Whats the best size tank to start off with?

[hart24601]

I love the size of a 40B in general, but especially for starting the hobby. It's so much less overwhelming and quite frankly, less expensive. Even with years/decades of experience under my belt I still don't like large reef tanks, I like looking at them, but not owning them. I feel like a bad American saying bigger isn't better, but I considered it an upgrade when I downsized my last reef to smaller tanks. 40B are inexpensive on sale and used, work on making that really nice, quality over quantity, and then if you decide you want a larger tank it's a good sump or QT system! But focus on making a smaller tank fantastic is my suggestion, there are plenty out there to show it's very easily achievable.

 

[Pickwun]

Based on decades of experience I can say without question that the blue M&Ms are best.

 

[Shawn Waldon]

Now my .02 lol

Here's the thing. When you hit the 55 - 125 gallon setup the prices for the aquarium and stand combo are pretty close together. Example PetSmart 75g setup is always within $250 of the 125g setup. Both tanks can have pretty much the same fish but the 125 is 2ft longer so more swimming room. Remember fish like to swim side to side. Right now PetSmart is selling the 75 for $299 and 125 for $499. The equipment cost between the two is very comparable. You could honestly get either tank, a hob filter and skimmer, and cheap fluval light and do a softie/ lps tank for very minimal exspence then do the mods later to add a sump and all the other goodies if you want.

 

[WNCReefer]

Hey, I am in the same situation. I have an empty 40b, and a 75 freshwater planted. I was considering moving the planted tank into the 40b and starting out in the 75. Alternatively, I could just start out in the 40b. Do you recommend I go FOWLR first? or just jump into softies?

Either way, I think I'm going to drill either tank I use and go straight into using a sump rather than a hang on back filter.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Your budget dictates the upper limit.

I believe the 40 Breeder is the smallest one should start with.

Dont do anything with tanks that are shorter than 18" front to back.

 

[Dbichler]

My experience is this. For a reef tank a 40 breeder is perfect. For a fowlr a 180 or 210 is perfect. A lot of fish available for the dimensions and a great place to learn corals on a 40 breeder.

 

[Shawn Waldon]

Hey, I am in the same situation. I have an empty 40b, and a 75 freshwater planted. I was considering moving the planted tank into the 40b and starting out in the 75. Alternatively, I could just start out in the 40b. Do you recommend I go FOWLR first? or just jump into softies?

Either way, I think I'm going to drill either tank I use and go straight into using a sump rather than a hang on back filter.

Start off Fowler once you start seeing Coraline algae on the rocks then put in a couple test corals. If you start with established rock I would still wait at least a few weeks before adding corals.

 

[Quietman]

It all depends - if you haven't figured that out yet.

If I had to pick blindly for someone without knowing anything about them other than their budget and they wanted a reef tank? 40 gallon breeder if price was a concern, 40 gallon (ish) AIO system (there are several) if have some bucks to spend.

Tell me you just want some Xenias, mushrooms and GSP and maybe a Firefish goby, I can easily recommend a 5-10 gallon AIO tank to see if you like it.

If you want a mixed reef (say primarily LPS) then I think I'd recommend a mid-size standard dimension tank (40BR for example). You can do that in a pico tank, but it takes some experience.

Experienced reefer told me once that the bigger the tank the more chance you'll be successful BUT bigger tanks take more work and more money. So it's all a balancing act on what you want, how much you have and how hard you want to work.

I tend to primary focus on ease of maintenance when talking to people about getting in the hobby. Do the dimensions easily support you reaching in the bottom of the tank at the back? It'll get old fast if you have to get ladders out to reach in the bottom, then you won't do your cleaning and then the inevitable bad looking tank. Are you sure you know where you want the tank long term - moving a tank sucks.

