30g vs 55g?

[phxjosh]

I have read that its harder to keep a smaller tank, but what is considered small?
I found a nice sized tank today, it was 30x16x16 I believe.
Would a tank like this be much harder than a standard 55g? The smaller tank would fit better in my room.

 

[coastie81]

a 30 gallon would be a decent size hospital tank. but in my opinion a smaller tank has less room for error and the levels can get thrown out of whack faster. A 55 gallon gives you a little bit of room for error but not a whole lot. In my opinion a larger tank is easier to keep. just my .02

 

[phxjosh]

How many fish could I keep in a 30 gallon? I was going to start off with a pair of false clowns.

 

[coastie81]

not many at all, also depends on the filtration you are going to be using. It is all about how much bio-load your tank can handle. NOT the rule of so many fish per gallon

 

[phxjosh]

Originally Posted by coastie81
http:///forum/post/2909980
not many at all, also depends on the filtration you are going to be using. It is all about how much bio-load your tank can handle. NOT the rule of so many fish per gallon
Good to know, I think I will just wait and get a 55g or larger then.

 

[redsea]

i have a 34 gallon i have had some problems thou
if you have room for a 55 gallon go for it!

 

[bluetang66]

Go big you'll want bigger later.

 

[woody189]

Originally Posted by Bluetang66
http:///forum/post/2910036
Go big you'll want bigger later.

Definitely.
Just to give you an idea, I have a 46 gallon, and i currenlty have 6 fish:
purple firefish
royal gramma
6line wrasse
2 clowns
flame angel
I'm only going to be getting 1 more fish, a midas blenny, and that's all I can probably handle.
I have a skimmer, and a canister filter and 45 lbs LR

 

[braydonosu]

If all you have room for is the 30 gal that would not be too bad. I actually like the footprint of that one better - more front to back room to aquascape. What are your intentions for this tank? A reef needs extremely stable conditions which a larger tank helps to control, but also needs a lot of light, and a shorter tank allows for better penetration. In all reality, you can not really get any cooler fish for a 55, and you would probably only be able to get away with 2-3 more fish. I actually downsized from a 72 to a 40 and love my current tank. I do wish I had a larger tank (in the 125 gal range) but my 40 is great.

 

[scopus tang]

My first tank was a 30 gallon (30" x 19" x 12" 1/2) and I've still got it set up as a reef tank. While not as stable as a larger tank (say a 55), there really isn't much difference. Personally, if I were going to do it again; and a 30 was all I could afford or had room for, I would go for a 29L (36" x 17" x 12 1/2"); not as tall so you get better light penetration, and the longer footprints provides more room for side to side aquascaping rather than up and down. JMO. Lights for either of these tanks will be cheaper than those for a 55.

 

[fatcat]

The thing about a standard 55gal it's only 12" from front to back which really sucks.
By the time you get enough rock you have little swiming room.
You could go with a 50gal short 36"x18"x19", its only a little longer then the 30 you want but you have a lot more choices for light fixtures plus it's 18" front to back and thats sweet.

 

[keith burn]

If you can do the 55gal a 75gal will work you will go from 12in to 18in and you will love the room