reef or fish only??

[addicted2reefin]

ok im looking for some other opinions since i cant make up my mind. im setting up a 75 gallon reef ready acrylic tank, and i REAAAAAAAAAAAALy want a bigger reef tank, as i have bout 3 nanos, but im really into picasso triggers, and pearlscale butterflys. i was wondering what should i do? a fish only or a reef. I have a 125 gallon tank that is non reef ready that will also be setup in the future, but not for a good while. I guess, what is the advantage to having a larger reef tank, other than being able to keep tangs, and having more room for the corals? will coral grow faster, and larger? will a larger tank have any significant differences than my 20 long

[dwd5813]

tank size will not dictate coral growth, your water parameters, flow, and lighting will affect that. the advantage to larger tanks is stability. a drop of poison in a cup of water is much more disastrous than the same in ten gallons, etc. as you said, your options will increase when it comes to fish selection as well. if you're really into keeping larger non reef-safe fish i'd say set up the 125 as your fish only and the 75 as your reef. some of the coolest aspects of reefs in my opinion are the smaller creatures, and the 75 is still big enough to keep some moderately sized fish if that's your thing. the 75 will be a bit cheaper to outfit as a reef also. anyway, that's only my opinion, and it's all up to you and your budget. good luck.

[reefscape15]

+1 dwd! I'd go reef all the way any day. I've had fresh, brackish, and saltwater fish only and although some fish are very interesting, i'd much rather have an entire community to watch. From my experiance i think the only tanks that i would set up are reef, heavily planted freshwater, and mangrove/macro tank which would be a display refugium for a reef anyways. Just my opinion, but i love being able to see how everything in a tank gets along (or not so much) with all the other inhabitants. I hope you have good luck and a lot of fun in whatever you choose!

[jhildebrand]

....BUT, if fish are your focus, a FOWLR (fish only w/ live rock) is the way to go. triggers and butterflies are NOT reef safe. large reefs are also a major wallet drain. a reef is normally coral-focused. the expense of keeping coral happy up front and on a monthly basis is staggering in a large tank. you could keep a small tank for a true reef if you like and do the 125 fish w/ rock and keep your trigger, butterfly, tang, etc... and save thousands. no joke.

[noahm]

+1 on the 125 FOWLR if you like those bigger fish. Set it up with lots of swimming room and maybe a tall rock structure near each end but not against the wall so they can swim between and around the structures. This will give them something to loop or figure 8 around rather than back and forth. I love the reef thing, but wont keep any of those larger fish. If you want the fish, save yourself the money in lighting etc. go FOWLR in the 125 and reef in the 75.

[DoctorB]

I agree with noahm et al. I also agree that Picasso triggers are very neat fish. Having a 125 as a FOWLR would also let you keep some other larger fish that are not reef safe.

[Salamander]

I'd say reef. You can only have a certain number of cool fish in a particular tank...but you could have ten times as many cool species of coral and other invertebrates.

[Rich D]

It really depends on your preference, if you want low mantinence/low cost, then go with fowlr, but if you somebody like me or salamander(im assuming this) who can just obsess over the beauty of a growing ecosystem then go with a reef. I think that I might get bored of fish only, but thats just me...

[Salamander]

What bubbles said.

And yes you assume correctly.

[Shekki]

If you have a predator fish only tank it won't get boring. Just drop in a few feeder fish and watch the carnage!

[Rich D]

reef tanks are more about growing than watching carnage

[addicted2reefin]

yes, i used to breed piranhas in my 125, and before i let my last batch of babies go to switch over to saltwater i fed them and wow i realized why i got the ps in the first place, and didn't want to let them go.... but i did. saltwater predators must be AMAZING! i have a 20 gallon 30 in reef, but i was wondering will there be any major differences in that tank and the 75? the tank setup is so nice and expensive. its a 75 gallon reef ready acrylic tank, that i thought it would be a waste to do a FOWLR. and would 48" be able to keep a pearscale and picasso for life? those are the two fish i want!!!

[Paaty]

I would go reef all the way, but what it comes down to is your personal preference.