Question: Cost aside, is a smaller reef tank easier to care for than a larger tank?

[asylumdown]

my 4 gallon pico in my signature is the easiest tank I've ever had to care for. 100% water changes, no sand, no fish.

I ignored it for 3 weeks because I got busy with school and the glass got so covered in algae I couldn't see inside. When I finally did a water change I just took the rock and corals out, put them in a bucket, and scrubbed down the tank in the sink until the whole thing looked brand new again. 24 hours later and it's pristine again. It's more like a piece of modern art than a tank though, I would never put fish in it the way I maintain it.

my big tank is 'easy' to maintain in that all the grunt work has largely been automated, but it's still a tremendous PITA in terms of time and money. When something does go wrong, or it needs extra attention, it's easily half a day's worth of work that I could probably spend on something more productive. Also, it goes through $100/month just in salt, so... there's that.

[gerryo]

I agree with mrhasan's statement, "a smaller tank, with proper maintenance, is much better than a big tank with no care."

I have a 28g Nano and a 54g Corner, and maintenance takes 15 minutes on the 28 and 2 hours on the 54.

I have 1 Clown in the 54 and no fish in the 28. I will be putting a pair of Clowns in the 28 real soon.

I also have a very efficient skimmer on the 54 (Tunze 9410) and an even better one on the 28 (Reef Octopus 1000).

Gerry

[Razor]

A larger tank is much more stable.

[magikof7]

You are going to get about an equal amount of for and against bigger vs smaller tanks.
It also depends on what you want a reef or a Fish only.

After a year with my 29 biocube (reef) I can tell yo, it was perfect for learning the ropes with. I was even able to add a gravity return Refugium when many said it wouldn't work.

Now after about a year I am starting to see the big problems with Nutrients, Algea and water chemistry. My Pumps are failing because I can not put a bigger one that will fit in the back chamber. I have gone through a few now. The debris and stuff I blow off my rocks is considerable so I know there is a problem with the water circulation ( I can't run big enough pumps). I can't get enough poweheads in there without blasting corals.

I can't keep a lot of my favorite corals because there is just not enough space. I can add a reactor with GFO and drill the tank to add a sump and a better skimmer but Why? when I can spend a little more and do an upgrade so I can keep the fish and corals I want.

If you are looking for a challenge or something to learn with then a smaller tank is the perfect thing for you. It gave me about a year to learn and discover if I wanted to continue with the Hobby before spending a large amount of money on a larger tank.
There is something rather satisfying in being able to do what some say can't be done and watching it all grow.

Honestly I think, it all comes down to research on what you like and don't like and knowing yourself enough to be able to be honest with yourself on weather or not you are able or willing to put in the time and effort and come through the crashes ("heaven" forbid) and dealing with the frustration of running any size tank.

I am now Upgrading to a 60 gal. (Most likely in a year it will be even Bigger lol it's the way of the Hobby I am afraid)

[donkey77]

i have an deep sea aquatics neo nano, and the one thing i learned, know your LR, water changes once a week 10-15 percent , dont over stock, i dont add nothing just the water changes, i cant stress this enough water changes water changes, once a week, keep it simple any ways need another beer