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

[Bret]

Tank dimensions are probably more important than capacity. A 40 breeder at 36x18x17 has great dimensions. A standard 75 is pretty good as well, but a standard 90 with its extra height makes poor use of the extra capacity. A standard 120 at 48x24x24 has great dimensions as well, but the extra height will add to maintenance and lighting difficulty. A 60 breeder would be great as well if you like the shallow tank look.

Stepping up to a tank longer than 6' adds significantly to the equipment costs.

If you have the budget, some of the more premium tank manufacturers offer tanks with more desirable dimensions. Anything 36-48" long, 20-24" wide, and up to about 22" tall is ideal.

If you are on a budget, I'd stick with a standard 40b or 60b or 75.

 

[RaymondL]

Interesting thread - well, I started this journey over 7 months ago - I didn't want a large tank for a number of reasons: space needed, larger tank means more salt, more salt means more $, water changes at 10% weekly will add up - each has their own reasons, but those up top was my line of thinking. What I did? Well, I settled for even something smaller than the suggested 40 Gallon. I went with a Fluval EVO 13.5gallon. People will say smaller tank will come with challenges in keeping up with stability, but I have not had any problems yet - all water parameters are stable for me at the moment - I'm dosing Ca, Kh only and it's on cruise control at the moment. I monitor Mg weekly, and it's holding at the recommended range. I'm using Instant Ocean Reef, so it has higher Mg.

Doing 10% water changes is small and easy.

I have a mixed reef setup - soft, LPS and SPS corals. All are doing very well and flourishing in just 8 months - I did not experience any issues yet other than other than having spirobid worms. Don't get me wrong, even at 13.5 gallons, I still had to invest in equipment to make it successful: ie. wavemaker, light, redundant heaters, dosers, ATO - all the essentials that one needs no matter what size of the tank. I even have a nano skimmer which I believe contributed to part of the success I've had - some of course say that a skimmer is not required for a small tank, but it does no harm having it.

Anyhow, I thought of upgrading yes, but I like the managable small size of the tank - good husbandry - staying on top of testing, routine water changes helps with having a smaller tank. My next tank I would go for a 20 gallon cube, such as a Waterbox 20.

The Go Big or Go Home might be a dangerous route - that is if you get a tank that is larger than your comfort zone, it'll likely end not well.

 

[C4ctus99]

I'll chime in here with my 2 cents

I have had a 20g long tank that I got half off at Petco September or October of last year. It is a good size for me since I don't have a lot of space right now and more importantly it allowed me to get used to the hobby and learn a lot over the lest several months. I actually just got a small 10G tank to use as a sump and figure out exactly what I want for my next tank.

I'm glad I started out with a small tank because it has allowed me to learn what all I do/don't want in my tank and I can experiment and try out different setups for much cheaper than if I started out with a larger tank. For example, I want to try out a reverse undergravel filter like several reefers here have (Check out @Paul B and his setup) and can try it for less than $100 on this small tank before getting a larger tank and spending a lot more just to maybe not like it and take it down and spend MORE money trying something else for it to maybe not work how I want it.

Eventually after I move and have more space I'm going to upgrade to somewhere in the 40-80G range and use my 20G as a sump and 10G for quarantine/medication or maybe a nano for a desk.

Basically, I'm glad I started out small because I can experiment and figure out exactly what I want on a bigger tank

 

[zheka757]

1- I am afraid of starting something too big for my skill level and becoming overwhelmed with the amount of maintenance and difficulty.

This is simple not the case. I started with 400g reef tank. And slowly upgraded my equipment. Started with $20 flow pumps from ebay.... Word "difficult"simply don't apply to big tanks vrs small tanks. Just need proper research of sustainable equipment needed.

Just watching the BRS reefing for beginners there was ALOT of information to take in.

Here is my problem with brs. They talk crap about cheaper equipment (that absolutely works) and try to talk hobbyists into expensive high-end equipment, makes you thinking its only way to reefing. And couse many folks here to even get into depth before they even put water in the tank.
Over all I think the biggest problem in the hobby is money. If you have enough left over. go as big as you want with tank.

