New tank options

[Williams27]

Hello people of reef central! Im looking for help Finding my first Aquaruim. I have been doing lots of reading and i will share with you a few of the setups that have have interested me so far:

1) Custom made bow front measuring 42lx16wx22t this is about the max size of display tank i can fit int the space I currently have and i believe gives me roughly 55-60 gallons. This tank would sit on a custom stand and aswell and would be plummed to a 60 gallon sump because my space for sump is pretty much unlimited so why not. I've pretty much ruled out this option because it seems really un-ecinomical for the size of display tank I can fit and I know I'm going to outgrow the home I'm in now and probably outgrow the tank if the hobby becomes something iI want to stick with

2)I like the new NUVO 30 that is longer that is about to be released as well as the fluval that is 35 gallons, both those tanks fit in the space really well and are all-in-one, so easy to start out. The downside, they are all in one. That means with the shrunken down dimensions from my custom tank im down to half the size and i lose some of that shrunken down display tank to a built in sump on the back of the tank.

3)This is where the people of reef central come in. I've stated my max display tank dimensions are approximately 42lx16wx22t. I've got a buddy whose big into the reef aquaruims so we could probably rip off plumbing a remote sump in a day, no problem. I'm cool with sumps in the cabinet too.

So there it is. Any and all insights are really apprecieted

[Mark Bianco]

That's an interesting question as I have seen many people start out with a tank then in 6 months decide they do not want to keep a tank. However IMO an AIO generally does not have great equipment and people wind up spending a great deal of money replacing or modifying them. Now its true that the larger tank setup will cost a little more with a larger sump it will give you more options as to what can keep, easier to aquascape, and with the greater volume of water it is much easier to maintain (Keep water parameters in check.) If you are serious and are sure you are going to stick with the hobby then by all means go big including the sump. If not just get the one AIO and see how you like it. You could always transfer that to another room or sell it if want to upgrade.

Mark