insaneglitchx
New Member
Hi everyone. My name is Justin. I kept a 37g saltwater tank and a 75g tank with 40gal sump/refugium growing up, but I've been out of the hobby for more than a decade. I was a very active member back in the early 2000's as Xabxam. I've had a few small basic freshwater tanks and a kept crested geckos in very elaborate live planted terrariums, but kept it simple, as I was a student and frequently moving. I'm now an Emergency Medicine resident physician living with my girlfriend, who's a family medicine resident physician. (think Scrubs, but a lot less singing) I'll be helping her set up her old 55g freshwater tank this weekend. She's more into the simple 'beginner' style with plecos and goldfish... boring. I couldn't talk her into a planted freshwater tank. Anyway, my girlfriend setting up her 55g is really relighting my love for the hobby. There's just something special about having fish, shrimp, crabs, snails, starfish, fish, coral, etc. that you just can't get with a freshwater tank. I live about 30 minutes east of Ann Arbor, and I visited a huge pet store in Lansing (I assume we still can't mention specific company names) that really got me excited.
As residents, we don't make gobs of money, so I'd like to keep things relatively affordable... which I know is not really a thing in this hobby. I know the general thought is that smaller bodies of water can have much more drastic parameter fluctuations, and therefore smaller tanks can be much more work. However, I also don't want to go too big. After some cursory research, it's clear that technology has really advanced in this hobby while I've been absent. Are the new 'all inclusive' designs by marineland, innovative marine, fluval, etc. really worth it? Is there any advantage with that arrangement, compared to a typical HOB set up, other than aesthetic? I remember being frustrated with the geometry of my old 37g, as it was really tall, but had little depth. I'm worried that a 20g would be a difficult starting point after so much time outside of the hobby. Would a 40g breeder be a decent starting tank? A HOB filter and skimmer works well even at that size, right?
As residents, we don't make gobs of money, so I'd like to keep things relatively affordable... which I know is not really a thing in this hobby. I know the general thought is that smaller bodies of water can have much more drastic parameter fluctuations, and therefore smaller tanks can be much more work. However, I also don't want to go too big. After some cursory research, it's clear that technology has really advanced in this hobby while I've been absent. Are the new 'all inclusive' designs by marineland, innovative marine, fluval, etc. really worth it? Is there any advantage with that arrangement, compared to a typical HOB set up, other than aesthetic? I remember being frustrated with the geometry of my old 37g, as it was really tall, but had little depth. I'm worried that a 20g would be a difficult starting point after so much time outside of the hobby. Would a 40g breeder be a decent starting tank? A HOB filter and skimmer works well even at that size, right?