 

[10000]

This is simple not the case. I started with 400g reef tank. And slowly upgraded my equipment. Started with $20 flow pumps from ebay.... Word "difficult"simply don't apply to big tanks vrs small tanks. Just need proper research of sustainable equipment needed.

Here is my problem with brs. They talk crap about cheaper equipment (that absolutely works) and try to talk hobbyists into expensive high-end equipment, makes you thinking its only way to reefing. And couse many folks here to even get into depth before they even put water in the tank.
Over all I think the biggest problem in the hobby is money. If you have enough left over. go as big as you want with tank.

This made me feel better about wanting to start with either an 8 or 10ft tank. I’ve posted on different places seeking tips and advice, and I’m always met with some snarky remark.

Luckily, I’ll be able to start with all the best equipment and have everything mostly automated but wish people weren’t petty to newcomers to the hobby lol.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

IMO the ideal range of beginner tanks would be anywhere between 40g to 120g in most cases. I don't usually recommend starting with anything smaller than a 29g, but 40g is a good size and forgiving enough. If someone is looking to go big for their first tank, I think a 120 is about as large as I'd recommend (having had a 180 fairly early on in my hobby, I can say it was a lot of work and might be more than a beginner is bargaining for). I think a 120 on the larger end is good because most hobby fish would be fine in there and it will be easy enough to see progress. Anything bigger, and it just takes so much longer to see real progression in most cases.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Happy medium would be a 75g. If space is a problem, cube tank of 70 or 93 gallons

 

[jodi.winnwalker]

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..

Hi! I am a beginner and started with a 95 gallon tank and have been very happy. My tank is about 9 months old. As for filling the tank, just think of it as a rock garden with tiny little critters for a while. Then, slowly build it up with fish and coral as the tank matures and as your budget (and confidence) allows.

 

[Joe.D]

I would agree with with them that a 75g is good start however as I started my first SW tank as a 75g within a year I wanted them 120 just because of the fish and corals I wanted inside my 75. IMO if you can afford it I would rock the 120 it is IMO the largest a newbie should start with and big enough there’s not much you can want within the 5 year mark that will be out of reach, keep in mind this tank and inhabitants will grow over time man, small frags over year/years turn into the colony’s we live to see. Also I bought NEW everything when I jumped in there’s so much you can find used on CL or R2R you can find a bunch and save some money in that regard.

as for moving hopefully you don’t wind up moving but people move tanks I had a buddy who moved a 250g across Florida and didn’t loss anything except some snails. Moving a tank sucks but buckets of livestock and trash cans with reef/aquascapes and pumps it’s entirely possible

I’d agree with this approach. I have a 75 gallon. While the 75 is a great size, at 125 gallons there’s tons more choice of fish.

I realize a lot of this comes down to $ - but, if you have the space and you can afford it, I’d go 125 gallons.

I don’t have the itch to upgrade - too much time and $ already invested. That said, if I had the space when I started this journey a year ago, I’d have gone 125.

Personally, unless you really want a small tank - 75 is about the smallest I’d go. Upgrading just doesn’t sound fun to me.

 

[Costareefer]

The biggest you can afford and fit in your space that’s the answer ultimately. Don’t be afraid to crash it. Have confidence.

 

[Sump Crab]

Starting off smaller is ideal mainly for financial reasons IMO. If you end up hating the hobby you can only sell most equipment for 50% or less than what you paid. I’d rather lose $1000 than $5000! If you love the hobby you can upgrade when you are ready and move your gear to the next tank.

 

[Derrick0580]

20 years ago I began with a 75 gallon, jumped to a 220 fowlr about 6 months later, sold the 75, bought a reef ready 75 and attempted corals. Long story short always go with the largest overall volume of water your budget allows! I love the analogy to explain to new reefers, imagine a thimble full of water and a 5 gallon bucket full of water, not place a drop of blood in each container, which container is going to be affected the most by that single drop?

 

[Tamberav]

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..

That whole don't start with a small tank when new to the hobby is for the most part absolute BS in 2023. Maybe before LED's were a thing and we didn't have tiny powerheads and tiny skimmers and so on. Running a small tank is easier then ever.

