How big of a tank is too big for a beginner?

[Hezam]

As large a tank as the person can afford. Just do a lot of reading and questions before pressing go.

Thanks for the advice, gonna take this as slow as I can, been lurking here before Christmas last year learning the ropes. There is so much information in this hobby its insane, but thoroughly been enjoying this from a technical perspective.

 

[Reeftanktraveler]

If you have specific fish that you want it will also dictate the size tank you will need. The smaller the tank, the more limited options you will have. This isn't a problem if you don't have strong preferences. Another huge consideration to consider is water changes. Consistent water changes are keys to successful tanks. The bigger the tank the more water to change. This isn't a problem at the beginning but has been a big reason others have failed in this hobby over time.

 

[stlamarc]

Definitely stay within your budget for the tank itself because most of the expansive stuff comes after with all the equipment you'll be buying. If you're new to the hobby, you don't want to end of spending $6-10K and end up not liking the hobby and having to waste a lot of money on it.

But if you're serious and willing to work hard at it then I would say minimum 80-125Gallons. At that size you have most options for fish and water changes are only about 10 gallons/week, which is very manageable.

Hope that helps.

 

[Hezam]

If you have specific fish that you want it will also dictate the size tank you will need. The smaller the tank, the more limited options you will have. This isn't a problem if you don't have strong preferences. Another huge consideration to consider is water changes. Consistent water changes are keys to successful tanks. The bigger the tank the more water to change. This isn't a problem at the beginning but has been a big reason others have failed in this hobby over time.

No I don't really have a specific fish in mind. Although the more research I do the more I get interested and may develop some wants. I really like the color of tangs and size of some tangs but I heard they are not a beginner fish and can be really aggressive.

Definitely stay within your budget for the tank itself because most of the expansive stuff comes after with all the equipment you'll be buying. If you're new to the hobby, you don't want to end of spending $6-10K and end up not liking the hobby and having to waste a lot of money on it.

But if you're serious and willing to work hard at it then I would say minimum 80-125Gallons. At that size you have most options for fish and water changes are only about 10 gallons/week, which is very manageable.

Hope that helps.

Quick question regarding water changes. How do people do water changes at the larger tank sizes? %10 of 200 gallons is 20 gallon of water. I have seen some Auto water change systems but I guess that with a certain size big these AWC becomes somewhat of must have? I fortunately have a strict water change schedule on my planted tank and don't let anything distract me from doing it first thing in the morning. I hope to transfer that to the reef world

 

[Hezam]

Side note by I really like this forum's tools. The auto updater for the messages without needing to refresh every bit and quoting system.

 

[Wumpus]

I also started with a 75 and to this day is still my main tank. I had zero experience when I first got in. I would also agree that 75 is a good tank to start with. Not to overwhelming but not to much of a limitation either. Goodluck!

 

[stlamarc]

No I don't really have a specific fish in mind. Although the more research I do the more I get interested and may develop some wants. I really like the color of tangs and size of some tangs but I heard they are not a beginner fish and can be really aggressive.



Quick question regarding water changes. How do people do water changes at the larger tank sizes? %10 of 200 gallons is 20 gallon of water. I have seen some Auto water change systems but I guess that with a certain size big these AWC becomes somewhat of must have? I fortunately have a strict water change schedule on my planted tank and don't let anything distract me from doing it first thing in the morning. I hope to transfer that to the reef world

Most of us are using Brute trash cans with wheels and pump water in and out of the display tank with a pump. if you're new to all this I would not even think about auto-water change and all that. You also need a lot of equipment to automate all that stuff and a lot can go wrong. These are all things you need to consider. Like where are you going to store fresh saltwater and how much space you have for equipment and things.

 

[Akreefnewguy]

Yeah what put me down the most was the complications and the cost of all those equipment for the bigger tanks, protein skimmers, rollers, reactors, UV sterilizers, and high tech dosing systems, ATO and water change systems. I mean I do wanna get to familiarize my self with them, but frankly I have no idea if I "need" this piece of equipment or not. I realized something that is obvious around here, but everyone does their tank somewhat differently. Everyone has their own way of doing things even down to needing certain pieces of equipment or not.

So you are saying just go big and upgrade as I go?

yeah you bring a very valid point, I dont even wanna stock in day 1 or month 1 even If wanted. I wanna take it slow and get to understand the basics a bit.

