Best size tank for minimal maintenance

[Wilioli]

Perhaps not a straightforward question or answer.. I used to have a 10g tank, which quickly upgraded to a 20 long. I kept a mix of softies, lps and easy sps and then had to move. Upgraded to a 40B, which allowed more fish; unfortunately, time and money became factors, and that tank had to be taken down.

Fastforward several years, and I really want to get back into it. I'm always on the forums following random builds, waiting for my turn. The redsea reefers really caught my eye.

I looked at the redsea reefer 170; didn't like the footprint of a cube - so looking at the 250. 350 looks much nicer. The 'massive' upgrade in size between the two and what I'm used to (nano) is a bit daunting. I'm not certain how I would manage storing that volume of water on standby as well as maintaining parameters. I'm reading that I wouldn't have to do as frequent of water changes, as I did with my 20L, which was getting to be difficult on such a religious schedule. Keeping up with parameters was too frequent.

What's a good tank size for someone who is still a beginner, and who loves the hobby, but cannot dedicate hours at a time for maintenance? Or even daily maintenance because of work/family? I am not comfortable with anything more than the redsea 350 (~90g). Also, my maximum budget would fall within what is required for something like the RS350. I'm leaning towards the 250, as ~65g sounds manageable? It's a bit of an awkward looking footprint; but I suppose I don't have to look at the redsea models to find something better.

Also, sump, or AIO?

Thank you in advance.

[thegrun]

As far as saving time a good controller is a must, but also likely to bust your budget. I think something in the 50 gallon range makes water changes easy and is relatively inexpensive. A 24" x 24" x 20" or 24" x 24" x 24" cube allows you to use a single LED light which is a big savings. I prefer a sump, they hide the equipment better and give you more flexibility as far as equipment selection goes. I would not shy away from quality used equipment.

[Wilioli]

As far as saving time a good controller is a must, but also likely to bust your budget. I think something in the 50 gallon range makes water changes easy and is relatively inexpensive. A 24" x 24" x 20" or 24" x 24" x 24" cube allows you to use a single LED light which is a big savings. I prefer a sump, they hide the equipment better and give you more flexibility as far as equipment selection goes. I would not shy away from quality used equipment.

Thanks for your reply. What do you think about the footprint of a 24" tank? It
'appears' to be limiting for fish, being only able to swim back and forth in a short amount of distance. Is this a factor at all?

[RobZilla04]

Tank size alone does not directly correlate to maintenance regiment. Meaning that you can have a large >100g system which requires little maintenance while next to it is a 20g that needs lots of attention. Many factors contribute to this but none more so than maturity. I think most reefers will agree that over time, as the tank matures, stability increases. This results in less maintenance.

The short answer is if you cannot commit to solving common tank problems (algae, water changes, dosing, filter changes) and the associated costs of equipment it is probably not a good idea to jump back into the hobby.

[Breadman03]

It sounds like a 40 breeder would be ideal for you. Personally, I love the proportions of a 40B, 4 foot 120 and a 180.

I would look at installing a Ghost overflow and putting a sump in a nice stand.

[Wilioli]

The short answer is if you cannot commit to solving common tank problems (algae, water changes, dosing, filter changes) and the associated costs of equipment it is probably not a good idea to jump back into the hobby.
Thank you for your response, definitely something for me to think about.

It sounds like a 40 breeder would be ideal for you. Personally, I love the proportions of a 40B, 4 foot 120 and a 180.

I would look at installing a Ghost overflow and putting a sump in a nice stand.

My 40B I had definitely seemed ideal; maybe I'm being more greedy now lol