Is bigger really easier?

[Ron Reefman]

I don't think so. Sweet spot for me is 40B. Nice to do a 10% WC with a single bucket (give or take).

Being American I feel that it's a requirement to say bigger is better and get the biggest SUV and reef tank I can, but really my happy spot is smaller. I hear people "upgrading" is hobby but if they are only talking about getting a bigger tank I always think it's downgrading.

Many ways to keep reefs that in the past were thought to be impossible are done now. Look how many sps pico reefs there are, and some really nice ones that just do 100% w/c weekly. Not saying that is the way to go, just those are not all that much work.

Excellent points all! Especially the steady march of technology and progress which makes smaller tanks easier to keep.

And you said,"Being American I feel that it's a requirement to say bigger is better and get the biggest SUV and reef tank I can, but really my happy spot is smaller." I went from a van work truck to a small sports car... and from 430g of saltwater in the house to 70g! I guess I'm just plain unamerican! ;Facepalm

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yes. Ive had all sizes and still do . My 360 is no doubt forgiving due to more water volume and less work . Additionally, it takes longer for ammonia, nitrate, etc to build with that larger volume. We all want everything under the sun when we go to a pet store and that larger tank allows that opportunity. I have a 360 and currently seeking a larger tank for these and other advantageous reasons.

 

[Billldg]

I started in this hobby roughly 3 months ago with a 120 gal tank and since added 3 QT tanks of 20 gals and I would say yes, the bigger tank is easier to maintain and far more forgiving. You have to stay on top of the smaller tanks as a small issue becomes a big issue very very quickly as I learned when I lost a couple hundred dollars worth of coral frags.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

I have a 240 gallon and my prior tank was a 125, and the 240 is much much easier. However, this is the same question as is a Labador dog easier than a mini dog. No, they are both living life forms and every life form is different. No matter how you look at it, wether it’s small or large you have to take the responsibility has an owner to care for it regardless. If one has to ask this question, are they really ready to be a pet owner? Since one hasn’t experienced this, (hence the question) it’s a whole new world, they may not like any of it. Then the ones who suffer are the critters. I went with a 240 because me personally I love reefs so I can’t get enough of them. My work shifts are 24 hours and some days they still make me work partial shifts if we are short handed. Yet, I still find time to clean and work on my tank. I guess the result for me is getting to viee my own piece of beautiful trash free ocean and reef.

If you have to rely on others to decide if larger or smaller is the way to go, maybe it’s not the correct question. (I’d never say don’t ask questions we all love it) but most of us I believe really care about the critters we put in. Please note in no way am I trying to be critical or harsh but I’m trying to just be honest. Saltwater tanks, freshwater tanks which ever require effort. Can one minimize this, yes absolutely. Can this hobby drive one absolutely bat creepy crazy yes it can but almost any hobby can. I just hope you decide which way to go based solely on you and your life situation.

Sincerely
Sarah

 

[Servillius]

I have a 180g with a 50g connected to the same sump. Wiping down the glass takes longer on the 50g.

I’ve found anything under about 100g to be harder to stabilize and more prone to problems.

I also happen to find salt water easier than fresh. That’s almost certainly because I understand the salt water environment better, but the effect is it’s much less hassle for me. I also keep a lot of flow in a reef tank which means much less work syphoning sand and removing gunk. So my personal experience is that once your salt water tank is running right, it’s easier to maintain long term.

 

[mlb75]

The pole needs to have a yes with caveats option. I've also had all sizes and both small and large tanks have their pros and cons, a large tank can be less work as long as you keep up with the work it does require. The problem comes from the fact that they can be forgiving enough that you put off doing the things you should and then it becomes a TON of work to correct what started as a little issue. A smaller volume is harder to dial in and this is a hobby that rewards stability, getting a small volume tuned takes more work than a large volume because small changes make a larger difference. I'd say the sweet spot is around the 60 gallon range where the farther below that the finickier chemistry can be but as you go bigger as long as the support equipment is properly sized and configured I don't think a 500 is any more difficult than a 1oo to manage as long as you keep up with it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a 180g with a 50g connected to the same sump. Wiping down the glass takes longer on the 50g.

I’ve found anything under about 100g to be harder to stabilize and more prone to problems.

I also happen to find salt water easier than fresh. That’s almost certainly because I understand the salt water environment better, but the effect is it’s much less hassle for me. I also keep a lot of flow in a reef tank which means much less work syphoning sand and removing gunk. So my personal experience is that once your salt water tank is running right, it’s easier to maintain long term.