Yes set up cost is ridiculous, but saves money down the road to go big. I for one wanted bigger but live in a small box myself so I had to go 10 gal to start. I love it, but ive made typical rookie mistakes , so I do anywhere from a 20 to 40% water change every 3 days right now to keep at a perfect balance. NOTE RESEARCH EVERY ITEM BEFORE BUYING!!! Freaking petco got my with the spontaneous purchase of a hatian pink tip anenome. 10 min at home and it was smh, needless to say if I do succeed with it I will need to upgrade this year already.

 

[Biokabe]

If you're starting out and have the budget for it, in my opinion a 90-120 gallon tank is pretty much perfect.

They're large enough that you can comfortably house almost all types of fish and have enough room for an interesting aquascape with lots of corals, but not so large that maintenance and care takes up all your time and money. It's also small enough that you can still handle most of the tank maintenance chores without necessarily splurging big on tank automation equipment.

What you need to start your tank is the tank (obviously), a sump, return pump, powerheads for the display, lights, heater, heater controller, a protein skimmer, an ATO, and filter socks. A heater controller is the only piece of automation I think of as necessary - heater failures (both getting stuck on and getting stuck off) are the #1 equipment failures, and a malfunctioning heater can kill everything in your tank very quickly. Also, use two heaters (slightly undersized for the tank) instead of one to so that it takes multiple simultaneous failures to crash your tank, rather than a single point of failure.

Everything else - tank controller, dosing pumps, automated water testers, automated programmable pumps, mat rollers, refugium, UV filters, etc. - is just gravy that can make your tank better or easier to run, but is not necessary and can be compensated for with extra effort by you.

And despite my advice above, I don't think nanos are something that need to be restricted to experienced hobbyists. There's nothing in the hobby that is amazingly difficult - it's just a matter of exercising the necessary discipline to stay on top of things. Nanos are only harder because you need to exercise more discipline - in a smaller tank, things can go sideways faster. But on the other hand, the solutions to problems in nano tanks tend to be faster and easier to enact.

 

[Dbichler]

If I were new to the hobby I wish someone told me about a 60 breeder with 40 breeder sump. They have ideal dimensions for beginners and both make great sumps for larger tank upgrades.

 

[Geikster]

Matching the size tank with what you can commit to water changes weekly or biweekly is key. Large tanks require a lot of RODI water for top off and a lot of RODI to mix up saltwater. I feel like I’m always making RODI. Takes space, time, and extra gear. That said I went really big and it’s waaay easier so far from a stability perspective than my 20G Nano.

 

[KrisReef]

"But still after all this I feel itching to start a big tank.. I am confused what do you guys think? "

If you set up a 200 gallon tank, with 20 lbs of live rock to start, you can add a clownfish on day one and never look back. Add in the rest of the equipment on the way, add more rock and corals later, just grow into it. Not knowing what fish, coral, and equipment you want later isn't helped by not knowing what you want now, but you do. You want a big tank. Get one!

 

[Reeflix]

my personal rule no tank smaller than a 40 and no bigger than 120. i started with a 75 and still have it i had no experience in the hobby and the tank size 75 will always be my favorite

 

[PotatoPig]

If you’re still planning to buy a tank Petco now has their half price tank sale going. For the next few weeks you can get tanks in the 60-75 gallon range for about $100-120.

 

[Atherial]

I started with a 90 gallon with a sump about six months ago. I sometimes regret not getting the 120g but it was quite a bit more expensive. I bought almost everything except the tank used from forum members over several months while I was waiting for the tank to be delivered. It's been fine. I mean, it's expensive but that's on me for buying way too many corals at once. I just upgraded my lights so I can get even more coral. I've had plenty of problems and have killed several corals (green hair algae and zoas do not get along). But it's still good and I'm learning and everything is getting better. I feel like if I had started with a smaller tank that I would have upgraded by now. Even with a 90 gallon it is hard to fit in all the fish and coral that I'd like.

 

[nothing_fancy]

Its an interesting question. I think there are some issues with a beginner getting lets say a tank over 75 gallons unless its something thats pre plumbed and ready to go, or if you're a particularly handy or mechanical person it might not be an issue going bigger. I do think theres some gear and know how that is needed for larger systems to be successful in which case starting smaller or starting with an AIO might be best. Another factor IMO thats important is thinking about how well you can maintain a system. Maintenance is definitely a skill thats learned over time with anything and sometimes requires a failure event to understand how to circumvent or see a problem coming before it gets out of control. I think most experienced hobbyists reading this would agree. Lastly I think location is so important. If you're like me and do not own a home yet or have room for a big tank and everything that goes with it, I think a 40 or 50g tank is the reasonable choice even for an experienced hobbyist. If you start small it could take several years to fill a 50g tank with coral, thats plenty of time to learn and eventually feel the need to upgrade if possible.

