Will 30 gal. be enough?

[newgirl]

I have been concedering buying a 30 gallon hexagonal tank. it's about 18' wide at the flats and about 22' tall. I am asking for your oppinion on whether or not it would be big enough to make a reef tank? Maybe even a fish only tank? Which is better? Do I need to get a bigger one?

 

[tmncali]

Hello, now by no mean am i even an amateur at this but here is some info i might have gathered going around the boards.... my tank is not even set up yet. Hexs seem to not be tank of choice, for aquascaping and lid(lighting)issues.???? 30 gals maybe too small to start off doing a reef in(in my own guess, not saying that it cant be done as there are people with 10 gal reefs.. just requires more attention to details. i guess that 55 is about a good starting point for a beginner tank. I am sure that some one else who has real experience kkeping and setting up reefs should help you.
Tony
[ July 19, 2001: Message edited by: tmncali ]

 

[twoods71]

I personally would not go with a hex shape because it limits you mainly with your lighting options.
I have a 29 gallon reef and have had good success with it. I have no experience with any other size reef tank but I believe that a larger tank is more stable as far as water conditions and this is one of the reasons why people will recommend a larger tank for a beginner.

 

[sonny]

There is not any reason not to try a reef in your 30 gallon hex tank. If you set it up right, you can view it from all but one side (the side you have the overflow for the sump). You will want to light this tank with a single metal halide lamp, preferably a 10,000 K lamp. It will look spectacular with that lamp. On a small hex tank, there is really no room to put flourescent lights on it, and although you could go with a small PC set-up, since the tank is fairly deep (22inches), it would not penetrate to the bottom.
Good luck,
Sonny