Another tank? Help me decide.... Y/N?

RaymondL · Mar 3, 2023

I have a Fluval Evo 13.5 Peninsula tank at the moment, and it's doing very well for a 7 month timeframe. I've been successful so far with no hiccups - I think maybe I might have went too fast with stocking and such, but I hit a bit of good luck - ugly phase was very minimal, and parameters are stable and I've gotten into a routine of water changes, keeping logs, testing Ca, Mg, dKH, Salinity, etc... Right now I have soft, LPS and 2 easy SPS corals, and not overstocked - right now at the moment, I like my setup - all corals are flourishing along with 2 clowns - things have gone better than I anticipated for this small 'nano' tank.

There's a thought in the back of my mind to get a larger tank, but not much larger - ie. maximum size for me would be a 20 gallon cube. I'm a bit torn of whether I really want to - sure it's nice to have a larger tank, more room to expand and explore and get more different types of corals, but with a larger tank comes more money in equipment, supplies, corals, etc... I could use my existing tank as a quarantine tank as well, so my inner voice is saying that, but I've been lucky so far I think with not quarantining, but that luck might run out. I don't necessary want to have to maintain 2 aquariums...I have a freshwater as well, so that'll be 3 tanks in total - a bit too much for my comfort, and as well living space.

I suppose I could get the 20Gallon and move over the corals, etc into the new tank and forget the quarantine tank idea and cross my fingers I won't regret that. But I put in a lot of work to get where I am at the moment with the 13.5G - I like the aquascape and the corals and placement of, and I'd hate to see it go, but as I said, I don't want to have 2 reef aquariums.

Welcome any thoughts...

Thanks

Jekyl · Mar 3, 2023

If you're going to upgrade, upgrade. 13 to 20g isn't much of a difference imo. If you like the cube design maybe a 60g

Kasrift · Mar 3, 2023

RaymondL said:
I have a Fluval Evo 13.5 Peninsula tank at the moment, and it's doing very well for a 7 month timeframe. I've been successful so far with no hiccups - I think maybe I might have went too fast with stocking and such, but I hit a bit of good luck - ugly phase was very minimal, and parameters are stable and I've gotten into a routine of water changes, keeping logs, testing Ca, Mg, dKH, Salinity, etc... Right now I have soft, LPS and 2 easy SPS corals, and not overstocked - right now at the moment, I like my setup - all corals are flourishing along with 2 clowns - things have gone better than I anticipated for this small 'nano' tank.

There's a thought in the back of my mind to get a larger tank, but not much larger - ie. maximum size for me would be a 20 gallon cube. I'm a bit torn of whether I really want to - sure it's nice to have a larger tank, more room to expand and explore and get more different types of corals, but with a larger tank comes more money in equipment, supplies, corals, etc... I could use my existing tank as a quarantine tank as well, so my inner voice is saying that, but I've been lucky so far I think with not quarantining, but that luck might run out. I don't necessary want to have to maintain 2 aquariums...I have a freshwater as well, so that'll be 3 tanks in total - a bit too much for my comfort, and as well living space.

I suppose I could get the 20Gallon and move over the corals, etc into the new tank and forget the quarantine tank idea and cross my fingers I won't regret that. But I put in a lot of work to get where I am at the moment with the 13.5G - I like the aquascape and the corals and placement of, and I'd hate to see it go, but as I said, I don't want to have 2 reef aquariums.

Welcome any thoughts...

Thanks

My opinion is just wait. 20 won't see enough of a size difference, and shortly after you'll want a 40g. I'd say save until you can hit that next "marker" of tank size that will require different equipment, maybe a 60g. I also think of it as what livestock differences can you have. At 55 you can get some cool fish that won't work in a smaller tank, then at 120 you get into the realm of a tang or two, so I wouldn't upgrade unless it changed stocking options.