 

[Dave1993]

i started with red sea reefer 200xl upgraded 4 months to a 90 (which i still have) can't keep coral in the 90 they just die decided to try a smaller tank for coral went with a fluval evo 13.5 and i love it if you want fish go big if u want coral go small is my suggestion

 

[jimmypencil]

Hello everyone! I am excited to join this forums after lurking and reading for months. I apologize if this is a repetitive question, but I didn't really the exact answer I want. Also I want to pick the brains of seasoned reefers to steer me in the right direction.

Here's my dilemma. Read a lot about avoiding smaller tanks and issues with unstable water parameters. Also I don't want to repeat my mistake of the fresh water hobby, I started with a 10 gallon and wanted to upgrade like a month after. So for the salt water tank I don't wanna spend the money on like 3 sizes of tanks and upgrading the equipment over and over again. Buying the best option right now will be cheaper than buying 2-3 variations of equipment down the line. I am gonna skip to the larger size first. Does that make sense? I agree with most people here on the consensus on starting with the biggest tank possible.

BUT! I am arguing with my self. I wanted to start big (when I mean big I mean like 100+ gallons) but I was hesitant here's why:

1- I am afraid of starting something too big for my skill level and becoming overwhelmed with the amount of maintenance and difficulty. My background comes from freshwater planted tanks which their maintenance is extremely simple compared to reefing. I've read times and times how the reefing hobby can be notoriously difficult sometimes and I don't want to overwhelm my self. Just watching the BRS reefing for beginners there was ALOT of information to take in.

2- Financial reasons, let me preface this explanation by saying that I won't get into this hobby if I can't afford it. Although I still feel nervous starting a big tank with TONS of corals, I mean how many corals do I need to fill a 120 gallon tank? A simple beginner mistake will cost me quite a bit, and that's what scaring me about the hobby. I heard stories about tanks crashing and folks losing thousands worth of corals and hard work by people with years of experience. I feel like I wanna mess around and do mistakes in a smaller tank so I can gain confidence and most importantly understanding on whats happening in a reef tank by actual hands on experience.

3- Moving? I am not planning on moving anytime soon , but you don't know where life takes you. I feel like setting up and big tank is like a 5 year commitment minimum. It would feel really bad having to sell everything after a year or so with a definite loss. I would feel more comfortable being able to sell a smaller tank if I was forced, not that I am planning on it.

But still after all this I feel itching to start a big tank.. I am confused what do you guys think? Take it slow and practice with a smaller tank as my first reef tank without the long term commitment, money, and effort-wise and upgrade later? or just build the dream big tank currently and build on the final vision right now? I asked this question some months ago to my self I decided I want a larger size tank (100 gallons to 200 gallons.) So I said Ill just wait for the right time for this project, but now I am thinking, Why am I limiting my self to no tank at all or big tank, I could start something small (like a 40 gallon breeder) and gain tremendous amounts of experience for the later big dream tank.

Sorry this post is an extreme example of my overthinking..

i started off with a 13.5 gallon nano (fluval evo) and yes it was harder to keep stable than a larger tank but i think the pros out weigh the cons. it is WAYY cheaper and you can learn the hobby without losing a trillion dollars if the tank crashes. also maintence is so incredibly easy. the tank is small enough that one 5 gallon jug for a water change is more than enough and a 5 gallon jug of RODI lasts forever for ATO. If you need to remove a fish or move stuff around its not a wild goose chase and everything is easily accessible. also the fact that the fluval 13.5 is a penisula is awesome, i didn't realize how much i like the peninsula style until i got a new tank thats a lagoon but the fluval 13.5 is a truly beautiful tank, rimless peninsula is the way to go. also theres a billion people out there with a fluval evo so there are known and tested upgrades that dont require a bunch of research or trial and error. usually bigger is better but if i were to reccomend a tank to a beginner it would be a fluval evo 13.5. big enough that you can have some nano fish and load it with corals (i had pair of clowns, hog fish, six line, goby, mandarin, fire shrimp) and small enough that maintence is such a breeze. also nano tanks just look beautiful IMO.

 

[Signalhead]

As big as you can afford!!!! don't go tank hungry just because my friend has something better. Go basic set up and take your time.

 

[EricR]

If I were new to the hobby I wish someone told me about a 60 breeder with 40 breeder sump. They have ideal dimensions for beginners and both make great sumps for larger tank upgrades.

I second this, at least to consider, but I like shorter (height) tanks. (I think the 60B is same footprint as standard 75, just shorter).

Also hope you caught post #34 about Petco sale right now -- 40B at $59, 60B at $99

Have fun!