I am BRAND NEW to the hobby, and I have been looking at a 240gal aquarium to start with. I really like Tang species and the minimum I want to get is 190gal. My questiion is, with me being BRAND NEW to the hobby are these tanks to big for me to start with? What do you guys think? I plan on getting plating coral, leather corals, soft corals, etc.. Thanks for any information you can give me!
Seeking advice on tank size to start with!!
- Thread starter Swatman05
- Start date
dave.m
Active member
Start reading books. You will not get all the info you need, or complete answers that you need, from just reading on-line. If you haven't got any, I would suggest the series The Reef Aquarium Volumes 1-3 by Delbeek and Sprung. These are a bit dated but pretty complete. For more up-to-date books look to Mr. Saltwater Tank's various publications.
Dave.M
Dave.M
woodnaquanut
Active member
Jumping into the hobby with a 240G is BOLD! 
You might want to start smaller to see how you like the process of daily chores, etc. This assumes you will be doing the maintenance. If you are hiring out the day to day that might not matter.
Anything above a 40B is a good starter tank. Of course the bigger you go the more $$ you'll spend. Only some of the equipment sized for a 40B will scale up to larger tanks.
You might want to start smaller to see how you like the process of daily chores, etc. This assumes you will be doing the maintenance. If you are hiring out the day to day that might not matter.
Anything above a 40B is a good starter tank. Of course the bigger you go the more $$ you'll spend. Only some of the equipment sized for a 40B will scale up to larger tanks.
billbunton
New member
My first saltwater tank was (is) 265g. However, I've kept freshwater tanks in the past, so had at least some idea of what would be involved.
The startup cost of a big tank is, well, big. But if you start with a smaller tank, a lot of the equipment will become surplus when you go to a big tank.
If you're really sure you're going to stick with the hobby, then if you can afford it I don't see any reason not to start big. If you're not sure, then just to keep the cost down it would probably be a good idea to start smaller.
The startup cost of a big tank is, well, big
. But if you start with a smaller tank, a lot of the equipment will become surplus when you go to a big tank.If you're really sure you're going to stick with the hobby, then if you can afford it I don't see any reason not to start big. If you're not sure, then just to keep the cost down it would probably be a good idea to start smaller.
sfsuphysics
Active member
I'd hate to push anyone away from the hobby, but large tank, large fish, and coral? You might get into more than you hope for. The biggest aspect of any large tank isn't the setting up of the tank, or the enjoyment of what's in the water, it's the amount of maintenance you need to do on the tank. For instance if I said, "what do you expect your water change schedule to be like" and you have a blank stare on your face, then definitely start reading up on keeping a tank, or start with something smaller... WAY smaller.
IMO, I had freshwater (crappy stuff) before salt, but I started with a 10g tank just to get the feel for what everything involved is the tank is about, protein skimmer, water movement, filtration, and yes, also realizing topping off evaporated water with salt water is not what you're supposed to do. Heck with Petco having their $1/gallon sale a few times a year, I'd wait pick up something like a 40g breeder, and keep some smaller fish with the corals to see if you can handle that, best case scenario is you pick it up, then get your 240, and the 40g is a hospital/QT/frag tank, worst case scenario, you're out $40 on a tank
IMO, I had freshwater (crappy stuff) before salt, but I started with a 10g tank just to get the feel for what everything involved is the tank is about, protein skimmer, water movement, filtration, and yes, also realizing topping off evaporated water with salt water is not what you're supposed to do. Heck with Petco having their $1/gallon sale a few times a year, I'd wait pick up something like a 40g breeder, and keep some smaller fish with the corals to see if you can handle that, best case scenario is you pick it up, then get your 240, and the 40g is a hospital/QT/frag tank, worst case scenario, you're out $40 on a tank
mokeyz
Premium Member
Money may not be an issue for the OP. Besides reading a ton, you might consider an all-in-one tank. Red Sea makes gorgeous tanks in many sizes with built in sumps. The Reefer series do not come with equipment but they come with all of the plumbing and sump and you choose your own lights, pump, skimmer, etc.. The Max Series come with filtration, lights etc.. The reason I mention Red Sea is that I'm sure you have an idea of cost and if you are intending on a big tank then these tanks may not be our of your price range. The are a sponsor here as well.
Bigger tank will mean
* More water to filter and replace, more salt and other materials will be consumed. More water will mean you will need more storage space to store the filtered water + the mixed water.
* Will weigh a lot! Make sure the area you want to put it will bear the load.
* Bigger, more expensive equipment.
* Large and comparatively expensive fish which means more risk to keep them alive.
* More time spent cleaning the glass sides.
* More live rock. More area to cover with Coral (unless you are going FOWLER).
* More additives like Calcium, Mg etc will be consumed (unless you are going FOWLER).
* Will need more space around the tank so you can reach all areas for maintenance.
* Will consume more power.
* Backup plans will get more complicated since you would have a shorter downtime with a larger livestock.
Since you are comparing 190G to 240G I don't think the difference is going to mean a whole lot then say going from a 90G to a 240G.
To keep tangs, a nice compromise would be to go long and shallow. For e.g. 72" X 24" X 20" would be 150G. You could keep 2-3 smaller tangs in there.
* More water to filter and replace, more salt and other materials will be consumed. More water will mean you will need more storage space to store the filtered water + the mixed water.
* Will weigh a lot! Make sure the area you want to put it will bear the load.
* Bigger, more expensive equipment.
* Large and comparatively expensive fish which means more risk to keep them alive.
* More time spent cleaning the glass sides.
* More live rock. More area to cover with Coral (unless you are going FOWLER).
* More additives like Calcium, Mg etc will be consumed (unless you are going FOWLER).
* Will need more space around the tank so you can reach all areas for maintenance.
* Will consume more power.
* Backup plans will get more complicated since you would have a shorter downtime with a larger livestock.
Since you are comparing 190G to 240G I don't think the difference is going to mean a whole lot then say going from a 90G to a 240G.
To keep tangs, a nice compromise would be to go long and shallow. For e.g. 72" X 24" X 20" would be 150G. You could keep 2-3 smaller tangs in there.
