Bigger tanks are easier myth or truth?

[BlueFyre]

I started with a BC 14 because the initial cost of a larger set up was intimidating. I was worried that if I ended up not liking the hobby I would be out a good chunk of money. I picked up a used BC14 for $100. I went VERY slowly and didn't even add a fish until 2 months. The tank was easy to keep despite how difficult everyone told me it would be. 2 gallon water changes weekly and no issues at all. I got a few pest anemones and flatworms but they to were easy to get rid of due to the smaller tank. I can't imagine trying to control either in a larger setup.

I have since upgraded to a 25 gallon cube and I don't see myself going any larger. I guess you could say it's a little easier. I do have to worry about top off more since it's open top(I need an ATO).

A smaller tank was perfect for me because I like a lot of the small inverts and fish that would get lost in a larger set up. I think the only fish I wish I could keep in my nano are a flasher wrasse and eel. But I'm ok without the, Just my experience.

 

[jerpa]

I think one caveat to going big from the start is not knowing how to set it up best for you. I'm talking sump, plumbing, equipment, livestock, etc. I originally planned on setting up a 90 about a year ago. Life got in the way and I bought a 29gal established setup off Craigslist cheap to hold me over. I learned a lot that went into the design of the 120 I'm about to upgrade too. If I had built the 90 the way I planned I would already be cursing the decisions I would have made.

Examples:
-I went with a basment sump for the 120. This is the single biggest difference maker IMO. I found I hated lugging water upstairs. I hate working under a stand. Even "quiet" equipment isn't necessarily so. Plumbing under a stand is a $%#&*. Your sump and/or refugium size is severely limited. The list goes on.

- I realized that while an 18" wide tank was nice, and much better than the 12" in my 29, I really wanted more width for aquascaping as well as giving you three large viewing angles.

- I also found I didn't want a factory overflow taking up so much real estate so I bought a regular 120 and drilled it myself. I will be installing a semi coast to coast with beananimal plumbing. I think I would've regretted getting a reef ready tank almost as much as not putting the sump in the basement.

- I experimented with lighting and decided to go LED with the new tank after using MH and T5 also. I would not have been able to try them all if I were buying lighting for a tank that big. I would've been stuck with that decision for awhile. Lights are $$$.

So to sum it up if I hadn't gotten a small tank first I would not have been happy with the tank size, sump location, plumbing, overflow, or lighting I was planning on. The maintenance wouldve been harder and I would've either spent thousands to redo it all or I would've quit the hobby. I could name 50 things I've changed about my plan because of the real life experience I got from the small tank.

Just my $.02

 

[LamboBoy]

Larger tanks are more forgiving and definitely more stable. For example, last week my ATO malfunctioned and dumped the entire 30 gallons of fresh water into my sump. If I have a 55 gallon or smaller tank, all the fish would have been dead. Lucky me, my entire system is about 450 gallons so the salinity barely moved, went down from 1.025 to 1.023.

 

[Microcosmos]

This hobby can be as expensive or as cheap as you want to make it, and as easy or as hard. To have a tank that is truly showy you will need to invest not just money but also time and effort. To have a tank that just keeps its inhabitants alive for a long time you need to learn a whole lot of stuff about fishkeeping. I'm in the hobby because I enjoy it, and my 24 gallon tank meets the right level of maintenance vs. inhabitants for me. If I had to start from scratch and I had an unlimited budget, I'd stay with what I have for its portability (I have a history of moving around a lot). If I owned a house I would definitely go crazy with a DIY stand and tank and it would be LARGE. In the end though I think the point is moot, because as others have mentioned if you're in the hobby long enough you'll have had several tank sizes to learn from/play with/admire.

 

[jenjen]

I started with a 90g and upgraded to my 180g after a year. I've had the 180g for close to 3 years now.

The 90g was a perfect started size for me (a 75g would have worked as well) because it was large enough to be a 'wow' factor which I was after, and large enough that I could choose from a fairly broad range of livestock. I love the fish as much as the corals, and smaller tanks do really limit your fish selections. Marine fish are NOT like FW fish in that you can cram a bunch of 'community fish' into a small system.

When I first switched to the 180g I was overwhelmed in the difference in maintenance. Although the new tank sat in nearly the same spot and functioned basically the same way, everything was doubled in size, weight, time etc. A water change uses twice the water (takes twice the time to make), twice the salt, twice the size bucket to store, takes twice as long to pump into the tank... the list goes on.

