course, Allan, with his alien-length arms, has no problems with big tanks.

That's what bothers me about my 185G. If a frag comes loose or I need to do anything in the tank, I pretty much have to get soaking wet and get a ladder out, etc. A "grabber claw" helps but I still end up with water everywhere.

[jrsatx20]

had a 8, 14, 20, 28, 55, 75, 135 gallon. now im looking at a 185 or 210. they all have their pros and cons. all i can say is go as big as u can afford.
smaller does require a lil more time to make sure u dont have a lot of paramater swings. big will cost more in equipment and electricty. both are expensive. just go big

[BBQHILLBILLY]

For sure big tanks are awesome. To try and bring the ocean into your house is so cool. LEDs make it possible to keep utility cost down.
Salt and fish feed seem to be the big cost. But to see the tangs grow and swim is neat.

At the same time, as big tanks are awesome, wife and I keep finding ourselves buying smaller tanks. Even pico tanks. You can put them anywhere.
And again LEDs with small footprints have opened the doors for small tanks.

[Bill S]

Another thought: I'd considered taking the spot where the 215 is, and converting it to a series of 4 or 5 tanks. That way I'd get to keep all of the cool things together with what they get along with. And I've always thought a 55 gallon "fuge" would be oh-so-cool. All of the great critters you can put into a tank full of culerpa.

[FireWater]

Great minds think alike Bill. I've told a couple of people about my ideas of setting up two to three small tanks and sharing a fuge. Each tank dedicated to a different type of coral. I even thought about selling off the 120 lately.

[Bill S]

John, I think it could be cool... For instance:

An SPS ONLY tank. Maybe a tang or 2 to keep things clean.

A fuge with caulerpa, maybe seahorses

An anemone and clownfish only tank. Just PACKED with RBTAs. I saw one of these at the Denver zoo.

A goby / anthia tank. Jumpers only!

A FO tank with "normal" but not reef-friendly fish.

And a predator FO tank at the end of the sequence, right before the sump/skimmer and fuge.

[FireWater]

Endless possibilities.
With the large size of the sump and an external fuge you would have the stability needed.

Of course if I do it now it won't be a surprise.

[cteagan]

I love my 110, but not looking forward to moving it 170+ miles. Plus in another year we'll be moving again. My wife can't even help with the empty tank. Except for water changes and water evaporation, bigger is easier to maintain. The more water you have the less of an impact a mistake has to your system.


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[Tristan23]

There is so much possibilities with the right place, time and effort to work with. I thought my old 75 was big before seeing everyone else's tanks. Now I want to go bigger! But if the opportunity comes soon I would give it a shot again.

[Scutterborn]

Ace has a 250 an does two 5 gallon water changes a week. That's gotta say something. Most of the complaints seem to hover around that. A 5g change is super quick and easy.


-Ben-

[Sherita]

Endless possibilities.
With the large size of the sump and an external fuge you would have the stability needed.

Of course if I do it now it won't be a surprise.

I've done this :) I had five tanks tied into one sump. The only issue I had was maintaining temperature in the tanks, and I'm betting in a house with central heat and air that wouldn't be a problem (my house is nearly 100 years old, no central here). It was nice......I had chalices in one, softies in one, flowing lps in one, sps in one. It makes it easy to keep the fighting down to a minimum.

[Scream311]

What's holding you back?! I've been contemplating to go bigger but living at my parents place I'm limited on space. I might as well start sleeping on on the floor or in the living room.

Hahaha, invest in a sleeping bag youll do just fine

Only thing Keeping Me Back Now is Time, i DO INTEND to Go BIG Again. But it will be a Completely NEW Build with New Ideas Planned in Advance, and most importantly in a NEW HOUSE, once im out of my current Home ill start piecing together (inexpensive) equipment this time. i spent nearly $6,000 on my 240 with 110 sump Dart Pumps Beckett Skimmer 36 watt UV Fuge Lights, K 4's 350lbs of LR. NOT TOO MENTION ALL THE REALLY BIG FISH I STOCKED THIS BAD BOY WITH !!!!


Go Slow, Research, Research, Research then Plan Accordingly and youll End in Success.