[anton]

Hey all,

I'm very new to this hobby and currently undecided on which route to go.

I would like to have an experience setting up my own tank and was looking at maybe a 30g L. The thing is at this point in my life I can only afford to make this purchase once, failure would mean waiting another 6 months to try again. A biocube could be the safer option.

Any thoughts?
Thanks for your advice.

 

[chaedtke]

The first thing I would think about is what you want to keep. Get familiar with which types of livestock you want to keep. Also if you plan on keeping inverts and/or corals for a reef. If you want a peaceful vs. more agressive type of tank. Answering these questions before you start looking at tank size will help you figure out what your needs will be. A lot of people go in blind and then end up with problems like putting up a hippo tang in a 30 gallon tank when they need six feet of swimming room so they end up with ick. Do some research and it will help you avoid a lot of mistakes many of us made when starting out. Welcome and good luck!!!

 

[anton]

I'm looking at keeping a reef with perhaps a shrimp or 2 and a few fish no larger than a fire goby.

One thing I am currently looking into is the fire shrimp's compatibility with other shrimp. From what I've read so far often times shrimp won't get along unless they each have enough space, or are well mannered individuals. I'm O.K. with trying out a pair hoping they won't go at it and having to live with just a single shrimp instead of 2, however I was hoping a 30g or 30g long would give them at least a chance to have their own space.

 

[chaedtke]

Ok great! I think you are making a good choice with a 30 gallon then. Start firing any questions you have and people will be very happy to help. What are your main concerns starting out?

 

[anton]

So shrimp compatibility sounds like a luck based business so I will hold off.

I hear tales of nano tanks up to the 30 g range existing without skimmers - and these are featured tanks! (nano-reef.com) Many of the owners do frequent water changes or have other methods I am not ready to get into but would love to use on my next tank. (sumps, refungium, etc. )

I've heard too that smaller skimmers for nano tanks aren't used because they don't do a very good job anyway. (I guess they start becoming worthwhile once you reach the 30 g range according to one person)

The other issue is weight. I know there are special stands out there guarenteed to hold a large aquarium but what makes these special? Can I expect a store bought fairly sturdy table to hold 48", 30 g, 400 lbs? I'm going to talk to some carpenter friends, but I'm interested in your cents as well.

 

[pogodzib]

Larger tanks can be alot easier to maintain because they have more water volume, resulting in a more stable tank. However, when you run into problems, they can be much more costly and difficult to fix, not to mention the added cost to stock a larger tank. Most people, myself included, would recommend to get the largest tank that you can afford. Also, skimmerless tanks should be left to people that are experienced reef keepers. A good skimmer can improve the water quality greatly, resulting in less headaches and healthier livestock.

The only thing special about store bought stands are that many tank manufacturers require the tank to be set on one of these stands to guarantee their tank through the warranty period. IMO, it is a way for them to make more money. Building your own stand can save a lot of money and you can customize them to fit your needs. As for buying a store bought table, some may work, but many are made out of particle board, which gets soft and weak when they get wet (of which it will if a tank is sitting on it).

 

[D.J.]

if your lookin to buy a setup and running healthy mini reef im debating on selling my 40g. tank stand canopy and retro fit T5 lighting skimmer powerheads and the stuff to setup the sump tank(minus the return pump cuz i havent got one yet).....tanks up and running and growing coraline like crazy....has some LR and a few corals in it already.