I'll be one of the few that disagree with the 'bigger is better' statement. I went with a 10 gallon because I am on a budget and wanted to 'test the water' so to speak (I know that's a terrible pun for those of us that do a lot of parameter testing
)... I have plans for a 29 gallon but felt a need to go smaller with the first reef.
I'm interested in animals that would be lost in a large reef... Pom Pom Crabs, Sexy Shrimp, Pederson's Cleaner Shrimp etc... But the draw for a larger tank is more (and larger / fancier) fish, and I love the colorful fish. My 10 gallon will support 1 - 2 small fish... not great for a fish fancier. Since I'm more interested in invertebrates and corals and that sort of stuff, that's great... I can see the small stuff up close.
Every facet of this hobby is pretty great... I've seen impressive tanks as small as a few gallons! Smaller tanks take less things to fill them, but have less room to grow, plain and simple. Smaller tanks are more challenging to keep stable also... something I learned very well in the past 2 months since I started my tank.
Whatever you decide to do, Canreef is an excellent resource. Keep us posted, we all love pics!