Stabilizing and limited maintenance are the important considerations. Less cleaning and more enjoyment

 

[Stigigemla]

In my opinion around 100 gallons is about the most simple to keep in a good condition.
If it is not more than 2 feet wide and 20 inches high it is easy to reach any point in the tank. With a length of 5 or 6 feet it will be a beautiful tank.
Big enough to be fairly stable and still possible to make water changes in case of problems.

 

[vetteguy53081]

In my opinion around 100 gallons is about the most simple to keep in a good condition.
If it is not more than 2 feet wide and 20 inches high it is easy to reach any point in the tank. With a length of 5 or 6 feet it will be a beautiful tank.
Big enough to be fairly stable and still possible to make water changes in case of problems.

I have a 6ft+ and the first thing I can say is that you can prolong water changes as it takes much longer for levels to climb and/or water to get dirty.

 

[mckinney0171]

Bigger is easier up to a point. When the tank becomes so large that you can’t move it yourself if you have to move or relocate it really isn’t worth it. I say this from personal experience.

 

[brandon429]

Bigger may be better for avoiding getting knocked over, or for diluting accidental contaminants / misdoses and mistakes


And for fish



In no way shape or form is a larger tank easier to run biologically than a smaller tank says three hundred pages of my algae invasion threads where large tankers have problems and small tankers need only be talked into simply killing the invasion and moving on vs sitting there staring at it for 24 months straight.


Large tankers have a totally uphill battle forever regarding invasion control and prevention
one mistake, your last eight years goes down the tubes cuz the tank is so big you can’t access it

But a tiny reef, wash out the sand, clear the rocks, change all the water, grows all the same corals just as well with no support gear, not fair.


Anyone who messages me about starting a new reef gets a nano to learn on. This is how we avoid killing reef animals vs experiments with them. Large tank tendency is be hands off until everything is invaded, then work slowly back to stability in hopeful increments, then find a thread to post in for some sort of invasion amelioration


We move to large tanks only when the new reefer is ready to risk $ and when the reefer has practice willing their tanks into a non invaded status. I’d never ever ever advise a new reefer to begin much above 20 gallons, that’s solely because we’re turning out new approaches to reefing where people don’t allow invasions to wreck all their work...and we have to start with small accessible tanks to learn that.

Lastly, don’t think evaporation matters we have ways to stop that the smaller the tank gets. Didn’t say we have ways to counteract that, we have ways to stop salinity shift from occurring and then ultimate irony comes into play: two gallons is more stable and grows corals easier than all the reefs as long as you don’t knock it over or cause any errors that require dilution. Smaller reefs are much easier to control biologically and invasion-wise over all than large ones.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Bigger is easier up to a point. When the tank becomes so large that you can’t move it yourself if you have to move or relocate it really isn’t worth it. I say this from personal experience.

Took 6 people to get my tank into house and lifted onto stand but system is so stable. If I had to move , Tank is selling as I am leaning towards retiring down the road in Florida. Tank will be sold prior to that and it pays to know people at Planet Fitness. What better physical help to acquire and I paid them $20 per person as it took 5 minutes to do this

 

[vetteguy53081]

Bigger may be better for avoiding getting knocked over, or for diluting accidental contaminants / misdoses and mistakes


And for fish



In no way shape or form is a larger tank easier to run biologically than a smaller tank says three hundred pages of my algae invasion threads where large tankers have problems and small tankers need only be talked into simply killing the invasion and moving on vs sitting there staring at it for 24 months straight.


Large tankers have a totally uphill battle forever regarding invasion control and prevention
one mistake, your last eight years goes down the tubes cuz the tank is so big you can’t access it

But a tiny reef, wash out the sand, clear the rocks, change all the water, grows all the same corals just as well with no support gear, not fair.


Anyone who messages me about starting a new reef gets a nano to learn on. This is how we avoid killing reef animals vs experiments with them. Large tank tendency is be hands off until everything is invaded, then work slowly back to stability in hopeful increments, then find a thread to post in for some sort of invasion amelioration


We move to large tanks only when the new reefer is ready to risk $ and when the reefer has practice willing their tanks into a non invaded status. I’d never ever ever advise a new reefer to begin much above 20 gallons, that’s solely because we’re turning out new approaches to reefing where people don’t allow invasions to wreck all their work...and we have to start with small accessible tanks to learn that.

Lastly, don’t think evaporation matters we have ways to stop that the smaller the tank gets. Didn’t say we have ways to counteract that, we have ways to stop salinity shift from occurring and then ultimate irony comes into play: two gallons is more stable and grows corals easier than all the reefs as long as you don’t knock it over or cause any errors that require dilution. Smaller reefs are much easier to control biologically and invasion-wise over all than large ones.