My opinion is that a new hobbyist really should take a good thoughtful look at:

a) what's your budget? bigger tanks cost more - in startup costs, stocking costs and ongoing maintenance costs
b) how much time/effort are you willing to commit? be honest, this hobby lasts for years and maintenance routines need to be kept up with if you want long term success
c) if your time/effort is limited can you afford (and are you willing) to automate things? plan this out carefully to make sure it will work for you
d) what livestock are you hoping to keep? research their space requirements and pay attention to compatibility, and remember that 'minimum tank size' is roughly the space required to keep an animal alive, not necessarily the space to allow it to thrive. I have a 9" foxface in my 180g who really would love more space, eventhough the min tank size for these guys is usually listed around 75g

If you pick a tank size that will satisfy these things you should be off to a good start.

 

[Jocko]

I think one caveat to going big from the start is not knowing how to set it up best for you. I'm talking sump, plumbing, equipment, livestock, etc. I originally planned on setting up a 90 about a year ago. Life got in the way and I bought a 29gal established setup off Craigslist cheap to hold me over. I learned a lot that went into the design of the 120 I'm about to upgrade too. If I had built the 90 the way I planned I would already be cursing the decisions I would have made.

That's actually a really good point and the flip side of the bigger is better thing. Bigger is easier once you've got it up and running, but you're totally right, setting it up in the first place is definitely harder that setting up a smaller tank. I started with a 20 gallon. It's definitely good to be able to make some mistakes and get some experience with one tank before you go all out and try to build your dream system.

So while yes, a larger system is easier to maintain, I would ultimately usually recommend starting with a small tank to get the hang of things before you start sinking serious cash and time into building a giant dream tank. Plus then you'll have nice established live rock to seed your big tank with!

 

[sslak]

14g cube was easy with softies, but I had issues losing fish, especially new fish would just disappear after a month or two, tiny gobys etc. I think the stability was difficult to maintain. You could literally change your salinity with a 3 gallon water change if you were off by .02

Alk was also difficult to keep stable as some of my plate corals grew.

With my 58g being off by .02 in a water change won't even budge the salinity of the tank. The ALK is still not "easy" to maintain as I've gone into much more SPS, but it's easier than the cube.

I've only lost 1 fish in the 58g in 3 years, and I believe it was due to internal parasite...just wasted away over months.

Overall a larger tank is more forgiving of changes and mistakes...it's also more expensive to maintain.

 

[nuclearheli]

Had a nano, then a 65, then a 90, now it's a 210. My son has a 40 cube. I like the 210 the best of all for several reasons.

1. I believe from my operational experiences the 210 water chemistry stay's more constant than any of the others.
2. The temperature of the 210 is much more steady and easier to maintain. Obviously it takes more time to heat up and cool down a larger volume of water however it doesn't swing as radically as smaller volumes of water do.
3. I remotely located my equipment to the basement which was a huge plus and if it can be done I strongly recommend it. 90% of the tank maintenance is now in the basement and much easier to perform. Of course that's not a function of the tank size.
4. MORE STUFF!!! lots more fish and corals in the 210. Lots of room for more exotic and larger fish.
5. Curbside appeal. I can't get people to stop looking at the tank. Obviously the salt water tank concept is in itself beautiful but the larger the tank and the more fish and corals the tank has the better it looks.

Downsides:

1. COST COST COST. I went from a modest few thousand dollar investment in my 90 to many (many) thousands of dollars in my 210. Cost of everything from sump, plumbing pumps heaters and not to mention the LED lights went through the roof. Cost of additional livestock, corals everything. I must have 15 or more thousand invested in this tank.
2. Cleaning, although not a big down side. The tank seems to stay pretty clean. Just more glass surface area to contend with.
3. Water changes require different equipment now. Actually water changes are very easy now because of some automation and the basement but still I have to make a lot more salt water than before.
4. Weight. Make sure you have a solid place to put the tank.

However in light of the tank sizes I have had I like the 210 best. And if I were to ever move into a home that had a larger location for a bigger tank I probably would go up to a 500 gallon, but not any further. I don't think I would be happy with a smaller tank now.

Good thread.