Equipment

4 Reasons to Start with a Bigger Saltwater Tank

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  1. sam keys says:

    I am a beginner, I have a two hundred fifty gallon tank, I need help putting it together, I don’t have a filtration system don’t know what to buy can someone help me please.

    1. Jeff Kurtz says:

      Hi Sam! You might want to peruse the various posts on this page to get started: http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/how-to-set-up-saltwater-aquarium/.

  2. I was tempted to buy a smaller saltwater fish tank because I thought that would require less maintenance. Since I am still learning that seemed like a better option. Thank you for writing this article with your helpful hints and tips. I found it especially interesting that a larger tank can decrease coral aggression. It’s hard to remember that coral is a living thing, not just a rock.

  3. Heather says:

    What is the smallest size you would recommend?

    1. Chance says:

      That depends on if you want to do an all in one, or a plumbed setup. Small DIY All-In-One tanks are what I typically go with. I would suggest getting a 20 Gallon Long tank. You could also do a 20G plumbed tank, I’ve seen some very good setups both ways. I absolutely would not go smaller than 10 gallons, then you have compatibility problems.

    2. Jeff Kurtz says:

      Hi Heather! If you’re new to marine aquarium keeping, I would advocate going with something in the vicinity of 30 gallons. There’s nothing magical about that number, but it’s a size that offers a fairly decent buffer against water parameter fluctuations and a reasonable capacity to dilute dissolved pollutants/contaminants. However, you can certainly succeed with smaller systems if you’re careful to avoid overstocking/overfeeding and are diligent about maintenance.

  4. Donna says:

    So we set up our 130 gallon salt tank took water sample to store , he said water looked
    Ok . So we bought 10 Danzel fish . They were all dead but one the next morning . What went wrong ?

    1. Jeff Kurtz says:

      Hmm, was the tank cycled before the fish were added? Also, keep in mind that adding 10 damsels under the best of conditions can be highly problematic, even in a large tank, as many damsel species are extremely territorial and will torment conspecifics relentlessly.

  5. Chance Kristo says:

    My first tank was a 5.5g AIO that my buddy with an 80 Breeder made for me. One little maxi-jet in the “sump” and one good sized chunk of live rock and a few pounds of aragonite sand is what got me started (addicted). The only downside I could see looking back is that all of my corals outgrew the tank pretty quickly. The only livestock I had were a few snails, a sexy shrimp, and then one baby Ocellaris Clown.

    I can absolutely attest that with small tanks, when it rains, it pours.

    1. Jeff Kurtz says:

      Thanks for sharing these insights, Chance!

  6. Appasamy says:

    Great Article, I read a book of Jeff Kurtz and found it very useful. Thanks for sharing your experience Jeff !. Appasamy Singapore

    1. Jeff Kurtz says:

      Thank you so much, Appasamy! It’s wonderful to hear that you found one of my books useful!

  7. Jeff Kurtz says:

    Thanks for your kind remark, Kendra, and thanks for joining us!

  8. Kendra says:

    This is indeed a great post. Thanks for sharing this to us and keep posting.

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