Tank size?

[Jesse18]

What is the best tank size to start out a salt water tank thinking about getting a salt water tank

 

[CleverBs]

Im starting with a 25. Id be doing a 40 if I had the space however.

 

[Leighton79]

As big as your budget will allow.

Bigger tank = easier to maintain and manage.

 

[Jesse18]

Yeah that is true bigger tanks are easy to maintain but I never had a sw tank Befor

 

[slitherbomb]

I think that a 125 g is the best size to start off since it can hold most fish that people want with no problem.

 

[Jesse18]

Yeah I have a 125g fw tank

 

[TonyC]

I fully agree that bigger is better as it is harder for you to substantially change water parameters the bigger you go. However, 125 is prob not feasible for most people due to cost and or space. 55 is a great size to start with if you can fit it.

Just my thoughts....

 

[Bloomk]

I got a 90 gallon and wish I had bought a 125.

 

[Jesse18]

Yeah the 125 is at my dads house do to the space I also have a 55 fw would a 10g saltwater be easy to do

 

[Jesse18]

I got a 90 gallon and wish I had bought a 125.

I Balt the 125 with stand lights filters pumps and more for only $200 that was a steal in a half got it from a nabor who just didn't want it no more

 

[carey]

a 10g sw tank will be challenging in my opinion. Plus the fish selection isnt very big for a 10g tank. I started with a 29g, not too big but not too small. also because of the size a skimmer wasnt needed.

In a perfect world I would suggest a 75g, its 4 feet long just like a 55g BUT it has a better footprint as it's 18" wide rather than the 12" the 55g has.

 

[Bloomk]

a 10g sw tank will be challenging in my opinion. Plus the fish selection isnt very big for a 10g tank. I started with a 29g, not too big but not too small. also because of the size a skimmer wasnt needed.

In a perfect world I would suggest a 75g, its 4 feet long just like a 55g BUT it has a better footprint as it's 18" wide rather than the 12" the 55g has.

I agree 100%. Don't waste your time on a 55, if u want a 55, get a 75 instead. It makes rock work alot easier.

Isn't a 125 basically a 75 that is 6 feet long instead of 4 feet?

 

[Bloomk]

I had a 14 gallon as my first tank. It was alot more work than my 90 and the 90 is more fun. With my 14 gallon I had to monitor it A LOT! I was in constant fear of hurting the fish cause I watched how unstable it was.

 

[Jesse18]

I think I might just convert my 55 then because it is in my room and my room ain't really big I also share the room with my lil brother and he dosent like fish and he is always complaining so I will have to stick with the 55

 

[carey]

Not big enough for an extra 6" lol ? I die everytime I look at my 55sw and think "wow, what I "COULD" have done if I just had a 75g". This is of course all my opinion, but I've had everything from a 4g pico to a 125g and like everything in between lol, so I know the heartache to not be able to get the fish or coral you want.

And yep, a 125 is just 2 feet longer and the same 18" from front to back. When rockscaping those valuable 6 inches are sorely missed.

 

[Jesse18]

I already have 2 tanks in my room I really want to replace my 55 for a 110 and make that a sw tank but I just dont have the $$ right now might have a job at pet co tho and then I would be able to get everything cheap

 

[LordErrorprone]

I started with 10 gal and not long after that converted a 20 gal fw into saltwater and looked long and hard to find a bigger tank, a 55 gal now. I would definitively recommend starting with at least a 55 gal. To everyone saying they wish they had gotten a bigger tank, we all do that. People that keep saltwater always wish for a bigger tank. That glorious day when we finally get that bigger tank, soon we dream of something bigger.

 

[melosu58]

IMO the 55 gallon is the best size to start with. Saying that the bigger the better. Added water volume is always a good thing. This is solely my opinion as you can see from the thread many people have different suggestions.

 

[angel50]

I started with a 55g tank and it was a good place to start. I did a canister filter and HOB protein skimmer and was done. Pretty simple and easy setup, however a friend of my started a 75g at the same time and I wish I would have done the same simply for the aquascaping aspect, However he evenutally transitioned from a HOB to a sump to for better filtration. Overall the 55g was great to get me started and ready for my next venture.

 

[Jesse18]

Just Balt the stuff for the 55 got the salt mix getting ready to cycle the tank now