I'm not sure what I want really. Is the fowlr setup a good setup for fish or is it better to have coral? I know smaller setups are harder to take care of but I willing to put the time in to keep it up and take care of the life in the tank. I think I'll look for an all in one 5g nano. Will it have everything but fish and lr?
It's not just time, it's alot about experience. It's stressfull at times if something gets eaten or dies you think the whole tank will implode! I'd say avoid a 5, I've had no experience with nanos but I think 5 will be restricted and hard. As for cost, I'd do exactly what you said in spending the money over time that's a really good idea (patience is a virtue ) because I spent all mine at once and you start to think was it worth it? But with anticipation I've found it gives you a great sense achievement. Espicaly because your going smaller, post every problem you have on here and don't trust everything your lfs shop tell you e.g you could have a fish that's too big for a small tank which costs you money. There's a lot of knowledge on here and it's helped me so much