Debating

[mjoener]

I live in a 3rd lvl apt. with only a year lease, a part of me wants to go bigger since this will b my first time and all, but it is expensive and heavier, which means harder to move when the time comes.

i have a 29g tank that was going to use for my sump, so i would then buy a 58g tank.

i was at the LFS yesterday checking prices. something like an all-in-one set caught my eye, you know, the ones that are like 34g and come with lights n overflow and what have you, all concealed and gorgeous looking! and as money doesn't grow on trees and im quite cocerned about the weight and potential moving issue this little guy looks like a great option!

i know starting smaller is worse, but in my current position do you think it is outta the question?

[Wett Hands]

From what I've seen smaller isn't necessarily 'worse', just less forgiving if mistakes are made. There are lots of 1st timers here that have had success with smaller or 'nano' tanks.

I say go for it. I'll let the nano owners give the advice on the Do's and Dont's

Good luck!

[BrandonS]

Sometimes I wish I had gone smaller. Easier to clean, smaller water changes, etc.

But larger gives you more options fish wise.

[rbtwo4]

smalls not bad i have a 30gal and im just starting, its a good experience. when you move out to a bigger place then you should go bigger depending on how you've been able to maintain your current tank. you should know if you will be able to care for a bigger tank or not within a year. i too live in a apartment but i have no intention of leaving unless i hit the lotto!

[SurfnFish]

I had a 29 gallon that I setup up 2 different times. I kept it, because I knew I was moving. Now that I'm settled for a few years, I just started up a 55. I went larger so that I could have more fish, and more forgiving water. The 29 gallon was fine though for me. Especially if you are in a smaller place. It's not all that difficult to move either.

[Sk8r]

Let's put it this way: I had a 54g in an apartment, with a ro/di in my laundry closet. I ended up getting an adjacent cabinet to supply the ro/di topoff, plus hold the ballasts, the underneath cabinet to hold the sump, inside skimmer, and other gear, the top to hold my video stuff for the telly. I had to test daily for the first 3 mos, and then automated at least the dkh buffer by adding it to the topoff, then tested every 3 days for cal and added that by hand. leaving it was a sweat---I have a really good fishsitter who's a nurse practitioner, who really knows chemistry, and who runs my tests and understands the words 'one' and 'teaspoon', no more. Believe me, people who do are jewels.

I moved to a house: same 54 g. I automated. I now have the works in the basement, the tank upstairs; my rig now has the ro/di, a 30g sump ON the same cabinet, which now contains a welter of electric cables and needs organization. Beside it I have 2 cabinets for spare gear and a 2 foot tall kalk reactor plus a 32g ro/di tub for topoff and a much bigger, healthier skimmer. The good news is I can load the reactor with lime and not test or add anything for a week...or even two. The middle chamber is a refugium which provides crustaceans to feed many of my fish while I'm gone---so I'm much freer.

In your place, and if you're going to stay to apartments, I think that self-contained unit might serve you well---with a couple of caveats.
1. be precise.
2. keep a log of test results: don't rely on memory.
3. keep only 3 small fish, and choose wisely. You can have more than three if you pick the tiniest gobies like clown gobies, [not clownfish], trimmas, highfins and maybe a watchman. These are very ich resistent, are small enough to have a very small footprint, and get along with each other. Dartfish would work, ditto a few hermit crabs and snails. No mandarins, tangs, angels, clownfish [I know, I know, but you'd be stuck with only one or two fish: they're larger] puffers, or other such.
4. keep mostly lps corals: they're tolerant of most conditions, they clean your water somewhat, they grow well, and they give you something to watch besides the fish. Avoid anemones [they grow too fast], soft corals [chemical wars in a small tank are no fun], and acroporas [cranky and preferring more light.]