People new in the hobby tend to like LPS and they are fairly easy to keep in nano's and water changes are easy too.

I always vote a 30-40g tank as being perfect for a beginner. Not too small and not too large.

 

[To(meany)Tang]

As a beginner only starting about 10 months ago I'm currently living that experience. I started with a 55gal Fowlr tank. Bought all this equipment which for a 55 gallon still seemed like a good chunk of change. Maintenance was easy and never had issues with the water. Go big or go home right.. that's always how I do it because I'm driven on impulse which can be good or bad haha. I saw how my fish were getting bigger and I wanted more fish as well so I started looking.. came across the "DEAL OF A LIFETIME" a 180 tank with a stand included all for $300. I purchased the tank. Fast forward to now its only been running for about 3 months. And it's getting costly. The salt.. the water.. the equipment..fish food.. all the medicines because I've now had to deal with several parasites from some new fish I acquired which was an unpredictable expense. Live rock and now I'm looking into corals... and that's not even talking about the time consumption to maintain the tank. Overall my best advice is. It's alot of work and money to maintain a large aquarium I'm very happy with the size I have but in the future I may downgrade. Now looking back my 55 could've been a 75 and I would've been happy with that. Hope this helps.

 

[chimbo84]

My 0.02 is to not over extend yourself while you’re learning. There is a financial risk with this hobby and those risks are more likely to be issues for beginners.

I started with a Fluval Evo 13.5 like a lot of people and would absolutely NOT recommend something this small. I then upgraded to a 120g with a 40g sump and have enjoyed that tank but some aspects of it are less enjoyable. Rock and coral placement is annoying because of the depth, reaching the rear middle of the tank is almost impossible without a grabber arm, and the cost of electricity and consumables is much higher.

In addition to the 120g, I recently started a 30g AIO as an anemone tank in my home office and I truly think this is closer to the sweet spot for a beginner. More water volume, enough room to do cool rock scapes, and yet small enough that maintenance and stocking is not a major time or financial investment. My recommendation would be something along the lines of 40-75 gallons. I would recommend an AIO for a beginner but I can definitely understand the allure of a sump.
If I had a beginner ask me what my tank suggestion is, I would recommend the Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 50.

 

[AJsReef]

55-90 gallon range is a sweet spot for a beginner IMO. Larger tanks get proportionally more expensive. While they do add stability fixing problems is more time consuming as well.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I have had 55 gallon to 300 gallon and lots in between. I am now running a 100 gallon tank. 36x24x24. Tank, stand, sump, return pump, lights, sand, rock is all you need to get started. Figure out your space for tank purchase accordingly. You want good equipment from the start or you will be buying twice. You don't have to buy the most expensive but don't buy junk. I use Sicce return pump and ice cap gyre for water movement in tank. Skimmer is not needed for about six months after setup. Roller mat is never required and even uv is seldom needed. Buy good test kits and a refractometer. Corals you can do slowly. Main thing to remember keeping hands off simple approach works. No big changes as stability is more important than exact numbers. Research every fish before purchasing, some are aggressive or eat corals and inverts. Lights Radion, Hydra, Reef-fi. Reasons for buying sicce sdc return pump made in Italy not China and 5 year warranty. I also have reefi uno lights, price and warranty. I suggest you do as much reading as you can. You also need to decide what types of corals. Softies usually easy, LPS a little harder or SPS hardest. Or mixed corals. Get you a good ro/di system as buy from lfs is expensive. 100 gallon tank will have an investment close to 5 grand. Can be less or much more depending on equipment and the livestock you buy. I am using all for reef to replace alkalinity and calcium only requires a single head dosing pump, like a kamoer wifi.

 

[zdrc]

I'll add my 2 cents.

I'm a beginner. I started with a 12 gallon aquapod, pretty small. I came from freshwater and I do large 40% water changes weekly. I've had the tank about a year now. I've had some problems with stability, specifically keeping my alkalinity high enough. The alkalinity problems only came up recently and are possibly because I now have quite a few corals in the tank.

