Beginner 30 gallon reef tank
Gutter
I'm very new at aquariums and I want to setup a reef tank, but unfortunately
I only have room for a 30 gallon tank. From reading beginner marine aquarium
books, they mention that the size of a reef tank should generally be no less
than 50 gallons, so I figured I could only get a fish-only tank, but after
going to the tropical aquarium store today, they told me I could maintain a
30 gallon reef tank as easily as a 50 gallon, just with less corals,
inverts, etc.
Since what I've read conflicts with what they told me, I'm hoping someone
here could give me a 3rd opinion!
Thanks!
Dan
volume of water. BUT... you can set up what is called a "nano-reef". A
small scale reef system. These have been built and made as small as a 5g.
Dan
http://saltwatercompany.com
Gutter <gun_toting_hip_g...@hotmail.com.NOSPAM> wrote in
message news:lUpu8.34722$ir6.1...@news1.calgary.shaw.ca...
Deb Hadford
Money will be a major consideration, you will need better lighting,
better
--
Deb Hadford
http://members.rogers.com/dbh/dh.html
Joe Graeber
hard to maintain. Even a 1gal evap-makeup is enough to throw the whole
system into a crash. When I first started, I was thinking about getting a
10-20gal setup. Based on what I read, it was suggested that for a marine
tank, 30gal was bare minimum and a 50-55gal would be even better suited for
a reef environment. I currently run a 30gal long with minimal difficulties.
Just need to be really careful when adding anything to the tank (salt,
water, calcium, etc). Remember, if you're a little bit off when dosing in a
120gal environment, the 'extra' stuff becomes very dilluted in that amount
of water; however, in a smaller 5-10g nano environment, that 'little bit
extra' could be extremely detrimental to the system.
Though, just fyi, if you have the space for a 30gal long (36x13x16) then you
should have the space for a 55 (36x18x20). If depth of the tank (front to
back) is the problem, then you could even go with maybe a 55gal long
(48x13x20).
Moral of the story: It can be done, but more is better. I'm planning out a
180g upgrade from my 30g and I'm trying to do everything I possibly can to
add more water volume to the sump. I'm even thinking about adding a 55gal
acrylic tank (if I could get the darn thing in there). Actually, this could
be another solution .. if you run a 30gal with an overflow, you could maybe
put a 20-30gal tank elsewhere as a sump.
HTH,
Joe.
"Dan" <nt...@palm.net> wrote in message
news:U5qu8.355$3I3.78...@newssvr15.news.prodigy.com...
Deb Hadford
Sorry, system hiccup. I think I need a new keyboard...
The mention of FO in your post, I only wanted to point out that one of
the major important differences was lighting.
ROb
not 'just as easily' that would be an overstatement on the part of your LFS.
I run a 40 gal and over the years Ive managed to get it into an ionic
imbalalnce a time or two due to the low volume of water, cuz when you screw
up, and you will, it will consequently have a greater affect on the tank,
meaning apples to apples a mistake made with you water chemistry will be
better absorbed by a tank with a much larger volume than a correspondingly
smaller one.
--
Rob Bucek
mailto:buc...@cuttingedge.net
'two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do'
"Deb Hadford" <emi...@wiredadvance.com> wrote in message
news:3CBA2FE6...@wiredadvance.com...
Jimmy Chen
There wont be much of a fish selection for you with a tank that small. Most
marine fish will require a lot of space. With a 30 gal, chances are you will
be limited to fish that are generally an inch or two in size, and only a
few.
As for reef, you can do 30G, but it does require more attention due to
issues others have already mentioned.
jc
Linus Chan
http://www.nano-reef.com/index.html
The problem of course is that the smaller the tank the more unstable and the
more maintenance it will require. It is possible, just more work.
linus
"Gutter" <gun_toting_hip_g...@hotmail.com.NOSPAM> wrote in
message news:lUpu8.34722$ir6.1...@news1.calgary.shaw.ca...
Dsybok
choice. I made my mistakes eqiupment, livestock and maintenance wise on a
smaller tank, ie when i killed stuff it was on a smaller scale, cost less
money to remedy etc.
I found the tank very stable , only having problems when I was away on
business for an extended period of time, say ten days or more. I did not
find the tank any more or less difficult to maintain than a 50G. And it did
not come with the micromanagement that a nano could entail.
D
"Gutter" <gun_toting_hip_g...@hotmail.com.NOSPAM> wrote in
message news:lUpu8.34722$ir6.1...@news1.calgary.shaw.ca...
Thalocean2
tank that appealed to you? Maybe it would help you make a decision as to what
size tank to go with.
I kept a 30 gallon exclusively for years and loved it. I only kept low light
corals, inverts and fish in those days but that tank was my first reef and
great fun. I still keep it as a quarentine and to grow out corals to trade.
It is true that trouble can cascade quickly in a small tank but it can also be
corrected quickly. There is much less salt to mix for water changes, less
things to dose and the smaller light bulbs are cheaper than larger ones.
There are many beautiful corals, fishes and inverts suitable for a small tank
but there are also many more that are not. Figure out what you want to keep.
And good luck with in whatever you decide.
Laura B.
Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.
The smaller the aquarium, the more work and more precise you must be
at maintaining it.
I actually prefer the 30 gallon size tanks myself, but they are backed
up with equally sized sumps so there is usually 50 gallons of water or
more in the system.
I have done 10 & 20 gallon nano-reefs, the work was triple and even a
small change could occur so quickly that they were very hard to keep
adjusted for any length of time. Not as forgiving for human error.
TTUL
Gary