You make a valid point here about " REACH". If it weren't for my aquatic tongs, I cant reach the lower 8" of my tank.
Confession: When I set this tank up, I dropped a goniopora rock. and reached in to grab it and actually retrieved it BUT.... also cracked 3 ribs. If I did this again, I will get my daughter to climb into tank and move stuff around for me.

 

[brandon429]

Pls include this in your arsenal of grabitems

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZEOXJY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


It’s tank safe even though it’s automotive they haven’t coated them in oil or anything, seven bucks for a snaking grabber

Were it not for that grabber I would kick this tank in the shins out of frustration weekly. I know I could have removed my trashcan for the shot/forgot

6’4”

If I ever get bored of tank keeping I'll turn that into a faux alien life support tube like on independence day.

 

[dnjstlr]

Yeah, if you can pay for everything. You'll use more supplements, more coral foods, more chemicals like vibrant, more salt, etc. Not to mention if you like high light/flow corals you're going to spend that much more on them vs a tiny tank. If I could do it all over I'd probably go with something between 25~40 DT and make the sump a huge fuge.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Pls include this in your arsenal of grabitems

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZEOXJY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


It’s tank safe even though it’s automotive they haven’t coated them in oil or anything, seven bucks for a snaking grabber

Were it not for that grabber I would kick this tank in the shins out of frustration weekly. I know I could have removed my trashcan for the shot/forgot

6’4”

If I ever get bored of tank keeping I'll turn that into a faux alien life support tube like on independence day.

Nice tall design

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yeah, if you can pay for everything. You'll use more supplements, more coral foods, more chemicals like vibrant, more salt, etc. Not to mention if you like high light/flow corals you're going to spend that much more on them vs a tiny tank. If I could do it all over I'd probably go with something between 25~40 DT and make the sump a huge fuge.

Matter of preference. I know many big boys with big toys referring to tanks. I have 4 tanks and its the smallest being my cube that demands maintenance. I clean the glass of my largest being 360 every 4 days, change socks on sump weekly and other than that....feed and enjoy. I change water Maybe twice per year on 360 g

 

[Flatlandreefer]

IMO the easiest tank would be a nano tank with a proportionally large sump, maybe 300x volume of the display. This would give you the benefit of stability that comes with large water volume and the maintenance benefits associated with a smaller tank(less glass, minimal equipment, smaller water changes, smaller dosing requirements etc.)

I think an under equipped small tank makes for a tough tank to maintain.

 

[jtl]

Like others have said. Bigger more forgiving......until you have a problem and look at $ thousands of corals. Anyway, if you are doing multiple tanks to get the big gallon numbers it will certainly be more work. I am a one tank person and I try to keep it simple with only 100 gallons net. The other thing is how much maintenance does a person do. I have seen big tanks that I would not have in my garage let alone my home. Horrible looking. I like my tank as perfect as I can get it and that means a few hours of work per week so bigger would be even more hours.

 

[littlebigreef]

There's quite a few good replies here that add nuance and depth to the question. Undoubtedly a 55 gal is easier to manage than a pico. However, There's the point of diminishing return if you go too far in either direction. Its also contingent on an individual's floor and ceiling as an aquarist. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got (from a very imperfect fish keeper) is that every aquarium has a life span. Which is true. Inevitably all tanks will get broken down due to moves, retirement, disinterest, financial constraints, lack of time etc etc etc. So, it becomes a question of: what do you hope to accomplish over the lifespan of that aquarium? If your only desire is to keep a pair of designer clowns in a Bio cube- congratulations! You have more self control than most of us. But really, being able to achieve your goals within the confines of your little glass box goes a long way to determining whether its "easier" or not. Easily achievable goals (my clownfish example) = easy. Difficult goals (diverse sps garden in a 220 gal) = Masochist... lol, ok, perhaps not. But still, the point remains. The ease of maintaining an aquarium has as much to do with what you hope to accomplish as it does the physical size of the aquarium.

On a personal note I built several rock structures that have moved across three different aquariums, a 120 and 75 and a 220. Over the last 5 years these have become encrusted with corals, then some of those died and new ones were added, on and on. I'm happy with where I'm at now. My collection is in a good place, the aquarium looks full and yet I still have a 125 gallon sump (aquarium) to play with if I ever get the itch. I also really enjoyed the 75 gal because it was packed- every single inch! Now and then I've thought about what I would do in the event something were to happen to the 220 and I've come to the conclusion that I would not try to recreate what I have. Instead I'd get a pair of Asfur Angels, a harem of flames, a couple semi larvatus and call it a day.