 

[Reefer40b]

I recommend against 55s because of their extremely awkward dimesions; they are poorly suited for saltwater imo

Yea these are terrible tanks in IMO. I would say 40b or a 80gal rimless

 

[chowberg]

Larger tanks are more stable, but they are more expensive to setup and maintain. Plus, are you more willing to do a 10 gallon (two bucket) water change on a 40B, or a 25 gallon (5 bucket) water change on a 120. All that being said, I would skip right by the 75 or 90 and get the 120. That extra width is a game changer. The 120 is probably my favorite off the shelf tank....I would skip the 55, they are tall and narrow. The 40B is a much better setup. It is 3' long so requires less light, and the extra depth gives you much more room to play with aquascaping. A 12-13" wide tank is pretty narrow.

I echo everything @TaylorPilot said in this post. I normally say go bigger if possible, but agree that for a first tank 55 gallons are too narrow and lighting costs. You also won't be able to house anymore fish in a 40 gallon. The only "pro" to the 55 gallon is the additional water volume that is may be more forgiving, but I think the 40 gallon breeder has more advantages. But also agree go straight to the 120!

 

[Spkarim]

I had same dilemma, but started with 40 instead of 120.

I think it starts with budget, if you plan to spend more than $3000-$5000 at the beginning, then would consider 120. Otherwise start with something like 40b

If you have budget for the larger tank, then think about whether you want to invest all the time for maintenance

 

[GeoSquid]

40 Gallon Breeder is an awesome starter tank. It has more depth and there are a lot of fish you can keep, just not tangs!

 

[will25u]

I really enjoy my IM 30L. It’s 36” long but not deep. It works great for me. If there were a 40 gallon version of the IM that’s 36” that’s what I’d eventually upgrade to.

 

[Entz]

If you can (aka not limited by some legal or insurance reasons) definitely go with something at least 3' wide as it gives you a lot more options for the scape.

I like the 40B with an external overflow would work nicely (get the full 18"). If it was me, I would just get a Reefer 250 (or equivalent waterbox etc). Great size imo.

 

[WNCReefer]

Any reccomended 40b build threads?

 

[BradB]

Best to start with the tank size you are going to end up with. If you are 100% committed to owning a 180, don't waste time and money on a 90 since it is your first tank. But it is always easier to go up than downsize.

An exception is over 200 gallons. Regardless of budget, no one should commit to a tank that big without knowing what they are getting into.

 

[gray808]

I've been reading up and planning, in fits and bursts, for several years now. Now that I am engaged, and will be moving to a non-apartment sometime in the next 1-2 years, it's getting more realistic.

Anyway. I thought I had a pretty good handle on the lingo and acronyms... but what is "40b"?
I am guessing "40 gallon breeder tank"... but what makes a n gallon breeder tank different than a n gallon regular tank?

--Gray

 

[SyracuseMatt]

Lots of good advice. Also consider looking at a used setup to start out. Lots of people get out of the hobby. When you're starting out, deciding about tank, lights, sump, skimmer, etc., can be overwhelming and, there's a strong chance you won't really be in a position to make an informed decisions about these choices. If you're using relatively inexpensive used equipment, it can be a cheap way to get an education about what you really want/need. I'd be careful with lighting decisions however, if you're thinking about more difficult to keep corals. In my view, T5s are 'tried and true'. LEDs are great but potentially much more difficult to achieve proper lighting (particularly without the benefit of a par meter).

Matt

 

[SyracuseMatt]

I've been reading up and planning, in fits and bursts, for several years now. Now that I am engaged, and will be moving to a non-apartment sometime in the next 1-2 years, it's getting more realistic.

Anyway. I thought I had a pretty good handle on the lingo and acronyms... but what is "40b"?
I am guessing "40 gallon breeder tank"... but what makes a n gallon breeder tank different than a n gallon regular tank?

--Gray

It is breeder. 'Breeder' tanks are usually shallower (top to bottom) and deeper (front to back). People like the standard 40b in particular. Depth front to back is particularly important for 'aquascaping', making your rock look nice and not just like a rock wall.

 

[Kal93]

I have a 29G with a 20G sump and it's a nice size starter. I's advise against going smaller--my BF, who has maintained a reef for several years, got a 16G cube and the maintenance/fluctuations is so much of a headache that he's upgrading to a 45G