The torch, blasto, micromussa, caulastrea, zoas, and ricordea mushrooms I have are doing well. My green polyp toadstool, goldeneye chalice, and sunset monti are doing OK. My duncan is doing terrible. I've only lost a single $25 deepwater acro frag (probably shouldn't of bought it).

I lost a wheeler's shrimp goby because they jumped, and I've lost many emerald crabs because something in the tank is murdering them.

I think a smaller tank is fine to start. Personally, I'm not interested in going larger than 40 gallons right now. I think maintenance on a 100+ gallon tank is going to suck right off the bat. Large tanks have stability, but they also have more inertia and more investment. If everything goes pear-shaped its going to be much more difficult to fix, and it's going to hurt much more when you start losing stuff. If you get burned hard early, you're less likely to want to stay in the hobby. I have a bit of a bubble algae problem right now and I can not fathom what it would be like to have to deal with bubble algae in a 125.

The "go as big as possible" trend is kinda old-school thinking. The hobby is pretty advanced at this point, and I think some of the early problems people had with small tanks are non-issues these days.

If there is livestock that you really want to keep that needs a larger tank then you should definitely get a larger tank. If you just want to build a mixed reef, 40-75 gallons would be my recommendation.

 

[bobb498]

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..

Don't be overwhelmed by "how complicated our hobby is". I retired recently and just got back into saltwater aquarium for the first time in 20+ years. Everything has changed of course and I spent months doing my homework. I wanted a tank large enough to have stable water quality but small enough to display in my 1000 square foot ranch home. First of all, you do not need a sump, protein skimmer, UV, rollers, etc. I bought a 55 gallon tank and stand. I added a Fluval 407 canister filter and a couple of AI Prime 16HD Reef LED Lights. I bought a couple of bags of live sand at Petco and some rock and salt from my LFS.

I set up the tank with a couple of clownfish to start the cycle. A few weeks later and I've been slowly adding peaceful fish (Foxface, Royal Gramma, Firefish, Bangai Cardinal, Mandarin, and lastly, a Flame Angel. My tank is very relaxing and peaceful. Brilliant colors in my fish and never any problems with aggression. Before buying fish, watch them in your LFS and see how they interact. I have been slowly adding some easy to care for corals as well. I have had no problems and no losses of any kind.

After purchasing RO water from my LFS for the first few weeks, I splurged on a 4-stage RO Unit from BRS. That is one extra that is certainly worth it in my opinion. I add a gallon or so of fresh water every week to account for evaporation and do a 10% water change every week.

Contrary to the opinions of many, you do not need a sump, roller, UV, and protein skimmer to maintain a successful reef tank. A good quality canister will do the job as well. I feel Fluval is the best choice here. I like my 407 but the new FX Filters are very popular as well.

Have fun with it. Find your own way. You'll do fine.

 

[dave01282000]

Tank dimensions are probably more important than capacity. A 40 breeder at 36x18x17 has great dimensions. A standard 75 is pretty good as well, but a standard 90 with its extra height makes poor use of the extra capacity. A standard 120 at 48x24x24 has great dimensions as well, but the extra height will add to maintenance and lighting difficulty. A 60 breeder would be great as well if you like the shallow tank look.

Stepping up to a tank longer than 6' adds significantly to the equipment costs.

If you have the budget, some of the more premium tank manufacturers offer tanks with more desirable dimensions. Anything 36-48" long, 20-24" wide, and up to about 22" tall is ideal.

If you are on a budget, I'd stick with a standard 40b or 60b or 75.

The dimensions part of this caught my eye because obviously I need to finalize them before building a stand.

I'm looking at getting started soon and a nearby LFS kinda convinced me to order a sale priced 65g reef-ready. They said it should be in within a week...it's now been three...not sure exactly what's going on or if I should even bother following up because the dimensions give me pause and honestly it wasn't the most welcoming interaction in the place to begin with.

I'm concerned because 65 is a taller version of a 40B and from what I'm reading I can't tell how taller would be any better, aside from the added water volume. Also 65 is not a size I really see discussed...conversation seems to usually center on 40B, 55, 75, 90 and 120.

I know I do want to go with pre-drilled...just some fear of choosing the wrong size to start out in the hobby.